If Arsenal take advantage of City's missing players and beat them on Sunday I am going to place bets that the UK media will write headlines of 'Has Pep lost it?' being that they would have lost 2 games on the trot. We all know what the UK media is like, they sensationalize everything so they can hook people into buying their papers.
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The 2023-2024 Football Thread
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Arsenal will do well to claim a point from City; last season, when Arsenal were the best team - or, the team at the top of the table for most of the season - City took all six points from Arsenal.
That is not to say that City cannot be beaten; they can, but, - and bear in mind that Arsenal also have quite a few injuries at the moment and are still yet something of a work in progress - I am not so sure that Arsenal are the team to do this.
Seems the official Champions League app now offers audio commentary of some matches, trying it out this evening while I am surfing a bit on my iPad, so far it hasn’t disappointed.
What good did it achieve by starting Saka.
Arteta’s team selection is off the scale this season.
Man City will thump us at home on Sunday.
Arteta’s team selection is off the scale this season.
Man City will thump us at home on Sunday.
Lots of interesting results over the last few days - if it weren't for the Spurs VAR debacle I'd have much to comment on...but Everton losing to Luton who then lose to Burnley - sheesh, and there five clubs below Everton in the table!
Interesting results in Europe too - Man Utd with home advantage and still losing to Galatasaray...and yes, Arsenal are stuttering a little...nerves ahead of the weekend? Their prospects for their meetup with Man City are not looking good.
Interesting results in Europe too - Man Utd with home advantage and still losing to Galatasaray...and yes, Arsenal are stuttering a little...nerves ahead of the weekend? Their prospects for their meetup with Man City are not looking good.
The question is often asked: "Could they do it on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke?"
Well, if you're a Saints supporter, the answer as we have just seen, is "Yes. Yes they can".
It was a gritty and unsexy performance befitting a trip to Stoke, but Saints kept a clean sheet (their first in nearly 1000 games).
The losing streak has well and truly been snapped in the last two good results in three days.
Saints have halted the slide and moved back up into the top 10, just separated from the playoff places and Sunderland in fourth place by goal difference.
Meanwhile, it appears Mr Lampard is keen to take over at Rangers. Would you take the chance? I think maybe the Scottish Premiership is about his speed, but is the pressure of such a large institution really where he would shine? He was good at Derby and then failed to impress at bigger clubs - could this be the move to resurrect his managerial career? Would they want to take the chance?
Well, if you're a Saints supporter, the answer as we have just seen, is "Yes. Yes they can".
It was a gritty and unsexy performance befitting a trip to Stoke, but Saints kept a clean sheet (their first in nearly 1000 games).
The losing streak has well and truly been snapped in the last two good results in three days.
Saints have halted the slide and moved back up into the top 10, just separated from the playoff places and Sunderland in fourth place by goal difference.
Meanwhile, it appears Mr Lampard is keen to take over at Rangers. Would you take the chance? I think maybe the Scottish Premiership is about his speed, but is the pressure of such a large institution really where he would shine? He was good at Derby and then failed to impress at bigger clubs - could this be the move to resurrect his managerial career? Would they want to take the chance?
I have little sympathy for Lampard - he appears qualified to be a professional football manager, but continually aims at managerial jobs that are clearly above his competence level. And I suspect he gets them due to his connections and celebrity cache, not on merit. He has not demonstrated the ability to manage a football club at the elite level and win. It never seems to have entered his head that he might have been a Premier League player, but is probably a League One - Championship manager at best.
Elite players sometimes transition into being elite managers. Most do not.
I agree.
There are very few notable exceptions to that rule. Mikel Arteta and Vincent Kompany in England and Gennaro Gattuso in Italy spring to mind.
And of course you can't overlook the fabulous contribution to football that our dear friend Joey Barton gave the world - player, manager, fluent French Accent speaker.
Kenny Daglish also comes to mind, but, agreed, very few players successfully make the transition from elite player to elite (or, even reasonably competent) manager.
Paradoxically, and conversely, most elite managers were not - remotely - elite players, but, rather, were actually fairly indifferent players.
Another loss for United and more goal keeping blunders. I bet the club wished they never got rid of De Gea.
Still there are some, just remebering very good players and/or some active managers, Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Deschamps, Capello, Simeone, Ancelotti, Zidane and of course Guardiola.
Kevin Keegan? Brian Robson.
Franny Lee (who passed away recently).
Franny Lee (who passed away recently).
Yes, some very good examples.
Agreed.
Gosh; now, that is a name that is a blast from the past.
I’m truth I don’t remember him much as a player. But as a manager and if I recall later, chairman of somewhere or other.
Anyway my Dad mentioned his passing yesterday.
What about Alan Ball? He managed in the top flight.
Notice how a lot of these names are from the distant past. Current footballers don’t need the money or hassle when they retire.
But some just need/want that fix.
oh dear oh dear how the mighty have fallen. Old Trafford, once a main stay in any decision to pick a ground to play in for any football competition be it Euro's, champions league finals, Olympics (football), semi finals of cup competitions, charity matches and the ground has not been picked as one that would host a Euro 2028 game whereas in the past it would have been an automatic choice.
Yes - several dozen probably against the tens of thousands of professional players from over the years. It’s a very small group of ex-players that make it at that level.
As a Liverpool fan, I think Ten Hags is doing an amazing job, and long may he continue. 🤣
And speaking of Liverpool; this VAR disaster does't look like it's going to go away any time soon. Klopp wants a replay; never going to happen. But I think a few sackings/resignations in the whole VAR setup, and an apology to LFC, and a commitment to improve VAR (the problem isn't the technology, it's the humans that operate it, and they failed miserably at the one job they had), and perhaps declare the game void and award each team one point. Because Liverpool deserve at leas that, and Spurs definitely don't deserve all three.
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There's no reason whatsoever to pick OT for international matches, other than history. The Etihad is much more suitable all around. As odious as their ownership group is, they hire competent people, let them do their jobs without interference, and fund them lavishly: a complete 180 from the Glazers' modus operandi.
As much as I love the history of OT, it's pretty symbolic of a club that's hopeless stuck in the past. I'm personally in favor of building an all new stadium. With the Glazers holding on for dear life, this is still an utter pipe dream.
A replay won't happen in my opinion because there have been referee injustices in football ever since the games invention and not once has a game been replayed because of it. There has only been one game replayed due to a 'misunderstanding' and that was an FA cup game featuring Arsenal.
Old Trafford was always picked for certain events because it is the 2nd biggest football stadium in the country. Only Wembley beats it for size but Wembley can only be used for very specific events whereas Old Trafford could be used for virtually everything. So anyone wanting to pack out an event, Old Trafford was the go to place but it seems not anymore due to the dilapidating state the ground is in.
And shouldn’t happen. If this incorrect decision had been against Luton or Burnley it wouldn’t even be news. Klopp demanding the rules be changed to suit him again I’m afraid. Get over it and move on….
You know why it wont happen? The Mike Dean VAR incident. If any game was to get a replay it was that game, Chelsea v Spurs where he admitted to deliberately not giving a VAR call to the ref because the ref was a friend of his and he wanted to spare him from more grief. Here you have a VAR ref admitting to deliberately not making a VAR call and yet the game was not replayed. If a VAR ref admitting to deliberately not giving a VAR call can not get a game replayed than a non-deliberate 'human error' is never going to get a game replayed.
Also the Chelsea v Spurs game is another reason why a replay will not happen because if the FA was to allow the Liverpool game to be replayed, Chelsea would have a good call to ask for their game against Spurs to be replayed and the FA is not about to let that happen.