OK so not such a great start with the Nations League putting a pause on domestic leagues this weekend, but EPL and La Liga are returning Sep 12

In the meantime I'm looking at restarting the PL Fantasy league. Do we do classic scoring, or head to head?

but don't feel strongly

https://www.theguardian.com/football/series/premier-league-2020-21-previews

wood!

Messi Out, Hazard In!

of praying Victor Font wins and bringing xavi in as coach = project = messi re-ups.

sigh
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

gotta get all twittery with the replies in here reminding people there's women Soccer lol

I think networks in the States have picked up some games, I have to keep my eye on how Canadian coverage is always different. Man City signed Lavelle and Mewis, I'm still not sure if United got Heath and Press (rumoured). I'm not sure what the disparity will be like, the top teams are definitely capable of more than others, but games between Arsenal/Chelsea/the Manchesters should be good, possibly Tottenham.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usaw/story/4179213/sources-uswnt-star-alex-morgan-to-join-tottenham-hotspur-on-loan

https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/yuki-nagasato-joins-japanese-mens-team-on-loan-from-nwsls-chicago-red-stars/?fbclid=IwAR0d_QAyFghrXonuyPC1IxRTyymyP5XamUkX3zmBu3tqoiZXfVOKt6Kn2kI

I know that Japan women's team has had their eye on their home Olympics for a while.

Our Canadian keeper tried to do that up here a while ago, took part in a men's team tryouts, got picked, then the league changed their mind and said she couldn't participate.

England home
https://www.nike.com/t/england-2020-stadium-home-mens-soccer-jersey-ZS3rrL/CD0697-100

England away
https://www.nike.com/t/england-2020-stadium-away-mens-soccer-jersey-47gkZK/CD0696-430

France
https://www.nike.com/t/fff-2020-vapor-match-home-mens-soccer-jersey-vJZ94w/CD0586-498

Portugal away
https://www.nike.com/t/portugal-2020-stadium-away-mens-soccer-jersey-R9gjlk/CD0703-336

Norway away (looks like a Frozen knock-off you'd buy at Dollar Tree)
https://www.nike.com/t/norway-2020-stadium-away-mens-soccer-jersey-cV1r40/CD0717-100

i actually liked it at first

Going full WTF is Mike Wearing with Jordan Brand is a little on the nose, non? https://twitter.com/psgalu/status/1302658657226645504?s=21

https://www.myoldmansaid.com/aston-villa-third-shirt-1991-93-review-and-history/

And the off-skew black stripes are TRRRRRRRRRRASH

The bleu blanc rouge one is fine.

https://news.nike.com/news/nike-football-2020-kits

because they got cute for the last world cup and made it a limited release.

I tried to get one the day they were released and had no luck.

I gotta say they're really doing well with the Jordan stuff (though having Neymar and Ky-Ky can't hurt)

Apparently, we are offering Jorginho, Bakayoko and Tomori to Real Madrid
at a good price. I doubt they pickup Jorginho and Bak, even though DM is a need.
But I can see them acting on Tomori to replace Ramos, because the rumor is Zissou would like to move on from Varane and Ramos.

https://www.teamtalk.com/news/abramovich-chelsea-jorginho-bakayoko-tomori-real-madrid.

Also, Ampadu has secured a loan to Sheffield United. Why he is being loaned again?
I have no focking clue. He is better than Christensen and Rudiger, but I guess frank thinks Thiago is enough and can improve Rudiger and Christensen.

Secondly, Tomori not being in Frank’s plan is another huge head scratcher to all fans. From the beginning of last season to January, all frank did was talk about how great Tomori was, and he was a lock as a starter. He gets a slight injury, and we never hear from Tomori again. That whole back line has been terrible, and Tomori is way more talented than any CB that we have. So why the 360? Either Chelsea is hiding the fact that he picked up a bad injury, or he fell out with Frank. It has to be one or the other, because he played well when he got the start.

https://theprideoflondon.com/2020/08/29/three-big-questions-chelseas-fikayo-tomori-mystery/amp/

I think the biggest question going into the season is what will Frank’s starting 11 be?
Will he finally settle on one, or will it be the same uncertainty again? If he hasn’t figured out a starting 11 by now, let the John Terry and Carlos Ancelotti rumors begin.

I give no predictions, because pieces are still being added and subtracted. Just have to wait and see.

Because it's unlikely he's displacing Kante at DM just yet, and Lampard is going with the pair he knows at center half (plus Silva). But a season with Wilder will be good for him, and could get him to lock in on a position (even if Wilder's center halves generally play more like midfielders). I don't think, Ryan Giggs's words aside, another year on loan would be a bad thing. Better to go somewhere you're going to play, impress, and earn it than be sitting in the reserves playing against kids.

Ampadu at the age of 17 was so good in the eyes of Conte, he was placed on the first team and got minutes. We are talking Antonio Conte here. Sarri comes in and sends him on loan, and Frank sends him back out on loan. Those two ain’t even near the level of coaching as Conte.

He is beyond ready, and could actually regress by playing against inferior competition. Also, it would make sense to have him due to Kante being highly injury prone as of late and closing in on the age of 30.

He can play DM and CB. It’s Nathan Ake all over again. And the kid might decide to leave or request to be transferred if we keep this shit up.

Frank like Sarri appears to be highly offensive minded and does not know how to select proper defensive players.

We shall see.

He's not going out to Dagenham, he's going to Sheffield United to play regularly and work with one of the best coaches in the Prem. Someone who knows how to get the most out of defenders that can join in the attack. This year is going to be better for Ampadu's Chelsea future than a year turning out for cup games and watching Kante on Saturday afternoons.

Also, the number of players that make impacts at 17-19 are minuscule. It's like Rooney, Owen, and Milner.

And we have been down this road before, where we have loaned out players who should have stayed, and our season was hampered due to not having enough cover because players were out on loan...

