General Premier League Thread - 2016/2017

ERG89

M!Ck^ wrote: »

?

Costa, Ibra, Ageuro, Sanchez,

That's 4 off the top of my head

Being the 6th best at anything is not world class though.
As bad a pundit as Shearer & he is quite bad, he knows more about being a striker than Phil Neville

ERG89

Chelsea

ERG89 wrote: »

Being the 6th best at anything is not world class though.
As bad a pundit as Shearer & he is quite bad, he knows more about being a striker than Phil Neville

Where you getting 6th from?
And who says it's not the criteria for world class?
48 goals only 2 off Ronaldo?

Skylinehead

ERG89 wrote: »

Being the 6th best at anything is not world class though.

Have you a dictionary definition of "world class" that we're not privy to?

Johner

Ibra is definitely world class. I had my doubts about him coming to the Premier League but like all world class strikers he scores goals no matter where he goes.

adox

Johner wrote: »

Ibra is definitely world class. I had my doubts about him coming to the Premier League but like all world class strikers he scores goals no matter where he goes.

Me too and I'm a Utd fan. Had my doubts but I love the guy now.

ERG89

Skylinehead wrote: »

Have you a dictionary definition of "world class" that we're not privy to?

Well the dictionary definition is: (of a person, thing, or activity) of or among the best in the world.
I imagine you have to be the best or high up the list of the best then.
It's obvious none of the strikers in the premier league are at present, especially scoring against such awful defences even if the goalies are quite good tbf.

ERG89

Chelsea

ERG89 wrote: »

Well the dictionary definition is: (of a person, thing, or activity) of or among the best in the world.
I imagine you have to be the best or high up the list of the best then.
It's obvious none of the strikers in the premier league are at present, especially scoring against such awful defences even if the goalies are quite good tbf.

Lol the cannon fodder in the Spanish league are no better in defence
Your argument is so flawed

ERG89

M!Ck^ wrote: »

Lol the cannon fodder in the Spanish league are no better in defence
Your argument is so flawed

Zlatan, Costa, Aguero and Sanchez all played in La Liga too, but none score abnormal amounts there.....despite all being world class against the numerous cannon fodder sides.
Are Vardy and Kane world class in this estimation too? Maybe then there is around 20 or 30 world class forwards in the world.

Dirty Dingus McGee

There were 17 more goals scored in La Liga last season than in the premier league.

If it's so easy to score goals there (as has been suggested) why is the scoring rate not much higher than the other leagues in europe?

mickmackey1

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

There were 17 more goals scored in La Liga last season than in the premier league.

Is it's so easy to score goals there why are there no many more goals scored compared to the other leagues in Europe?

It's easy for the top teams, obviously the cannon fodder don't score many against each other.

Dirty Dingus McGee

mickmackey1 wrote: »

It's easy for the top teams, obviously the cannon fodder don't score many against each other.

Because they are so unbelievably good.It was easy for Usain Bolt to win all those Olympic medals as well.

If you take out the 2 obvious outliers who are so good they would batter opposition from any league, and therefore no point including them in the discussion.

Atletico Madrid who finshed 3rd last season scored 63 goals.Spurs who finshed third scored 70 goals.

Villareal finished 4th and they scored 44 goals.Man City scored 71

Athletic Bilbao scored 58.Man Utd scored 49

Celta scored 51.Southampton Scored 59.

Sevilla scored 51.West Ham scored 65.


Those other teams in la liga are pretty decent and yet don't seem to be able to rack up big goal tallies.

mickmackey1

^^There are many ways of interpreting the stats but another thing to consider is the physical toll of higher-intensity Prem matches. Ronaldo/Messi may well have scored 40/50 goals for one or 2 seasons but not over their entire career. Look at a bull like Rooney already burnt out at 31.

Dirty Dingus McGee

mickmackey1 wrote: »

^^There are many ways of interpreting the stats but another thing to consider is the physical toll of higher-intensity Prem matches. Ronaldo/Messi may well have scored 40/50 goals for one or 2 seasons but not over their entire career. Look at a bull like Rooney already burnt out at 31.

Rooney is burnt out because it's been fairly obvious that he doesn't look after himself properly.

Messi walks around the field for a large part of the games these days and only runs when he has to, the apparent higher intensity (although I think the word has lost all meaning in sport it gets used so often) would make zero difference to him.

mickmackey1

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

RMessi walks around the field for a large part of the games these days and only runs when he has to

Well that's the definition of a pub league.

