Premier League 2022/23

[werty]

Hope Brighton fans can enjoy this and not worry about the team being torn apart over the next couple of years.

 

[ljinko888]

I have a feeling if West Ham beat Man Utd next then Man Utd will lose 4th to Liverpool

 

[bubble07]

A straight fight with Aston Villa for eighth place now, I hope we win it and they get seventh.

They will beat us so we should be 8th

 

[jolsnogross]

I'd love Brighton to get 4th spot. They are such a fluid side and play very appealing football.

 

[bubble07]

I have a feeling if West Ham beat Man Utd next then Man Utd will lose 4th to Liverpool

That would be great. Means Kane is stuck with us

 

[jolsnogross]

I’d love Mac Allister at spurs. exactly what we need

This is another issue we have - opportunity costs. Why would MacAllister choose to join Spurs? there's no hope that would happen and certain players of his ilk can choose quite carefully where next is best for their career. And the answer might well be Brighton for another year at least.

But our shitshow is such a bad look that anyone with serious ambition and career planning would steer well clear. A club can turn that around relatveily quickly, but you have to put a manager and a style or structure in place that makes it look attractive to potential signings and sustainable for a successful career.

 

[joey55]

ETH is a typical example of how the football industry gets carried away with the impact of a coach. They are having such a bog standrard post SAF era Utd season and are only in the CL positions because Liverpool have had such a dramatic collapse compared to recent years, which really isn't due to ETH's coaching. There is really nothing special about Utd being in 4th place. They usually finish from 6th to 2nd and when they recruit a new coach, he usually improves on the form of the previous coach, but ultimately it just papers the cracks and they revert to not being good enough for their stature. Newcastle are playing well, but let's not get carried away, if they are ahead of your Man Utd team, you just aren't doing that great.

These are the last 5 seasons:

6th 58 pts
2nd 74 pts
3rd 66 pts
6th 66 pts
2nd 81 pts

 

[ljinko888]

If we want to emulate Brighton's recruitment strategy then the obvious difference is they bring talents over straight from South America. MacAllister, Caicedo, Buonanotte, Enciso are four players who they identified and got the deal done early and as cheap as they'll ever be. Rather than let a Spanish, Italian or Portuguese team buy them early and then turn into the £40M players the likes of us try to sign a few years later.

 

[bubble07]

To think we beat Brighton twice

 

[Thenewcat]

This is another issue we have - opportunity costs. Why would MacAllister choose to join Spurs? there's no hope that would happen and certain players of his ilk can choose quite carefully where next is best for their career. And the answer might well be Brighton for another year at least.

But our shitshow is such a bad look that anyone with serious ambition and career planning would steer well clear. A club can turn that around relatveily quickly, but you have to put a manager and a style or structure in place that makes it look attractive to potential signings and sustainable for a successful career.

Being optimistic for a second, if we get the manager and DOF in place relatively quickly I think it’s quite attractive. Adding Mac Allister or Maddison along with the returns of Bentancur and Bissouma transforms our midfield, and a decent manager combined with a top notch CB and our defence should be hugely improved (to at least average )

i realise the word it is working very hard in that first sentence, but our squad isn’t as far off as many would seem to think. Sign a keeper, 2 CBs (one marquee, one back up) and an AM and it looks pretty good. Having said all that, Mac Allister is still going to Liverpool, but Maddison is very good and will be relatively cheap

 

[jolsnogross]

Being optimistic for a second, if we get the manager and DOF in place relatively quickly I think it’s quite attractive. Adding Mac Allister or Maddison along with the returns of Bentancur and Bissouma transforms our midfield, and a decent manager combined with a top notch CB and our defence should be hugely improved (to at least average )

i realise the word it is working very hard in that first sentence, but our squad isn’t as far off as many would seem to think. Sign a keeper, 2 CBs (one marquee, one back up) and an AM and it looks pretty good. Having said all that, Mac Allister is still going to Liverpool, but Maddison is very good and will be relatively cheap

I appreciate an effort to focus on a half-full glass, but even in your rosy scenario here it's difficult to think we'd competently sign three players (GK, CB and AM) for the spine of our team in one go. And achieve that while managing the other positions that may come a cropper (like Kane leaving).

