Well, obviously we weren't ready. I'd rather find out at home than at Wembley... I think...
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The 2016-2017 Football Thread
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Well, obviously we weren't ready. I'd rather find out at home than at Wembley... I think...
Agree. Going to Wembley to lose is depressing. Just ask Spurs. They're going to do it quite a bit next season!Well, obviously we weren't ready. I'd rather find out at home than at Wembley... I think...
Well, obviously we weren't ready. I'd rather find out at home than at Wembley... I think...
I think the best way to do it is in the Wembley final, it's just getting there and winning that makes difficult watching
I suspect we'll end up with Pardew for next season, which I'm not all that happy about. He seems to be a nasty little so and so especially when it comes to officials
Carvalhal has done a decent job IMO. This is his first job in England and only his second season in the Championship, and to top it off he's got us to the playoffs on both occasions
I know we're certainly not the poorest team in the league, but we're also up against teams who were recently in the PL, and still have PL quality players, so competing with these guys is no mean feat...
Completely agreed.
I love CC. My favorite manager since I've been following THE MASSIVE.
So, Liverpool actually managed the titanic feat of defeating relegated Middlesbrough at home...a match like that should never be so nerve-wracking, but after half an hour I was a mess. Then the goal came and Liverpool cruised through the second half.
The season ends on a positive note, but Liverpool's suits have a lot of work to do. The squad is too thin for a serious Champions League campaign, especially in defense. A left back and center back are needed. I'd love to see Sturridge stay as a super-sub but his ego won't sustain that role and I suspect he will be sold. That means Klopp needs another striker as well. In today's market, that could easily be 70 million + worth of players, not counting money brought in from outgoing players.
One thing that needs to change next season is the tendency to struggle against defensive teams that park the bus - especially if Liverpool are ever going to beat Mourinho's Man Utd. Though, Klopp deserves credit for going undefeated against all the top teams around him. There is no doubt that he is a big-game manager.
The season ends on a positive note, but Liverpool's suits have a lot of work to do. The squad is too thin for a serious Champions League campaign, especially in defense. A left back and center back are needed. I'd love to see Sturridge stay as a super-sub but his ego won't sustain that role and I suspect he will be sold. That means Klopp needs another striker as well. In today's market, that could easily be 70 million + worth of players, not counting money brought in from outgoing players.
One thing that needs to change next season is the tendency to struggle against defensive teams that park the bus - especially if Liverpool are ever going to beat Mourinho's Man Utd. Though, Klopp deserves credit for going undefeated against all the top teams around him. There is no doubt that he is a big-game manager.
...and a dreadful human being.
His positional awareness, heading ability and game intelligence are still top notch, but he has absolutely no pace. There has been talk of him going elsewhere (such as Bournemouth), but I simply don't think he has the legs for top-tier football anymore. He costs too much for MLS and his lack of pace would be brutally exposed there. If he does continue playing after leaving Chelsea, he won't be surrounded by world-class players who can mop up after him if he makes a mistake. He could probably get by in China, and make a bundle to boot.
So tonight we find out if Mourino's plan of squad rotation over the last few games pays off. Given the events in Manchester this week there will be many neutrals supporting them.
Also likely to be Rooney's last game for Manchester United. Will it be a fairytale ending? Time will tell.
Also likely to be Rooney's last game for Manchester United. Will it be a fairytale ending? Time will tell.
Not necessarily.
I think the lesson to be drawn form today is that, when everything clicks, Arsenal are formidable and can comfortably challenge and defeat anyone.
Their problems are consistency, brittle confidence (today's display might go some what to restoring that) and a need for a bit of backbone in defence - but, again, today, the defence was excellent.
Personally, I can only express the hope that it is not the last trophy (at Arsenal) for Mr Wenger.
I'm pretty sure when he does decide to call it a day he won't be going elsewhere to chase silverware. Unless he goes down the international route.
Agreed.
I think that he has an emotional connection to (or with) and passion for Arsenal (especially when they played at Highbury) that he won't find anywhere else.
Remember, they waited the best part of a season for him to see out a contract in Japan - they didn't even appoint anyone with the title 'manager' (as almost amy other club would have done, simply terminating the contract subsequently) while they awaited his arrival, and he and they have bonded in a way that is rare to see these days.
For all of his flaws, (and I am not blind to them), I have a lot of respect for Mr Wenger, and I would be sorry to see him go.
Great victory today, though, and he fully deserves it. Personally, I have thought that the treatment meted out to him by some of the fans is nothing short of disgraceful.
The only pity is that Arsenal were unable to play that way every week.
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Agreed. Absolutely.
And he has integrity - which is something I esteem, and is less common in the elite levels of football than might - or ought - to be the case - and is a man who clearly respects himself.
I have a lot of time and respect for him.
And, at his best, he is terrific. Come on: Seven FA Cup titles under his belt as manager? There are clubs that don't have a fraction of that in their entire histories, histories sometime spanning a century or more.
Not rubbing it in (rubs hands gleefully).
Just very happy that the season ended so - impressively well.
And that Chelsea were so - completely outplayed; Arsenal were excellent, - a joy to watch - and fully deserved their win.
Agree on the game. They deserved the win.
They should have been 3-0 up by half time, but they really took the game to Chelsea, and, for the most part, neutralised whatever that Chelsea offered very effectively.
Now, I also suspect that Chelsea found it difficult enough to motivate themselves after the "high" of winning the Premiership, and Arsenal (and Mr Wenger) had a serious point to prove having come fifth on 75 points (and possibly, some of the team wished to show their support for the manager, as well).
So, I think Arsenal were "up for it" in a way that Chelsea - resting on their laurels (and I am sure than Mr Conte was livid about that) were not.
What was most interesting were some of Mr Wenger's choices - some of which seemed puzzling, but were necessitated by injuries to the squad.
In any case, they paid off superbly - most of the commentators were bewildered when - for example - he chose Ospina over Cech, and above all, by the decision to bring back Per Mertesacker, - appointing him captain, no less, and playing him in a system in which he had no experience. Actually, Mertesacker was magnificent, and fully repaid the decision to select him.
Was at Wembley today, pretty gutting way to lose and marks the fourth play-off final we've lost (out of four...).
Huddersfield probably deserved it on the balance of play, but neither team looked brilliant. Think they'll need to invest fairly heavily this Summer.
Just hope we can keep Jaap Stam at Reading for next season.
Huddersfield probably deserved it on the balance of play, but neither team looked brilliant. Think they'll need to invest fairly heavily this Summer.
Just hope we can keep Jaap Stam at Reading for next season.
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