Match Day Thread 2016/17 Premier League, Cups & Euro Watch

You're right mate .. but ... my first comment was in response to your static top 6 convo with Bisc.

I think we are more or less on the same lines with regards to Liverpool's 'place' in a top 6. As mito pointed out we don't have any more claim on it atm than 2 or 3 other teams. If we maintain or better still, improve on our present position, then this season can be added to the top 4 stats.

 

What Leicester did last season was an anomaly of immense proportion the last of which was Bolton securing an EL place and Middlesbrough doing the same the previous year. Other than those, league placings have been pretty solid. The TV money benefits everyone so those teams who can now afford a club record breaking transfer still have to compete with the clubs hoovering up the world's best talent i.e. things stay the same albeit the 'smaller' clubs fans now get to see some quality players.

 

Asked about man yoo's possible transfer targets in the summer window Maureen managed to reference himself 12 times in his reply.

"We are speaking about transfer window that opens in the summer," he says.

"I have nothing to tell you. I repeat what I said, of course I know what I want. I will work with my players. I know them better now. I think I know what we need. I am very realistic. I know the impossible targets. I don't like my club to participate in impossible deals. It is a waste of time. it is a gift to an agent to have a club like Man Utd interested in their player".

 

Maybe a bit of both? More likely the regulars will be regulars but the vast increase in money means that none of them can get away with a "bad" or transition year without a serious risk of dropping down very quickly. Whereas before they may have scraped 4th or 6th and got away with the bad year.

Think it's still an argument that there are really only 4 teams that can handle champions league and continue to be competitive in the league the following year with a stable team and manager. City, Chelsea, United and Arsenal.

Spurs might be getting there and we've still to see if Klopp can build a squad to do it.

The rest just can't.

 

Or indeed the same year. Not too many squads deep enough with the sort of quality to compete on several fronts at the same time.

 

I think you are right.

I think city have proven this and spurs are really about 14 players too.

Spurs dont have all that much coming on. Sissoko, wimmer, winks, jansson, son, vorm, lamela... they don't really have a replacement ofr either kane no ali and the others stepping in like full backs etc are not as good but they are better than us by about 3/4 players.

Arsenal are actually nearly best in prem, bench of gabriel, coquilin? carzorla, ox, walcott? they are probably the ones with most real players...

UTd are probably closer to arsenal than the rest.

 

One big mystery to me - why when our league's getting richer therefore arguably attracting better players therefore arguably getting more competitive, are we as a league, not performing as well in Europe?

 

Whatever happened about the Chinese investment people buying in from the summer? Haven't seen anything about them since. Have they Invested elsewhere?

 

who knows. it was denied at the time by FSG and that suggests FSG told the truth.

my only issue with them is they "make do" all the time.

How they lucked into getting klopp i will never know.

 

I think really we have seen a vastly improve prem this year as the top six have gotten the act together. I think the quality genuinely has been poor and especially the football in england is rush rush and no real defence.

We like 20 chances a game and if you look at a game in spain they make real chances maybe 5 or 6 a game!

in other words the other sides seem to just be better defensively and english clubs just go out by being hit with sucker punch goals all the time.

Spurs look like a side who SHOULD be better in europe than they've shown

I think going forward IF a clear top 6 emerges (IF) then side may be able to rest more for europe games but equally.... these managers in the prem need to set up defensively better. the managers in the top 6 alone should be delivering this now

finally.. while there not less games in some leagues they are better organised for europe. We play league cup then right into fa cup and all sides have to go in it around europe. In spain the top half of the la liga only come into last 16 for copa del rey! they get a free run at europe in first half of year.

I dunno..... I just feel theres a few factors in it but theres a magic formula out there of League strength, squads in league cup, better defensive set ups and perhaps the magic winter break discussion again.

 

He likes a challenge, he likes the opportunity to jump up and down on the touchline, yell at his players and berate the officials.
We provide these things.

 

It's always been that way though hasn't it and yet they perform better and better and we don't.

 

True. When England dominated in mid 2000s they may have had all those things.

It's interesting how Italy went down the pan and how bayern have in general improved.

Bayern ha e gotten more and more money but nobody else in Germany did til recently so they had unopposed run at Europe and could rest players and win doubles.

Psg are the same. It's all about cl cos league has been easy.

Juve now seem to be in same scenario.

Real and barca have had unfair share of Spanish tv money and thus dominated.

The only thing I can think of is that the emergence of city as a Johnny come lately billionaires toy has destabilised the Prem to the extent that clubs ha e been in a turbulent spin and have just not have had the stability to compete.

Utd have basically fallen apart since ferguson went but the writing was on the wall for 2 years really defensively. Rvp saved their blushes at times for sure.

Chelsea have been dreadful at sacking managers but di matteo won cl by defending. They have continued to scan managers since and just never stabilise.

Arsenal are arsenal, soft and wengers been at it for too long.

City had to get seeding ranking and failed to get out of groups yet then the seeding system changes and Leicester demonstrate how easy winning a top seed group is.
They have also been unstable.

Look at bayern, run by very senior directors who do the buying and pick Coa he's for 3 years.

Look at real, great managers like Anchelotti.

Look at barca same.



Perhaps the English clubs don't have the stable bases at the top to allow for managers changing?

 

Without oversimplifying the argument I just don't think the quality of player in England is what it once was.

The 'best' players in this league like Aguero, De Bruyne, Ozil, Sanchez, Pogba, De Gea etc. are only here because Real Madrid or Barca didn't want them.

Look back about 10 years ago and I saw players like Carvalho, Vidic, Ferdinand, Terry, Ashley Cole, Gerrard, Essien, Alonso, Lampard, Henry, Drogba, Robben etc. in the league, they would've walked into any side in any other league in Europe, no questions asked, I'm not so sure that you could say the same about the league's current players.

 

Mourinho writes in his autobiography he'd lost the game so the best he could do is ruin the ref's career as a distraction from his failure, then wonders why he isn't given any benefit of the doubt

Because there is no doubt, he's a #nailedon ****

 

Everton used to compete for top 5 before they started #doingalukaku

Like Stones, the money they could get for him would far outweigh his actual contributions to the team

 

Sanchez and Ozil were obviously want by Barca and Real since they bought them and played them in many games, Real chased de Gea right to the transfer window death but couldn't get him, Aguero was never going to be allowed to go to Real from Atleti (not sure if Barca ever showed interest), Real wanted Pogba but couldn't meet the asking price, that leaves de Bruyne.
You may want to pick some other players

 

Key word; "were".

They sold these players and therefore, no longer wanted them.

 

Ozil and Sanchez were sold by Madrid and Barca so clearly weren't wanted that much any longer.

 

FFS