2017/18 Premier League & General Football Discussion

[Touring Mars]

Interesting one for Wednesday; the new boss' first game is the Sheffield derby.

I thought the game was on Friday...

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Coutinho to Barcelona is a done deal, he will wear the number 14 shirt, wont make his debut for three week as he has a groin injury that his medical picked up. Liverpool bought him for just £8 million and sold him for £143 million, good business! 👍

 

[Stotty]

Coutinho to Barcelona is a done deal, he will wear the number 14 shirt, wont make his debut for three week as he has a groin injury that his medical picked up. Liverpool bought him for just £8 million and sold him for £143 million, good business! 👍

It’s only good business if we replace him with proper quality - our history of doing this post Torres/Suarez/Sterling sales wasn’t good.

However, under Klopp and the new ‘transfer commitee’ we’ve been much better at identifying talent, so who knows?!

 

[daan]

Never mind more attacking players, the first item on Liverpool's shopping list should be a goalie.

 

[Touring Mars]

I'm not convinced this is going to be good for Liverpool. One might think that £140m is a huge boost to any club, but not when they have already blown half of it on a Southampton player whose value has gone up 500% in less than 2.5 years. Also, a star player is a star player - selling Suarez (despite his disciplinary issues) robbed Liverpool of their bite and they've never competed quite at the same level since. Coutinho is arguably not quite as influential a player as Suarez, but I can't see Liverpool competing for the EPL (or CL) again until they can (somehow) keep hold of the likes of these players instead of going for the cash and buying B-list players in their stead. That said, it's arguably not up to the club - once a player has been lured by the likes of Barcelona, it is very hard for a club (even a major club like Liverpool) to hold on to them.

 

[Famine]

Also, a star player is a star player - selling Suarez (despite his disciplinary issues) robbed Liverpool of their bite and they've never competed quite at the same level since. Coutinho is arguably not quite as influential a player as Suarez, but I can't see Liverpool competing for the EPL (or CL) again until they can (somehow) keep hold of the likes of these players instead of going for the cash and buying B-list players in their stead. That said, it's arguably not up to the club - once a player has been lured by the likes of Barcelona, it is very hard for a club (even a major club like Liverpool) to hold on to them.

You could cite Bale and Ronaldo at this point.

Spurs were initially much worse for losing Bale, but have improved to the point that they're "a top four" side (along with six others). These days it's more of a surprise that they lose to Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United than if they beat them, and it qualifies as a significant game when they play Manchester City.

Manchester United initially absorbed the loss of Ronaldo, and won two more titles without him, but longer term the team has suffered. It's reasonably widely acknowledged that the following two titles were Ferguson triumphing with a lower quality team, and his departure hurt them far more.


Liverpool do have ample cover for Coutinho - Sane, Salah, Firmino - so the difference for them may well be the goalkeeper and defender they buy with the money. Van Dijk sorts the defender, leaving £65m for someone better than Mignolet, who I can't believe is still the number 1 keeper despite being rubbish and easily the most complained-about player at the club on 606 for four years.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

League cup semi final first legs this week, Man City v Bristol City tonight with Arsenal v Chelsea tomorrow night, Both Arsenal Chelsea games will have VAR. you would expect to cruise through comfortably, Bristol have done remarkably well but Man City are a step too far.

Both Liverpool and Man United are in Dubai for warm weather training.

@Famine, I agree with your above post but Sane plays for Man City, its Mane who plays for Liverpool.....just saying!

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Well I was a bit surprised and I'm sure I'm not the only one, Man City might have won 2-1 but Bristol were fantastic and gave them a real scare by going 0-1 up, sets up a big match at Ashton Gate in a fortnight. 👍

 

[m8h3r]

Well I was a bit surprised and I'm sure I'm not the only one, Man City might have won 2-1 but Bristol were fantastic and gave them a real scare by going 0-1 up, sets up a big match at Ashton Gate in a fortnight. 👍

Does the away goal rule apply in the League Cup? Could be a 0-0 right till the death when Bristol snatch a goal?

 

[ASH32]

Does the away goal rule apply in the League Cup? Could be a 0-0 right till the death when Bristol snatch a goal?

It did, but only after extra time for some reason. Not sure whether it's changed recently or not.

Why it's still two legs is a mystery too, just an extra unneeded fixture, during a busy period of the season too.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

If it was only one game then it would need to be at a neutral ground I think.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

It finished 0-0 between Chelsea and Arsenal in the other semi final first leg tonight, it was all Chelsea for parts of the match but it was mostly quite competitive, the ref did use VAR a few times.

 

[m8h3r]

If it was only one game then it would need to be at a neutral ground I think.

The FA Cup semi final never use to be. If it had to be though why not use the one in Wales. Having semi finals at Wembley ruins the special nature of it imo.

 

[Famine]

The FA Cup semi final never use to be.

It was always a neutral venue. It changed to Wembley in 1993, if I remember rightly. Arsenal played Spurs, so the FA put it at Wembley.

