‘No jokes’ about Man Utd amid considered opinions on 20 Premier League clubs
In an attempt to stop the Premier League conversation being dominated by Liverpool and Arsenal, we have 20 considered opinions.
Why not add your own like grown-ups? Send them to theeditor@football365.com
Considered Premier League opinions ahoy
Okay, someone asked for some considered opinions, and, as we’re a quarter of the way through*, here goes…
*Quiet at the back!
Arsenal – can’t criticise them for not winning it (note, not ‘bottling’) and then criticise them for trying to win it however they so desire. Will they even concede another goal?! I think they finally do win it, and people still complain. Hey Stewie!
Bournemouth – selling that vast majority of their defence seems like a bold strategy that’s paying off. They’re pretty good at finding players, aren’t they?! Will fade a little, but I think a European spot may beckon.
Spurs – Hang on!?! How are they 3rd? Fair play. Does the away from crack before the home form improves? They will finish 7th. Does Solanke have a chant to The Police’s ‘So Lonely’?
Sunderland – Uh, have you not got the ‘please relegate yourself imposter’ memo? Xhaka the signing that’s made the biggest impact thus far. Will stay up comfortably. Possibly half way to the tally they need to do so. Hearing Isidor’s name always makes me want to watch Lord of the Rings. I know, I know, it’s Isildur.
Man City – They’re just not quite them, are they. Their ‘title challenge’ will see them 4/5 points off all the way through.
Man Utd – No jokes here. Definite strides being made. It just feels like that fragility (and an Amorim meltdown) could return at any time still. At the moment.
Liverpool – Was a curious summer with some seemingly unnecessary signings. More bumps in the road to come (early CL exit) before steadying improvement post Jan. Won it last year, so it could be Wirtz.
Aston Villa – The greasy breakfast seems to have finally allowed the hangover to be shaken off. Tielemans can’t come back soon enough. Win the Europa League and nothing else matters. Won’t do in Spurs style if they do, however.
Chelsea – Champs League games (where they actually have to play a decent XI) taking a toll? I can see up and down season in store. Really though, I just don’t care either way. Which is a weird thing to say. Is Maresca the distinctly average one?
Crystal Palace – Rightly lauded and yet somehow still sit 10th. It’s a skill really. Could see another cup win. Excellent fans.
Brentford – Oh, Keith. Keith, Keith, Keith… Just stop it! Take your first management job from a fella who’d been there a while and was loved, lose your best forward players, and don’t give a shit. Excellent work you likeable so-and-so.
Newcastle – It feels fine, and sort of is. But is it? Will report back later.
Brighton – Same as it ever was. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Cause the big boys trouble, look average elsewhere.
Everton – A shiny stadium and a fun Jack Grealish. Just enjoy it all. No danger whatsoever.
Leeds – Home form will dictate everything, and they will need 25+ points from their home games.
Burnley – See above. Winning at Wolves doesn’t count.
Fulham – Maybe try going to back to the mid table obscurity thing. This doesn’t look great. Will beat Arsenal at the Emirates just to get everyone jittery.
Forest – The admiration and good graces of fans of other teams thrown away in the space of a few months. Almost impressive. I don’t like saying it, but I don’t think I’d be upset to see them relegated.**
West Ham – ‘I’m addicted to you, don’t you know that I’m Toxic’. It looks bleak. Very bleak. Get out Jarrod. Get out! Villa Park is nice.
Wolves – Not sure the ‘be crap to start with, sack the manager, and improve no end’ bit is going to work this season. They finish in 20th despite an excellent challenge from above.
**Yeah yeah, I’m no fan of Dyche.
Gary AVFC, Oxford (I consider them considered opinions. You can absolutely not)
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Arsenal fans right to be cautious
It’s coming up roses for Arsenal at the moment but as we have seen with Liverpool things change very quickly in this league. A quick stat for you folks taken from Football365’s interactive table, after 9 games last season City were top having not lost a game, they went on to lose 6 of their next 9 games.
Looking at the upcoming fixtures Arsenal have opportunity to extend their lead this weekend with on paper an easier game and many of the chasing pack playing each other. Then they have some tricky fixtures such as Sunderland and Brentford, they also play Chelsea and Spurs. Call me paranoid but let’s just cool our jets and see where we are around Christmas before getting too giddy.
