2018/19 Soccer Thread

So Chelsea have a chance to capitalize on everyone losing on the weekend....

And they draw 2-2 with Burnley.

Everyone is trying their hardest to not qualify for the CL lol!

Great result, well done, Burnley!

Well it took a while but Leeds finally Leeds, 2 losses over the Easter Weekend pretty much means we're in the playoffs now, and given that Aston Villa are on fire, I can't see past them for the playoffs. Oh well it was fun while it lasted, if only we had had a 20 goal striker.

Shane Long has just scored the fastest goal in Premier League History for Southampton.

Timed at 7 (Seven) seconds

A thrilling, dying-minutes goal by Eriksen gives Tottenham the game and breathing room in the race for top four!

Spurs' remaining opponents are strictly playing for pride, FWIW - but so were Trinidad and Tobago.

Haven't seen the Arsenal highlights but ya. Down the stretch implosion.

Chelsea are now slight favorites over them to finish 4th but I think Arsenal pull it off. United are home to Chelsea this Sunday. If United lose and if it's emphatic queue the absolute hysteria about Ole Gunnar.

De Gea was pretty poor today. Can't see City/Pep dropping a single point down the stretch. If there was the CL still to add extra distractions and strain maybe.

jowner wrote:

Can't see City/Pep dropping a single point down the stretch. If there was the CL still to add extra distractions and strain maybe.

Nope, and I can't imagine how infuriating this must be for Liverpool fans. They could win their last nine games and not win the title (which will probably thrill Everton fans, because that 0-0 draw could end up being what stops them from pipping City).

Everything's coming up Tottenham!

Sad for Liverpool, because my friend at work that I talk the most soccer with is a Liverpool fan.

Prederick wrote:

(which will probably thrill Everton fans, because that 0-0 draw could end up being what stops them from pipping City).

Can confirm.

Prederick wrote:

Nope, and I can't imagine how infuriating this must be for Liverpool fans. They could win their last nine games and not win the title (which will probably thrill Everton fans, because that 0-0 draw could end up being what stops them from pipping City).

If that happens, well it happens. Such is life unfortunately, but as I said consistently this season City should have been out of sight by now. That Liverpool have pushed them all the way (and be 18 points clear of Spurs in third) is a remarkable season however you look at it. Making the Semis of the CL in successive season too when we still had to beat Middlesbrough on the final day of last season just to secure 4th place is a miraculous improvement.

However Liverpool have Huddersfield, Newcastle and Wolves left to play. A team that are already down, a team now mathematically safe (and managed by Rafa) and a team that while excellent against against the top 6, probably won’t have much to play for on the final day.

City have Burnley at Turf Moor, Leicester (managed by Rogers) and Brighton who might well need a result on the final day to stay up.

I don’t think it’s over yet. I think that Burnley match might be the banana skin in all of this but I do agree it’s very much advantage City.

It’ll be massively disappointing if Liverpool don’t make it through for sure but after it’s all settled down I think most Liverpool fans will - quietly - be extremely proud of this season.

I just hope the Egyptian King sticks around for another season. It would be extremely hard to replace him, and he has gel'd really well with the team.

Sorbicol wrote:

It’ll be massively disappointing if Liverpool don’t make it through for sure but after it’s all settled down I think most Liverpool fans will - quietly - be extremely proud of this season.

I'd be extremely disappointed, instead of proud, even after everything settling down. They had in it their grasp when City had that mid-season slump and were ahead by a considerable number of points and just blew it (well, not as much as Spurs, but that was just a matter of time).

I am a complete Klopp homer, but I agree, there's got to be some silverware this season. Although I find it continually amusing that Liverpool might be the only team in the world where getting the CL instead of the league title would register as a disappointment.

Meanwhile, at Bolton....

I've heard stories like this before, but usually not with English clubs, and certainly not ones as big as Bolton.

Arsenal is terrible. The door is open for United to get back into the CL if they beat Chelsea now.

The race for the top 4 is the opposite of the race for the title. The gap from 2nd to 3rd is going to be a tad embarrassing.

jowner wrote:

Arsenal is terrible. The door is open for United to get back into the CL if they beat Chelsea now.

The race for the top 4 is the opposite of the race for the title.

"Not it's no.... yeah, it kinda is." - David de Gea.

Prederick wrote:

Meanwhile, at Bolton....

I've heard stories like this before, but usually not with English clubs, and certainly not ones as big as Bolton.

If you think what’s going on at Bolton is bad (and it is) then start reading up on what’s happening to Coventry City, and Charlton Athletic.

What Coventry City’s owners have put that club and supporters through over the last decade or so is so despicable that there really should have been government intervention by now, and the club forcibly handed over to its supporter’s trust.

