The Premier League Thread

  • Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
  • Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!
Oh so you have a crystal ball do you? Lee Mason would have sent Xhaka off. It's nothing to do with the size of the club - it's the standard of the referee. As Oliver is a very good referee, he used his common sense and didn't treat the rule book like the bible.


On this one Tom, I definitely make you right. Fair play to the ref for using common sense. A sending off in those circumstances would have ruined the game unnecessarily.
 
Just how awful were Arsenal today? Even Fulham were beaten by only 3!! And if Arsenal have improved, then I am the PM´s father!!!!


Their defence was comically bad. Which is a shame really, because going forward they looked almost as good as Liverpool; what should have been a brilliant game was all over by half time.
 
Vote Ides.

That unbeaten run narrative covered up the fact that Arsenal are really not very good, but that's why they're gonna finish 5th.
 
Oliver would have got crucified by his assessor if he had sent off Xhaka. I know how assessors think, I've met enough of them. All assessors hate red cards for technical offences such as delaying the restart of play. If Xhaka had booted it all the way down to the Kop then he probably would have gone because that's too obvious too ignore. Xhaka kicked it what, 20 yards? He didn't kick it far enough to warrant a second yellow.
 
Vote Ides.

That unbeaten run narrative covered up the fact that Arsenal are really not very good, but that's why they're gonna finish 5th.

They are definitely not good enough for a top 4 finish, and look just about worthy of the EL place. Emery needs to be ruthless with the dross that he has inherited in that dressing room. I am sure he is a good manager because the Sevilla side he had, cost a fraction of the one that Arsenal have assembled.
 
I don't know that I'd call Arsenal "dross", but they are in a position very similar to where Liverpool found themselves a few years back: their attack is good enough to challenge for the title, and their defense is good enough to challenge for mid-table. Liverpool sorted it by signing van Dijk (who has been worth every cent they gave us) and through the emergence of some of their Academy players, while Arsenal has spent nearly 150m on CBs, defensive mids and keepers in the past three seasons without improvement.

If they can solidify, they have the ingredients to be excellent, but the clock is ticking; that isn't a young squad.
 
You can see why Rafa doesn't trust Shelvey. He'd only been on the pitch for three minutes when he decided to not bother tracking Doucoure. Un-did 80 minutes of good (Shelvey-less) work.

With Rafa trying to extract every ounce at of that poor Newcastle squad, he won't want to carry defensive passengers.

They'll miss Ki whilst he's at the Asian Cup.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Qwerty