And again, Kante is closing in on 30, with tons of wear and tear on his body from playing at a high level for L City, Chelsea, and the French National team. And we have a 36 year old CB who has never played in the PL, so we don’t know if he will be able to hold up.

With Ampadu’s ability to play CB and DM, and his experience of playing on the first team, as well as already being a main starter for the Wales National team, there is no need for him to be out on loan. But yet Frank was high on Billy Gilmore being on the first team, and not loaning him out, and he is 19 as well. He has some talent, but not as good or versatile like Ampadu.

The fear is that Frank just has players that he is set on, regardless if they are deserving or not. And that is my fear as well.

The main concern is DEFENSE. We have the offensive talent and we are going to score goals. No doubt about it, but will our midfield and backline be shit again, an we will have the proper cover for those positions?


And again we have a stupid history of this shit, and we have lost some groundbreaking players because they were constantly being sent out on loan: KDB, Salah, Lukaku, Ake, Sturridge, Chalobah

So hopefully you can understand my intense concern.

pretty Fati goal vs Ukraine: https://streamable.com/e07j2k

But his agent is Jorge Mendes so *sigh*

rode the subway back from his first game for barca. youngest scorer in spain history.

Fati and his family seem pretty chill, though mendes is not a great look at all, but i put pretty much all blame for bad signings/negotiations on this shit board.

there's a good young group looking a little like the golden era of xavi/iniesta/pique. infuriating that barto's board fucked up bridging these two great generations.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

No message

https://twitter.com/vsrsus/status/1303300793488101378

ngl he was the main reason i started watching AFTV. dude's funny af but very passionate about the Arsenal.

if you wanna join =>

https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/3ftw35

League Code: 3ftw35

https://streamable.com/r3enas

No message

https://twitter.com/CR7_inside/status/1303428165558296583

9 more for all time international scorer

amazing the shit we keep producing and still winning games. At least Camavinga got his debut, what a star he's gonna be

Kimpembe and Varane on the bench in a 3 atb and everythings fine

Mount and Grealish changed the game- they should have been halftime subs AT LEAST.

Top 4
1-City
2-Liverpool
3-Arsenal
4-United

Bottom 3
18-Fulham
19-West Ham
20-West Brom

Golden boot - Auba

i didnt notice they signed Allan until yesterday

1 City
2 United (only if we sign Sancho, if not we'll finish 4th at best)
3 Chelsea
4 Liverpool (it's haaaaard to run 3 title quality campaigns in a row)

Relegated
Fulham
West Brom
Palace

Top 4
1-City
2-Liverpool
3 United
4 Chelsea

( I'm thinking we win the Europa league and qualify that way, trust in Mikel)

>Bottom 3
>18-Fulham
>19-West Ham
>20-West Brom
>

I think you got it, but I can see Leeds running out of steam late and getting into big terrible in April and May

>Golden boot - Auba

I hope we get a bit more diversification, but not being against his current form.

Chilly Willy isn’t fit, and Silva isn’t ready yet.

Here is the projected lineup:

Kepa

James- Rudiger- Zouma - Alonso

Kante - Mount - Jorginho

Havertz - Werner - Odi



The attack should be really good, but the focus will be on our
defense. Kepa and Jorginho are still on the team. I can only hope for the best.

https://www.si.com/soccer/chelsea/news/frank-lampard-christian-pulisic-in-contention-for-chelsea-vs-brighton

"You know I have to be careful, I have a squad to pick from, but the way they are training, and the attitude that they come back with looks like they are over those injuries."

TheScore still has him listed as recovering, not sure what that means. But all other information is on point. Good to know he is in contention.

But the projected lineup doesn’t have him listed, so I guess he will be a sub, or Frank
will play it safe or not play him at all.

Arsenal. And Willian instantly made an impact with an assist.

His motor is going to make life easier for lacazette and Patrick

>Arsenal. And Willian instantly made an impact with an
>assist.
>
>His motor is going to make life easier for lacazette and
>Patrick

I wish you guys well. He is a baller, never gets injured, and takes great care of his body.

Fun squad to watch.

https://mobile.twitter.com/randyjkim/status/1305238965021220865

and from Brest of all places, this looks like irl anime

nasty tackling galore and constant unnecessary fouls, tussling, etc. These players acting like fucking children. Fam y’all ain’t playing in Boca-River Plate, just play some damn football jeez

quarantine ...? Neymar's accusing the same guy of saying some racist shit. Game ended in a pseudo-melee with like a quadrillion double yellows smfh..

But played United in a friendly anyway. PL, what are you doing?

Anyway, watch Slabhead mark space for this Ollie Watkins goal. LMFAO.

https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1305421526901035008

How is that guy an automatic selection for England?

And Real Madrid is furious.

This has always been hazard, coming into camp not in shape and working his way
into shape. He was able to get away with that when he was young. But as you
get older a person has stay on top of his fitness.

He is a big family man, and his wife and mother are huge cooks, so it’s just not in the cards. He is not like Ronaldo, who maintains his fitness all year around an intense way.
Might end up like Wilmots and the original Ronaldo in weight.

And you know most of that shit is Belgian beer weight.

However, Real Madrid might go overboard at times. They do a lot of crazy weight training shit that other clubs don’t do, which is why there is always a few players getting injured during training

"Liverpool conceded just 15 goals in their opening 26 league matches last season (an average of 0.58 per game). From February’s visit of West Ham United onwards, Liverpool have leaked 21 goals in 13 league matches (an average of 1.62 per game). From seemingly impenetrable to porous."

- The Athletic

https://theathletic.com/2057485/2020/09/13/liverpool-defensive-problems-leeds/

Explaining Liverpool’s defensive failings: it’s a worrying pattern not a one-off
By James Pearce Sep 13, 2020 162

Ultimately, Jurgen Klopp could afford to chuckle about a crazy, chaotic opening day thriller at Anfield. “Wow, a proper spectacle,” declared the grinning Liverpool boss. “We left space for improvement in our defending — let me say it like this!”

