Rival Watch

That's the point. The players stirring for massively improved contracts are Sanchez and ozil. Undisputably the 2 best players and stars at Arsenal and they know it. If they don't perform against the top teams Arsenal are done.

Both know that there will long queue of clubs clamouring to employ them at increased wages. Rooney (!) is on 250k, Zlatan is on > 250k and this is not even factoring the insane offers of >£400-500k from China.

Wenger and Arsenal are over a barrel and no one wants to give in to blackmail like Henry suggested. But I can't see what else the club can do. Do they lose their best 2 players and start from scratch? Will they be happy to see Sanchez or Ozil at City United or Chelsea?

 

Seems like he can't quite shake his magic hangover ...........

 

Once again... always about United

THIS is why City, their players, their fans will always be smaller. It's such a ****ing small-minded mentality.

 

Put it in the random stats thread. Should go down a treat on the PL board.

 

I suspect they'll just refer to the PL table.

 

Have a look at the table

Happy Crimbo, you shower of ****hounds

 

Scousers always prefer to look at the PL table any time other than May.

 

I've just wished you a happy Christmas, you tosser

 

Have a very merry Christmas you scouse twat

 

The best 100 footballers on the planet.
the Guardian and their panel of judges have come up with these:

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...est-footballers-in-the-world-2016-interactive


So it seems that the premiership has nearly a third (32) of those whereas la liga has 28. But most of the top 10 either play in La liga or in the bundesliga.

In the prem City have the most.

City 7 United 5 Chelsea 4 Arsenal 5 Spurs 4 Leicester 3 RS 3 West Ham 1

A bit of fun of course and room for lots of argument but it shows that the top 6 clubs with the quality players are all also currently top 6 but not in the "right" order. Chelsea overachieving but city and United especially should be doing better.

United no longer have the excuse of not having the quality players. It is a matter of getting them to play as a team with the right system and (the difficult part) to their potential/ability.


And as expected in la liga, the distribution is Madrid 11, Barcelona 8 althletico 7 and Valencia only having 1. Reflects the dominance of these clubs in their league.

 

(Moyes in Moyes Matthew thread)

 

As with all of these things I think that's a bit of an oversimplification. Particularly for something which is based on a calendar year, meaning and Bravo and Gundogan get recognition for their performances last year without much weighting put on how they have struggled for City this season.

Also reminds me of all those Liverpool fans back in the day insisting that Liverpool had better players in every position than Utd, yet unable to explain how they were always trailing so far behind us (the Gerrard > Scholes, Reina > VDS, Torres >>>>> Rooney etc etc lists of fun). Having good individuals does not always a good team make. Chelsea are proof of that this season - no better players than the rest of the league, but arguably benefiting from the fact that their players are so used to a lack of stability that they never really learn how to play to one manager's style and thus respond so much better when a new manager comes in.

Of course the big thing to take away from that list is how bad a state LVG left us in. Not one of the players he bought makes the grade, yet all three of Mourinho's signings are right up there, and even one of Moyes' made it in! Pretty much no wonder we are trailing given three of our best four players only joined in the summer, but does bode well for the future.

 

That deserves to be on the Random Stats Thread.

 

The RS will be waiting for another 30 years. Yet they are deluded that they can win it this year

 

Pep is now talking about retirement. That guy is flaky.

 

#kloppyflop moaning about 2 pens.
there was a blatant and clear one by Can in the second half. Like playing basketball. Not given.

A few refs have got the courage to give blatant pens against him. #kloppyflop stole 2 points from Sunderland

 

Conversely, Mike Dean had a blinder