Skylinehead

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Well that's the definition of a pub league.

He also strolls around against Manchester City and scores a hat trick in the process, another pub league obviously

Dirty Dingus McGee

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Well that's the definition of a pub league.

He does it because he's so good if he were to take out a armchair sit down and read a newspaper in the middle of the field he'd still have a couple of players keeping a close eye on him.

Most players have to look like there going to do something positive in order to attract attention and therefore help their team out Messi attracts attention just by being on the field.

mickmackey1

Skylinehead wrote: »

He also strolls around against Manchester City and scores a hat trick in the process, another pub league obviously

Even Vardy bagged a hat trick against that mob

Dirty Dingus McGee

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Even Vardy bagged a hat trick against that mob

Even Vardy was able to score 24 goals in the premier league so it mustn't be that difficult to score goals in the EPL.

Arghus

Rooney might want to get rid of that beard, if he wants to dispell the notion that he's still in prime physical shape. Gives him the look of a fifty year trawler man.

GreNoLi

Manchester United

Arsenal win based on the lineups but it is arsenal after all.

Johner

City just don't do defending.

GreNoLi

Manchester United

Easy peasy, shocking by city.

ctrl-alt-delete

Sanchez made that pass look so easy.

Trigger

Chelsea

Bravo so slow off his line and dives the wrong way..

At least make it difficult for him

Johner

This is already a cracker.

Trigger

Chelsea

Sitter!!!

ctrl-alt-delete

astradave wrote: »

Sitter!!!

One eye on the keeper maybe, the ball in was perfect, he should have scored.

Bret Hart

Leicester

Sterling back to his usually self.

monkey9

That's pure Raheem Sterling. A fantastic player, but so consistent in missing sitters. He's always been like that, yet he'll probably turn this around in terms of scoring from an impossible angle.

In short, he's a little bollix.

davycc

Manchester United

Sane with a goal great on the eye from Silva too some magic in his boots making it look easy

davycc

Manchester United

Deli alli he scores when he likes 1-1 dam stream lag lol

davycc

Manchester United

Danny rose. 2-1 spuds

GavRedKing

Chelsea

G.Nev team of the season so far

Courtois
Azp, Luiz, Van Djik, Rose
Lallana, Kante, Fernandinho, Hazard
Costa, Ibra

Carraghers team of the season so far

Pickford
Azp, Luiz, Van Djik, Bertrand
De Bruyne, Kante, Lallana, Hazard
Costa, Sanchez

Nevilles best player: Costa
Best manager: Conte
Best newcomer: Luiz
One to watch: Sane

Carraghers best player: Costa
Best manager: Conte
Best newcomer: Puel
One to watch: Pogba

Jayop

Chelsea

Kante had a pretty slow start to Chelsea but really showing again now.

Jayop

Chelsea

Brendan Filone wrote: »

No Sanchez in Neville's team of the season so far!

Klopp was right, he can't judge a player.

I think it's a pretty reasonable argument for Ibras inclusion.

GavRedKing

Chelsea

Sanchez or Ibra is a tough one alright.

You could put Sanchez in a wide role and drop Lallana too but Sanchez has played CF more often than not for Arsenal this year.

I think Bertrand though is very subjective, Pickford too, good players but it looks like theyre trying to shoe horn in English players for the sake of it.

greendom

GavRedKing wrote: »

Sanchez or Ibra is a tough one alright.

You could put Sanchez in a wide role and drop Lallana too but Sanchez has played CF more often than not for Arsenal this year.

I think Bertrand though is very subjective, Pickford too, good players but it looks like theyre trying to shoe horn in English players for the sake of it.

Neville really had no choice but to have Ibra in the team. Had to have at least one Man U player included.

From my perspective I can objectively see that Sanchez has been by far the better player.

Iused2likebusts

Sanchez has to be in the team. I'd have heaton in goal aswell.

GavRedKing

Chelsea

greendom wrote: »

Neville really had no choice but to have Ibra in the team. Had to have at least one Man U player included.

From my perspective I can objectively see that Sanchez has been by far the better player.

I'd agree with ya, I'd pick Sanchez over Ibra but thats at a push, picking between either is very difficult.

Both have had fantastic seasons, especailly Ibra, coming from France at 35 too, his goals have pushed Utd into a position where they can challenge for the top 4 and maybe more if they go on a run.

