Football Season 2017-18

[killthenet]

You guys are doing really well at the moment @Blade

I meant to post in here last night that Celtic stood a good chance in their upcoming games against Bayern if they hadn't sacked Ancelotti by the time they played them, but Bayern seem to have had the same thoughts and have sacked him already. @drahkon what are your thoughts? You've clearly had a poor start to the season but was it bad enough to warrant his sacking? I watched the game last night and didn't think they were too bad, PSG's front three were just on fire and you can't really help that. Similarly it's not his fault that Neuer is out until 2018 so I think he's been a bit unlucky 

[drahkon]

20 minutes ago, killthenet said:

 

@drahkon what are your thoughts? You've clearly had a poor start to the season but was it bad enough to warrant his sacking? I watched the game last night and didn't think they were too bad, PSG's front three were just on fire and you can't really help that. Similarly it's not his fault that Neuer is out until 2018 so I think he's been a bit unlucky 

Still unsure about this whole situation...

I'm unhappy with a couple of things so far this season:

• we still don't have a backup for Lewandowski (and Lewandowski's ego is too big for his own good; he's one of the best on his position, no one can deny that...but he's become a prick)
• we don't have a good replacement for Ribery (for Robben we have Coman) and Lahm
• the last two points boil down to: we need to step up our game during the transfer period
• in my opinion Ancelotti should've stopped his rotation nonsense a long time ago
• we had absolutely no clear plan in any of the matches this season
• - controversial thought - Ancelotti made mistakes on purpose last night...there's a rumour going that he's been offered a very lucrative offer from China

For a team likey Bayern Munich, with its ambitions, the sacking was inevitable.

I think it was the right choice. Ancelotti didn't seem to have a clear direction. We never really showed what kind of football we wanted to play.

We are in a period of a lot of changes (Lahm and Alonso retired, Robben and Ribery almost at the end of their careers) and hopefully this sacking is a step in the right direction. Sign a younger manager, put your faith into younger talents. Focus on the Bundesliga and build a team that - with one or two big transfers next year - can be a threat to any other team again; because quite frankly, this season so far...we have definitely not been.

Edited September 28, 2017 by drahkon

[Blade]

39 minutes ago, killthenet said:

You guys are doing really well at the moment @Blade

 

Absolutely! I am in disbelief how well that the Blades are doing. What Chris Wilder and the players are doing for the club at the moment is nothing short of sensational.

I'm still hyped from beating Wednesday last weekend in their own back yard. Yesterdays result was also terrific. Wolves are a strong team

Its still really early days yet and the more points we can accumulate now will pay off later on.

[Julius]

Wow, this is the best start I feel that English football has had to the start of the UCL in a very long time.

Extremely pleased with our performance away in Madrid; feels like our most dominant showing against a top European side in, well...a very long time. Great to see Morata scoring again, Hazard was great as always, but I'm still concerned about squad size. I think we seriously need a few more players come January if we're to keep this pace up (with or without major injuries).

I can't help but feel sorry for Ancelotti: though I find Bayern's recruitment tactics extremely respectable in this day and age, I think it says something that Robben (33) and Ribery (34) are still considered to be in Bayern's current best XI; these players, as well as Xabi Alonso and Lahm, amongst others, should have had players signed to replace them a year ago at the very latest. Shaqiri and Costa brought in for the long-Term to replace Robben and have both left (Costa had an off-season last season, but if the problem was Carlo's tactics anyway...) and Coman hasn't shown off his spark in a while. Kimmich is a solid RB, but at the same time, if anyone in Bayern's starting XI got injured today, especially in such an important position for Ancelotti's system, it would have caused chaos. 

The team should be playing something like a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-1-1 given the available players (I'm still surprised we don't see Müller played just off Lewandowski more often; the former can run around the entire final third of the pitch whilst the latter can hold up the play and poach) but we're still seeing them trying to implement Guardiola's tactics with the counter-attacking mindset of Ancelotti's 4-3-3/4-2-1-3 and it simply does not work given the players at their disposal.

Surprised he wasn't out sooner, because it seems a waste of a great manager - no offence to German football - to walk in to somewhere like Bayern and not be given the funds and respect to implement a new system. Both Bayern and Ancelotti are to blame for this, in my eyes: the former saw some of Jupp's managerial spark in the latter, I'm sure, whilst the latter expected a walk in the park.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Good victory against Palace yesterday. Buuuut, they were awful in so many ways. Their pressing was shocking, as was their marking. Lukaku was completely free for his goal, as was Mata. Can't see where their goals are coming from.

Worried about exactly how long Pogba will be out for. But, we've got Herrera there to step in if need be. Matic is the player who keeps the midfield ticking over and is a large part of the reason why the team are doing well. 

