Premier League Thread 2019/20

[yorkie1999]

6 hours ago, ScouseFox said:

liverpool have dropped two points since march, whilst also winning the european cup and the super cup. 

 

they have won 20 out of their last 21 league games and drew the other 0-0. they have lost 1 of their last 50 premier league games. they have dropped 2 points at home in over a year.

 

i'm not sure if people are just not aware of these results which is why i'm repeating them, or if people just can't quite grasp how good they are? they literally won 17 league games in a row this year but it's "nutty" to say i could see them winning 10 in a row? they are so, so good and i get nobody wants to admit it, i'd also rather none of this was happening but it is, so there's no point pretending they aren't better than everyone else. 

Can you guarantee they'll beat Palace then?

[ScouseFox]

6 minutes ago, yorkie1999 said:

Can you guarantee they'll beat Palace then?

obviously not, what a stupid thing to say. 

 

but i can guarantee it will be a huge shock if they don't win. they are expected to win.

 

the point of what i was saying was the people claiming the title race was still wide open with 4 teams involved. in the last 39 games (so basically a season) liverpool have dropped 13 points. again, bare in mind so far this season they've had about as tough a start as you can get, fixture-wise. at that rate, over the next 26 games they are going to drop 8.5 points. which means us or chelsea won't be able to drop a single point if we want to overtake them. if they carry on at the rate they've been playing at for the last 18 months then man city can't even catch them if they win every single game until may. 

 

i don't think it's "nutty" or "daft" to say that it's seems pretty obvious to me that liverpool are going to win the league, "long way to go" or not. to me it simply looks like the longer this season goes on, the further away from all the other teams they are going to sail. 

Edited 11 November 2019 by ScouseFox

[Stadt]

Hope they get a few* injuries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*14 injuries 

[Aus Fox]

17 minutes ago, ScouseFox said:

obviously not, what a stupid thing to say. 

 

but i can guarantee it will be a huge shock if they don't win. they are expected to win.

 

the point of what i was saying was the people claiming the title race was still wide open with 4 teams involved. in the last 39 games (so basically a season) liverpool have dropped 13 points. again, bare in mind so far this season they've had about as tough a start as you can get, fixture-wise. at that rate, over the next 26 games they are going to drop 8.5 points. which means us or chelsea won't be able to drop a single point if we want to overtake them. if they carry on at the rate they've been playing at for the last 18 months then man city can't even catch them if they win every single game until may. 

 

i don't think it's "nutty" or "daft" to say that it's seems pretty obvious to me that liverpool are going to win the league, "long way to go" or not. to me it simply looks like the longer this season goes on, the further away from all the other teams they are going to sail. 

The thing is, you are using past form as an indicator of future form, which in any industry is a huge mistake.

One injury

One player loses form

One squad scandal 

If it was as easy as you sat we’d all make a killing at the bookies.

So many variables, so many twists and turns to come yet.

[Vardinio'sCat]

20 hours ago, Mark 'expert' Lawrenson said:

I was at school though the mid 70’s and I remember it was both Man Utd and Liverpool who were the go to teams for youngsters getting into football, Liverpool were dominant at that time so it it makes sense that they’d attract a lot of new support. Thankfully most “supporters” grow out of it when they reach maturity and support their home town club.

 

I remember Liverpool being admired (they seemed like the only club on tv except for Fa Cup finals, for large parts of the that era), but didn't know any Leicester based supporters.

 

I'm starting to think it was just who I knew at the time more than anything, but I still think the level of ire is bit much. Maybe I am just reacting to what seem like increasingly hateful times, on reflection that might well be the case. I think I have anger fatigue! 

 

 

[Deeg67]

The only way I can see Liverpool struggling to hang on is injuries.  They don't have much depth up top especially - I could see them surviving a key injury in MF or even at the back, but lose Mane or Salah and they'll have a rocky adjustment at the very least.  Overall Man City certainly has a deeper roster.

 

I think you're going to see Liverpool prioritize the league and Pep prioritize the CL, which could lead to a sort of unspoken non-aggression pact between the two top sides.  They'll obviously each try and win both, but I don't think you'll see Man City go crazy trying to catch Liverpool and I don't think you'll see Liverpool rest their stars in league matches.

