Everything Soccer

[IHateMarkMay]

Yeah... i'd like to see coaches get a bit more length in their leashes but it is what it is.


Also Pirlo, as much as I love he is coaching McKennie, might not be too long for the job either. Id love for him to get 1-2 more seasons just becasue the dude is so damned pretty. Haha.

Would love for Frank to stay... for the same reasons I want Harbaugh to stay at UM.

 

[Rogue219]

Would love for Frank to stay... for the same reasons I want Harbaugh to stay at UM.

You do realize this is how everyone feels about Ole at the Wheel, too, right?

Frank is going to end up being the guy who once yelled at Klopp on the touchline. That will be his crowning achievement as a manager. Or finishing Sixth at Derby County.

Speaking of managers, Steven Gerrard looks like he is going to break Celtics' stranglehold on Scotland finally. Quite a mess Rangers was when he took over.

Pochettino now at PSG, which means if he doesn't win Europe, he'll be sacked in two years.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

You do realize this is how everyone feels about Ole at the Wheel, too, right?

Frank is going to end up being the guy who once yelled at Klopp on the touchline. That will be his crowning achievement as a manager. Or finishing Sixth at Derby County.

Speaking of managers, Steven Gerrard looks like he is going to break Celtics' stranglehold on Scotland finally. Quite a mess Rangers was when he took over.

Pochettino now at PSG, which means if he doesn't win Europe, he'll be sacked in two years.

Yeah, but at least Ole is in second place in the Premiership (I was calling for Poch after the first three weeks, apparently I was wrong). Chelsea spent a shit ton of money this summer and are currently 8th (Southampton are 9th, same points, and a game in hand).

I'm not saying United will win the league or finish second, but the expectations were realistically third through sixth, with top four being hopeful. Chelsea were expected to compete with Liverpool and Man City this year with the amount they spent.

 

[notredomer23]

Surprised we haven't seen Steven Gerard linked to any major prem gigs. Undefeated in Scotland including beating Celtic twice. I get that they should win the majority of games with the Celtic match being a toss up, but they've literally only allowed 5 goals this year. That's a completely different level of domination.

 

[Rogue219]

Yeah, but at least Ole is in second place in the Premiership (I was calling for Poch after the first three weeks, apparently I was wrong). Chelsea spent a shit ton of money this summer and are currently 8th (Southampton are 9th, same points, and a game in hand).

I'm not saying United will win the league or finish second, but the expectations were realistically third through sixth, with top four being hopeful. Chelsea were expected to compete with Liverpool and Man City this year with the amount they spent.

Champions of England:

Transfer Window: Chelsea
October: Everton
November: Tottenham
December: Manchester United

It's a marathon, as most know. My guess is Liverpool and City will be left in the end.

I think United will need a better manager than Ole at the Wheel to press forward. The only guy who is on the market I can think of is Allegri, and I don't know if he speaks English.

 

[Rogue219]

Surprised we haven't seen Steven Gerard linked to any major prem gigs. Undefeated in Scotland including beating Celtic twice. I get that they should win the majority of games with the Celtic match being a toss up, but they've literally only allowed 5 goals this year. That's a completely different level of domination.

I think it is a matter of time that those links start popping up, but I am guessing they'll be in Championship rather than the Premier League.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

Champions of England:

Transfer Window: Chelsea
October: Everton
November: Tottenham
December: Manchester United

It's a marathon, as most know. My guess is Liverpool and City will be left in the end.

I think United will need a better manager than Ole at the Wheel to press forward. The only guy who is on the market I can think of is Allegri, and I don't know if he speaks English.

You are absolutely right. The champion isn't crowned until the season is over, and I think it'll still be between Liverpool and City. Ole still has a lot to learn and I'm not sure he is the manager to lead them to sustained success. If he were to get sacked, I'm not sure who they'd go after. I'd imagine Fletcher who just go promoted from coaching the U16s or something.

The point I was making was the sky high expectations for Chelsea after the transfers they brought in. If United spent that much (probably would have been Sancho, Upamecano, a DM), they would also have top 2 aspirations and being in 8th would probably lead to the manger getting sacked. It'll be interesting if Chelsea go after some defense in this window to help Gerard after spending 220M in the summer window.

 

[Rogue219]

Jordan Henderson is starting at center half today. Williams and Phillips are on the bench.