His demeanour would have been very different but for Mohamed Salah’s late winner from the penalty spot which got the Premier League champions up and running in unconvincing fashion. No wonder players and staff rushed to mob the Egyptian attacker, who sparkled throughout and left Anfield with the matchball safely tucked under his arm. Forget scrawled messages of congratulations, there should have been an array of thank yous. Salah spared their blushes.

Klopp was quick to praise Leeds United for the part they played in forcing the glaring defensive errors which blighted Liverpool’s performance. It’s rare to see any visiting team, let alone a newly promoted club, show such ambition at Anfield. At times the hosts looked genuinely rattled by the intensity of Marcelo Bielsa’s dynamic side, who enjoyed more possession (52% to 48%) and attempted more passes (460 to 423).

The Liverpool boss also pointed to the fact that his entire back four had played international football earlier in the week. Preparations were hardly ideal with the squad only reconvening at Melwood three days before the game.

“People say they’ve played 500 games together, but defending is not like riding a bike. You have to work on it constantly,” Klopp says. But it would be wrong to dismiss Saturday as a one-off, a rare aberration or simply opening day rust.

Liverpool’s historic title triumph in 2019-20 was built on rock-solid foundations. It was their ability to keep clean sheets and grind out narrow wins when not at their best which set them apart from Manchester City. When in front, they had both the tactical shape and the nous to control proceedings and see games out.

However, there has been a significant shift. Liverpool conceded just 15 goals in their opening 26 league matches last season (an average of 0.58 per game). From February’s visit of West Ham United onwards, Liverpool have leaked 21 goals in 13 league matches (an average of 1.62 per game). From seemingly impenetrable to porous.

That run has included conceding four at the Etihad, two at the Emirates and three in back-to-back home games (Chelsea and Leeds) for the first time since September 1982.

It was understandable that standards would slip towards the end of last season once the title had been secured, but Liverpool have continued to look vulnerable since.

Why? There have been glaring lapses in concentration coupled with some structural tactical issues. Saturday’s erratic victory contained both.

Klopp wasn’t happy with the positioning of full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson in the build-up to Leeds’ first goal (below). A high defensive line relies heavily on the organisation and timing being spot on.

"Both were deeper than the centre-halves and that should never happen in football,” he said. Alexander-Arnold was caught napping by Kalvin Phillips’ lofted pass and Jack Harrison was able to get away from him far too easily and skip past Joe Gomez too before finishing emphatically.

But it all started with Phillips being allowed too much time on the ball. Liverpool’s press let them down with Roberto Firmino easily bypassed and no one backing up the Brazilian, who struggled to impose himself on the game.

It was a similar tale for the second goal with Leeds allowed to build play unchallenged before Virgil van Dijk made a hash of a high ball in behind and Patrick Bamford accepted the gift (below). The Dutch centre-back was far too casual but Alisson could have been more decisive by dealing with the danger himself.

“Unfortunately, a goal came out of it but I don’t worry about that,” Van Dijk says. “We’ll take the good things with us, but more importantly the bad things as well. There was a lot of running, a lot of one-v-one and counter-attacks. It was something we expected and trained for. They will give a lot of trouble to many teams in the league with the way they play.”

Leeds’ third goal was another catalogue of errors. Alexander-Arnold’s misplaced throw handed possession to Stuart Dallas, the gap between Gomez and Van Dijk was far too big and the intelligent run of Mateusz Klich into the space wasn’t tracked by either Georginio Wijnaldum or Curtis Jones as the Pole hammered home Helder Costa’s delivery.

Three shots on target, three goals. It could have been worse. Alexander-Arnold puffed out his cheeks in relief as the offside flag went up after he had nodded into his own net. Liverpool were carved open too easily and too frequently. Collectively, from front to back, their work off the ball wasn’t good enough.

There is a personnel issue to address before October’s transfer deadline. Another senior centre-back is a must given that Dejan Lovren hasn’t been replaced since his summer move to Zenit Saint Petersburg. They need greater competition for places in that department. Fabinho, who won the decisive penalty after impressing off the bench, is too important as the midfield shield to be used as a makeshift centre-back.

“We can do better, we should have done better and we will do better,” vowed Klopp.

A full week on the training field at Melwood should certainly help. There is much to sort out with Chelsea away and Arsenal at home on the horizon. Fail to tighten up and Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner will have a field day at Stamford Bridge.

When Klopp declared that Liverpool would attack rather than defend the title, some may have taken his words too literally.

Thanks to Salah, they got away with it on Saturday but it’s not sustainable. Rediscovering that steely edge is vital for the battles ahead.

I guess he is not fully fit or whatever. No information on it.

A weird starting 11 with RLC stating of Odi. I like both, but
Prefer Odi’s speed. But he is on the bench. We are rolling 4-5-1, which
I’m not a fan of, but it is a safe formation.

Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Arrizabalaga | Alonso, Zouma, Christensen, James | Jorginho (c), Kanté | Mount, Loftus-Cheek, Havertz | Werner

Substitutes from: Caballero, Rüdiger, Azpilicueta, Barkley, Hudson-Odoi, Giroud, Abraham

I still get the feeling that frank does not know what his formation or starting line up should be.

New season. Let’s roll. I will be focused on defense and I want a focking clean shit.

Apparently there is a friendly against Wimbledon tomorrow. Wouldn't be surprised if CP got a run out. Lamps confirmed he's only been training since Wednesday. Lots of these other guys at least got some run during the short international break.

Brighton by far has been the better squad. They are controlling the entire match,
More possessions , more throw-ins, more chances, basically every stat.

Lamptey has been the best player on the pitch. Attacking on the flanks, clean crosses, nutmegging our players. This kid came out of our academy, and was with going back to 2008! Was on the first team last year, but since he was not getting time ,because frank favored James, he wanted out. Now he is at Brighton shining away. Another academy player who got away, and got tired of waiting

As far as Chelsea, not looking good at all. We have not really seen the ball. Havertz has not been a factor, and no time on the ball. RLC looks out of form, and the midfield has been invisible. The backline got beaten on several occasions, and our set piece was disorganized.

