***Official*** English Football Season 2019-20

[Furball]

This Old Firm has a lot more quality than the last one I watched a couple of years ago.

Shame that didn't apply to the referee.

But yeah, you can tell by our European results that both us and Celtic are much better sides than we were a couple of years ago.

Leicester v Liverpool actually reminded me a lot of Celtic in Europe under Rodgers.

 

[sledger]

Match today reminded me of the 2006 CL final.

Arsenal play quite well, find themselves ahead at half time.

Around about half time, opposition make a sub, bring on a different type of midfielder.

Game immediately changes, Arsenal cling on as best they can, barely creating anything for rest of the match. Concede two goals and lose.

Was a tough one to take. But still. Encouraging signs.

 

[Uppercut]

Match today reminded me of the 2006 CL final.

Arsenal play quite well, find themselves ahead at half time.

Around about half time, opposition make a sub, bring on a different type of midfielder.

Game immediately changes, Arsenal cling on as best they can, barely creating anything for rest of the match. Concede two goals and lose.

Was a tough one to take. But still. Encouraging signs.

My first reaction was to think Henrik Larsson wasn't a midfielder, so I watched the game again.

Iniesta looks like he's been sent from the future at half time to teach Barcelona how to play football, but tbh he doesn't really change the game. They still don't create much before the goals.

Hleb's style of play has aged very well. I thought he was a little underrated at the time but he looks much more so in hindsight.

Arsenal in general looked a better team than Barcelona. Marquez, Puyol, Edmilson, Van Bommell, Oleguer all looked like complete hacks, and there's no hint whatsoever of the Pep era in their play. The only complete hack on the Arsenal team was Eboue, who would get sent off in literally every game if he played today.

Henry was totally unfit and really shouldn't have played 90 minutes.

So glad Andy Gray was cancelled. Absolutely insufferable.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I remember Ronaldinho being dreadful that game, hoping you can confirm. Seemed like all he did was try to score from 25 yards out and dragged it wide every single time.

 

[Cabinet96]

Hah, nice you think that about Hleb. I think the whole Wenger 05-11 period was ahead of it's time in the way they played. Had very technical players but still played pretty direct by today's standards. The trouble is it was socially acceptable to kick those sort of teams a lot more then. Still, they did a lot better in Europe than the George Graham back four era and Invincibles era teams did. Also that walk it in line came about back then, but that team would actually take more pot shots than the average team does in the xG era.

 

[Uppercut]

I remember Ronaldinho being dreadful that game, hoping you can confirm. Seemed like all he did was try to score from 25 yards out and dragged it wide every single time.

Yeah he played badly, but the Lehmann sending off came from some great Ronaldinho play, so he still arguably decided the game. Tbf producing a match-winning moment in a mediocre performance wasn’t unusual for him.

 

[Uppercut]

Hah, nice you think that about Hleb. I think the whole Wenger 05-11 period was ahead of it's time in the way they played. Had very technical players but still played pretty direct by today's standards. The trouble is it was socially acceptable to kick those sort of teams a lot more then. Still, they did a lot better in Europe than the George Graham back four era and Invincibles era teams did. Also that walk it in line came about back then, but that team would actually take more pot shots than the average team does in the xG era.

Yeah the organised press wasn’t there and they didn’t play out from the back, but how they attacked was very modern. I remember a German friend at the time telling me that the media over there adored their style, then in 2010 they rocked up to the World Cup doing something similar.

I think pot shots have become a much worse tactic because keeper positioning has got so much better and better pitches make playing extra passes less risky. Hard to pinpoint exactly when that turned though. Would need to watch the MOTD goal of the season candidates and seeing when I stop asking where the **** the keeper was for almost every goal.

 

[Furball]

Clearly nobody at Arsenal has heard the saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, given their apparent interest in Jérôme Boateng.

 

[andruid]

Who will join me at 17:15 GMT to watch the first heart attack inducing top of the table clash of 2020?

 

[Furball]

Don't have Sky.

Looks like another VAR decision against Villa that people agree is an absolute bag of shite. Irritating because I've got Grealish in my fantasy team.

 

[OverratedSanity]

VAR for offsides is proving every single day what an absolute triumph umpire's call is in cricket. Grealish had a quarter of his heel offside apparently and they had to do some CSI **** to chalk it off.

 

[andruid]

This VAR giving new meaning to the old 'his teeth are offside' chant.


Also why are the West Brom fan booing every touch the Leeds United goalie gets?

 

[Uppercut]

United being terrible is standard, but Arsenal being pretty good is unexpected and inexpedient.

 

[Furball]

Good stuff from Arsenal.

Utterly dreadful from Man Utd though, they've been woeful.

 

[Tangles]

Expected dross when I saw Matic and Lingard in the team but this is even worse than I expected.

 

[Niall]

Expected dross when I saw Matic and Lingard in the team but this is even worse than I expected.

shaw horrific also.

 

[GIMH]

This season sucks

 

[Furball]

Lingard really is ****ing terrible.

 

[Furball]

Arsenal have retreated into a bit of a shell.

One of those ones where if they win 2-0 then it gets described as a good professional performance, but there's a risk they do what they did against Chelsea.

 

[Uppercut]

shaw horrific also.

Shouldn’t really be playing. Brandon Williams is legit.