[bob]

Can't see where their goals are coming from.

They aren't.

[nekunando]

Eugh.. Another weekend of feeling utterly deflated from football :sad:

[Happenstance]

3 minutes ago, nekunando said:

Eugh.. Another season of feeling utterly deflated from football :sad:

Fixed for you

[Fierce_LiNk]

Liverpool's next three fixtures:

Man United (h)

Maribor (a) 

Spurs (a)

 

In their current form, I fancy United to get a result at Anfield. Would have preferred to have played them before the break...

 

[nekunando]

8 minutes ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

Liverpool's next three fixtures:

Man United (h)

Maribor (a) 

Spurs (a)

 

In their current form, I fancy United to get a result at Anfield. Would have preferred to have played them before the break...

 

It could be another 5-0 at this rate.. 

[killthenet]

Tonight's the night, a huge game for Scotland at Hampden Park, the biggest game for the country since qualifying for the World Cup in 1998. Preparation wasn't the best after Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong picked up injuries for Celtic but the mood is still buoyant and expectant. I just hope we don't end up worrying about bloody goal difference again, a very real possibility if we get a win and a draw. Are you going to the game @Charlie?

[killthenet]

Total frustration replaced by absolute euphoria, Scotland were comfortably the better team but it didn't seem like we were going to make the breakthrough but Anya's cross was turned in by Skrtl and suddenly everyone was feeling optimistic again. A win on Sunday in Slovenia should be enough to nick a play off place, something that seemed like a very distant possibility when the international break ended 6 months ago.

[Fierce_LiNk]

We watched the Belgium game against Bosnia through a Belgian news source. I have to say that the pitch is definitely one of the worst that I've seen in recent years. It rained pretty heavily too, so that didn't help matters. Crazy game that finished 4-3 to Belgium! Definitely was worth tuning in for.

Watching the Netherlands right now and it's sad to see how much they're struggling. They've got waaaaay too many players who either aren't good enough or too many players who are in need of being phased out. The young players just aren't living up to it either, like Depay. They need a younger, vibrant coach who will get these guys playing exciting football again.

[killthenet]

Goal sodding difference. Again. Performance was appalling in the first 25mins of the second half but looking back across the whole campaign it was the draw against Lithuania at home that cost us, not the lack of a result tonight. 

That doesn't forgive the dreadful goals were gave away or that Darren Fletcher miss to make it 2-2 with 15 mins to go. 

Looking at it optimistically, that's 6 games unbeaten so things bode well going into qualification for Euro 2020 but it still hurts not making the world cup this time around. 

Edited October 8, 2017 by killthenet

[dwarf]

Messi is in the World Cup. Hallelujah! 

Watched the match in the early hours of this morning and was fist-pumping for every goal. Dude is incredible.

It's a shame that Argentina's first team full backs are pub players. I doubt they'll progress as far as they did in 2014. 

 

Edited October 11, 2017 by dwarf

[killthenet]

I watched it too, seemed like they were doomed to fail when they conceded after 30 seconds but Messi put in a ridiculous performance to win the game almost single handedly.

I went to bed after that though because I didn't think there'd be any drama in the North American qualifying but I was very wrong. Panama beat Costa Rica and the USA, who only needed a point to qualify, lost away to bottom placed Trinidad & Tobago meaning they will miss out on their first world cup since 1986. Great news for Panama who have made their first ever finals but the USA will surely be looking to overhaul things now, they used to just walk it in qualifying.

[Nicktendo]

I think the USA not qualifying is a bigger shock than Holland not making it. They have such an easy group and a 2 in 3 chance of at least making it through either to the WC or the intercontinental playoffs. I think it'll be a blow to the game over there, especially considering how well the MLS seems to be doing at the moment and how big some of the fanbases of their clubs have become.

[killthenet]

Absolutely man, with the Netherlands it was sort of expected because of how poor they were in Euro 2016 qualifying whereas USA performed at the 2014 World Cup and the Copa America Centenario, I guess their change of manager could have been a sign things weren't going too well for them. 

Chile also missed out in South American qualifying so the world cup is going to be missing some of the best teams from the last one. 

[Jonnas]

I'm so disappointed that Chile failed to qualify. They're my favourite underdog to root for, as well as the reigning Copa América champions (which they happened to win twice in two years)... and they're somehow gonna skip the World Cup. Peru better qualify in their stead.