The positives: Kepa made a quality save, so that’s a good sign. And Timo Werner has blazing speed ,and is making good runs. He has great speed, and is probably chelsea’s Fastest striker ever. I wasn’t around during the 90s for Zola, but after that ,no striker we have ever owned had this type of speed.

He won us a penalty off a Brighton error, which Jorginho put in. Other than that, not a good performance at all. One thing is missing, veteran leadership. There is no command out there. Every single player has been invisible except for Werner.. Zouma has been decent on defense.

Let’s see what the second half does.

He gives up a focking easy cross shot, Lamptey on the assist. There goes the clean sheet.

But James just scored on a nice shot, so maybe things will get better from here. It appeared that Brighton got to caught up in celebration on their goal, and did not really track back and set up. But whatever, we will take it.

Or defense looks terrible though.

3-1 should be a good enough cushion. But this shit defense is driving me mad.

But we are playing a lot better on attack since RLC has been subbed off. And James has awoken in this half, more attacking from him. Not wanting lamptey to show him up. Good. Keep that energy.

Man of the Match: Lamptey
Best player for Chelsea: James

Brighton took the L, but had they been clinical on their final balls, there would have
put up 2 more goals.

Kepa: 5.5
Looked strong in the first half, but fell apart in the second half. And his
Reflexes and reaction speed are still bad

Zouma - 6
Made some good clearances and seems to be in great shape, but didn’t lead the line or set up any organization. The line was exposed several times.

Christensen - 5.5
Forget he was on the pitch, and didn’t cover on the the set piece

Alonso- 5
Lamptey was putting a hurting on him and didn’t really close him down , and had all day to assist on the goal.

James - 7
Didn’t factor much in the first half, but turned it on in the second
Got aggressive on the attack, and scored Chelsea’s second goal.

RLC - 4
Very, very poor. Doesn’t appear to be in form, and messed up a counter that would
Have allowed Timo to score easily. Was immediately subbed off for second half

Jorginho - 6
He scored the penalty, and was somewhat active during the match, but still doesn’t
have command of the midfield. He is still a weak link.

Werner - 7
This guy is going to score tons of goal . His energy, speed and work rate are elite as fock. He won the penalty, and he tracked back .there was a time where he was the only player tracking back, and he put his hand up in frustration, like, hey, where is everyone?

Havertz - 5.5
Was a non-factor. Never got into the game, and seem to be lost at times. He was subbed off later. The only bright spot was that he tracked back to break up a counter. New league , and his first game, so I hope he just needs time to adjust.

Kante - 5.5

His play was poor, and he never put his mark on the match. Brighton was having their way with our midfield, and there wasnt any effort from him. His work rate was very low.
He broke up a few balls, but that’ was about it. Maybe he still finding his form, but it has been a long time since I have seen him boss the midfield

Mount - 6

He was quite invisible as well, and never got into the game. But he did feature a bit more in the last 10 mins or so.

Subs: Barkley, Odi, Azp ... Our shape got a little better when Barkley came on, and Chelsea played faster in the final ten mins with Odi. Azp played for only a few mins.

First game of the season, and we got the win, so that is all that matters. However, we still have a lot of work to do, and based on today’s performance ,we are not even close to being able to take on pool or city. This line up was doomed from the beginning, especially with RLC getting the start. I like him, but I just don’t think he is anywhere close to being what he used to be. And having Mount on the wing is never good. More creativity is needed, which is why Odi should have started. Mount is better as a CAM. We wasted the runs by Werner. There was zero service, so players like Odi and Pulisic are needed for their speed and creativity.

Let’s get better. We need to get better, especially on defense.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK UP OUTTA HERE OLE. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

that's the benefit of showing him the team actually wanted to sign good attackers

Extensions don’t really mean anything. If someone triggers his transfer fee, he can still be bagged up.

Only way they will continue to keep him is if they are able to stay up...and that’s going to be difficult every year.

However the signing is a good illustration of commitment from both sides.

Good luck.

I was SURE he was leaving this summer.

Nice bouncing volley from Grealish for the second, and Keinan Davis getting a much-needed and much due goal for the third.

fucking shoot me. everybody getting better but us.

hate spurs with a passion, but bale is a legend and still has it.

The greatest British player to ever play in la Liga, with Macca, and Beckham right behind him.

But he trolled the shit out of Real Madrid and won...usually the fans get the better of the players and push them out.

But bale’s tweet: Wales.Golf. Madrid, in that order! Is the greatest trolling ever.

Havertz and Mason Mount are the same player. Excel at playing CAM, but not fast enough and get lost as wingers.

Be it his first game, Havertz looked lost and not fast enough. However, it has been pointed out that his true position is Center Attack Mid, and not as a winger. So maybe it was more of Frank experimenting with the lineup, instead of Havertz looking like he doesn’t belong in the league.

So if that is the case, there is no way Mount and Havertz should play at the same time. We know frank loves both, and those are his guys, but hopefully it’s not to the point where he is going to force the situation. One should be the starter and the other should be the sub. Having either out on the wings will just lead to them getting destroyed by true wingers and blitzing fullbacks, at least we know that on mount.

Verdict is still out on Havertz, as he continues to adjust. But when you cost 100 milli,
you gotta provide an impact immediately!

I will give the kid time, because we have yet to see him in his natural position. I mean our goalkeeper situation is still major shit , and we never addressed it. So to drop 100 mill on a player who ,AS OF RIGHT NOW , looks just like Mason Mount as a player, meaning we basically don’t need him, well ,heads have to roll.

Anyway, Timo Werner is going to make all EPL centerbacks his bitch.

*never*

They are the same type of player position wise. They are natural CAMs. So playing both at the same time makes no sense, and playing both out of position at that.

