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The 2016-2017 Football Thread

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JamesMike said:
It will not happen, but I would not mind him coming to my team.
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Agreed. I'd like to see that, too.

Actually, on that topic, - and, total credit where credit is due, for I was surprised at this, I hadn't thought he had it in him - Mr Mourinho gave a most impressive and generous statement (on Instagram - I've been trawling the sports media tonight - for I am completely disgusted by this story) when he said: "Champion of England and FIFA Manager of the Year. Sacked. That's the new football Claudio. Keep smiling amigo. Nobody can delete the history you wrote."

Bravo, Jose. Well said.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
I would argue that the players got carried away by the mad delirious joy of this unexpected and improbable title win, and arrogance and entitlement have replaced graft and effort.

In any case, I beg to differ; there is a place for some of the so-called "old fashioned" virtues in football - and Claudio Ranieri, by his essential decency and dignity - actually expressed these virtues and values - in the way he cheerfully managed Leicester last year, showing respect and encouragement to the city, the club, and the players. That was a large part of why - and how - Leicester won the Premiership.

A pity it has not been reciprocated - by the club and players.

I suspect that in the city Claudio Ranieri will long remain a hero, and rightly so. This is shameful.
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100% agreed.

I'd add the weight of that tiny tot* team playing in Europe may have been another burden taxing their somewhat limited talent pool and pockets...

*not a put down, love them.
 
LCFC's suits were gifted the unimaginable prize of the League championship by a manager, the boots of whom they are unworthy to lick, and return the favor with an act of colossally flagrant short-termist greed and cynicism.

The players also deserve their share of the blame for downing tools, even though nobody should have expected them to suddenly produce career-high season performances a second time in a row. But they haven't been trying, and I refuse to believe that the total collapse in morale and discipline is down to some failure in leadership by Ranieri.

No manager should ever be sacked after winning a title like that. Ranieri's name will be a holy utterance at Leicester for the next hundred years, while the faceless suits who fired him will long since have been forgotten.

I hope Liverpool absolutely batter them on Monday and I hope they get relegated. Leicester will not have a better manager than this for decades, if ever, and this shabby treatment leaves a foul taste in my mouth.
 
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beating l**ds would be nice...

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Lord Blackadder said:
LCFC's suits were gifted the unimaginable prize of the League championship by a manager, the boots of whom they are unworthy to lick, and return the favor with an act of colossally flagrant short-termist greed and cynicism.

The players also deserve their share of the blame for downing tools, even though nobody should have expected them to suddenly produce career-high season performances a second time in a row. But they haven't been trying, and I refuse to believe that the total collapse in morale and discipline is down to some failure in leadership by Ranieri.

No manager should ever be sacked after winning a title like that. Ranieri's name will be a holy utterance at Leicester for the next hundred years, while the faceless suits who fired him will long since have been forgotten.

I hope Liverpool absolutely batter them on Monday and I hope they get relegated. Leicester will not have a better manager than this for decades, if ever, and this shabby treatment leaves a foul taste in my mouth.
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Agreed.

I hope Leicester are made to suffer for this.

Meanwhile, in an entirely characteristic - and effortlessly classy - gesture, Claudio Ranieri gave a decent and dignified and gracious statement, thanking Leicester city and the fans for having taken him (and his family) to their hearts.
 
Apple fanboy said:
First Silverware of the season then goes to the special one and Manchester United then.

Good chance it's there only one this year as well!
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Well, I would argue that it was more the influence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic rather than "the special one".

By all accounts, Southampton deserved better, - they played superbly, - but Ibrahimovic was outstanding.
 
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JamesMike said:
I agree Southampton played the better game but Zlatan got the nice two goals.
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This is Mourinho's preferred situation - a prolific striker can be relied on to score so that Mou can focus on defending and killing the game. He is relying very heavily on Zlatan this season. Between Ibra and the keeper they're turing a 7th place finish into a top four charge.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Looks like Leicester City finally remembered how to play football. Shame it was too late for CR.
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Indeed - I am sorry that Claudio Ranieri was fired, and - while not terribly surprised at the result, footballers sometimes get motivated after a manager has been sacked, they feel the need to prove themselves to a successor, however temporary - I am actually sorry that Liverpool were batten and that Leicester won.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
Indeed - I am sorry that Claudio Ranieri was fired, and - while not terribly surprised at the result, footballers sometimes get motivated after a manager has been sacked, they feel the need to prove themselves to a successor, however temporary - I am actually sorry that Liverpool were batten and that Leicester won.
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I also wonder how many are trying to generate a move out of the club in the summer.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
I also wonder how many are trying to generate a move out of the club in the summer.
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That very thought - perhaps even an unworthy thought - also crossed my mind when I saw this result.

