Sep 26, 2020

He's definitely a prisoner in the club at this point

 

Sep 26, 2020

After this season he definitely will be off to another club. Will be so good to see him play elsewhere.

 

Sep 26, 2020

It's obvious though that mentally he does not want to be in the team anymore. Looks like it will be another disastrous season for Barcelona, but as a Madridista, it's nothing but satisfaction to see them struggle, not that I care or I'm obsessed with them or their news, but yea. Barcelona have been nothing but a fraud one man team in the past recent years. They're going to decline and endure the similar fate that AC Milan did, probably.

 

Sep 27, 2020

Great first match last night for Inter in Serie A. I hope they can win the tittle this year.
Ribery with two amazing assists at 37 years old is just wow.
New signings from Inter, Kolarov started in the 1st eleven while Hakimi and Vidal came in as subs.



Another great game was Real Madrid win in Sevilla against Betis. I was so hyped to see Jovic starting but so sad to see that he didn't score. That guy is a beast of a striker. I don't know what's up with Real Madrid and talented players when they sign with them and is just like they're completely different. I can name a lot of players that were on top of their careers and when they joined Real all went downhill from there.

 

Sep 27, 2020

Fantastic day today for football fans :


Manchester City 2-5 Leicester (Jamie Vardy scored twice and even though City striked first they were hopeless, the foxes were too strong this time and it looks like Liverpool will lift the Preamier League again, I know it's early but that's my take)
Hoffenheim 4-1 Bayern Munchen (nothing to say here, Bayern was owned so hard, believe me they were lucky it was only 4-1)
As Roma 2-2 Juventus (Ronaldo scored both goals with Roma chocking after leading 2-1 and Juventus was playaing in 10 after Rabiot was sent off. Dzeko missed two unreal chances that would close the game at 3-1)
Barcelona 4-0 Villarreal (Messi scored once from penalty kick and the youngster Fati twice)
Atletico Madrid 6-1 Granada (Luis Suarez came in as a sub with 20 minutes left and managed to score twice)
Reims 0-2 PSG (Mauro Icardi scored both goals and both assists came from Mbappe)
Crotone - Ac Milan 0-2 (Milan looking good this season, the defender that came this year from Real Madrid as a loan, Brahim Diaz scored the 2nd goal)
Napoli 6-0 Genoa (great win from Gattuso's team I was surprised to see him as a manager playing so offensive starting with Lozano(that scored 2 goals), Mertens, Insigne and Osimhen upront.
And thread's favourite Leeds won away at Sheffield Utd with Bamford scoring in the 88th minute.

 

Sep 27, 2020

Ahhhhh its good to be back losing a bet by 1 selection which happened to be thanks to Chelsea losing 3-0 to West Brom for most of the game lmaooooo

 

Sep 27, 2020

Shoutout to @aleeex1972 for holding it down here with the video's & commentary! I'm gonna go more in depth in these weekend columns, in case you want some analysis/opinion and feel free to fire away questions on your team's progress:

Thoughts on 9/26:

- Dortmund's Lucian Favre is one of my favorite managers, he's also my Stats experts & Analysts worst nightmare since his teams continuously bust expected goals(xG) models for years. When his teams are firing on all-cylinders they are a unstoppable defensively-sound team with an emphasis on always having numerical superiority on both attacking & defensive sequences. Last match day the kids performed phenomenally, yesterday...not so much. Problem with zone-oriented marking is it can't keep up with rapid ball movement, which Augsburg successfully accomplished and they won the game. This happens in multiple occasions in every year I've seen BvB, looks like it'll be another chaotic camp gain for Favre's side.

- I hate being negative towards United and instead of beating the bush again, let's focus on the good. Van De Beek brings a lot of impetus and energy in his cameos, honestly Pogba better step on the accelerator otherwise he could use some time on the pine until he matches Donny's intensity. There were chances created, which is always a good sign that something is working, converting those expected goals is the next step, with the attackers United have it should be no problem. Brighton has taken a leap this season, this will turn out to be a valuable away win down the stretch. Ole needs to have a long look at his personnel and figure out what's the best method to get the best out of them {pssst, make them a deep-sitting counter team!!!)

- Speaking of concerning images, this Chelsea team is gonna rue dropping these points to WBA. The mental slips on defense s--- and that 1st half was probably the worst we'll see of Chelsea hopefully this season, Lampard will need to iron that out against teams that press high. Good thing is the team floored it in the 2nd half and fighting back with 3 goals is no small feat regardless of the quality of the opposition. Even with Kante's presence, there is a lot of responsibility on Havertz to plug holes and make the opponent's midfield have to work to progress the ball, otherwise Chelsea's transitional defense is gonna get battered even against weaker sides. A lot of work to do, but the offense is clicking and the room for growth is pretty evident, it's just a matter if they work to get there.