It’s like Greizmann with Barca. He is a CAM, but Barca deployed him as a winger last year. Shit was disastrous in my opinion.

Our goal keeping and defense are still terrible, and it was never addressed. Had those things been taken care of first, then maybe I would not be as critical . But so far it doesn’t look good.

We purchased hazard for like 40 mil when he was 21 years old. He had completely dominated France. He had already won best young player of the league twice, and best player of the league twice. He was clearly worth what we just paid for Havertz. ..And we needed wingers with the quickness, Malouda had aged, Anelka was old, and Mata was a natural CAM.

It’s just frustrating right now, so maybe the kid will turn into a star. I don’t know. Right now, I just see him as a luxury piece

Hopefully he shows something in the next game.

Liverpool is adding good strong pieces on top of the foundation they have. Kloop even talked about our spending , and lamps got mad. But Kloop is right. Liverpool spent close to 400 mil on their lineup, so people called him a hypocrite. But I took it as to how we spent the money.

Pool went out and got Allison and VVD. They fixed their GK issue which was holding them back....we didn’t do that shit.


Sorry for the rant. I’m just really irritated by this shit.

having a utility player at the position isnt a good reason not to sign a club foundation

he played on the wing because of temporary roster issues, and id pontificate that its Mount's weaknesses that kept him at CAM instead of shifting him wide.

and regarding the defense, its also (optimistically) possible that the young guys are well thought of and that Silva is just a bridge to seasoning and experience who can also contribute to their development.

but even if not, that doesnt seem like a good reason to pass on a player like Havertz. take the star when he's available and deal with the rest when you can.

It was not addressed, and has yet to be addressed. That required and requires immediate attention, as oppose to salivating over players who are PROJECTED to be great.

Star?

We must have a different definition of what a star is. What has he won and what has he statistically accomplished?

Being a young gifted player does not = Star. That word gets thrown around too loosely. Is he gifted? Based on his time in Germany, yes he is gifted.

But the level of being a star player has not been achieved yet. Now does he have the potential to become a star player? Yes, he does.

Do I welcome that? Yes, I do

However, I just don’t believe in putting the cart before the horse. We could have waited til next year to purchase him, and focused on shoring up our defense and GK. All other teams walked away from Bayern’s financial demands, and it pretty much appeared that he was was going to be in Germany for another season. However, we caved in to the price tag. We originally offered 80-90 million.

All those IFs don’t make a championship club, and Chelsea has never been a club existing on IFs. Prior to our current dealings, We had always brought in well established
players, because immediate success was a priority and a demand.

As far as Silva, we shall see. But we didn’t even have to go that route. We could have just kept Luiz, who proved to still be a quality option, and our backline immediately regressed when he left. I know people make fun of Luiz , but he has shown his resilience at Arsenal. We bled goals last season, while at the same time being able to score goals. Scoring was never ever an issue, so Havertz is not needed.

When your team was and is able to score three goals a game, finish top 4, but at the same time give up the most goals in the league, spending 100 million just to get the so called next big star means something is definitely amiss.

That motherfucker has to be just as great as hazard was, or greater, so that means coming straight out the gate destroying the league. In Hazard’s Chelsea debut against Sunderland, we were like “we got this dude for only 30 mil?...god damn”

Kid is going to be under a huge microscope for his entire career at Chelsea....
I will watch an assess accordingly.

19 goals in Ligue Un and 11 in the CL/UEFA Cup is fine, but he didn't lift any silver.

Drogba was 26 years old when he left Marseilles, right in the middle of his prime.
He was established.

And after what he did to FC Porto in the champions league, he had to be purchased.
And we needed a striker. Plus we got him for 20 milli, which would go for about
60 to 70 mill today.

Also, we only went after drogba AFTER the deal for Real Madrid's Fernando Morientes didn’t workout...remember him?

he's also PL proven as far as being able to handle the physicality in the midfield. but he lacks in every other area at the moment*

he's not creative, has poor vision/his passing leaves much to be desired, and doesn't really have the pace or skill to get by a defender. all are kinda important attributes for a CAM, especially the first two. kai has been better in all areas, albeit in the bundesliga. not to knock the bundesliga, but playing midfield in the Premiere league is a different beast. I read that is why Frank started him on the wing in the first game. He wanted his baptism to be on the wing where it's less physical.

seems like the best situation is for kai to settle in to the traditional 10 role while mount adapts his game defensively and become the traditional box to box 8.

*at the moment. he's young and has plenty of time to improve.

but Tottenham and Chelsea got bullied by Bundesliga midfields,and Liverpool got bullied by Napoli's AND Atleti's

imho, the Premier League's style of play got exposed this past competition. even Man City went full PL with redundant Rodri and Gundogan as opposed to creative ball movers and that cost them vs Lyon.

Fabian Ruiz, Thiago, Saúl, Marcel Sabitzer, Houssem Aouar, Konrad Laimer, Joshua Kimmich, Allan, Thomas, Leon Goretzka ...all perpetrated said exposure, for reference.

Still all equals that they are not true wingers.

Liverpool match will be a huge litmus test.

gtfooh

nbc doing the absolute most to get people to get all these damn services.

I'll pay $5/mo

Ad free is $10, but ads during soccer are so infrequent. Plus "ad free" will still have ads according to NBC

so you gotta watch live, or wait.

The golden era of DVR'ing and watching EVERYTHING on my own schedule is coming to an end.

>so you gotta watch live, or wait.
>
>The golden era of DVR'ing and watching EVERYTHING on my own
>schedule is coming to an end.


this is so ridiculous...

>I'll pay $5/mo
>
>Ad free is $10, but ads during soccer are so infrequent. Plus
>"ad free" will still have ads according to NBC

this is an abnormal weekend

Content is too superior to be totally broadcasted for free. It was fun while it lasted.
Comcast got the vice grips now, and by them having a huge cable and internet platform
, and owning everything NBC, it’s game over.

