*Official* English Football Season 2015-16

[GIMH]

It's hilarious how as more money has gone into the English game, the performances in Europe have gotten worse.

Aye. Not going to pretend I can understand it but.

The great United sides that won the modern CL won the league. The other English sides to have won it or come close haven't really been title contenders in that season. Liverpool and Chelsea didn't qualify for the CL but for winning it and when Arsenal got to the final in 06 a lasagne had secured then 4th on the last day.

I wonder if it's that teams can't truly prioritise the Champions League because to do so risks dropping Premier League points thus risking future qualification. When Liverpool won it they often played a shadow side before and after the big games though their winning CL side was no great shakes anyway.

Of course that doesn't explain why Spanish clubs etc don't have this problem. Nor does it link to the money spent. But it's the only thing I can think of that remotely explains sides performing much worse than they perhaps should on paper.

Edit - can't really remember how Liverpool and chavs did in the league in 07 and 08 respectively

 

[Jarquis]

Fmd.

 

[Furball]

Aye. Not going to pretend I can understand it but.

The great United sides that won the modern CL won the league. The other English sides to have won it or come close haven't really been title contenders in that season. Liverpool and Chelsea didn't qualify for the CL but for winning it and when Arsenal got to the final in 06 a lasagne had secured then 4th on the last day.

I wonder if it's that teams can't truly prioritise the Champions League because to do so risks dropping Premier League points thus risking future qualification. When Liverpool won it they often played a shadow side before and after the big games though their winning CL side was no great shakes anyway.

Of course that doesn't explain why Spanish clubs etc don't have this problem. Nor does it link to the money spent. But it's the only thing I can think of that remotely explains sides performing much worse than they perhaps should on paper.

I think it's just purely a case that for all the money that English sides have, they struggle to attract the world's best players.

 

[GIMH]

I think it's just purely a case that for all the money that English sides have, they struggle to attract the world's best players.

Well yeah, definitely an element of that. But shouldn't they do better than they have done the past few years?

 

[Cabinet96]

I think it can go either way though. I've heard a lot of people say the reason Bayern have failed in the last 4 for the last two seasons was because they had the league wrapped up and weren't used to playing that intensity every week.

Arsenal did rotate tonight, but I don't think it really matters. Man for man we were miles better than them, it's not why we lost.

 

[Pratters]

I have always found the English game attacking and high paced compared to the skill aspect in other leagues. This leaves a bit wanting in a competition like the Champions League. I am not sure how much of this is true as I am no expert on football.

 

[sledger]

Regardless of all the above, it's a seriously bad job that Arsenal, whilst playing at home, haven't been able to roll over a team from a prank division like the Greek league. That's not to say Olympiacos were not good value for the win, but they're the sort of side I'd expect the majority of top ten Premiership teams to beat at home.

 

[Furball]

I think it can go either way though. I've heard a lot of people say the reason Bayern have failed in the last 4 for the last two seasons was because they had the league wrapped up and weren't used to playing that intensity every week.

Arsenal did rotate tonight, but I don't think it really matters. Man for man we were miles better than them, it's not why we lost.

Guardiola got his tactics wrong against Real in the 2nd leg, they should have had the tie out of sight going into that game. Last season they were crippled by a massive injury crisis.

 

[Furball]

Regardless of all the above, it's a seriously bad job that Arsenal, whilst playing at home, haven't been able to roll over a team from a prank division like the Greek league. That's not to say Olympiacos were not good value for the win, but they're the sort of side I'd expect the majority of top ten Premiership teams to beat at home.

One of those games. I'm confident that if Wenger was able to do an FM style rage quit and reload, he'd win comfortably then next time he loaded the game and clicked continue. Reminded me a bit of our game against St Johnstone last week, some utterly stupid defensive mistakes and absolutely nothing breaking our way in the final third. Every block/deflection fell kindly for Olympiacos, same thing happened against St Johnstone. **** sometimes happens.

edit: not that I'm pretending that this result isn't part of a worrying trend or that we should just brush it off. But in isolation I'm not going to start hammering the panic button. Yet.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

ΠΑΜΕ Ολυμπιακός

 

[Uppercut]

One of those games. I'm confident that if Wenger was able to do an FM style rage quit and reload, he'd win comfortably then next time he loaded the game and clicked continue. Reminded me a bit of our game against St Johnstone last week, some utterly stupid defensive mistakes and absolutely nothing breaking our way in the final third. Every block/deflection fell kindly for Olympiacos, same thing happened against St Johnstone. **** sometimes happens.

edit: not that I'm pretending that this result isn't part of a worrying trend or that we should just brush it off. But in isolation I'm not going to start hammering the panic button. Yet.

The state of that Olympiakos third though, absolutely incredible goal for a professional football team to concede. The entire midfield decides not to bother defending. It's shocking game management, not exactly a new problem for Arsenal.

Re: English clubs, dunno how much you can put it down to not attracting the best players. That only really puts them behind RM and Barca. I don't buy that a PL game is just THAT much more fatiguing than a La Liga or Bundesliga one either, especially looking at the level of energy in the Dortmund and Atletico sides that made it to the final.

I really don't know what it is. I guess each club just has their own problems.

 

[Cabinet96]

One of those games. I'm confident that if Wenger was able to do an FM style rage quit and reload, he'd win comfortably then next time he loaded the game and clicked continue. Reminded me a bit of our game against St Johnstone last week, some utterly stupid defensive mistakes and absolutely nothing breaking our way in the final third. Every block/deflection fell kindly for Olympiacos, same thing happened against St Johnstone. **** sometimes happens.

edit: not that I'm pretending that this result isn't part of a worrying trend or that we should just brush it off. But in isolation I'm not going to start hammering the panic button. Yet.

I definitely take this approach more than most. Did with Monaco, have with a couple of the PL games. But there's no doubt our European play has been bad the last few seasons. Saw a stat that we didn't lose a game against a non English side at the Emirates until 2012/13 (Schalke) but have lost six since the start of that season.

I think we've improved a lot in the PL. Our attacking was ****ing brilliant on Saturday. I wouldn't be surprised if we won the league tbh, even if we're not favourites. But there's been the opposite trend in Europe. I wonder if it's to do with our changes in style over the last few seasons.

 

[Pothas]

Lee Carsley does not want Brentford job permanently

Well that is just great.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

It's only gonna get worse tomorrow when we get done 2-0 away at Gladbach.

 

[cpr]

Least our draw at home to Wolfsburg will salvage come credibility....

 

[flibbertyjibber]

It's hilarious how as more money has gone into the English game, the performances in Europe have gotten worse.

That is the strange thing but if you look at all the signings made this summer with all that cash available there aren't any top players coming here any more.

Depay and Martial may end up becoming great players but other than that none of our champions league sides signed anyone of note apart from Cech at Arsenal and he was already over here anyway.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Uhhhhhhh?

 

[Spikey]

my attempts to watch city games akin to my (already poor) 08/09 levels are failing, but i'm gonna try to wake up tomorrow morning for KDB.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Forgot him. For some reason I could only think of Otamendi and Sturridge as your big buys.

Anyway he is on a recovery mission after being a flop before, well not a flop as Chelsea don't develop players but been here once already. Was basically on about new blood.

 

[Uppercut]

It's only gonna get worse tomorrow when we get done 2-0 away at Gladbach.

The way Gladbach are playing you'd need to actively try to lose for that to happen.