Fierce_LiNk Posted November 18, 2017 Author Posted November 18, 2017 Anyone else watching Arsenal vs. Spurs? Didn't think it was a free kick which led to the first goal.
Ramar Posted November 20, 2017 Posted November 20, 2017 It was very soft. But glad we finally got some decisions this season. Power shifts put to bed.
Charlie Posted November 21, 2017 Posted November 21, 2017 On 18/11/2017 at 1:15 PM, Fierce_LiNk said: Anyone else watching Arsenal vs. Spurs? Didn't think it was a free kick which led to the first goal. Nah wasn't a freekick and Mustafi was offside too. The second was arguably offside too. However, Arsenal were by far the better team on the day and both of those decisions would have been a guess from linesman to call offside. The attacker is meant to get the advantage in those situations. Spurs can feel aggrieved by the goals but not by the loss. They did nothing to deserve anything else.
Fierce_LiNk Posted November 21, 2017 Author Posted November 21, 2017 21 hours ago, Ramar said: It was very soft. But glad we finally got some decisions this season. Power shifts put to bed. I'd love to hear Dazzy's comments on the game, but then I remembered that he doesn't post when Spurs lose. 1 2
nekunando Posted November 21, 2017 Posted November 21, 2017 Absolutely gutted tonight and almost expect Liverpool to somehow fail to qualify for the next round of the Champions League with defeat at home to Spartak Moscow
Fierce_LiNk Posted November 22, 2017 Author Posted November 22, 2017 A pretty poor performance. I think our home form will be great this season, but our away form is going to determine how well we end up doing. Mourinho has to alter how we play in away games, because it's just not working at the moment. Should have been a better result tonight.
Kav Posted November 23, 2017 Posted November 23, 2017 When we go 3-0 up against lower opposition with only 10 men, that is absolutely the time to bring on the youngster on the bench (Dujon Sterling) and give him first team experience for the last 20 mins... ...but no, not Chelsea, we don’t bother blooding our youngsters! Urgh...
Fierce_LiNk Posted November 25, 2017 Author Posted November 25, 2017 The performance against Brighton wasn't very good and they made United work really hard. Struggled to see how we were going to score today, so it's just typical really that a goal came about through a huge deflection. Players need to find form quickly.
Charlie Posted November 27, 2017 Posted November 27, 2017 Last minute penalty for Arsenal sends them above Spurs into 4th. Love how Arsenal get lambasted in the media for having a poor season yet Spurs who are apparently going to win the Champions League (having beaten an off-form Real Madrid) get nothing said about them at all.
killthenet Posted November 29, 2017 Posted November 29, 2017 Spurs down to 7th now after Burnley and Liverpool's wins tonight. Man City really are a marvel, can see them breaking the consecutive wins record in a couple of weeks. Whisper it quietly but Spain won the World Cup in 2010 with a core of Guardiola managed Barcelona players, Germany won the World Cup in 2014 with a core of Guardiola managed Bayern players...
Charlie Posted November 30, 2017 Posted November 30, 2017 8 hours ago, killthenet said: Spurs down to 7th now after Burnley and Liverpool's wins tonight. Man City really are a marvel, can see them breaking the consecutive wins record in a couple of weeks. Whisper it quietly but Spain won the World Cup in 2010 with a core of Guardiola managed Barcelona players, Germany won the World Cup in 2014 with a core of Guardiola managed Bayern players... Is there really a core of English players in that Man City side? 3 English players started last night and none on the bench. If England come close to winning the world cup I'll eat my hat. Great win for Arsenal last night. I messaged my brother on about 65 minutes saying how badly they were playing. 5 minutes later Ozil had 2 assists and a goal. 2
killthenet Posted November 30, 2017 Posted November 30, 2017 3 hours ago, Charlie said: Is there really a core of English players in that Man City side? 3 English players started last night and none on the bench. If England come close to winning the world cup I'll eat my hat. Great win for Arsenal last night. I messaged my brother on about 65 minutes saying how badly they were playing. 5 minutes later Ozil had 2 assists and a goal. It's not a prediction for how England are going to do in the Summer but I do think the media will start peddling that sort of argument in the run up to the World Cup. City do have Sterling, Walker, Delph and Stones as key squad members but I don't think that's enough to translate into giving England much more of an advantage. Ozil's record is really impressive but he still gets a lot of flack for not turning up at times, does anyone have more assists than him since he joined the Premier League?
