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2018/2019 Football Season Thread


Guest E.C

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Jose sacked ("mutual consent") by Christmas. Carrick and Giggs to takeover, and they will bomb.

Liverpool will finally not piss a cup final up the wall. I don't know which one, but one of them.

Mega-rich Wolves are gonna smash some of the top 6 big-boys.

 

No idea who will win it. Probably City on paper, but retaining the title is a rarity. Only two managers have done it in the PL era. That's pretty crazy.

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Liverpool look really strong on paper.  If they can play like they did second half of last season I think they might actually challenge for the title.

I think Arsenal will be better than expected with Emery in charge. 

I think Spurs will miss Top 4.

I'm most interested to see Chelsea playing in Sarri's style and if they can do it.  Also if they'll still have Hazard.

Looks like a great season.

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If it wasn't just a Salah purple-patch, then they can definitely do it. Salah has had a fairly unremarkable career up until last season when it all just seemed to click for him. Chelsea seem to get a lot of stick retrospectively for letting him go, but barely anyone batted an eyelid at the time, as he just wasn't that good whenever he did get on the pitch. Went to Fiorentina on loan, wasn't great, then to Roma on loan, did ok, they made the deal permanent, continued to do just ok. Then he has one breakthrough season at Liverpool, and now it's all - you fucked it, Chelsea trololol.

Arsenal should be better. I've read a few articles comparing them to United in 2013, but if anything, its the opposite. United really didn't want or need change. Fergie was still at the top. The change harmed them, and continues to do so. Arsenal were desperate for a clean break, and they'll definitely benefit from it.

Chelsea will struggle if they lose Hazard and Courtois. Both difficult to replace. They also need to not have Morata as their starting centre forward. Higuain would be a good signing. If they lose those two, I think they'll miss out on top 4 again.

 

The bottom end will be interesting. Can't see Cardiff staying up unless they make some moves in the next few weeks. Fulham and Wolves are coming up strong already though. Wolves have got mad Chinese money flooding in and they seem to have Jorge Mendes on retainer to broker deals they shouldn't be able to get. Fulham have tied down their best young players, and brought in Seri who looked set for a move to a big club. Huddersfield and Brighton have strengthened well too. Southampton look pisspoor, they look certain to go down.

Transfer window closes in less than 3 weeks in the Premier League, but not everywhere else. That's going to be weird. It seems like hardly anything has happened yet, because of the World Cup.

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I think the biggest fear for Liverpool this season is that Salah won't have such a good season and so the team won't score as many goals.  That might be the case, particularly as I can see Salah getting an increasing amount of 'Ramos-like' treatment, although he could perhaps do even better given the stronger midfield supplying him.  Liverpool should at least be better defensively with Alisson, Fabinho and van Dijk making up in coolness for Lovren.  Keita looks an amazing player.

Arsenal might do better.  They have a good squad and have made some decent signings.  Would imagine they'd be pleased just to get back into the top four this season though.

Chelsea are hard to call.  It could go either way with a new manager, although I agree that if Hazard and Courtois leave they'll be hard to replace.

It's difficult to see United being significantly different this season, which might mean they finish second again but it seems unlikely they'll suddenly start challenging City for the title without significant new personnel and a more adventurous playing style.  The big worry for them will be whether we get a Mourinho meltdown season.  It's getting to that stage.

City should obviously win the league again, although I'd be surprised if they do as well as last season.  I'm wondering if teams will attack them more this season.  Most teams were really passive against them last year, which seemed to play into their hands.  Liverpool, United and even Wigan showed that their defence isn't that amazing if put under pressure.  Their other worry will be an injury to De Bruyne.

I'm not sure what's happening with Spurs.  They have as strong and coherent a first XI as anyone but lack a bit of squad depth to really challenge over a season.  Not sure if they're going to make any major signings though (again).

I'm wondering if some of the big clubs are almost opting out of transfers this summer because of the short window and the crazy prizes (£50M for Richarlison!).  Maybe they just think they have good enough squads at the moment and will wait for there to be more value in the market.  Liverpool have probably had an advantage after getting big money for Coutinho, so they've been able to invest more in the squad.

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Salah could be even better. He could be a late-bloomer like Messi Lingard, but not quite as good, obvs.

Is Alisson an upgrade on Karius? I've not seen much of him, but his pricetag suggests that he is. Apart from the CL final blunders, Karius got a lot better as the season went on, he had a very good 2nd half of the season, but that final will damage him. Clearly the club don't want to gamble on his hurt confidence, as they've shelled out serious wedge for another keeper.

You're right about City. Teams who went at them made them look foolish, but a lot were scared to commit against, quite understandably in a lot of cases, as it can easily backfire. I think the same will happen again, a few teams will get at City's defence, but most teams will shit themselves against them. It will be interesting to see if City bolster their already expensive defence. They're all good ball players, but none of them are particularly great defenders. Kompany is not the player he used to be, Otamandi looks on the cusp of a red card every game, Stones can pass and dribble but his defending is garbage, and Laporte looks to be a Stones clone, Walker is ok, but better in the opposition half. I'd only rate Mendy as a great all-rounder. Then again, Pep's Plan A for defending has always been to have the ball so the other team can't attack. If they lose the midfield battle like against Liverpool, Plan B is actual defending. They don't need Plan B too often.

