Horrific.
Horrific.
Society has let Peter Crouch get out of hand. It was fine as a flew flippant comments in press conferences, but he did a show at Alexandra Palace ffs.
And why is Jermaine Jenas on House of Cards? Are they really the best we've got? Absurdity.
Originally Posted by Offshore Toon
Brighton must be a decent chance today, although they'll probably pass the ball into their own net a few times in the first 10 minutes to scotch that idea.
Maupay you useless prick.
There’s one at least.
Connolly is the only Brighton player to have actually threatened Liverpool, strange decision to bring him off.
Lallana
That booking on Ben White really is a joke.
The seethe on Twitter from Liverpool fans over VAR will be glorious
Deffo a pen, however, I didn't think you were allowed to stop in the your run up anymore?
Joke of a decision. Not a pen. Neither of the players touched the ball and they had a coming together.
Oops. Welbz did touch it.
The Liverpool subreddit is in complete meltdown in the post-match thread, if you need some further entertainment.The seethe on Twitter from Liverpool fans over VAR will be glorious
Another game murdered by VAR. Klopp's post-match interview was fantastic entertainment. Brighton so good
Thats the Stonewall Jackson of penalties
Klopp definitely has a touch of Fritzl. No idea why people find him likeable.Another game murdered by VAR. Klopp's post-match interview was fantastic entertainment. Brighton so good
His ridiculous railing about fixtures is classic scouse PR tactics. Make yourself a victim from day one and make the narrative an angry one early doors so that if things go well for you, you're the great working class hero, whereas if things go off the rails, it's the filthy establishment to blame.
Quite similar to Trump, actually. Of course the reason that fixtures/recovery time are far more important to Liverpool than to any other club is because their game is based entirely on the aerobic aspect of pressing.
Lot of asthma in the squad makes it tricker too
For the first time in nearly twenty years, Swindon have beaten Oxford. All the sweeter for it being away from home (first away win of the season) and with a centre half (who scored) playing up front for 30 mins.
I don't know if there are stats available but Leeds seem to be unbelievably profligate whenever I've watched them under Bielsa. Their tee to green stuff is mesmerising but there is no one who is ruthless in front of goal.
About 50 shots in 2 games and 0 goals.
And then a basic pot shot sticks them ahead. Well deserved, though, Everton are really one-dimensional: punt it forward to Calvert-Lewin, who wins literally 100% of headers and nothing comes of any of them.
It's always like this, unfortunately. It's nice as the football we often play is, it's very frustrating to watch at times. Bamford works his bollocks off and has obviously had, relatively speaking, a good start to the season. But it's only because of the sheer number of chances we create. He, and others, are still very wasteful.
If Bielsa has arrived when we still had Chris Wood (who knew where the net was consistently) on the books and demanded we kept him we would have wrapped promotion up with months to spare in his first season in charge. It's bizarre we don't sort it with a actual, better finishing options to be honest. But you don't question Marcelo's methods.
Glorious.
Today I watched you really closely and it was amazing to recognise just how good Kalvin Phillips is. He basically does midfield on his own for large chunks of the game, both with and without the ball, as the others are all engaged in these madcap triangle gallops down either flank and it all falls to him to win the ball back, close down, distribute, occasionally slow the tempo down, and amid all that his technical accuracy is sublime. If Southgate can't see these things and continues to stick Declan Rice there, he's an utter idiot.
It's such an easy team to like - every player (bar Phillips) is deeply flawed in some way and yet Bielsa has managed to spin all their strengths into this gloriously rampant expression of what it is to be greater than the sum of your parts. I'm sure in another universe Luke Ayling is chugging pointlessly up and down for Derby County or Sunderland but in this one, Bielsa has somehow transformed him into this irresistible attacking force that plays with utter confidence in ability that doesn't really belong to him.
Oh dear
If Erling Haaland signed for them they'd probably win the league.
Phillips adds a ridiculous amount of value. It's no coincidence we looked a significantly worse team for the couple of games he was out injured. The defence gets found out constantly when he's not there to run interference. The role he plays, as you've rightly said, basically allows the rest of them to do their thing. He was always a very promising player but there was always a feeling of "where is the next level, though?" with him, then Bielsa arrived and helped him find it, and then some. Phillips absolutely loves him too, gave him his England shirt from his debut apparently.
Ayling is the absolute poster boy for him bringing out the best in a player who was otherwise seen as nothing. I think we only paid about half a million quid (or something) for him. He was just a lower league non-entity, and he's got him believing he's Cafu. Words can't describe how happy I will be if that lad gets an England cap at some point.
Klich is another good example, he was languishing out on loan looking, for all intents and purposes, like his career had completely stalled. Then Marcelo turned up (no doubt already in possession of a thousand page report on him), immediately brought him back and he's been absolutely vital and basically ever present since.
He's such a strange manager in that I honestly don't believe he actually cares about having transfer targets or anything. We obviously bring players in, and he has a say in what we're generally looking for I'm sure, but he would be just as happy to work with what he's got I think. The squad is not particularly large at all, he's totally happy just padding it out with kids who he has broken in to adhere to "the system".
He just likes to mould what he's got into something. I think that is the enjoyment he gets out of it, in a nutshell. "Here are the tools I've got to work with, this the system I want to play, how I do I fit all these pegs into the relevant holes and make it happen". I don't think a "blank cheque book" sort of situation where he's allowed to assemble a team of mega-stars would interest him at all. He wouldn't be able to break them into pieces and re-build them on the training pitch, for starters. The fitness levels he instills are mind-boggling.
Dallas too. Utility player at best before.
Dallas always had a bit about him at Brentford but as an attacking wide-man, turning him into a budget James Milner is still inspired.
Didn't watch the game or highlights yet but xG suggest Sheff Utd are on a horrendous run of luck. Unfortunately, Wilder picked the wrong fight so I now do not care for his struggles. I'd say if they keep faith they'll be safe but it's only Newcastle, Wolves or Burnley that could finish below them after the two that are down and that's some ask.
I saw Lundstram and Baldock both miss relative sitters in the bit I saw (and the West Brom goal was fairly freakish even thought they then kept trying it). Sheff Utd did seem to have a lot of chances but no one with any sort of confidence to not either knock it meekly at the 'keeper or blaze it over the bar.
Super Sunday promises much.
Both the free kick and then resulting corner were so good from Ward Prowse
He should have saved that.
Donny looks like a lost child. Plenty of goals in this yet.
The diamond is wank. It was even wank against Red Bull until we accidently scored and they inexplicably imploded.
This will finish 3-3 or something
That was lovely.
Southampton are right bottling bastards.
Don Cavani
Great run, but Vestergaard didn't half fall asleep.
Don CavaniGet lost lad.
You nearly could have been shot of him if they’d lost today so maybe Mahow was right the first time.
Ralph once again not recognising when his system needs to change.
Shame Spurs missing a few heads, I would have liked to see them destroy Lampard rather than comfortably win.
Cavani is a real centre forward. Great to watch.
They’re missing one player at most, aren’t they? Only Aldeweireld is out injured and he’s not exactly as good as he was
Lamela. And Alderweireld is by a country mile their best defender.
Last edited by Spikey M; 29-11-2020 at 04:43 PM.
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