Even if Disney were to find a way to re-acquire EPL tv rights when the current deal ends ,that shit would go straight to Disney+.

Streaming services will be for all the premium games and matchups.

Not 100% sure though.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Sane is going to rip that league a new asshole. I forgot he was there until the game came on

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

gah

still needs a new contract (i think his runs out this year), but he's refusing to leave and barca wanted him at ajax, which makes sense as a destination + koeman clarified his point decently that puig should get lots of minutes and he can't promise enough to make it worthwhile to stay. if barca b had been promoted...huge missed opportunity.

Semedo sold for way more than I expected to get. Rumors Firpo going to Atalanta too...fight for Dest between barca and bayern and who is backup LB if firpo goes? Miranda? weird times.
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

I'm not even opposed to signing up for dat 'cock, but I'm in a temp place that only has an old school Roku, that's too old to have that app.

I know there were sites mentioned in the past, when I didn't need them.

“ dat ‘cock “

>I'm not even opposed to signing up for dat 'cock, but I'm in
>a temp place that only has an old school Roku, that's too old
>to have that app.

Did you check this weekend? Apparently Roku and Peacock signed a deal on Friday to add the app to the platform

Don’t really have a good streaming rec, since the soccerstreams subreddit went down I’ve tried a few random ones but none was satisfying

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Woodward and them are setting Ole up to fail being afraid to spend money

I’m guessing November, maybe December, prior to the holiday fixtures

like we have enough raw talent to put together a good game if they give a fuck. its just you never know which united is turning up on a given day.

so i'd say next summer for poch. but it wont matter. for whatever reason once we get in the CL the board decides its time to stop spending money. they did it to jose and now theyre doing it to ole

i assume Greenwood is still being shamed for the hotel

so he's behind the rest of the squad right now in terms of fitness.

the greenwood thing was ole making a point that he doesnt see him as a RW, and James is the only RW we have. he's terrible after that promising start last season. i think it went to his head

Please please please.

Us-alona with Dest and Konrad. Do it!
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

I’ll just have to read the ratings.

Smh

Look at this penno save man.

https://twitter.com/myoldmansaid/status/1308101693385703424

Also 3/4 of our backline involved in the goal - Targett to Mings's head, to Konsa. Liking this setup today.

Must be nice to have a good ass goal keeper

Would make great bed sheet sets as well. (And I’m dead serious on both accounts)

https://www.espn.com/soccer/soccer-transfers/story/4187745/barcelonas-suarez-furious-after-club-backtrack-on-transfer-to-atletico-madrid-sources

Also, apparently he got the questions to his Italian language exam ahead of time while trying to complete his move to Juve.

for the second year running, but RLC has more about him than Drinkwater, and he probably won't headbutt reserve wingers.

However, he is still trying to find his form after recovering from
an Achilles rupture. And he isn’t going to get any time
at the bridge to find his shape. He was clearly slow, lacked pace, and was completely
disjointed on the pitch against Brighton. It was terrible to see.

He is fully healthy, but his speed and explosion has been reduced due to the injury.
He is still very young, so I’m hoping he can rediscover what he used to be. Before the injury, he was turning into a beast.

barca news is exhausting. Sounds like Dest prefers Barca over Bayern (better chance at immediate playing time). that'd be great. Garcia move still being pushed, but waiting on Todibo, who doesn't want to go to Fulham and Everton might call but Barca want him bought, not loaned (to pay for garcia). Plus, the Depay rumors refuse to die, even though Ansu got his first team number finally even as Puig didn't (ridiculous) but he's not going to play for barca b. so strange.

At least the exodus happened. More and more, Busquets seems like the odd one out. double pivot isn't his bag and he's definitely lost a step and he was always slow. also, roberto/dest and alba/miranda do not make me super confident in this year's fullbacks.

But Balde is a f*cking talent at LB for the future and maybe miranda is who we thought when he replaced Cucu as the next LB prospect for barca and maybe Emerson is a potential RB option as well after 20-21. Also had a random thought about moving Konrad to LB. Probably doesn't make much sense, but his pace and dribbling would work nicely and unblock him at LW where it looks like Pedri's going to play ahead of him until/unless we switch to a 4-3-3-. Not really a concern as Konrad still should spend at least a year at barca b, but he looks promising

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

>barca news is exhausting. Sounds like Dest prefers Barca over
>Bayern (better chance at immediate playing time)

Pavard is probably better than Roberto, but next to Dest they are both fitness starters or specific matchup starters. And i think Pavard will play a lot centrally if Dest shows up.

>Plus,
>the Depay rumors refuse to die, even though Ansu got his first
>team number finally even as Puig didn't (ridiculous) but he's
>not going to play for barca b. so strange.

I dont see why a loan to Ajax would be such a bad thing. if hes better than Pjanic right today thats one thing, but is he? 40 matches and at least 6 CL group stage starts at a developmental factory seems like a pretty sweet deal for your 20 year old prospect

>roberto/dest and alba/miranda do not make me super confident
>in this year's fullbacks.

Maybe not *this year's* but you could feel good about the next 4-5 after that. I love watching him play.

I didn’t talk much about the Barnsley win. Havertz scored a hat trick, and we won
However, Barnsley is 20th in the Championship League, so we were supposed
to smack them around.

One huge positive. All that Tomori transfer talk has been squashed. It’s clear as day
that him and Zouma form a nice partnership, and he was positioned with Silva in
the Barnsley match. Seems like Frank has come to his senses.

Liverpool is the real test.

https://twitter.com/VillaLamp/status/1309195109049794564

(also hell yeah Jacob Ramsey on that assist)

https://twitter.com/_Mark_83/status/1309194388573220866

Dude looked like Messi With Muscles yesterday.

lots of chatter in France today, but let's see

Arsenal seems like a minor downgrade (no offense), but he also seems to be done with Lyon so probably best for all parties if the move can happen

You just can’t stick with a side and you still don’t know what your starting 11 is.