[The Bear]

The lead they have is massive purely because they look a lot less likely to drop points than Man City do. The fixtures up until the New Year might cause them some issues but that's the only way I can see them losing the title from here in. 

[The Bear]

On 11/11/2019 at 08:25, Koke said:

 

They're a bit too one dimensional for me. Not enough creativity which results in poor results against terrible teams. They cease possession and cease control of the midfield to teams who dont deserve it. 

 

I know Wolves fans dont wanna hear this but if they want to go up another level then Nuno has to be moved on. He's done amazing for the club but his tactics sometimes are too negative. 

I think we sometimes get tarred with being negative more than we deserve. Our formation and style of play means that we often defend with 5, but we also attack in numbers too thanks to the wing-backs getting forwards. Against better teams we concede possession more, but we completely dominated Villa on Sunday and should have won by a couple more goals. 

 

Over the last three games we've had 62 shots, including a record 25 for an away team at The Emirates. For comparison, Leicester's last three games have seen 56 shots (which includes the Southampton mauling). And we certainly weren't negative when we beat Man City 2-0 at their place. Our problem at the moment is converting chances and not scoring enough goals. Something Leicester are a lot better than us at. 

 

Someone else mentioned a lack of flexibility. When we first came up we played 3-4-3. That caused a problem in central midfield and results suffered, so Nuno switched to 3-5-2 and that saw us go on a run where we qualified for Europe and were a gnats chuff away from getting to an FA Cup final. This season we had a dodgy start, and we were often too deep, so Nuno has over the last few games gone back to 3-4-3, meaning he has gotten the best out of players like Neves and Traore. And we look a lot better again. We often switch between those two formations in the middle of games too, depending on how we are playing. So again I think flexibility criticisms are a bit unfair. We simply have an identity and style which we never move away from. 

 

As for Nuno moving on to improve us, no. He's the best manager we've had in decades. He only needs better players to move us forwards. 

Edited 12 November 2019 by The Bear

[Dahnsouff]

6 minutes ago, The Bear said:

As for Nuno moving on to improve us, no. He's the best manager we've had in decades. He only needs better players to move us forwards. 

Are there concerns about the other possibility? Specifically Nuno being targetted by a more established club, such as a Arsenal or Tottenham?

(Sorry, I feel dirty typing that sentiment, its disgusting that progressive clubs should be seen as feeder clubs for lazy, bloated EPL stalwarts)

 

It should not be underestimated the job Nuno has done, and in a way this season is more impressive than last, this due to the fact that you have European commitments which you are deftly handling, and despite an initial wobble in the league, it looks like normal service has been resumed 

Edited 12 November 2019 by Dahnsouff

[The Bear]

Rumour was he apparently had an offer from Everton last season which he declined. 

 

He knows he has almost unlimited backing from Wolves' owners. He's completely built the team himself, and the players and fans love him. Unless it's a massive club and opportunity I can't see him going anywhere. 

 

The biggest threat IMO is a really bad run of results and our owners getting impatient with him and giving him the bullet. They do have a really good relationship though so again it's unlikely. 

Edited 12 November 2019 by The Bear

[yorkie1999]

12 hours ago, ScouseFox said:

obviously not, what a stupid thing to say. 

 

but i can guarantee it will be a huge shock if they don't win. they are expected to win.

 

the point of what i was saying was the people claiming the title race was still wide open with 4 teams involved. in the last 39 games (so basically a season) liverpool have dropped 13 points. again, bare in mind so far this season they've had about as tough a start as you can get, fixture-wise. at that rate, over the next 26 games they are going to drop 8.5 points. which means us or chelsea won't be able to drop a single point if we want to overtake them. if they carry on at the rate they've been playing at for the last 18 months then man city can't even catch them if they win every single game until may. 

 

i don't think it's "nutty" or "daft" to say that it's seems pretty obvious to me that liverpool are going to win the league, "long way to go" or not. to me it simply looks like the longer this season goes on, the further away from all the other teams they are going to sail. 

Well it's not is it. You're basing Liverpool winning the title on the fact they've had a brilliant run, but run's come to an end as we all know, the season is long and when the fixtures start piling up, especially with CL football, and add that to the fact that Liverpool have a history of getting carried away too early and people expecting them to win the league.

