Hull better buy their goalkeeper a steak dinner, he kept Man U frustrated.
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The 2016-2017 Football Thread
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I know it's only halftime, but Crystal Palace 0-4 Sunderland is a real 6 pointer. Doesn't look good for Palace.
We are 2-1 up against Southampton. Hope it stays that way!
Meanwhile Arsenal couldn't do anything to dent the machine that is Chelsea as they march toward the title.
We are 2-1 up against Southampton. Hope it stays that way!
Meanwhile Arsenal couldn't do anything to dent the machine that is Chelsea as they march toward the title.
Well, wasn't expecting (but did entertain some slight, perhaps forlorn hope) much from Chelsea.
However, that result against Watford earlier in the week - and all credit to Watford - did sting.
Sunderland 4-0 up? Extraordinary.
Watford and Hull both ahead, too. Hm.
Two points separate the bottom six. Very tight.
And yes, Chelsea are cantering nicely, while the others are all stuttering intermittently.
Of the five teams immediately below Chelsea, only one - Manchester City - had won their pervious game.
Indeed, the record is quite underwhelming for the five teams chasing Chelsea (actually, being left further behind by Chelsea as they vainly pursue the leaders) when viewed over their previous five games.
Spurs drew their last two games, while Arsenal have lost theirs. Prior to that, they had both won.
Liverpool haven't had a win in five games (two defeats and three matches drawn). Meanwhile, - alone among the five pursuing Chelsea from ever further away - while Manchester City did win their most recent game - they had lost two of the previous four, and drawn one. And then, there is Manchester United, who have drawn their last three matches.
At this stage, it is beginning to look as though it is Chelsea's to lose.
This season just shows how much player motivation and managerial skills are paramount.
Chelsea that couldn't finish in the top 6 last season are walking the league this season
Leicester who won the league are now fighting relegation
Speaking of Managers, Wenger has to realise that his time is up, he can no longer offer Arsenal anything new. They have one of the best squads in the league but are constantly made to look woefully ordinary.
The league campaign is over, its all about the relegation fight and who drops out of the top 4 now
Chelsea that couldn't finish in the top 6 last season are walking the league this season
Leicester who won the league are now fighting relegation
Speaking of Managers, Wenger has to realise that his time is up, he can no longer offer Arsenal anything new. They have one of the best squads in the league but are constantly made to look woefully ordinary.
The league campaign is over, its all about the relegation fight and who drops out of the top 4 now
Now: The common factor - or, rather, an interesting common factor - in Leicester's performance last year, and Chelsea's this year - is N'Golo Kanté.
As you have mentioned Mr Wenger (by far the most successful manager in Arsenal's history - they haven't finished outside of the top four in twenty years), I read this week that he had tried (unsuccessfully) to sign N'Golo Kanté last summer.
Probably because Wenger thought N'Golo Kante was worth £15m rather than the £30m Chelsea paid
Not sure that this was entirely Mr Wenger's fault. He may have had to operate under financial constraints.
Very true. Now I wonder what the financial gain of finishing 1st over 2nd is though?
AW has done a very good job of balancing the books over the years. I doubt whoever takes over will do as well in that regard. Heck I wonder how much they have saved in all those years in managers severance pay alone compared to Chelsea.
Mr Wenger is known to have deeply lamented Arsenal's departure from Highbury - he loved the old stadium, but, the numbers it could hold were limited, and in turn, that curtailed finances and put distinct boundaries on ambition.
On the budgets he has had, to have finished every year for more than the past twenty in the top four is an impressive achievement and one matched by nobody else in the Premiership.
Mind you, I will not deny an occasional - slightly wistful - nostalgic glance down memory lane to recall that glorious year when Arsenal did not lose a single match....
Having said that, I'm a huge fan of Mr Wenger's. He is the best manager Arsenal have ever had, - better been than Herbert Chapman in the 30s (when they were brilliant), and - as is typical - and, as happened with Mr Ferguson - they won't realise just how good he actually is until after he has gone.
Agree. And they play much better football than the George Graham era. Route one is not pretty to watch. Especially if you ever had the misfortune to watch in the back row of the lower tier at Highbury.
No, "Route One" is not especially sophisticated.
Now, today, Manchester City - in the very last minute (the clichéd 92nd...) managed to score a second goal against Swansea who had held them to 1-1 until then.
Swansea were unlucky not to be able to claim the draw, and would have earned a valuable point. However, City are now lying third, thanks to this victory, and Pep Guardiola will be somewhat vindicated.
It would be an amazing turn around if LC were to be relegated. It's actually more interesting at the bottom than the top of the league. Of course we are stuck in the middle, but compared to where we were a few weeks ago I'll take that!
Indeed, but I have long suspected that the loss N'Golo Kanté - whose tackling rate for both Leicester and Chelsea make - and made - him invaluable - is deeply felt. More so than almost any other player.
That, however, does not detract from the fact that Leicester's other players are not - in any way - playing with passion or conviction; while Kanté was brilliant, the team played as a passionate unit last season. This year, I suspect that the success of last year - which delighted me, as it must have delighted most neutrals - may have gone to their heads a little.
Certainly, neither Vardy nor Riyad have shown evidence of the devastating performances both seemed effortlessly capable of last year.
What has the picture promoting a movie to do with a football thread?
I wondered the same. I thought it was some in joke I had missed!
Well, it struck me as somewhat out of place.
Read football post week-end post-mortems today; poor Claudio Ranieri - he is a good guy, an absolute gentleman, and deserves better from his team.
Well to describe the ref in our game as poor would be an understatement. Perfectly good goal disallowed. Grrr. Still we are in mid table and aren't going to push on to EUROPA or get sucked in to relegation.
But I thought Arsenal are even more fortunate with there chosen Ref. Goal was clearly handball and how they didn't get a player sent off for a professional foul I'll never know.
But when it's a top club verses a lower club the decisions often go in favour of the top club.
But I thought Arsenal are even more fortunate with there chosen Ref. Goal was clearly handball and how they didn't get a player sent off for a professional foul I'll never know.
But when it's a top club verses a lower club the decisions often go in favour of the top club.
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