Premier League 2020/21 Thread

[SouthStandUpperTier]

2 minutes ago, RumbleFox said:

Jesus that would have been some goal from Chilwell. X 

Good effort, but I'm not quite sure how the commentator can say it ''deserved to go in'' though.

[Leicester_Loyal]

On 27/12/2020 at 14:49, Leicester_Loyal said:

Chelsea fans not happy with Chilwell, he was laughing and joking with Saka after the game yesterday.

 

[Guest bennytwohats]

Think the focus is on Chelsea underachieving but I suspect people are underestimating Villa in a similar way to how people underestimated us in our title win. To be clear I'm not suggesting they are that good, or that they'll win the title. However they seem to have hit upon a bit of a winning formula, and are performing far better than people are expecting them to be.

[Hoopla10]

Good result for us. Both teams look a bit meh to me. Grealish gets away with so much! He's got this annoying habit of kicking the ball forward and then clattering over the nearest opponent claiming a foul. Earlier in the game the opponent gets injured while Grealish is immediately up and running. 

 

I think fixture lists for European clubs has dulled some of their cutting edge, taking a yard or two off them and it makes competitive teams like Villa look better than they probably are. Lampard is bang average as a manager imo.   

[LestaAl]

Fortunate result for us this evening. 
...we are still top 4 because we have played more games than many of the top 7 positions.

...never dropped out of the top 5 in 2020, because in calendar 2019 we played really well.

...for me their are still big question marks over the squad and Brendans tactics but accept that injuries have been a probable drag on performances since the spring.

[Blanchflower78]

10 minutes ago, Hollyfox said:

Agree with the villa comments. 

They are very decent, tactically and mentally. 

Play some nice stuff and get stuck in when needed. 

Grealish is a match winner as well

They could do very well this season

Been saying the same. Theyve recruited very well and in fairness always had some very good players there. A clean slate and few new quality signings has them looking as good as anyone outside Liverpool.  Fantastic turnaround from Dean Smith.

[DJ Barry Hammond]

 

One thing I will say on Villa - what a deal they've pulled off with Martinez. 

So calm and commanding of his box, I'm really not sure what Arsenal have done in letting him go. Leno is not a patch on this guy and in my mind, this could explain part of the Gunners decline.

[Leicester_Loyal]

Class interview from Mcginn there. 

[spacemunky]

2 hours ago, spacemunky said:

I feel like Villa will come out on top in this one.

I was close.

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

Villa are a proper niggly team. They scrap for everything and every team hates playing them. I think at some point they'll drop off - shaky is a good motivator but he can't sustain it and his simple tactics wear off eventually and smith is a very average coach (ask anyone at brentford). 

 

Theyve got some proper championship players mixed in there too though - targett and cash are bang average, but they've got that edge to them that I think we lack sometimes and I wish we were a bit more horrible at times.

[Nalis]

Do we start taking Villa as serious contenders for Europe now?

[The Bear]

33 minutes ago, DJ Barry Hammond said:

 

One thing I will say on Villa - what a deal they've pulled off with Martinez. 

So calm and commanding of his box, I'm really not sure what Arsenal have done in letting him go. Leno is not a patch on this guy and in my mind, this could explain part of the Gunners decline.

They lucked into the deal for him really. Arsenal let Martinez go when other teams weren't really looking for a GK. Villa were trying to hijack Ramsdale going to Sheff Utd but only once that fell through did they turn to Martinez. 

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

2 minutes ago, Nalis said:

Do we start taking Villa as serious contenders for Europe now?

Southampton, Everton and villa are right up there now. Its going to be tight this season. I still think a top 7 finish would be an amazing effort - competing on potentially three fronts might cost us though.

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

1 minute ago, The Bear said:

They lucked into the deal for him really. Arsenal let Martinez go when other teams weren't really looking for a GK. Villa were trying to hijack Ramsdale going to Sheff Utd but only once that fell through did they turn to Martinez. 

Their scouting is pretty average in my opinion. 

[Carl the Llama]

59 minutes ago, Nalis said:

Do we start taking Villa as serious contenders for Europe now?

Absolutely, playing how they've been, and currently having the 2nd best gd in the league and 2 games in hand?  You'd have to be proper arrogant to dismiss them.  And with everyone else regularly dropping points they might yet become Liverpool's biggest challengers if they can benefit from playing fewer matches and having their best XI available for pretty much every game like we did back in the title season.

[Finnegan]

2 hours ago, Hoopla10 said:

He's got this annoying habit of kicking the ball forward and then clattering over the nearest opponent claiming a foul.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mozartfox]

1 hour ago, Abrasive fox said:

Southampton, Everton and villa are right up there now. Its going to be tight this season. I still think a top 7 finish would be an amazing effort - competing on potentially three fronts might cost us though.

It will be ‘two fronts’ shortly after we rest players again against Stoke.

[UniFox21]

1 hour ago, Abrasive fox said:

Their scouting is pretty average in my opinion. 

They've made some buys, Konsa for instance.

But I agree, few of their players are complete unknowns. Watkins, Traore, Martinez etc all came with pedigree or hype around them. Even Douglas Luiz only turned up there as Man City couldn't get a work permit for him.

[TheSomersetFox]

1 hour ago, Abrasive fox said:

Villa are a proper niggly team. They scrap for everything and every team hates playing them. I think at some point they'll drop off - shaky is a good motivator but he can't sustain it and his simple tactics wear off eventually and smith is a very average coach (ask anyone at brentford). 

 

Theyve got some proper championship players mixed in there too though - targett and cash are bang average, but they've got that edge to them that I think we lack sometimes and I wish we were a bit more horrible at times.

Villa fans I know absolutely love Cash, been very good for them

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

2 minutes ago, Goober said:

Villa fans I know absolutely love Cash, been very good for them

Can't defend for toffee.

[Jimothy]

Just now, Abrasive fox said:

Can't defend for toffee.

Thats ok, he's not playing for Everton.

[Foxxed]

Second. Four points away from ninth. Seven of those teams at least a game in hand. I can’t remember the top nine being so close at this stage before.

Edited 28 December 2020 by Foxxed

[UniFox21]

Chelsea still don't appear a team that's chucked £220mill over summer. Mendy doesn't look a safe pair of hands currently. Chilwell and Thiago Silva both look solid buys. But Havertz hasn't kicked on yet, and Werner looks absolutely lost. 

They could easily need to spend another £200m

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

46 minutes ago, Facecloth said:

Thats ok, he's not playing for Everton.

 

 

[Sunbury Fox]

3 hours ago, TK95 said:

Chilwell all smiles after another game without victory 

Maybe he has more perspective about the real importance of football in overall terms than most of us on here?