Take his 11 goals out and Utd look very toothless, Arsenalhave Sanchez and Walcott chipping in with goals, same with Costa and Hazard.

Walcott and Hazard have 8 goals, Mata Pogba and Rashford, Utds next best scorers have 3 each.

These teams are always picked as a 4-4-2 but in reality, none of the top 6 deploy a 4-4-2.

If it was a 4-2-3-1 I'd have Sanchez on the wing at the very least.

TitianGerm

GavRedKing wrote: »

Sanchez or Ibra is a tough one alright.

You could put Sanchez in a wide role and drop Lallana too but Sanchez has played CF more often than not for Arsenal this year.

I think Bertrand though is very subjective, Pickford too, good players but it looks like theyre trying to shoe horn in English players for the sake of it.

It'd be very harsh to drop Lalana seen as he has six goals and six assists from the middle of the park.

greendom

Christmas fixture list has fallen kindest to Chelsea and hardest on Southampton

Take a look at @raymondverheije's Tweet:

https://twitter.com/raymondverheije/status/810950204392292353?s=09

Berserker

Tottenham

Jayop wrote: »

I think it's a pretty reasonable argument for Ibras inclusion.

Over the course of the three months, I don't believe that Ibra has reached the same level as Sanchez.

greendom

better version of that earlier post



pretty tough on Liverpool and very harsh on Southampton. Chelsea have managed to get off lightly in comparison

GavRedKing

Chelsea

greendom wrote: »

better version of that earlier post



pretty tough on Liverpool and very harsh on Southampton. Chelsea have managed to get off lightly in comparison

2 home games and an away trip to North London.

The perfect christmas fixture list.

Berserker

Tottenham

greendom wrote: »

better version of that earlier post

pretty tough on Liverpool and very harsh on Southampton. Chelsea have managed to get off lightly in comparison

I would consider the fixtures themselves though. Stoke and Sunderland are gimmes by PL standards for Liverpool. Klopp can rest key players in both of those games in preparation for the Man City game. Very hard to see them getting anything less than six points from those games. Man City at Anfield is a tough game but the home advantage should result in them getting maximum points from that game. I think Man City are there for the taking on the road. Different story if the game was in Manchester.

Chelsea's fixture away to Spurs is a far more difficult game. No travel but it's a London derby away against a very good side. If they manage to get three points from it and win their next two games, it'll be very, very hard to see beyond them for the league and they'll deserve to win it, also.

greendom

Berserker wrote: »

I would consider the fixtures themselves though. Stoke and Sunderland are gimmes by PL standards for Liverpool. Klopp can rest key players in both of those games in preparation for the Man City game. Very hard to see them getting anything less than six points from those games. Man City at Anfield is a tough game but the home advantage should result in them getting maximum points from that game. I think Man City are there for the taking on the road. Different story if the game was in Manchester.

Chelsea's fixture away to Spurs is a far more difficult game. No travel but it's a London derby away against a very good side. If they manage to get three points from it and win their next two games, it'll be very, very hard to see beyond them for the league and they'll deserve to win it, also.

yes agreed there are other variables to consider. Chelsea have a day extra to recover than Spurs who also had less time to recover from the previous game.

GavRedKing

Chelsea

These fixtures have been known for sometime now, I'd at least 6 weeks at this stage, I remember Klopp moaning about the fixtures. The fixtures themselves were knowing well before a ball was kicked too, so clubs would know how difficult the Xmas was going to be by looking at their opponents and if they were home or away.

Its very rare for a club to have any decent time off between games unless you get really lucky with the TV fixtures, which is what happened for Chelsea.

Trigger

Chelsea

I also doubt anyone accurately predicted Chelsea to be top in such fashion.

GavRedKing

Chelsea

astradave wrote: »

I also doubt anyone accurately predicted Chelsea to be top in such fashion.

The fixtures are unfair no matter whos on top or whos in 10th, thats just they way the fell for some teams.

GavRedKing

GavRedKing wrote: »

These fixtures have been known for sometime now, I'd at least 6 weeks at this stage, I remember Klopp moaning about the fixtures. The fixtures themselves were knowing well before a ball was kicked too, so clubs would know how difficult the Xmas was going to be by looking at their opponents and if they were home or away.

Its very rare for a club to have any decent time off between games unless you get really lucky with the TV fixtures, which is what happened for Chelsea.

Moaning ? Really ?