2018/19 Soccer Thread

I am laughing my behind off that this Leeds thing is a thing.

Prederick wrote:

I am laughing my behind off that this Leeds thing is a thing.

Not sure there's much else to talk about in football terms at the moment. It's something for the football media to have fun with, and so they are

Saw a tweet quoting Lampard as saying "We do analysis too."
Sure, Frank, I'm positive your 15 hours of analysis is exactly the same as Bielsa's 300+. We're talking about a dude who watched a whole season's worth of Leeds matches before he even agreed to take the job, but I'm sure you're just 20 times more efficient than him.

Lampard would do himself a lot of favours if he just kept quiet. For all Bielsa’s analysis, he’s not managing a team in a top league that’s consistently winning titles or competing in, say the Champions League.

Sorbicol wrote:

For all Bielsa’s analysis, he’s not managing a team in a top league that’s consistently winning titles or competing in, say the Champions League.

And he admits as much when he recounts the story about his Bilbao side’s 3-0 loss to Pep’s Barca.

I do this (so much analysis) to feel well but I see that this information does not allow you to win games.

Jose Mourinho: Ex-Manchester United manager is 'too young to retire' & 'belongs at top level'

Here's the thing! I think he's right!

It's just that whoever hires him should absolutely realize that they're getting 2 1/2, maybe 3 years out of the Mourinho experience. Like, if you get a whiff of things going south in Year 3, just fire him, because it's not going to get better.

The answer is just to give him a 2 and a half year contract. Takes care of itself at the end.

EXACTLY two and a half years. Not a second more.

Arsenal! Good again!

Liverpool! Suddenly bad at defense!

ManU! I repeat, it really WAS Mourinho, wasn't it?

Newcastle and Southampton won, and I'm looking at the table and it's really dawning on me. Short of a miracle, Fulham are going dooooooooooooooown.

Lacazette's finish on his goal was so great, just hammered it into the corner. Chelsea looked so impotent and without any movement when they had the ball in the final third - nobody seemed to be making any runs at all. Sarri blamed it on the player's motivation but I think their attacking problems are a bit bigger than just needing a #9 (though that would help a lot). Pedro still looks great to me finding space when there's a bunch of it but when the defence is packed I don't think he's particularly useful.

I honestly wasn't too impressed with Newcastle's first half - did a great job limiting Cardiff to basically nothing but didn't create much, except for Schär's great run against awful defending. That goal changed the game with Cardiff having to come out and attack and us being able to sit back and counter and Rondon and Ayoze were terrific in the 2nd half. Goals change games, who knew.

Arsenal really needed that win with all the other stuff floating around.

Pretty happy with the season so far considering all the other noise. March fixture list is daunting and will be make or break. Looks like a 3 team race for 1 spot but Spurs could get sucked into that. 4 teams 2 spots?.... So you're telling me there's a chance.

Bellerin may miss the rest of the season. That's a huge miss for Arsenal.

Siiiiiiiiigh.

If Fulham stay up, it's the biggest miracle in PL history.

With Kane and Alli injured and Son on another continent the good news for Spurs fans is that Llorente did score yesterday.

What?

Bellerin officially done for the season. Cruciate knee.

Crazy part watching it live it was 0 contact and instant pain on his face as if something inside him exploded. Your 1 in a million type injury considering every player on a football pitch is doing what he did essentially constantly.

More of a depth blow then anything considering he's been pretty erratic. He's nowhere close to the player Barca were sniffing around 2 years ago?

If Dele Alli misses even a fraction of the time for Spurs it's probably a bigger blow with Kane already out.

Watched the Fulham game.

Mr Bismarck wrote:

With Kane and Alli injured and Son on another continent the good news for Spurs fans is that Llorente did score yesterday.

What?

Yup. Spurs could of won that game 3-0 or lost it 0-3 it was so erratic. Poor Fulham look like the exact combination of snake bit. There's quality there but I don't think they can pull it all together for 90m. Not to mention Ryan Babel can play for the first time since sometime in December and actually look fantastic.

I'm not sure if Sarri can get Chelsea clicking again especially by bemoaning his players. Will be an interesting run in but realistically Spurs probably need to sign a body and Arsenal also. Maybe Emery will get something out of Ozil? The old Wenger 'it's like a new signing' move

jowner wrote:

Bellerin officially done for the season. Cruciate knee.