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Alisson should be a pretty big upgrade on Karius, although I agree that Karius was actually fairly good until getting smacked in the head by Ramos.  Even though there are mitigating circumstances he'll get loads of stick for a long time and has looked really nervous in friendlies.  Alisson has only really had one season for Roma but you could make a case for him being the best all round keeper in Europe last season, hence the big price.  He's a bit like Ederson in that he's a proper sweeper keeper but also makes saves like De Gea.  He'll probably throw one in his own net in the first game though.

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One of the guys in one of the weekly podcasts (I forget who and which) used to go on about Alisson at length just about every episode - How he’s a keeper with an attacking threat. Pretty much unheard of. He rarely ‘clears’ the ball, rather looks to play in someone. Not talking about hoofs into space either but smart angled balls, dinks into midfield, etc. He’s maybe the main reason Kolarov got so many assists last season.

likes a lolipop too - if that’s not price tag justification I don’t know what is.

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I read one of those clickbaity "things that will make you feel old" things yesterday. They're usually naff, but this one in particular is a good one:

Remember Bebeto's 'rock the baby' celebration from USA 94?

Image result for bebeto celebration


This is the baby, except not a baby, but a 24 year old man:

Image result for Mattheus Oliveira 2018

 

Sheeeeeit.

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I thought the Dons gave a very good account of themselves last night. Showed no fear, got forward well, got stuck in, strong at the back. Good result though I thought we were going to be able to hold on for the win. That big lump Sam Vokes changed the game when he came on, they looked a lot more dangerous when he started getting the headers in. Dom Ball was excellent, GMS, McGinn, Cosgrove, Logan. 

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He looks like the kind of dweeb you'd see on Danny Dyers Real Football Factories. Top button done. Probably kicks people in the head when they're on the ground. 

I bet he's got a thick Burnley accent too. "Abohdeen", "Europoh League". "Lancashoh". Urgh. 

Aberdeen will probably get dicked in the 2nd leg though, tbf. 

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I support a team managed by Tony Pulis now so I have come to believe that passing along the ground is stupid and that using actual full backs in a back 4 are an unnecessary indulgence and look forward to having two big men up front in every game. He doesn't even sit down for press conferences lest journalists think he's getting chummy with them.

Edited by Woodsinho
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13 hours ago, Soda Jerk said:

They didn't get dicked, and that penalty was incredibly harsh. No way was that deliberate, as the rule implies.

Burnley had all the best chances however. Lewis made some great saves.

 

That equaliser though. 

Joe Lewis. England's Number 1.

It was a very even match I thought. We couldn't really break through but we had plenty chances and had them on the back foot a few times. If Shinnie's long ranger had gone in to make it 2-1 I don't think they would have got back into it. 

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It was great seeing Rangers's piss 3 points up the wall after they were timewasting from the 20th minute mark. At one point in the 2nd half, the ball went over the byline, so I got up and went to the loo, when I came back, McGregor still hadn't taken the goal kick. Small time.

Jon Flanagan is the exception to the the age old expression 'a face only a mother could love'. He is a nightmare creature.

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Remember when Charlie Nicholas predicted Cameroon would win the 2010 World Cup? 

I bet he couldn't even name a player in that Cameroon squad. He just went for a lazy 'African soil' angle. Fanny.

Mersons criticism of Marco Silva when he got the Hull job was hilarious too. He was adamant it should have been Dyche because he "knows the league" (he'd just gotten Burnley relegated a few months prior) . Downplayed Silva winning the title with Olympiacos, claiming "even I could do that". 

The two worst pundits on TV. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/21/2018 at 4:25 PM, Mr Owl PhD said:

It's difficult to see United being significantly different this season, which might mean they finish second again but it seems unlikely they'll suddenly start challenging City for the title without significant new personnel and a more adventurous playing style.  The big worry for them will be whether we get a Mourinho meltdown season.  It's getting to that stage.

So, this is happening.

 

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It will be tame by Mourinho standards (he won't throw a physio under the bus) but he won't see out the season, unless he miraculously goes on a run of wins akin to City last season, but that is incredibly unlikely. He just can't make a team formidable enough to do that anymore.

It seems clear he was sending a "look what you made me do!" message to Ed Woodward by playing Ander Herrera as a centre back (though I actually thought it worked quite well, particularly in the first half).

 

It's a battle Mourinho is destined to lose. He wants Martial out and he doesn't seem to care whether Pogba goes. Woodward was the one who bought Martial and doesn't want to give him up, nor the face of the club in Pogba. Though Woodward could lose as well by losing all 3 of them. This season's gonna be a right laugh.

 

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