Hero-of-Time Posted December 1, 2017 Posted December 1, 2017 So, England are in the same group as Belgium. You ain't topping that group.
dwarf Posted December 1, 2017 Posted December 1, 2017 Rather them than Germany, France or Brazil, who were also in pot 1. I think we're capable of beating them if we're up for it on the day.
Eenuh Posted December 1, 2017 Posted December 1, 2017 That's going to be an interesting match to watch in this house! Go Belgiummmmmm! 1
drahkon Posted December 1, 2017 Posted December 1, 2017 2 minutes ago, Eenuh said: That's going to be an interesting match to watch in this house! Go Belgiummmmmm! Well...one of you will be homeless next year. @Fierce_LiNk , you can come and live with me if you want.
Nicktendo Posted December 1, 2017 Posted December 1, 2017 (edited) Can't say that's the toughest draw England have ever had, still, there's endless possibilities for us to somehow screw it up... Unfortunately it doesn't look like England are going to play in St. Petersburg (unless they finish second in the group AND somehow make it to the semi-finals), so it looks like I won't be able to get to a game... Argentina vs. Nigeria is the most tantalising prospect from the group stages here, Brazil will also be playing, I just can't remember against who. England fans can see them play Belgium in Kaliningrad, which is about 2 hours away from the UK by plane (though I doubt there are any direct flights, probably better to go via Poland or Lithuania). If anyone is interested in going to that game, the city is beautiful and modern, if you stick to the centre, with a weird mix of German, Soviet and Neo-Russian architecture. There are plenty of bars, restaurants and places to visit. Definitely unlike anywhere else in Eastern Europe and worth visiting if you want to make it to a game fairly easily and cheaply. I might try to go, but obviously June is a long way away. If anyone IS thinking about coming to Russia for the World Cup, I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have! Edited December 1, 2017 by Nicktendo 1
killthenet Posted December 1, 2017 Posted December 1, 2017 England are probably in the dullest group but there are some really interesting match ups. Portugal v Spain is obviously the pick of the draw but Argentina, Croatia, Nigeria and Iceland is surely the group of death. I still think Brazil, Germany, Portugal and Argentina are the favourites for the tournament but the draw throws up some interesting potential QF match ups.
dwarf Posted December 1, 2017 Posted December 1, 2017 1 hour ago, killthenet said: England are probably in the dullest group but there are some really interesting match ups. Portugal v Spain is obviously the pick of the draw but Argentina, Croatia, Nigeria and Iceland is surely the group of death. I still think Brazil, Germany, Portugal and Argentina are the favourites for the tournament but the draw throws up some interesting potential QF match ups. Dude, have you seen Argentina play in the qualifiers? They're a shambles.
Fierce_LiNk Posted December 1, 2017 Author Posted December 1, 2017 On 29/11/2017 at 11:54 PM, killthenet said: Spurs down to 7th now after Burnley and Liverpool's wins tonight. Man City really are a marvel, can see them breaking the consecutive wins record in a couple of weeks. Whisper it quietly but Spain won the World Cup in 2010 with a core of Guardiola managed Barcelona players, Germany won the World Cup in 2014 with a core of Guardiola managed Bayern players... I think you're really stretching there. As @Charlie mentioned, there isn't the "core" of English players there at City. The best players in the side are not the English ones, at least and the side isn't built around English players. (also, I'd argue that although Guardiola managed these sides, he didn't really "build" them, so to speak. The harder work and foundations were laid by previous managers) 4 hours ago, dwarf said: Rather them than Germany, France or Brazil, who were also in pot 1. I think we're capable of beating them if we're up for it on the day. Aside from possibly up front (the striker position), I can't think of a single area where England have the better of Belgium. Their players are technically superior and their attacking and creative players are better. Can't think of a single English player who is even close to what De Bruyne can offer. The only hope that England have (which is also the same thing that the Belgians fear) is that Martinez will ruin them defensively whilst trying to play attractive football, which is a possibility. I want both teams to do well, but I'd be surprised if England progress further than Belgium.