This being said, how do Liverpool NOT buy a center half this month in the transfer window?

Liverpool have been shit so far today, but the referee has managed to be worse. The officiating in the Premier League is absolutely shocking match in and match out, every week. I don't care who is playing.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

Im gonna go and sniff some glue. Thanks.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

I didn't watch the game, but caught some of the highlights... wow. Liverpool got hosed. How was that shot off of the defender's arm not a handball? Obviously it wasn't intentional, but it's been called a handball all season and all of last season. Such a crock.

 

[KyfightingIrish36]

Going to be an interesting 2 weeks for ManU with the opportunity to go top vs Burnley then playing at Anfield.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

I didn't watch the game, but caught some of the highlights... wow. Liverpool got hosed. How was that shot off of the defender's arm not a handball? Obviously it wasn't intentional, but it's been called a handball all season and all of last season. Such a crock.

Salah got put in a rear naked choke hold too but not called. Walcott's tackle on Milner was awful and not carded.... Mariner has a shit game.

 

[Rogue219]

They played like shit and Marriner was shit too. Nothing went right.

Feel bad for the Scousers who had to watch that while on lockdown. Yuck.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

Going to be an interesting 2 weeks for ManU with the opportunity to go top vs Burnley then playing at Anfield.

Just wait, in typical Man U style they'll get blown out today against City in the Carabao Cup, lose at Burnley, lose at Anfield and then Ole's job is on the line again.

Haven't watched much Liverpool this year, but I've seen some reactions that TAA is nowhere near as good as he was last year and he is playing quite nonchalantly. Any truth to that?

 

[Rogue219]

Just wait, in typical Man U style they'll get blown out today against City in the Carabao Cup, lose at Burnley, lose at Anfield and then Ole's job is on the line again.

Haven't watched much Liverpool this year, but I've seen some reactions that TAA is nowhere near as good as he was last year and he is playing quite nonchalantly. Any truth to that?

Trent was out injured. Since he has come back, he has not been in good form. Prior to the injury, he was Trent.

It's a mess. They had two of their best midfielders playing centerback yesterday. Jota was scoring goals like crazy and Klopp played him in a meaningless Champions League game, he hurts his knee. They miss Van Dijk and Gomez because they play up out of the back so well. Meanwhile, the front three has been listless in the last three matches regardless of everything.

The biggest issue for Liverpool is when they have to play Phillips or Williams at CB. That was evident against Newcastle. Everyone has to cover for those guys when they play. Fabinho has been superb at CB but they miss him in the midfield big time. To have Phillips and Williams on the bench yesterday with Henderson at CB, Klopp HAS TO BE going for a CB this month in the transfer market. If they don't get one, they won't win anything this year. Maybe finish top four. Matip can't stay fit, Gomez had his issues with injuries as well prior to this one and nobody expected knob goblin Pickford to snap Virgil's knee without so much as a foul being called.

Other squads are having the same issues with injuries, Covid and shitty officiating. Liverpool have to sort themselves out, especially the front three.

 

[Rogue219]

Salah got put in a rear naked choke hold too but not called. Walcott's tackle on Milner was awful and not carded.... Mariner has a shit game.

Don't forget the handball that should have been a pen and the tackle on Mane that should have been a pen.

If that's Paul Pogba or Bruno, it's given, home or away regardless of who the referee is.

Sometimes the easiest answer is the one right in front of our eyes. The officiating has been poor for everyone, but you break down the numbers and see who is benefitting the most. Very obvious.

 

[GowerND11]

Don't forget the handball that should have been a pen and the tackle on Mane that should have been a pen.

If that's Paul Pogba or Bruno, it's given, home or away regardless of who the referee is.

Sometimes the easiest answer is the one right in front of our eyes. The officiating has been poor for everyone, but you break down the numbers and see who is benefitting the most. Very obvious.

The stats last year about how many penalties ManU "won" last year were unbelievable.

 

[Rogue219]

The stats last year about how many penalties ManU "won" last year were unbelievable.

Ole at the Wheel has about as many in two years has Klopp has had in five at Liverpool.

Then you look at the touches Liverpool, City, etc. have in the opponent's area vs United's touches in the area and it is even more baffling.