- This is the Serie A corner, where we had a continuation of last season with goals flying left and right as this league once again sheds it's old stereotype of being a defensive league. Atalanta picked up where they last started by conceding 2...and then scoring 4 lol. Same personnel, some new smart recruits from the bench and hopefully they can make another run at the title! Inter-Fiorentina was a barn burner, momentum shifted over and over in the game with Inter shooting with reckless abandon and Fiorentina's stars showcasing their aptitude for creativity. Ribery rolled back the years, Castrovilli continues to be one of Europe's most electric midfielders and Inter's bench is f---ing insane. Crazy win for Inter but Conte will get very little sleep this season if his defenders are battling injuries, considering his ethos IS being defensively sound and he had no choice but to start two fullbacks in his infamous back 3.

- Lastly, my beloved Real Madrid survived a cagey match against Pellegrini's high-flying Betis. This was a valuable win away, Betis is going to be fighting for European spots at the rate they're going, can't stress how difficult it is stoping Canales-Fekir-Joaquin from creating dangerous plays. There were some close refereeing calls in our favor, but it's due to our aggressiveness in attack and ability to pin opposition back in why we generate penalties and red cards (both instances were rightfully called for in any way you look at it). Jovic needs to participate more in our possessional phases and just show intensity, since otherwise he did his job quite well in keeping Betis' center backs occupied and allowing Benz to roam and be dangerous (he really needs to convert ffs). Fede Valverde needs to start every week, the intensity & ever-improving quality he brings is too invaluable to confine, we're a different team with him in the midfield. On to Valladolid and hopefully get a some good games out of the kids @Alpha

 

Sep 27, 2020

Great analysis from you as usual.


I watched Brighton vs United
Brighton were robbed of a victory. They were just too unlucky. The way the match turned out to be and ended reminds me of this repetitive scenario when you're playing FUT and everything/the script is just against you while the opposition scores from the few chances they get.


As far as Betis vs Madrid goes
Valuable victory 3 points. Jovic needs more time and the only way he's going to find his niche if he is on the scoresheet. Valverde is a guerrero (warrior). Another game, another MOTM.

 

Sep 27, 2020

No worries, my pleasure I figured there are american fans in here that love this game and due to timeline issues can't watch the games and maybe they wanna see quick highlights of their favs.

I watch a crazy amount of games I have two 32" and 27" monitors and one 50" tv and when games are on is like VAR booth in my room lol.

I don't know if you watched the full Chelsea game but I did and they looked awful even in the 2nd half and Werner lost almost every ball, I hope they can improve not that I'm a big fan but I appreciate teams that make smart transfers and want to see them perform well, but honestly I can't see Chelsea finishing in the top 4 this year.

I think this season of Seria A will be the most competitive we had in years with Inter, Juventus and Atalanta capable of winning the league and Napoli, Lazio and Milan fighting for top 4. All 6 teams played amazing football so far.

LE : Like @Alpha said, always a pleasure to read your thoughts on this beautiful game.

 

Sep 27, 2020

Thoughts on 9/27:

- It'll be a good idea for Bayern to start recruiting some players since this team is looking pretty thin now. That high line went unpunished for too long and the one time the offense just could not get things going & were impeded by a successful zonal-making system, they got curb-stomped. It won't happen every week, Bayern will be too powerful to contain (especially since Lewa wasn't starting), but hopefully this encourages the rest of the league to not simply cower at the sight of these juggernauts and go for a strong gameplan to make them earn points. BvB & Bayern losing in the same week, hope we get a good title race.

- We had a derby today with Sheffield-Leeds today, these were big points at stake. Already, El Loco Bielsa shows he has multiple tricks up his sleeve as he rolled out a back 3 + emphasis on midfield numbers to match Chris Wilder's patented formation. Shots and chances were created (seriously guys this was a crazy match) and it took until the 88th minute from Bamford to seal the win and another valuable 3 points for Leeds as they continue to impress in their return to the Prem. I was a huge fan of Sheffield's brave football last season, hoping this bad start doesn't go on for too long.

- Shocking result from Manchester City. Pep is a bum for crying about Leicester's deep block, this isn't your first rodeo going against that set-up and he's had his team's in recent memories punish teams for sitting too deep. So this poor display indicates a few things; this game will just be an anomaly as City will return to the mean and the results once again flow back in their way with dominant possessional sequences and clinical finishing once the strikers return, or, once again their defensive recruits fail to establish themselves and another topsy-turvy season awaits. Time will tell, but dropped points are dropped points and City will regret this result. Still, let's savor the image of Leicester and Everton topping the Premier League looooool

- Didn't catch these games but I'll just comment on the statistics: Spurs once again drop points, Mou will complain against VAR and they really need to convert. Wolves got smoked...by....West Ham. My countryman Rauuuuuul Jimenez showed today he isn't just a threat to opponent's goals, but to his own as well.

- Whirlwind match day in Serie A, as Gattuso got us started with a shocking display of cavalier football as Napoli put 6 past Genoa who were missing talisman Mattia Perin in goal. Osmihen continues to impress despite not scoring, great fast build-up and my other countryman CHUCKY LOZANO got 2 for today, keep it up! AC Milan continues their winning ways, signs are looking good as Pioli continues to manage his midfield to perfection (they'll be a tactical nightmare once Tonali understands their possessional phases + defensive organization) and the backline will improve exponentially once Romagnoli returns, although Rebic's injury sucks as their attack is pretty thin. Ronaldo rescues Juve as Roma gave the Bianconeri a run for their money. Dybala will eventually force teams to start developing more conservative gameplans, but Pirlo is still finding his identity as they didn't look very comfortable today as their deeper lines were overwhelmed at times by Roma's numerical superiority in the midfield. Their defense also stinks and they seriously can't wait for De Ligt to return. As long as CR7 is there, Juve won't be dropping easy points, but they look much more mortal this year.