Oh lord the Leeds game. Aston Villa decide that Leeds should kick the ball out so just give up, Leeds then say "thank you very much" score a goal. Because it's Leeds it is all of a sudden it's the "Is this arguably the most controversial sequence of play in football history? " seriously that is what is written in the describation of the Sky Sports Youtube video.
After all this is over, Marcelo Bielsa gets Leeds to let Aston Villa score, well apart from Jansson who clearly doesn't agree and tries to put a stop to it. John Terry is clearly seen trying to lecture folk on fairness, which is rich.
Glad we were already out of the race for second because if this had cost us that, I would have been livid.

onewild wrote:

Oh lord the Leeds game. Aston Villa decide that Leeds should kick the ball out so just give up, Leeds then say "thank you very much" score a goal. Because it's Leeds it is all of a sudden it's the "Is this arguably the most controversial sequence of play in football history? " seriously that is what is written in the describation of the Sky Sports Youtube video.
After all this is over, Marcelo Bielsa gets Leeds to let Aston Villa score, well apart from Jansson who clearly doesn't agree and tries to put a stop to it. John Terry is clearly seen trying to lecture folk on fairness, which is rich.
Glad we were already out of the race for second because if this had cost us that, I would have been livid.

Was waiting for you to bring this up.

Saw the highlights and it was absolute hysteria.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/rZFBgff.jpg)

PSG's continued mental fragility in the face of real opposition continues to amaze. They honestly, truly area team that has gotten used to winning every game 5-0 (for good reason, generally!) but has no idea how to deal with actual adversity.

Also, boy howdy, has that move from Barca not worked out for Neymar. Sure, he's got the two League titles and two domestic cups, but that is in a league where his team is reasonably expected to win the title by at least 10 points. Meanwhile, in the Champions League, where a team of PSG's size and financial clout ought to be focusing their attention, they haven't made it past the Round of 16 in the last three seasons, including the two since Neymar's arrival.

To think, that Neymar allegedly left Barcelona because he was pissy that Messi got all the credit after the 6-1 comeback against PSG. And now he's got his "own" team where he's arguably second-billing to Mbappe, and his team is known for basically being paper tigers in the CL. Couldn't be me.

Something I thought of while watching Bielsa try (and humorously fail) to pronounce "Ipswich", is how much English does he know, and how does he communicate with his team?

Like, clearly, they've got something working because Leeds has been good this season, but I still wonder!

Also, Norwich and Sheffield next season, eh? I know absolutely nothing about either of them, so let's see how that goes.

And if Fulham wins all of their f**king games now....

Maybe Bielsa is actually giving out bad advice and the players are unknowingly doing the opposite. Hey, if it works, don't mess with it.

I'd like to thank Arsenal, Man. United and Chelsea for letting Spurs run away with it.

slazev wrote:

I'd like to thank Arsenal, Man. United and Chelsea for letting Spurs run away with it.

Don't jinx it, man! Nothing is guaranteed yet!

Well, I only meant it for this past week.

About that conversation on concussion protocols in soccer...

Vertonghen Today

You'd have to be blind not to realize that Vertonghen's lights were on but nobody was home.

It's the reason why, as someone pointed out in The Guardian's minute-by-minute, Spurs have far too much invested in the game for the physios and coaching staff to make a rational decision about the health of an important player like Vertonghen. The decision has to be taken out of their hands.

Prederick wrote:

It's the reason why, as someone pointed out in The Guardian's minute-by-minute, Spurs have far too much invested in the game for the physios and coaching staff to make a rational decision about the health of an important player like Vertonghen. The decision has to be taken out of their hands.

Yeah, when Vertonghen was off the second time and barely able to stand, it looked as if Pochettino was making a case for him being okay to continue.

I hate to say it, but I wonder if someone has to literally die before they change the rules.

Godzilla Blitz wrote:

About that conversation on concussion protocols in soccer...

Vertonghen Today

You'd have to be blind not to realize that Vertonghen's lights were on but nobody was home.

I totally disagree. When they were treating him for bleeding, he seemed totally normal and anxious to get back on. It was only when they subbed him off that it was obvious (on TV) that he was extremely injured.

If you can find a clip - and I know that's your thing - of obvious concussion symptoms beforehand, I'll correct myself. Watching live, it honestly appeared to me that he had a painful, bloody collision, but when they showed him I sincerely thought he looked clear-eyed.

Concussions aren't always obvious instantly; that's part of their insidiousness.

I doubt footage would help unless they showed the tests they gave him, but the ref was so concerned that he demanded Vertonghen be double-checked, and about a minute after he got on the pitch he came off, vomited, and needed help to stand up. To me he looked dazed and sluggish walking off the pitch the first time, but we'll have to disagree on that.

Concussion symptoms can show up a day or more after a concussion, sure, but I've never seen anyone pass a concussion test then show so many severe symptoms a minute or so later. Could it happen, sure, and I've seen a kid who looks fine turn around and barf a few seconds later, but it's a huge stretch of credibility to see so many obvious symptoms (vomiting, dizziness, and the inability to stand) appear right after he supposedly passed a test. Can I prove it? No, but I'm very skeptical that those concussion protocols were unbiased and/or proper.

I also question in general what soccer teams are using for a concussion test, because the NFL's takes 8 minutes, and most of the time when I see staff testing a soccer player they do the "watch the finger" thing and there seems to be conversation going on (likely some form of quick cognitive test), but it certainly isn't an 8-minute test and doesn't appear to involve balance testing.

Spurs are saying that Vertonghen is fine now, and he might well be, but the biggest issue I have with the system is that it is the team's medical staff control the situation and not independent medical staff. The NFL has a long history with medical practices that benefit the team and not the player, and it's crazy to think that soccer teams given the current system don't have incentive to keep their best players on the field when the stakes are so high. Even assuming best intentions of medical staff, there is too much potential for bias and abuse.