 

1991 Dalglish 8 points clear after 13 games, 7 points off top at the end of the season.

2003 Houllier 7 points clear after 12 games, 19 points off top at the end of the season

2009 Benitez 4 points clear after 21 games, 4 points off at the end of the season

2014 Rodgers 5 points clear after 35 games, 2 points off at the end of the season.

2019 Klopp 9 points clear after 20 games, 1 point off at the end of the season.

2020 Klopp 8 points clear after 12 games....

[Mickyblueeyes]

5 minutes ago, yorkie1999 said:

Well it's not is it. You're basing Liverpool winning the title on the fact they've had a brilliant run, but run's come to an end as we all know, the season is long and when the fixtures start piling up, especially with CL football, and add that to the fact that Liverpool have a history of getting carried away too early and people expecting them to win the league.

 

1991 Dalglish 8 points clear after 13 games, 7 points off top at the end of the season.

2003 Houllier 7 points clear after 12 games, 19 points off top at the end of the season

2009 Benitez 4 points clear after 21 games, 4 points off at the end of the season

2014 Rodgers 5 points clear after 35 games, 2 points off at the end of the season.

2019 Klopp 9 points clear after 20 games, 1 point off at the end of the season.

2020 Klopp 8 points clear after 12 games....

Don’t get me wrong, I Day dream daily about Liverpool faultering and us doing it again. However, for Liverpool to lose the title (which is what they will do at this stage) and us to win it, they’ll have to lose 4 maybe 5 games and we will have to hit an incredible, record breaking run of form. They’ve got history of doing that (as you have pointed out) but with their form and record it looks incredibly unlikely. 

 

However, please keep telling me I am wrong😀😀. Just imagine if it does happen...

[yorkie1999]

5 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

Don’t get me wrong, I Day dream daily about Liverpool faultering and us doing it again. However, for Liverpool to lose the title (which is what they will do at this stage) and us to win it, they’ll have to lose 4 maybe 5 games and we will have to hit an incredible, record breaking run of form. They’ve got history of doing that (as you have pointed out) but with their form and record it looks incredibly unlikely. 

 

However, please keep telling me I am wrong😀😀. Just imagine if it does happen...

You can never write off Man City. They could very easily go on a run till the end of the season.

[rachhere]

48 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

Don’t get me wrong, I Day dream daily about Liverpool faultering and us doing it again. However, for Liverpool to lose the title (which is what they will do at this stage) and us to win it, they’ll have to lose 4 maybe 5 games and we will have to hit an incredible, record breaking run of form. They’ve got history of doing that (as you have pointed out) but with their form and record it looks incredibly unlikely. 

 

However, please keep telling me I am wrong😀😀. Just imagine if it does happen...

Had a very pleasant conversation with a Blackburn fan this morning who fancies this to happen. He was saying that we look the best team in the country at the moment, and towards the end of the game were making Arsenal look like a championship side. Possibly a bit overgenerous, but I will take it! 

[David Guiza]

Good quiz on Four Four Two to name the top 5 English goalscorers from every Premier League season.

 

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/football-quiz-can-you-name-top-five-english-goalscorers-every-premier-league-season

 

Still impressed with myself for getting the Ipswich player from 2000/01, Coventry player from 1997/98 and Spurs player in 1995/96.

 

Never even heard of the Man City player from the 92/93 season. I can put that down to only being 1/2 at the time and not hearing his name banded about since. 

[Koke]

6 hours ago, The Bear said:

I think we sometimes get tarred with being negative more than we deserve. Our formation and style of play means that we often defend with 5, but we also attack in numbers too thanks to the wing-backs getting forwards. Against better teams we concede possession more, but we completely dominated Villa on Sunday and should have won by a couple more goals. 

 

Over the last three games we've had 62 shots, including a record 25 for an away team at The Emirates. For comparison, Leicester's last three games have seen 56 shots (which includes the Southampton mauling). And we certainly weren't negative when we beat Man City 2-0 at their place. Our problem at the moment is converting chances and not scoring enough goals. Something Leicester are a lot better than us at. 