[killthenet]

Not really a surprise but Gordon Strachan has left the Scotland job. I really like the guy so was hoping he'd stay on and give it another crack but I can definitely understand why he and the Scottish FA feel it's time to move on. There were some fantastic moments during his tenure but too many poor results against the lesser teams cost them in both campaigns so I was sympathetic towards those fans who felt the team needed to move on and give someone else a chance but as with Chris Coleman for Wales I can't really see a better option than Strachan so I thought he should have been given the option to stay on. The media are touting McLiesh, Moyes and Lambert, all decent managers in their time but definitely experiencing dips in their careers. I would say that Alex Neil is probably the best candidate, he looked primed for the Scotland job after early successes with Hamilton and Norwich, and despite his sacking after Norwich were relegated from the Premier League he seems to have bounced back well with Preston North End. The only worry really is that it's too early in his career, aged only 36, to take a job usually suited to managers with their best days behind them.

[Fierce_LiNk]

One of those games which makes you wonder why you even bother watching this sport. Awful game and stupid from the organisers to put an international break before such a high profile match. Players looked knackered from both sides and our tactics were shocking. Don't think we even set foot in their box in the second half. Is there any point in watching us against the likes of City or Chelsea away if this is how we handle the bigger teams away from home? 

*goes back to playing Overwatch*

 

[nekunando]

3 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

One of those games which makes you wonder why you even bother watching this sport. Awful game and stupid from the organisers to put an international break before such a high profile match. Players looked knackered from both sides and our tactics were shocking. Don't think we even set foot in their box in the second half. Is there any point in watching us against the likes of City or Chelsea away if this is how we handle the bigger teams away from home? 

*goes back to playing Overwatch*

 

I couldn't believe how negative United were. I could understand it last season but not today with how things have been going. The most frustrating part is that you got the point that Mourinho came for.. but I almost found it embarrassing

Liverpool played decent enough, particularly Salah in the first half, but we never quite had that final ball, something which is killing us right now.

I went in pessimistic but come out feeling that we're maybe not quite as bad as we've been made out to be in recent weeks. A little injection of confidence and taking a few chances will make all the difference

 

[bob]

Awful game and stupid from the organisers to put an international break before such a high profile match.
 

Well, someone has to play after the international break. Do you think Liverpool or Man U should get special treatment because they are 'high profile'? Doesn't seem fair.

[Fierce_LiNk]

3 hours ago, nekunando said:

I couldn't believe how negative United were. I could understand it last season but not today with how things have been going. The most frustrating part is that you got the point that Mourinho came for.. but I almost found it embarrassing

Liverpool played decent enough, particularly Salah in the first half, but we never quite had that final ball, something which is killing us right now.

I went in pessimistic but come out feeling that we're maybe not quite as bad as we've been made out to be in recent weeks. A little injection of confidence and taking a few chances will make all the difference

 

Just out of curiosity, why would Liverpool be confident after that? I didn't think that they were particularly good either and they couldn't score past a United team that hardly attacked. Plus, they had the advantage of being home. 

36 minutes ago, bob said:

 

 

Well, someone has to play after the international break. Do you think Liverpool or Man U should get special treatment because they are 'high profile'? Doesn't seem fair.

 

The Premier League is a huge product and the money men will definitely have made a killing from today's game. There are certain games that carry huge prestige because of the history behind the fixtures. I'd also count the North London derby as another and also West Ham vs. Spurs, too. If you're going to advertise such a "product", you'd want the best version of said product. Having two knackered teams that can't even field their best squads because players picked up injuries on international duty (Bailly, Mane, Rashford (not fully fit, but played today as a late sub), Fellaini, etc). It doesn't show off the Premier League in the best light and devalues it as a product. That's one issue. The bigger issue for me is that the international breaks just kill momentum for a lot of Premier League teams. It leads to a very stop-start season. Wouldn't it just be better to block off all the international games and get them done during one go? 

All of that is a minor point anyway. The bigger issue for me is how we approached the fixture today and how we play against certain teams away from home. I felt that we could have done a lot more today than we did and didn't test Liverpool anywhere near enough as we should. That's by far the bigger issue and one that we can certainly address ourselves. 

Anyway, Arsenal and Chelsea lost away from home today, so maybe it isn't all bad.

[nekunando]

3 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

Just out of curiosity, why would Liverpool be confident after that? I didn't think that they were particularly good either and they couldn't score past a United team that hardly attacked. Plus, they had the advantage of being home. 

Hmm.. I'm not sure if you've misinterpreted what I was trying to say or if I just wasn't very clear.

I don't think Liverpool will feel any more confident as the same issues remain, even if we did dominate a team at the top of the league who have been scoring for fun all season.. but it made me feel a little better after all the doom and gloom!

What I was trying to say is that we need a little injection of confidence from somewhere (perhaps a good performance and a few goals against Maribor would help ) and things might click into place. We haven't been playing bad ..