Marvin (42) AFC (We’re going to get done by Burnley aren’t we!)
Why is the onus on Arsenal to entertain?
It is the responsibility of both teams to try and win a match. If one club goes to another, and sits all its men behind the ball, has no ambition to do anything other than defend and hope to get a counter, I would say the poor quality of the match and the football itself, is not the fault of the team trying to win the match, but the one trying desperately hard not to lose it.
In this tortuous analogy, Arsenal are the team who actually want to win their matches, and their opponents are the ones desperate not to lose.
So you can be upset that Arsenal score goals from set pieces and that might be ruining the ‘quality’ of the league, but at least we want to try and win. Considering our opponents average an xG against us of 0.8 per game, it tells me they aren’t even trying to score, whereas ours is 1.6 in comparison.
Your craven clubs, with the hundreds of millions spent by them, are still too scared and lack the ambition to even want to try and win. So get mad at your own clubs and players for ruining the league. As an Arsenal fan, I love 1-nil results. I was raised on them. Bould at the near post flick on to someone in the middle. It was beautiful that George Graham was at the ground to witness our 1-nil against Palace (who are an excellent team).
During the Wenger era, we were often told that we played pretty football, but results are all that mattered. Well, we now think the same.
John Matrix AFC
READ: Arsenal are ‘boring’ and massive hypocrites – but here’s why that is a good thing for Mikel Arteta
Arsenal fan curiously gets annoyed at another Arsenal fan
It’s funny what people think they see isn’t it? The “Who (where?) are these bragging Arsenal fans?” title of the mail in the previous mailbox suggested that Jamo from Nairobi wasn’t really basing anything on anything when he emailed in.
Because currently, all I can see on social media is Arsenal fans putting their bragging to one side while they attempt to inform the masses that corner kicks have been a thing since 1872, which by the way is a full 14 years before the club was formed, and also, crucially, 153 years ago.
Suddenly, corners and set pieces are a widespread problem. I wonder why? The Arsenal freaks on Twitter are thankfully doing the Lord’s Work and pulling up tweets from official accounts of United or Liverpool or whoever, who are actually ‘bragging’ about their set piece specialists from once upon a time, while genuinely intelligent people such as Jon MacKenzie are asking if we should implement rule changes!! Wtf are we doing here honestly?
Someone has also found a video of Jamie Carragher praising Chelsea’s ability to turn set pieces into goals about six years ago, while he and Freddie Ljungberg laugh together about how Arsene Wenger neglected the coaching of these scenarios in training, and that was probably a bit of a mistake. Quite funny, in hindsight.
Honestly, you couldn’t make up what you’re seeing right now on the cesspit platform. All of this is the TLDR way of saying: Jamo, we are not bragging about anything. We are not yet in November and we’ve been burnt thrice in a row by one thing or another (our fault or otherwise), so you are clearly either looking in the wrong place or completely making it up.
There’s nothing to brag about yet, I just hope there will be, one day in the not too distant….
Joe, AFC, East Sussex
(It’s funny what people think they see, isn’t it? Jamo is an Arsenal fan and absolutely wasn’t having a dig – Ed)
Initial thoughts
Seeing Oliver Glasner being interviewed in training gear with ‘OG’ on it got me wondering whether any other manager’s initials have footballing connotations. There must be an HT and FT, right? I wasn’t feeling overly inspired and then one came to me, and it just feels ohhh so right.
Thank you, Xabi Alonso. Thank you. You big ol’ hipster.
Gary AVFC, Oxford (could extend to players, making Granit Xhaka frustratingly close).
…I’m not sure what prompted me to write in about this subject, but it is something that has bugged me in an irrational manner for some time.
Why is is that some, but not all, coaches or backroom stall have their initials on their club coats or tracksuit tops? There will be the manager / head coach (if they choose to wear one), their number two and possibly a couple of others.
This can’t be because the players or other coaches don’t know who they are, and most of the media and supporters will know them too.
As such I can only think that this is a hangover to days when these positions may not have been as generously remunerated as they are today, and the initials on kit were a symbols of seniority or something like that.
Does anyone know?
A, LFC, Montreal
Have some patience, Liverpool fans
When the Invincibles’ 49-game unbeaten run came to an end at Old Trafford, we won just one of our next five games and that was an anything can happen, crazy North London Derby at the Lane.