 

Someone else mentioned a lack of flexibility. When we first came up we played 3-4-3. That caused a problem in central midfield and results suffered, so Nuno switched to 3-5-2 and that saw us go on a run where we qualified for Europe and were a gnats chuff away from getting to an FA Cup final. This season we had a dodgy start, and we were often too deep, so Nuno has over the last few games gone back to 3-4-3, meaning he has gotten the best out of players like Neves and Traore. And we look a lot better again. We often switch between those two formations in the middle of games too, depending on how we are playing. So again I think flexibility criticisms are a bit unfair. We simply have an identity and style which we never move away from. 

 

As for Nuno moving on to improve us, no. He's the best manager we've had in decades. He only needs better players to move us forwards. 

 

Fair points. Maybe it's some of the personnel that needs upgrading on. A CB, CAM and maybe winger. Neves is being handicapped by playing so deep. Maybe a 4321 or a 433 would suit him better. And although Nuno is Wolves greatest manager in my lifetime I think he has a ceiling and he's hit that ceiling. 

Edited 12 November 2019 by Koke

[Koke]

If Wenger signed Tielemans in 2015 he would have developed nicely under Wenger but would have left on a free transfer to Bayern or Juventus by now.

 

 

Edited 12 November 2019 by Koke

[Nalis]

2 hours ago, David Guiza said:

Good quiz on Four Four Two to name the top 5 English goalscorers from every Premier League season.

 

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/football-quiz-can-you-name-top-five-english-goalscorers-every-premier-league-season

 

Still impressed with myself for getting the Ipswich player from 2000/01, Coventry player from 1997/98 and Spurs player in 1995/96.

 

Never even heard of the Man City player from the 92/93 season. I can put that down to only being 1/2 at the time and not hearing his name banded about since. 

Got 134, randomly got most of those for the smaller teams who had a hit season, had some howlers regarding a certain an Arsenal player featured twice and an Aston Villa featured three times around 2008....

[David Guiza]

25 minutes ago, Nalis said:

Got 134, randomly got most of those for the smaller teams who had a hit season, had some howlers regarding a certain an Arsenal player featured twice and an Aston Villa featured three times around 2008....

Something quite satisfying about getting the random players, like the Leeds one from the late 90s early 00s too. I missed three ex-Leicester players so I know the feeling! 

[Rain King]

3 hours ago, David Guiza said:

Good quiz on Four Four Two to name the top 5 English goalscorers from every Premier League season.

 

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/football-quiz-can-you-name-top-five-english-goalscorers-every-premier-league-season

 

Still impressed with myself for getting the Ipswich player from 2000/01, Coventry player from 1997/98 and Spurs player in 1995/96.

 

Never even heard of the Man City player from the 92/93 season. I can put that down to only being 1/2 at the time and not hearing his name banded about since. 

133, missed two former Leicester players.

[David Guiza]

19 minutes ago, pds said:

133, missed two former Leicester players.

If one is alliterative in name then I didn't realise he ever scored that many in the Premier League goals.

 

And the other a certain player who only scored about 3 goals for us then I also forgot he scored that many! 

[fuchsntf]

6 hours ago, yorkie1999 said:

You can never write off Man City. They could very easily go on a run till the end of the season.

You can Never write Off Leicester city, or Chelsea ...They could very easily go on a run till the end of the season.....( We did it once, and Chelsea...)...

[ARM1968]

8 hours ago, The Bear said:

The lead they have is massive purely because they look a lot less likely to drop points than Man City do. The fixtures up until the New Year might cause them some issues but that's the only way I can see them losing the title from here in. 

You don’t see a Scouse bottle job then?

[StanSP]

4 hours ago, David Guiza said:

Good quiz on Four Four Two to name the top 5 English goalscorers from every Premier League season.

 

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/football-quiz-can-you-name-top-five-english-goalscorers-every-premier-league-season

 

Still impressed with myself for getting the Ipswich player from 2000/01, Coventry player from 1997/98 and Spurs player in 1995/96.

 

Never even heard of the Man City player from the 92/93 season. I can put that down to only being 1/2 at the time and not hearing his name banded about since. 

119. Could have done better. 

 

Missed off Darren Bent, Crouch, Agbonlahor amongst others. 

[David Guiza]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

119. Could have done better. 

 

Missed off Darren Bent, Crouch, Agbonlahor amongst others. 

Villa players are so easily forgettable. Half the ones I missed played for them.