Crazy part watching it live it was 0 contact and instant pain on his face as if something inside him exploded. Your 1 in a million type injury considering every player on a football pitch is doing what he did essentially constantly.

I blew out my ACL back in 1985, playing GK.

It was a total non-contact injury. I came off my line to grab a cross and my knee just buckled under me when I came down.

This is just terrible, Cardiff's record signing is lost after his plane goes missing over the Channel

Prederick wrote:

Siiiiiiiiigh.

If Fulham stay up, it's the biggest miracle in PL history.

It's looking rather grim, isn't it. I haven't given up hope, though. Winning is contagious, and if they could get two wins in a row their confidence could pick up, and then who knows. As awful as the season has been, they are within striking distance of getting out of this mess. And there is still enough time.

There is, blessedly. The next five games are Brighton, Crystal Palace, Manchester United, West Ham and Southampton.

They quite literally need to get at least seven points from those games. Bare minimum, and they should be shooting for nine. If they come out of that with less than seven points, they're screwed.

In sadder news, it looks like Cardiff's club record signing, Emiliano Sala, has likely perished after his plane disappeared near the Channel Islands on Monday evening.

Fulham ban Aboubakar Kamara after arrest on suspicion of actual bodily harm

Fulham’s Aboubakar Kamara has been arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm following allegations of a fight at the club’s Motspur Park training ground that has also led to the striker being banned indefinitely from both the venue and “all club activities”.

Kamara is believed to have visited the training ground on Monday seeking to discuss his future with Fulham’s chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, having found himself marginalised after two recent incidents and banished to train with the Under-23s.

It is understood Kamara was stopped from seeing Mackintosh and allegedly became involved in an altercation with a member of security. Police were called to Motspur Park shortly after 5pm following reports of a violent incident.

“One man, in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of ABH and criminal damage,” read a police statement. “He has been taken into custody in a south London police station. Inquiries continue.”

IMAGE(http://www.kingsnake.org/Photos/SMILEYS/xthisisstupidfaceholdlook.gif)

for anyone else wondering...yup this is the same fellow that insisted on taking and then missed the penalty earlier

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Chelsea defeats Tottenham on penalties and will go through to the EFL Cup Final.

Meanwhile, Thierry Henry's almost certainly out as Manager at Monaco, which is completely different than how it goes in all my FM games. I was rooting for him, but I'm not totally surprised. He walked into an absolute trainwreck of a situation, but he didn't help himself at all.

EDIT: Also, having heard more about the Kamara situation at Fulham, good GOD does that dude sound like a prick. Beyond all the evidence we already have.

Monaco:

- Fires Leonardo Jardim

- Hires Thierry Henry

- Fires Thierry Henry

- Hires Leonardo Jardim

Meanwhile, good for Solskjaer, he's making United's decision as hard as humanly possible right now. On this form, I might even tip them to advance past PSG in the Champions League, and if he does that... does he win the job? I think he just might.

Friday game? Was at work and didn't even watch. FA Cup magic.

Prederick wrote:

Meanwhile, good for Solskjaer, he's making United's decision as hard as humanly possible right now. On this form, I might even tip them to advance past PSG in the Champions League, and if he does that... does he win the job? I think he just might.

He's also got them competing for a Champions League berth. I'd think his long term situation hinges more on that than anything else. If he gets them a top four finish there will be a lot of voices clamoring for him as the answer. I think Pochettino is a better choice, on the whole, but yeah.

In either case, if Solskjaer keeps this up, I'm sure someone will take a chance on him as a manager candidate for a strong club. He's made the best of this opportunity, for sure.

Weekday matchweeks are the worst. Didn't get to see any of the games.

Former Liverpool managers are sure doing a good job helping Liverpool in the title race lately.

I will be buying a lot of beer tomorrow down the pub for the Liverpool v Leicester City game. I will do so willingly!

IMAGE(https://i2-prod.liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/article11231274.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/JS88103818.jpg)

“Don’t worry, I’ll get someone to drug their water.”

THANK. F***KING. GOD.

Leeds United next game is against Norwich, if we win that it will put us in a very handy postion. Basically this weekend is huge for Leeds and Norwich. I can't take this hope of returning to the Premier League!