At one point last year, everyone piled in on Porro as a missing link despite knowing almost nothing about him. The jury is still out on him and he needs time to adapt, but it's not clear he's better than what we already have or better than an average PL full/wing back. And certainly our RWB play was absolutely atrocious for most of this season and it seemed reasonable that it should be addressed. But our RWB play has been just as scattergun since he arrived. Maybe it'll just take time.

But more broadly, this is an example of a signing where you think it might go a long way to solving issues, when it turns out we're really playing a game of whack-a-mole. Without an overarching structure or style - provided by a manager that is succeeding - we're not in this rosy position of signing the equivalent of Allison and Van Dijk to make the whole system hum. We're just buying someone to fill a spot before the next crisis position soon emerges.

 

[Thenewcat]

I appreciate an effort to focus on a half-full glass, but even in your rosy scenario here it's difficult to think we'd competently sign three players (GK, CB and AM) for the spine of our team in one go. And achieve that while managing the other positions that may come a cropper (like Kane leaving).

At one point last year, everyone piled in on Porro as a missing link despite knowing almost nothing about him. The jury is still out on him and he needs time to adapt, but it's not clear he's better than what we already have or better than an average PL full/wing back. And certainly our RWB play was absolutely atrocious for most of this season and it seemed reasonable that it should be addressed. But our RWB play has been just as scattergun since he arrived. Maybe it'll just take time.

But more broadly, this is an example of a signing where you think it might go a long way to solving issues, when it turns out we're really playing a game of whack-a-mole. Without an overarching structure or style - provided by a manager that is succeeding - we're not in this rosy position of signing the equivalent of Allison and Van Dijk to make the whole system hum. We're just buying someone to fill a spot before the next crisis position soon emerges.

And I appreciate your effort to focus on glass half empty but this is a squad that was going 3rd 6 weeks ago without a ludicrous penalty decision. It’s also a squad that is, on paper at least, better than the one that made the CL last season. Chelsea went from 10th to 1st with a couple of decent signings and a proper manager. Im not saying we can do that but swift improvement defensively shouldn’t be difficult at all, and we are still a very dangerous side going forward with a halfway competent coach. If Kane leaves things are much harder which is why I wouldn’t even countenance it if I were levy - better to rebuild the team confidence before he leaves than take the money imo

 

[BorjeSpurs]

Genuinely surprised that they can complain about this with a straight face. The last minute penalty seems legit, the corner that proceeded the pen also seems legit, but the freekick that proceeded the corner was incorrect!

It's a bit like when Chelsea was furious at Stamford Bridge when Hojberg scored as Havertz didn't get the freekick 45 seconds earlier and Jorginho even had possesion in between.

 

[easley91]

Anthony literally kicked a player out of frustration and Casemiro could have been booked umpteen times.

I don't mind them having a go at refs if they were honest about their own team's dirtiness and luck with decisions.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Saturday:
.

 

[TheChosenOne]

A win for City against Leeds would see them 4 pts clear of Arsenal with both having played 34.
.
Arsenal go to Newcastle tomorrow - k.o. 4.30

 

[Oh Teddy Teddy]

A win for City against Leeds would see them 4 pts clear of Arsenal with both having played 34.
.
Arsenal go to Newcastle tomorrow - k.o. 4.30

On paper: City in daunting form, home against the worst team in the league on current form.

Arsenal away against the most confident Newcastle team ever, without both CBs…

What could go wrong

oh also coys etc

 

[easley91]

Something poetic about them bottling it twice at Newcastle don't you think?

 

[Sjhawuk]

The Leeds to beat city and the Arse to beat Newcastle double was 49/1 when I bet earlier so if any of you are worried like me you can potentially make nearly £1000 off a £20 bet if the worst does happen

I have done this to soften the blow
Just incase

 

[werty]

How come Sky are allowed to show the City game at 3 today?