He started Ben Chelwill against Barnsley and now you go and start Alonso, who has
already messed up.

And you start Silva’s with Christensen when you started Tomori with Silva, which had great success. And again mount starting with havertz.

And what the hell is up with Pulisic? 4 games no start, no bench.
Something is not right, no way this dude came in healthy, and has yet
to see time. It’s the same report every week, he still isn’t fit yet....but it was stated that he was ready to go at the beginning of the season.

6 mins in and we are down 1-0

And we are down 3-0 to a focking team that has given up 8 goals in two games!!

And all of or big guns are on the pitch.

Fock you frank!!

Saw this shit coming when we didn’t shore up our defense ...and spending on nothing but offense.

Our defense is shit! And you didn’t start Tomori!

And it has been time to sell Kante....the regression is real.

You get 200 - 300 million to play with in the summer, and your biggest defensive signing is a 36 year old brasilian centerback who has never played in the EPL.


I’m losing my composure. ...

Pitch we score goals!

You think Odi should have started. frank?

And finally Havertz playing as CAM , with a great delivery to Odi for goal.

Now play some god damn defense

And finally Reece taking off!...god his defense is poor.

Reece still on...Giroud moved to CB...
A back 4 with Azp,giroud,Christensen,Reece

Odi in at CM, havertz in behind Tammy as CAM

Hey whatever the fock works right now.

3-2 ...Chelsea still down.

With the the set up from ODi!!!


Start those boys!


Hell yeah!

3-3

And we are going to break our last year’s goal conceded total.

Crystal palace and Everton are not focking around this year. There is no room for
Getting draws or losing matches

Scoring goals has never been an issue for this squad! Stopping goals has.

Giroud was put in as CB because we had to take slow ass Silva off...our so called
Defensive savior.

Lampard does not know what the hell he is doing.


Unacceptable against a last place team!!

Nm

There has to be a common sense application involved in this when they make the call

All that happens now is it just encourages teams to fire away hoping they catch a hand in the process

City with the same issues as last season, that back line isn’t stopping anyone

Without a xavi iniesta and busquets in front of them to give them 70% of the game off

Thats it, thats the post. He's a problem.
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

I have seen the future and it looks a lot like Ansu Fati!

they looked a lot more fluid in the first half, took a step off the gas second half. good start.

trincao also looks like a player. the double pivot, tho, is not up to snuff. there's no ideal combo amongst FDJ/busquets/pjanic/alena. none of them really compliment the other perfectly. hopefully they learn the position/each other over time.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

I don't blame them for skating a bit in the 2nd after the big first half lead. First game of the season and all.

Re: the midfield, as Messi said, they're just plugging holes. No real strategy. I too hope Koeman can get them to gel.

you're right, though. Fix the problem of the attack, but unbalance the midfield. fix the midfield, and you'll end up with a static attack.

pjanic/fdj should be the best midfield right now, but FDJ looked a little uncomfortable at the end. hope it was fatigue/taking a foot off the gas and not a problem between them.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Professional performance. Always nice to see Hourihane on the scoresheet. VAR even did its job (thanks Mitro!). And a prem debut for Jacob Ramsey, who's been awesome in the cup. Game in hand and we're three points off top. LOVE TO SEE IT.

Night and day from last season where we looked overawed most games. Watkins gives us such a good option up top. The workrate among Trez, Watkins and Grealish was superb. McGinn looks like himself and Douglas Luiz has come a long, long way from the guy who passed it to a Bournemouth player the second game last season. And man, have Konsa and Mings gelled well.

just no consistency and tenacity to get the goals you needed. Hope you keep it up and Grealish sticks around for the season

at LEAST.


Plus I think he was given assurances that there would be significant improvements (and the transfers in have certainly backed that up). Kid wants to play in Europe, but I think he'd love to do it at Villa.

https://twitter.com/mrjimmyhessel/status/1310687725352255489

The run from Grealish for the first, man. That's just exceptional.

wow

Welcome Diogo

Because they debilitated a top 4 challenger (and made smug Wolves fans sweat a bt). Thanks guys!

3 million plus Jota should do it.

I don't know anything about the kid except that he's American and is coming from Ajax.
Is he gonna be starting at RB within a few weeks?

might take him some time considering his age, but if he's not starting by mid-season, i'd be shocked.

fast, attacking RB who might like to cut inside a little too much. his positoning on defense needs work, but his athleticism has covered for it so far and its the type of flaw that can be improved on.
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Mourinho wasn’t even trying to win this match. But Mounrinho just lines up whoever
and sticks to his tactics. It’s not pretty, but at least he has a structure.

Frank has none of that. He still doesn’t know what his starting 11 is and who to play.
And continues to play Mount every game for every minute.

I doubt Frank makes it past this season.

Also he is falling out with too many players. He just had a locker room fallout with Alonso, so it appears there is some disharmony in the locker room.... Frank only had one year in the championship league as a coach, and he went straight to a big team.

Will we even be able to finish top ten? Just don’t know, and I don’t like what I see. I know a unstructured team when I see one, no matter how many talented players are on it. This is reminding me of when AVB was coaching Chelsea, and he was falling out with a lot of veteran players, while trying to aggressively push the youth movement. He never made it through the season, and then we went on to win the champions league with RDM.

Might have to take a break from watching these guys.

And if that fails there’s always Bayern or Juve.

There are lot of Chelsea fans who are also Real Madrid fans, but not the other way around.

Why is that you ask?’

Well, a lot of players from Chelsea and coaches went over to Madrid, and a lot of fans followed. Also, when we were sponsored by adidas, both teams would be featured in ads. So it was like a cousin team relation thing. Plus we do a lot of transfers with each other if you haven’t noticed, and we both hate Barca.

- Ricardo Carvalho played for chelsea than transferred to Real Madrid
- Claude Makelee played for Chelsea and Real Madrid
- Jose, Benetiz, and Carlo both coached at Real Madrid and Chelsea
- We loaned Essien to Real Madrid as a favor
- We purchased Morata from them
- We sold Courtois to Real Madrid
- We also sold Hazard to Real Madrid in return for Kovacic on
a permanent deal and for 100 million.