killthenet Posted December 2, 2017 Posted December 2, 2017 7 hours ago, dwarf said: Dude, have you seen Argentina play in the qualifiers? They're a shambles. I know, I know but I just have the feeling they're going to pull it together - Messi always finds a way of matching Ronaldo's achievements. 5 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said: I think you're really stretching there. As @Charlie mentioned, there isn't the "core" of English players there at City. The best players in the side are not the English ones, at least and the side isn't built around English players. (also, I'd argue that although Guardiola managed these sides, he didn't really "build" them, so to speak. The harder work and foundations were laid by previous managers) It was more just an observation that the last two winning sides had a lot of Guardiola managed players, I don't expect he'll have enough influence on the four English players to drastically alter England's fortunes at the World Cup but the improvement of Sterling and the resurgence of Delph this season can only have a positive outcome for England. Speaking of Guardiola's achievements, I was quite negative towards him when he was at Barca and Bayern, feeling that he was just riding the wave of success of Rijkaard and Heynckes but what he has achieved so far this season at Man City has made me change my tune on him dramatically. He might have inherited great squads in the past but there is clearly something about his management style that keeps players motivated whatever the opposition, and seeing him on the touchline and in post-match interviews week in week out has really endeared him to me, I used to write him off because I preferred Mourinho but now i'm starting to hold him in as high a regard.
Fierce_LiNk Posted December 2, 2017 Author Posted December 2, 2017 Amazing game against Arsenal. Definitely the best game that I've seen this season. We could easily have lost this 3-1 instead of winning it. De Gea is the best keeper on the planet. Arsenal started off way too slow and didn't start playing until they were 2-0 down. After that, they played really, really well but couldn't make it past De Gea. Even then, both sides played excellent football. Only blemish for me is Pogba's sending off.
dwarf Posted December 3, 2017 Posted December 3, 2017 14 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said: Amazing game against Arsenal. Definitely the best game that I've seen this season. We could easily have lost this 3-1 instead of winning it. De Gea is the best keeper on the planet. Arsenal started off way too slow and didn't start playing until they were 2-0 down. After that, they played really, really well but couldn't make it past De Gea. Even then, both sides played excellent football. Only blemish for me is Pogba's sending off. Any hope of winning the derby has officially died with that rash tackle. What do we have in midfield to contend against du Bruyne, Silva and Fernandinho now? We'll be chasing them all game, looking at each other for someone to step up and dictate the play. Not optimistic at all. Agree about the game though. Watched it down the pub with a group of united fans and went nuts after every goal. Lingard's first was exceptional, a definite goal of the month contender. So satisfying to see slick attacking football played like that.
Fierce_LiNk Posted December 3, 2017 Author Posted December 3, 2017 5 minutes ago, dwarf said: Any hope of winning the derby has officially died with that rash tackle. What do we have in midfield to contend against du Bruyne, Silva and Fernandinho now? We'll be chasing them all game, looking at each other for someone to step up and dictate the play. Not optimistic at all. Agree about the game though. Watched it down the pub with a group of united fans and went nuts after every goal. Lingard's first was exceptional, a definite goal of the month contender. So satisfying to see slick attacking football played like that. If Herrera was in good form, then I think we could get away with a draw. But, he's playing like absolute dogshit this season. We only really have Matic in there to act as a shield. He's the Reinhardt of our team. We'll struggle to get the ball off them. Herrera of last season and Matic would be the ball winners in midfield and then we would be able to counter. But, it's too much for Matic to do on his own. Fully expect it to be a struggle. Not fully convinced Pogba's red was a red. The more I watch it at full speed and in slow-mo, the more I question where/how exactly he's expected to plant his foot on the ground when the defender is essentially putting his leg on the spot where the foot would land naturally. He hasn't applied downward pressure for it to be a stamp. At the speed of the game, he would had to have lunged over the defender to plant his foot, which just isn't realistic. It's a tough one. It doesn't look pretty, but Bellerin has made it very awkward for Pogba to go anywhere.
dwarf Posted December 3, 2017 Posted December 3, 2017 Hmmm it wasn't especially malicious but at the same time he could've mitigated some of the force of the challenge. Thought it was a red myself, can't see the FA reducing the ban. Thought the ref was spot on with the yellow for Koscielny against Lukaku too. Fortunately for us he missed 2 penalty decisions late on for Arsenal.
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