You’re on a difficult run, but this isn’t May, and you’re not in the bottom three.
Maybe pump those brakes, give your heads a wobble and show Slot some patience, eh?
Graham Simons, Gooner (Hi Stewie!), Norf London
…As Bill Shankly once said. If you can’t support us when we’re losing or drawing. Don’t support us when we’re winning. Go find another team.
CK YNWA
On Liverpool problems and solutions
In an attempt to move on from the hyperbolic headlines, here is my attempt at diagnosing the problems and potential solutions to the poor run of form at Liverpool.
Problems:
Evolution from 433: Clearly this years’ signings marked an evolutionary move from Liverpool’s long serving 433 formation. Slot admitted that the signings were intended to give us more flexibility in the way we lined up against teams. Wirtz a clear number 10 means we were at times moving away from Klopp’s 6 and two 8s and Slot’s two 6s and an 8. It is also a clear move away from a team which gets its running and physicality from 3 midfielders with creativity provided by the full backs and the attackers. MacAllister and Wirtz are a long way from Hendo and Gini. Wirtz is most like Coutinho who didn’t fit within the 433 and had to leave. Buying Wirtz for 9 figures means we are moving away from 433 which will naturally unsettle some players who have played it for years. I see the logic in having someone like Wirtz to unlock the low block which Liverpool often face.
The combined signing of Isak and Wirtz suggest a possible move away from 3 up front or certainly configuring the 3 differently. Is Slot’s ultimate long term vision 2 upfront, Wirtz at the tip of a diamond midfield behind, with Frimpong and Kerkez providing the width and legs?
Leaking goals: Whether it’s the change in the formation, change in players or just poor form. Liverpool have leaked goals particularly of late.
Missing Trent: I hope the long-time critics of TAA can see the error of their ways. Defensively Trent was never as bad as people alleged and Liverpool have not locked down the right hand side of the defence since he left. Issues on the right were never Trent being ‘the worst defender’ in the world. They were chiefly the result of Salah not tracking back and neither Milner or Henderson being replaced to fill in the gap.
There is a Trent shaped hole in this team from an attacking perspective. It lacks creativity from deep and the ability to turn defence into attack with one quick pass
Salah out of form: No one misses Trent more than Salah whose form has dipped noticeably. No one expected last year again but he has been poor. He has not found the right chemistry with teammates on the right. The lack of a consistent ball over the top (Trent!) means he is easier to mark. Putting Wirtz into midfield means there is one less person to do his running leaving us badly exposed to pace on the opposition left (Semenya, Eze, Mbuemo etc…). If I zoom out, I think in the absence of Trent, Salah is more likely to drift infield to an inside right position which I think is really where Wirtz would like to play. Really what we are seeing is the painful transition from a Salah led offense to a Wirtz led offence. It is now a question of how soon this happens.
Big names, small performances: New signings have not settled. Isak in a red shirt is still miles from Isak in a Newcastle shirt. Frimpong is supposed to bring pace on the right to provide an overlap for Wirtz and others creating from midfield. He has had a shaky start and doesn’t seem to be a defensive upgrade from Trent. Wirtz has not looked like the best player in Germany and doesn’t seem to know where he should play. He looks for time he’s not going to get in the PL. Most disappointing for me has been Kerkez who isn’t adapting to a new league and should have been an immediate improvement on the left. He has been physically weak and reckless in tackles.
MacAllister has been poor in every aspect of the game from tackling to passing and has rightly been dropped for Jones. Konate had a shocking start to the season and there is a risk his head has been turned. Salah, see above.
Missing Allison: The new keeper does not look like the best young keeper in the world. He’s been nervous coming and dealing with crosses and dived too soon twice for Brentford goals. It was tough watching Kelleher for Brentford on Saturday. When you miss Allison you miss a keeper who makes saves he shouldn’t and is lethal in one on ones.
Brass tax, Liverpool have conceded 7 in GM’s 3 PL games vs. 7 in Allison’s 6 PL games.
Look at the 3 games and the goals conceded and ask would Allison save it? Mbuemo definitely, Caicaido he could have and the Brentford goals he would certainly have done better.