And Real Madrid has first dibs on Kante when we decide to sell him.
So that is why I also follow Madrid.

Won't speak to the defense because that's a whole other thing, but his attacking players have mostly played out of position so far this season. Mount is shit on the wing and Havertz clearly favors the traditional 10 role. Timo's not really a natural winger either. It's not a surprise that he scored today by tucking in behind the striker. And CHO ain't really up for it yet. Dude had a nice goal last weekend, but I don't believe he's beaten a defender 1v1 at all this season.

It's hard to judge Frank's attack and team sheet when it comes to the attack when we haven't seen Werner, Havertz, Puli, Ziyech (and I guess Mount) all healthy and on the pitch together.

and he still has issues deploying a starting 11, as well as implementing a sound formation. It doesn’t matter who is on the pitch, be it new signings, veterans, or
an understaffed team, Frank lacks definitive actions. These issues carry over from last season, where he constantly changed lineups and formations.

We had no business losing yesterday’s match, because Mourinho wasn’t even focused
on the match because of fixture congestion. He pieced a starting 11 together, and implemented a ultra conservative tactic. He had his team sit back to conserve energy,
and not let the score get out of hand , and if the game was in reach in the final minutes, they were instructed to go for it. And his team did just that.

Frank , due to inexperience and stubbornness, did not realize what mourinho was doing, which is why he was unable to match the adjustments that Mourinho made in the second half. He got out-coached and out-mastered.

Frank had no business starting Timo as a winger, when Alonso can easily be deployed at that position, considering he has played fullback, wingback and winger throughout his career. And since his ability is more offensive than defensive, his creativity, crossing and dribbling could have been used to help break down spurs’ defense. That would have allowed Timo to play as the striker, instead of Giroud, who was too static. But he wants to continue to implement Alonso as a FB when he does select him ( Conte played Alonso as a wingback only). This is the shit that Frank does not see. Learn how to use the personnel that you have for situational moments, instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round circle.

Frank Lampard simply lacks tactical football science, and mostly importantly, he doesn’t have a main system or philosophy to generate his strategies. Every great coach has this, regardless of what formation they use or the kind of players they have.

Mourinho usually plays a 4-5-1 ( or 4-2-3-1) as a coach. That’s his main CAREER formation. However, his football philosophy is to always control the tempo of the match, no matter if the team is ahead or behind. By controlling the tempo, if the team is ahead, it can easily secure the victory. If it is behind, it is not behind by too much, and can go after the win. It’s not sexy. It’s usually low scoring football, but it works.

He implemented a 3-5-2 against Frank, but still using his main philosophy. And his formation was played out of that....Frank even got into a squabble with Jose, where Jose had to tell him : " The only thing that I was telling him was an opinion of an old coach to a young, talented coach which was when the players need us, is when we are losing. When they are winning, we don't need to be the protagonists of the touchline.

"Last match, when they were losing 3-0, I felt sorry for him because he was really, really sad and quiet in his chair. In terms of football, I have nothing to teach him, he knows football up and down. He is a fantastic coach. It was just an opinion: Stay on the touchline when your team is losing and stay calm when your team is winning."


I have seen many formations from Frank, and I have seen many different players and lineups that he has implemented. But I have yet to see a main principle or philosophy
behind any of those implementations. All I see is just a lot of players running around kicking a ball with few victories to show for it.

Allllllright.

Great move for Villa, but could spell serious doom for us when rotation is
needed due to fixture congestion.

Ross scored a goal out of three games played, and improved our shape and
play when subbed onto the pitch. The only way this makes sense to me is that
Barkley asked for the loan, to get regular playing to get selected for Euros. Had he been selected more, and he should have been, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

With RLC close to seeing a loan spell, and serious rumors of Jorginho being
loaned to Arsenal or PSG, where the hell is squad rotation going to come from?
Kovacic and Kante have proven to be injury prone as of late, and when one of them picks up a knock, and they sure in the hell will, who will be rotated in? I guess 19 year old Billy Gilmour is expected to save the day when he makes his return from knee surgery.

I already know what’s going on, which some analysts have already pointed out, Lampard is dead set on playing his two sons Havertz and Mount at the same time.
One of Sarri’s major downfalls was lack of squad rotation, which saw a lot of players injured, and constantly playing Jorginho. He had this huge love affair with Jorginho, and refused to sit him. I’m starting to see the same thing with Lampard and Mount.

This is what he is envisioning:

Pulisic - Werner - Ziyech

Mount - Kante -Havertz

Or

—— Werner ——

Pulisic - havertz - Ziyech

—- Mount —- Kante

But when Kante is on the shelf injured and Kovacic is injured, who will
you go to, Frank?

I’ve seen it with Sarri. I’ve seen it with AVB, and I’m seeing it with Frank Lampard.
They put the cart before the horse. They go off what looks good on paper, and they
lack stability, back up plans, and are just downright stubborn.


Pochettino and Crew circling over the bridge like vultures. Get it together Frank. Get it together. Too much stuff is not making sense, and we aren’t the type to sit back while shit aint making sense. Yeah, we are still down two wingers, but if there is no improvement when they return, the excuses will be over. Epl is stronger than ever, and Liverpool is on top.....no time for the shits and giggles.

Note: Declan Rice rumors have been swirling around for weeks,
and nothing has yet to come to fruition. Not totally sold on him, but
he does look fundamentally sound as a number 8/6. ...

Robbo and Mane pantsed us in the last five minutes at Villa Park during our "lose every lead ever" phase, and we held them for 70 minutes at Anfield early on in Restart. Think with the improved defensive work and this front line we have every chance for at least a draw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmlGJmiLTLo

Nice TD throw to Harris ...back shoulder throw.

They should have started him for the game.