If they want to be viewed in a positive light professionally, a few exceedingly good performances wouldn't go amiss, - that is, if they want people to take notice of them - otherwise, who on earth would want them, a bunch of entitled, disloyal, back-stabbing, lazy losers?

I also find the injured (and self-centred) tone of some of their tweets "I'm so hurt" or "I'm so offended" that people may have thought they were busy back-stabbing, very revealing - and yet - until prodded and prompted and reminded - not one of them had the grace to tweet thanks to Claudio Ranieri.

Likewise, it is also very telling that as recently as last Friday (the news of the sacking of Mr Ranieri occurred on Thursday night) Master Vardy was keen to stress that "despite everything" the movie due to be made about the improbable story of his life (that journey from non-league player, criminal conviction to Premiership etc, etc) was still going ahead, and that was hours and hours before he tweeted that he was "hurt" but well before tweeting thanks and best wishes for the future to the man who led them to a fairytale Premiership title.
 
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Liverpool are a great team with a great manager and one huge flaw you could sail a supertanker through - they are very weak against deep-lying counterattacking teams. Few top teams apart form Mourinho's Man Utd and Atletico Madrid play this way, but most of the rest do, so it's something Klopp must find answers to if he wants to win anything with Liverpool.

Leicester are a counterattacking team and their "new manager bounce", plus a few absences in Klopp's team, result in a disaster for Liverpool and, perhaps, the moment when Champions League qualification transitioned from likelihood to mere possibility.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
.. it's something Klopp must find answers to if he wants to win anything with Liverpool.
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I said exactly that when he went to Liverpool (too lazy to search the forum) because that was the very reason he left Dortmund - and now I doubt that he'll ever work that out. The times that pure individual class could save you against lesser teams are mostly over.
Also, the times that only few top-tier teams like to play counter-attacks are over as well. I see Barca doing that every now and then, Bayern, Dortmund can be utterly devastating and Leipzig perfectioned Klopp's style and moved from second league to rank two this season...Real can play it also extremely well.

Also, Klopp's extremely physical approach works even worse in a league with even more matches than before.
 
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twietee said:
I said exactly that when he went to Liverpool (too lazy to search the forum) because that was the very reason he left Dortmund - and now I doubt that he'll ever work that out. The times that pure individual class could save you against lesser teams are mostly over.
Also, the times that only few top-tier teams like to play counter-attacks are over as well. I see Barca doing that every now and then, Bayern, Dortmund can be utterly devastating and Leipzig perfectioned Klopp's style and moved from second league to rank two this season...Real can play it also extremely well.

Also, Klopp's extremely physical approach works even worse in a league with even more matches than before.
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I do remember you saying that. Still, I'd rather win nothing with Klopp than win a title under Mourinho or anyone who plays as he does. Except maybe Diego Simeone - I think I might be able to get behind him because he's so intense. It sounds silly, but fans are silly and fickle and have romanticized notions of sport. I'm no exception. And who knows? Maybe Klopp will eventually figure things out.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
I do remember you saying that. Still, I'd rather win nothing with Klopp than win a title under Mourinho or anyone who plays as he does. Except maybe Diego Simeone - I think I might be able to get behind him because he's so intense. It sounds silly, but fans are silly and fickle and have romanticized notions of sport. I'm no exception. And who knows? Maybe Klopp will eventually figure things out.
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Nah, I'm with you on that (although, to be completely honest, I was happy Klopp left, he can get annoying over the time..). I was just wonderin ghow he'll develop since the deficit or shortcomings of his tactical approach were extremely obvious and he never developed some kind of plan b.
 
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Vital wins for Leicester and Crystal Palace today. Leaving Middlesbrough, Hull and Sunderland a few points adrift.

We have Chelsea on Monday so we will do our best to try and make the top of the table interesting, but don't hold your breath!
 
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Was not happy with the play of my Man U team. My Liverpool friends are very pleased with their 3-1 win.
 
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