Solutions:
Sort the defence first. It applies to Sunday league and premier league alike. You cannot win games conceding too many goals. We need to get a defence sorted. For me that means putting Gomez at RB and Robbo at LB. Play a flat back 4. If the game requires it, start Endo at the base of MF until RG is fit again. This also means getting midfielders and wingers to put in a shift to cover the defence.
Continue everyone is droppable: Salah and MacAllister have rightly been dropped for playing badly. This needs to be the case. Chiesa and Jones deserve their chances and if they don’t get them now then they have to leave the club. Past performances and big transfer fees shouldn’t guarantee a player a spot either. Isak and Wirtz similarly need to be droppable.
Play Szoboszlai in MF: He’s our only shining light this season. Just start him in midfield every game, no messing around at RB. Play him at 6 or 8. With RG out we should start him at 6 for now.
Use the injuries to settle the team: Injuries mean there are less options and allows the team to settle a bit. Isak being injured means continuing with 3 upfront and playing Hugo at 9. This should always have been the case but it’s easier to have the big transfer injured than dropped. Jones and RG being out means playing an offensive midfield 3 of Macallister, DS and Wirtz which makes the solid 4 at the back even more important. Hopefully this will see MacAllister and Salah settle and find their form but if that doesn’t happen Chiesa and Endo should be put in.
PL from DL
Liverpool have dominated, have they?
LOL the craziest part of the email was reading “It also weirdly gives me a funny glow knowing how hard the last decade must have been for so many who hated our brilliant football and many trophy successes.”
Liverpool
PL :2
CL:1
FA Cup: 1
League Cups :2
Mate, the crazy part of yours is our brilliant football and many trophy successes; you were at best the bridesmaid, hahahaha
Man City
PL :7
CL:1
FA Cup: 2
League Cups :6
Lynton Moodley
More on Man Utd and referees
Just following up on two responses to my email:
James Outram: I completely get why you (or Pool fans in general) would feel aggrieved. My response is that VVD and McAllister conspired together to be absolute balls and the ball immediately went into a dangerous area leading to a goal. Two things here. It was a Liverpool player who made that howler; if it was Mbeumo who did it then 150% stop play but it seems like something rife for gaming the system if play gets stopped because teammates run into each other and someone goes down holding their head. Ed more than welcome to tell me if I’m talking bollocks
With regards to the stitches, having worked at sea for 10+ years, I’ve had (cumulatively) 7 staples and 12 stitches in my head over three separate occasions, it’s nothing more than an elaborate boo boo that McAllister definitely made the most of and considering there was no actual concussion test or anything that I saw, in hindsight, I think the ref got it right.
Ryan, Bermuda: All salient points made, well done that man – and decent PS from Ed. Which leads me on to one of my bugbears in football. A defender can often come sliding through, absolutely clattering a striker after they have had a shot without any censure because of some weird logic that they’ve already had a shot without any consideration to the fact that an uncontrolled ~100kgs of defender sliding at the striker across the turf at 20km/h, may have in fact, put the striker off.
Essentially, if the defender tackles late enough, he can put the striker off and foul him without any punishment. It is truly baffling and Ryan certainly is Me when I scratch my head at some of the rules, the opaqueness of their application and disaster refereeing. I know we have more chance of Maggie rising from her grave to vote for the Green Party, but I do think we should all, as Prem fans, start making more noise for the rules, VAR and refereeing to be MUCH MORE professionally applied to the Prem.
Thanks to James and Ryan
Sincerely,
Less Disgruntled RSA
Celtic: Freudian or Faustian
Just looking north of the border for a moment, Celtic seems to have a fixation about managers who really, really love themselves more than anything else – and then blame their loving themselves for any failures at the club.
Celtic’s managerial carousel is an intriguing psychological case study. It’s as if the club is stuck in an emotional pattern—repeatedly falling for the same type of narcissistic managers. There seems to be an allure of big personalities, hungry for glory, loving the limelight , as if that alone will rub off on the team and make them successful. Managers celebrated for their drive and self-assurance when things go well (well, at least the managers do a great job of selling that vision.) But when the dream falters, the fallout is always spectacular: broken relationships, public rows, fans feeling betrayed, the board scrambling for stability.
Absolutely grade A drama.
The whole situation seems strangely Freudian. Or perhaps a Faustian bargain?
Either way, Celtic should be a psychoanalyst’s dream.
Paul McDevitt
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