*Official* English Football Season 2022/23

[sledger]

Difficult to say without an appreciation of what goes on/is going on behind the scenes imo. Chelsea's organisational structure and decision-making sound totally chaotic and haphazard, and the outward impression is that this has had a severely detrimental impact on team morale and so on. The Chelsea squad is also so big that some of the first team literally do not know/have not met each other apparently, so there is no rapport whatsoever. These sorts of unseen factors are massively difficult to weed out and correct in the short term.

 

[andruid]

Looks like Allardyce is back in business

 

[sledger]

Just think of this every time I see him mentioned now:

 

[GIMH]

Of that there is no doubt, but there's also a heck of a lot of quality in there too if someone could just find the right balance. I actually think the Chelsea job is far easier to resolve than the Liverpool one.

Well maybe if Chelsea had Klopp, but I think this is a gross exaggeration. As Pothas said, it may take a couple of years for Liverpool to be able to challenge City again but the fact is they have a team that needs adjusting. Chelsea have a lot of players. It's very different.

I mean where do people think Liverpool now compare to Man U this time last year?

 

[sledger]

Liverpool still better but the gap between them and Utd has narrowed considerably.

Liverpool will be good again once Trent gets a haircut. Players with long hair absolutely cannot be trusted. No coincidence than Bellerin went crap once he grew his hair out imo.

 

[Molehill]

Well maybe if Chelsea had Klopp, but I think this is a gross exaggeration. As Pothas said, it may take a couple of years for Liverpool to be able to challenge City again but the fact is they have a team that needs adjusting. Chelsea have a lot of players. It's very different.

I mean where do people think Liverpool now compare to Man U this time last year?

But is Klopp all that now? His recent signings have been pretty average. Do you think Liverpool will outspend Utd or Newcastle this summer? It's not easy to attract players without being able to offer either Champions League football or stupid wages.

Someone in the Top 4 will get Rice, but it won't be Liverpool.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Liverpool still better but the gap between them and Utd has narrowed considerably.

Liverpool will be good again once Trent gets a haircut. Players with long hair absolutely cannot be trusted. No coincidence than Bellerin went crap once he grew his hair out imo.

Quite right. What a ****ing hack:

 

[sledger]

Yeah exactly, imagine how good he would be if he had short hair

 

[GIMH]

But is Klopp all that now? His recent signings have been pretty average. Do you think Liverpool will outspend Utd or Newcastle this summer? It's not easy to attract players without being able to offer either Champions League football or stupid wages.

Someone in the Top 4 will get Rice, but it won't be Liverpool.

I mean this time last year Klopp had Liverpool in contention for all four major trophies, so I don’t think he’s really anywhere close to being questioned.

They’ll struggle because of a lack of CL, agree, but will still be a big pull for many players moreso than Newcastle, because of who they are. I mean Man U signed Casemiro without CL footy.

Depends who they go for. We will have a better idea in the summer obv.

 

[Molehill]

I mean this time last year Klopp had Liverpool in contention for all four major trophies, so I don’t think he’s really anywhere close to being questioned.

They’ll struggle because of a lack of CL, agree, but will still be a big pull for many players moreso than Newcastle, because of who they are. I mean Man U signed Casemiro without CL footy.

Depends who they go for. We will have a better idea in the summer obv.

They signed Casemiro because they had a large budget, Liverpool cannot match that. Newcastle have Champs League plus big budget, they'll make some impressive signings in the Summer I'd imagine.

Since the previous season Liverpool have lost Mane, Salah is not the player he was and god knows what's happened to VVD. TAA has been exposed even more because everyone knows it now whilst the midfield is too old and cannot maintain the pressing game that Klopp needs. It's a team in decline that needs quite a significant overhaul. This isn't a Summer fix in my eyes.

 

[sledger]

I'm not sure this budget point checks out tbh.

I mean, on the last two occasions Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions league their transfer spend was broadly similar to how much they spent during the years they actually did qualify (and was actually higher on occasion).

Similarly, Arsenal being without CL football for half a decade hasn't seemingly hasn't really negatively impacted their budgets either. Their spending has again actually increased.

 

[anil1405]

Signing a fit, experienced and quality midfielder was the need of the hour the moment Wijnaldum left. Wijnaldum was a constant in that midfield and played 95% of the games.

But the owners were too miser and Klopp too adamant about the midfield options that turned out to be injury prone.

Besides Klopp's sides run out of fizz after a 6-7 year period (due to the workload I believe) so the injuries and age factor went against them.

They do need a minimum of two quality midfielders this summer and it has to be seen how Klopp faces this new challenge of regrouping the same club, something he has never done before.

 

[Molehill]

I'm not sure this budget point checks out tbh.

I mean, on the last two occasions Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions league their transfer spend was broadly similar to how much they spent during the years they actually did qualify (and was actually higher on occasion).

Similarly, Arsenal being without CL football for half a decade hasn't seemingly hasn't really negatively impacted their budgets either. Their spending has again actually increased.

Spending often is higher in the non-qualifying years because of that very fact. But Newcastle are the new kids on the block now and they're not going to go anywhere, they will only improve.

It should be even more alarming to Liverpool that they could be so far off the Top 4 despite Chelsea being a mess and Spurs doing a comedy turn. I suspect it will be far more competitive next year.

 

[sledger]

Yeah I expect it will be more competitive as well, but I would be very surprised if Liverpool were not amongst the strongest competitors for a top 4 place. Chelsea will need to improve really significantly on and off field to even be in with a sniff, and Spurs are a prank club who should never be taken seriously at the best of times. They're another team with a squad full of sub-par clodhoppers, and they'll surely be Kane-less next season too, so I would not fancy their chances at all.

 

[GIMH]

The other thing is I feel like we always think it’s going to be more competitive next year because of Team X and it rarely materialises.

 

[wpdavid]

The other thing is I feel like we always think it’s going to be more competitive next year because of Team X and it rarely materialises.

I suppose that 'more competitive' nowadays means who finishes from 2nd to 4th and then who qualifies for the Europa Cup. I don't think those places will look very different next season, but perhaps that's natural. I agree with sledger about Tottenham, and maybe Pochettino will sort out Chelsea.

 

[Uppercut]

The Liverpool and Spurs attacks are completely fine, they’re just shambolic at the back. Sunday was a perfect illustration.

Liverpool should be fixable. Gakpo Diaz Jota and Nunez are all good players. They really just need competency in midfield. Spurs are coming to the end of the Kane/Son era and it’ll be hard to attract players that good again. I can see them continuing their long-term drift towards mid-table.

 

[sledger]

@duffer - the usual please

 

[sledger]

He's just so awesome

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Right back at the start of the season there was a lot of banter about which of Gerrard/Lampard was the worse manager. I like that, having not quite managed Gerrardian levels of incompetence at Everton, Frank has somehow still managed to find a way to outdo him before the season finished.