- Oh boy, Atletico...Suarez joining a Simeone team is a match made in h---, today is an indication of things to come. He looked hungry (pun intended) and now teams are going to s--- their pants trying to figure out how to contain him, Costa & Felix meanwhile that midfield wins every duel in the middle. Atlético will make a run for sure, as long as they all stay healthy. Leave it to Unai Emery for regressing an electrifying offensive team from last season (that qualified for Europa) into this shell that got trampled by Barcelona. Ansu Fati looking even more confident since his cameo for Spain weeks ago and he'll be an important scoring outlet if this team doesn't find a striker in this window. Too early to write off Barcelona as long as their attacking potential flows, but I am skeptical of De Jong-Busquets anchoring a midfield against more stronger opposition and gameplans that involve stuffing midfields. Will be an interesting season from the Blaugrana, it's certainly Messi's last so we'll see if he has his own Last Dance.

 

Sep 28, 2020

Some magnificent saves from Meslier really won us the game

 

Sep 28, 2020

We've made some big and impressive signings, but I wouldnt say many of them were smart if we wanted to win the league this season. Werner and Havertz are gonna be great but we already had players excelling in their position. Tammy started off last season on fire and Giroud was very solid after the restart. And Mount... I can go on about how much I rate him forever, it was actually disgusting the amount of Chelsea fans turning on him in the last few weeks. Great performance against West Brom, I never doubted him losing his minutes to Havertz this season.

We also got Pulisic, Ziyech and Chilwell who will come back from injury and Mendy settling in to the new club so the line up should look stronger in the upcoming weeks.

 

Sep 28, 2020

Yeah def you got a strong squad and its also early in the season, I was just speaking from what I saw against WBA and you have to admit, even if they came back to equalise their game was still sloppy. I just hope Werner can show his full potential cause he's probably your must talented striker in years.

Tomorrow you play in the EFL Cup 1/8 finals against Tottenham. Best of luck!

 

Sep 28, 2020

@Fire Squad your thoughts on Andrea Belotti ?

I followed him for years now and became a big fan. I think he's a top class striker and I'm wondering why no one is pushing hard to transfer him.

I remember back in 2017 Ac Milan, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Monaco all made serious offers for him but Torino wanted 100 mil euros and nobody payed that amount. This year only Everton was interested in him.

He has a very powerful shot using either foot, he can play very good in aerial duels and has great speed as well. A complete striker with incredible numbers, scoring 94 goals for Torino in 194 games and 9 goals for Italy in 26 games and he's 26y old.

Here are some of his goals and skills.

 

Sep 28, 2020

@aleeex1972

Belotti had that one outstanding season where I thought Torino would allow him to make the jump to another club, but as you mentioned they got greedy and no one wanted to overpay. He's sort of returned to the mean as far as expected goals since 2017, but it's a product of his profile being bigger thus teams are more aware of stopping his service & in general Torino's struggles over the last few years. Even then, as you pointed out he's still been prolific and teams still struggle to contain his aggressive runs from wide positions into the box + in general the dude is a tank lol, once that ball is in the air there's nothing a defender can do to stop him.

Prior to Zlatan's return, he was the perfect striker for Milan as he's a big powerful runner with decent ball-playing capabilities. Under Pioli's system right now he'd be the ideal lone striker able to interchange positions with every attacking midfielder and lead the line, not to mention his workmate is absolutely stellar and he presses defenders like a bull. If I were Milan, I'd do everything to snap him up and get the best out of his remaining prime years once Zlatan calls it quits.

 

Sep 29, 2020

Sorry for this @Jakey but s---'s funny as h---

 

Sep 30, 2020

I CANT DEAL WITH LOSING TO TOTTENHAM I JUST CANT... another game we just self imploded.

 

Sep 30, 2020

Can’t wait to watch my team get battered by Brighton Albion tonight yay.


This window is an utter shambles for United, how Woodward is still in a job confuses me daily... also can’t wait to sign Dan James 2.0 instead of Sancho.


I mean just look at the wage structure of our three goalkeepers... Romero on 100k+ p/w De Gea 300k+ p/w and now Henderson on 100+ p/w that’s over half a million per week on three keepers lol the defence as well as other positions is even worse, it’s a disgrace. Bloody Phil Jones and his pink boots.

 

Sep 30, 2020

The only way to salvage this window is Sancho, Telles, & Jovic on loan. Even then, business should’ve been wrapped up weeks ago.

Personally I think we will actually get Sancho. Telles will come when we sell Smalling.

 

Sep 30, 2020

We’re going to struggle really badly if no signings are made especially in key areas that need strength. I can’t see us getting Sancho tbf, at best it’s still a long shot for me. I hope I’m wrong though because we need a rw player.