The other semi-final was Wednesday vs Sheffield United and we got dumped at Elland Road. In a rare moment of our clubs agreeing on something, we both said "Wait on, the London lot get 75k seats to share, and we get 30k AND have to go to Leeds? Jog on." and the FA gave in - moving our game to Wembley too.

And then we played the League Cup final, the FA Cup final AND the FA Cup final replay at Wembley too.

 

[m8h3r]

It was always a neutral venue. It changed to Wembley in 1993, if I remember rightly. Arsenal played Spurs, so the FA put it at Wembley.

The other semi-final was Wednesday vs Sheffield United and we got dumped at Elland Road. In a rare moment of our clubs agreeing on something, we both said "Wait on, the London lot get 75k seats to share, and we get 30k AND have to go to Leeds? Jog on." and the FA gave in - moving our game to Wembley too.

And then we played the League Cup final, the FA Cup final AND the FA Cup final replay at Wembley too.

Ah ok my mistake. I still feel Wembley should be the very last game ie cup finals, play off finals etc. If they want a neutral venue either agree a place or put it at Millennium Stadium.

 

[Famine]

Ah ok my mistake. I still feel Wembley should be the very last game ie cup finals, play off finals etc. If they want a neutral venue either agree a place or put it at Millennium Stadium.

Even pre-war it used to tour the big grounds - Old Trafford, Villa Park, Hillsborough, Elland Road, Highbury, City Ground, White Hart Lane, Maine Road, Goodison and so on. Of course the grounds have changed over the years, with places like Ewood Park, Bramall Lane and Stamford Bridge used in the 1920s, the Hawthorns and Molineux in the 1900s and so on. The Hillsborough disaster was an FA Cup semi-final...

After the two semis at Wembley in '93, there was a brief flirtation with holding both semis at Wembley (I think they did it the following season), but it went back to regional neutral venues until the last season that old Wembley stood. Then it went back to regional neutral venues again, although the Millennium Stadium did hold both semis and the final one year.

It's only relatively recently that the last three games have all been at Wembley - I think 2008 was the first year of it.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

So reports today say that Man United will hijack the Sanchez-Man City move by offering him bigger wages and paying Arsenal £25 million, Mkhitaryan could go in part exchange too.

Yes Please! 👍

 

[andrea]

Messi tired of being assisted by Alba so he decides to assist him instead with a 40-meter through ball. As you do.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Premier League returns this weekend, here are the games.

Saturday
Chelsea v Leicester
Crystal Palace v Burnley
Huddersfield v West Ham
Newcastle v Swansea
Tottenham v Everton (5.30 BT)
Watford v Southampton
West Brom v Brighton

Sunday
Bournemouth v Arsenal (1.30 Sky)
Liverpool v Man City (4pm Sky)

Monday Night
Stoke v Man United (8pm Sky)

No early game tomorrow, the Sheffield Derby between United and Wednesday is tonight.

Quique Sanchez Flores has been offered the Stoke job, he is currently managing Espanyol in La Liga.

Ryan Giggs has been interviewed for the Wales job.

 

[8l23ub]

As a Liverpool fan I'm pretty nervous about Sunday, City haven't won at Anfield since 2003 and Aguero has not hit the back of the net at Anfield.



The law of averages say something has to give eventually.

 

[m8h3r]

As a Liverpool fan I'm pretty nervous about Sunday, City haven't won at Anfield since 2003 and Aguero has not hit the back of the net at Anfield.



The law of averages say something has to give eventually.

As a Manchester United fan I always find it hard to pick a side with these kind of matches. I suppose logically I should "support " Liverpool as we are trying to catch Manchester City () but really I don't see that happening unless something major happens. All I hope for is a goal fest of a match for decent neutral viewing.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Currently 0-1 to Arsenal at Bournemouth, Bellerin with the goal and neither Sanchez or Ozil are in the Arsenal squad.

Liverpool v Man City to come.

BREAKING! Bournemouth just beat Arsenal 2-1!

 

[8l23ub]

As a Liverpool fan I'm pretty nervous about Sunday, City haven't won at Anfield since 2003 and Aguero has not hit the back of the net at Anfield.



The law of averages say something has to give eventually.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Liverpool 4-3 Man City, What a game that was!!

 

[m8h3r]

All I hope for is a goal fest of a match for decent neutral viewing.

 

[8l23ub]

Nailed it
Got any lotto numbers?

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Premier League at its best that was, just fantastic, Liverpool showed no fear whatsoever, some brilliant goals with suspect goalkeeping, City do deserve some credit for sticking at it and getting the two late goals.

 

[Jezza819]

Liverpool games are never boring. No Coutinho, no Van Dijk, Liverpool goal tender, and they still pulled it off.

Klopp dropped an F bomb on live American tv

 

[andrea]

****ing hell.

 

[adamp93]

I hope this isn't region locked. Absolutely incredible.