Pogba tripping over himself and winning a PK was about it for me, though I'm sure there is more assinane VAR coming for all of us. The officiating and VAR inconsistency is making it more and more difficult to watch each week. Germany, Spain and Italy don't seem to be having anywhere near the issues as England is.

 

[Rogue219]

Man City and England legend Colin Bell passed away at age 74.

Rest in Peace. YNWA

 

[Rogue219]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1346389237420224512

 

[NDRock]

This is a very interesting season for Liverpool. I always enjoy watching how a team defends its title, regardless of the sport. It was inevitable that a drop in form would happen. Can the fight through (injuries, poor ref decision, etc...) and do what it takes to repeat? We'll see.

As a City fan, I was way more impressed with the season after the 100 points. To win 14 straight games to close the season and hold off a great Liverpool team was something special.

Love how wide open this season is.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1346389237420224512

Yeah, this was the play I was talking about. So ridiculous.

As for the Paul Pogba penalty, I've seen angles where it looks like his foot catches the back of the defenders knee before he goes down. I get that United are easy to pick on because they get a ton of penalty calls, but I think after VAR most of them are accurate at least. It's the non penalty calls for Liverpool I'm upset at yesterday, even if it does benefit United. It's a shame that the ref's aren't held more responsible for this kind of crap.

 

[Rogue219]

I think this is the toughest form under Klopp we’ve seen since the start. It’s a pandemic, injuries, etc. We will see if they are still the Mentality Monsters of the last couple of years.

City defended their title with superb depth and mentality. There is a reason they were the first to do it in a long time. Liverpool will need to dig in deeper if they’re going to overcome adversity and go back to back. A lot going against them lately.

They need to brain and muscle up. Deal with it.

 

[CTIDANDREW]

Manchester City has a much easier schedule on paper leading up to the rematch with Liverpool at Anfield as compared to Liverpool.
MCI:
Home vs. Brighton
Home vs. Palace
Home vs. Villa
Away vs. West Brom
Home vs. Sheffield
Away vs. Burnley

Liverpool has a home game vs Utd. coming up, and also tricky away matches back to back vs Spurs and West Ham before City come to Anfield.

This is important, because City needs to create a lead going into that trip at Anfield, because historically their chances of getting any points in that match is very slim...although we are trending on having little to no fans at that match which will help City. If City is 4+ points ahead going into that match, playing for a draw would be the smart strategy for Pep.

Going to be a fun race, will be interesting to see if United can keep up the pace. It will help them and Spurs that they do not have high intensity Champions League matches to worry about in the months to come...but Europa League is no walk in the park nowadays.

 

[Rogue219]

I think Liverpool playing in front of empty stadiums hurts them.

In reality, teams are going to play Liverpool and City differently than they play everyone else. That's it. And it's simple: those two clubs are better than everyone else.

You line up against United, Spurs, etc. they will have space to work into. Liverpool and City don't get that space to play into.

 

[Rogue219]

 

[Old Man Mike]

No manager, even the greatest (Klopp) can deal with losing all your bigger bodied and "natural" centerbacks. To have to play Henderson and Fabinho back there (both GREAT players) is just depressing, even though they showed their superior game instincts regardless. It takes the fire out of the uber-press midfield. That plus TAA's offensive slump, which now does not off-set his poor defense abilities, is crippling.

If the Great Coach can get his team to limp to a championship, it might be the finest coaching job ever. ... even if they finish a close second it will be. On the sidelines he seems to be taking the situation about as stoically as he can.

 

[Rogue219]

26 domestic cup draws for Jurgen Klopp and 17 have come against a Premier League opponent. Including 7 out of the last 8.

Liverpool haven't won an FA Cup game against Man United away from Anfield since 1921 (100 years ago tomorrow, in fact).

 

[IHateMarkMay]

26 domestic cup draws for Jurgen Klopp and 17 have come against a Premier League opponent. Including 7 out of the last 8.

Liverpool haven't won an FA Cup game against Man United away from Anfield since 1921 (100 years ago tomorrow, in fact).

Of all the teams, the top two in the PL get drawn together... ugh.

Although United is looking good in the PL, I think the lack of trophies (any trophy) is starting to add up. Should be a good game between United and Pool (at least I hope United make it a good game).

 

[notredomer23]

Can't believe Man City keeps getting screwed with these draws.