By Eike Go To PostMore goals, less trophies. Amazing statistic.Ok
Martial should be the man on the end of chances like that one he made for Rooney.
I look forward to that day.
I look forward to that day.
By Frustrated_me Go To PostHe's the only one I have on ignore, been months now I think lolI'd forgotten he exists.
By S@l Go To PostMartial should be the man on the end of chances like that one he made for Rooney.
I look forward to that day.
Martial seems a great buy, surprised at his quick integration into the system.
By Eike Go To PostMore goals, less trophies. Amazing statistic.Lol
By Frustrated_me Go To PostOhh yessur!Damn wtf. That on contract?
That CAD =[
By Koko Go To PostGet in Frustated!YES KOKO!
Madrid and NX5 bro!
By Dissonance Go To PostDamn wtf. That on contract?Unlocked off contract toronto bro
By FootballFan Go To PostYou ever notice how the best posters are dragon ball watchers.
Probably just a coincidence though.
I have often thought.
Keep making threads.
By Shanks D Zoro Go To PostI have often thought.
Keep making threads.
I like that tag. Sad times in football.
By Frustrated_me Go To PostUnlocked off contract toronto brofffff that's not bad then.
I'm getting the iPhone 6S for $399 on a two year contract.
http://gfycat.com/SnoopySillyAmericancicada
What a lovely finish. Ended up being one of the better signings in the league (Nemeth)
What a lovely finish. Ended up being one of the better signings in the league (Nemeth)
By Eike Go To PostMartial seems a great buy, surprised at his quick integration into the system.
He'll flourish as a 9. Merking fullbacks isn't exactly a waste of his time, but he seems to have what it takes to be a goal-machine.
By Esch Go To Posthttp://gfycat.com/SnoopySillyAmericancicadaNiiiice
What a lovely finish. Ended up being one of the better signings in the league (Nemeth)
By Esch Go To Posthttp://gfycat.com/SnoopySillyAmericancicadaHe's no Giovinco
What a lovely finish. Ended up being one of the better signings in the league (Nemeth)
By Dissonance Go To PostHe's no GiovincoAgreed. He's won something and will probably go to the playoffs and compete in continental ball again
Unlike Giovinco
By Esch Go To PostAgreed. He's won something and will probably go to the playoffs and compete in continental ball againYeah well shut up though
Unlike Giovinco
Morning friends.
OS X El Capitán: Stupid name, awesome OS.
The performance is just ridiculous. Well done Apple.
OS X El Capitán: Stupid name, awesome OS.
The performance is just ridiculous. Well done Apple.
By Bold One Go To PostRooney is a problem, a big one, you're essentially in a deficit with him on the pitch these days
He just doesn't even look interested when the ball is near him. Like in the past when he was playing badly he'd try and latch on to things. Now he watches everything pass him by.
And then when he does have the ball he passes it back to the defenders in a barely accurate and over-hit manner, putting them in trouble. Or he tries to dribble and loses it under his feet. And God forbid he's actually presented with a chance to score. Everything he does is so incredibly poor.
I don't think I've ever witnessed a sharp decline quite like this.
My concern is the effect its having on the rest of the squad, especially with players like Ander, Wilson and Perrera wasting on the bench.
At least Mata is finally getting a run out
At least Mata is finally getting a run out
By Laboured Go To PostIt's Wengy's 19 year anniversary today. Yaaaay!:(
So as n8 was saying there's a bit more to EPL clubs not doing well than just EPLol.
Since 2011-12, 11 La Liga teams have reached the Champions League quarter-finals, six from the Bundesliga, five from France’s Ligue 1 and three each from Serie A and the Premier League. There is no one reason for the demise, but I think we can all agree that this constitutes more than a ‘blip’, the term used so readily until last season. I’ll detail just one of the possible factors.
A great deal has been said about the rise of the Premier League ‘rest’. The clubs below the elite – terms of finances at least – have never had so much disposable income, and fuller pockets make for happier shoppers. Shinji Okazaki and Gokhan Inler to Leicester, Jordan Amavi to Aston Villa, Dimitri Payet to West Ham, Max Gradel to Bournemouth, Yohan Cabaye to Crystal Palace, Ibrahim Afellay to Stoke, Andre Ayew to Swansea; the list goes on.
The financial capability to buy better players allows for a greater spread of talent across the Premier League, and therefore increased competition. This is exacerbated by the current inability of English clubs to attract the best players in the world. In football’s ever-changing food chain, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich now sit in an echelon above Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Paris St Germain. You can cry foul about that, but it’s true. The likes of Neymar, Thomas Muller and Luis Suarez can be mooted for moves to English clubs from that elite three, but they only actually happen when one of Bayern, Real or Barca allow it. See Bastian Schweinsteiger, Angel Di Maria and Alexis Sanchez for details.
The Premier League, for so long criticised for its lack of competition, now has it in spades, particularly in comparison with Spain and Germany. Of the 70 matches played so far this season, none have been won by a margin of four or more goals. La Liga and the Bundesliga have already had seven between them, and Real and Barca haven’t really got going yet.
This could be considered good for the neutral spectator of Premier League football (so long as the quality stays high, which is another piece entirely), but not for those elite clubs who must combine tough domestic fixtures with Champions League assignments.
It’s a point both Van Gaal and Wenger alluded to in the build-up to this round of matches. “Olympiacos dominates their league, they are a team with a big advantage – they dominate their league easily, so they can prepare for these kinds of games,” Arsenal’s manager said.
While the Olympiacos point is weakened substantially by the gap in resources and financial muscle between the two clubs, the point itself is valid. Last season’s four Champions League semi-finalists have won 36 domestic league games by four or more goals since the start of last season. The figure for all 20 Premier League clubs combined is just 13, while the four current English CL representatives did so on only five occasions.
The logic is clear. If you have to only play at full intensity for 60-70 minutes in a match, the effects of fatigue are likely to be much lower. Crucially, key players can also be removed prior to full-time for vital rest. Neymar only completed 90 minutes in 20 of Barcelona’s 38 games La Liga games last season. In the last calendar year, Thomas Muller has completed 90 minutes just 21 times for Bayern Munich in all competitions. Alexis Sanchez has done so 36 times for Arsenal, plus 11 more for Chile.
The cliche of ‘there are no easy games’ finally has its place in time and its right on our own doorstep. It’s a slightly inadvertent result of increased broadcasting deals, but the vast swathes of money given to the Premier League’s biggest clubs has actually made their task in Europe harder.
By Laboured Go To PostIt's Wengy's 19 year anniversary today. Yaaaay!
By Laboured Go To PostSo as n8 was saying there's a bit more to EPL clubs not doing well than just EPLol.But isn't the point that we have a more "competitive" league because our top sides aren't good enough to blow them away.
By Lunatic Go To Postbest segment in V/H/S2 next to the bionic eye one
By Frustrated_me Go To PostUnlocked off contract toronto bro
I am debating whether to upgrade my Nexus 5, the 5X costs £300 here which is a pretty good price.
By sam777 Go To PostI am debating whether to upgrade my Nexus 5, the 5X costs £300 here which is a pretty good price.I think the consensus is that the 5X is kind of overpriced for its specs? And that 6P is better value. I think the LG V10 that got revealed today sounds pretty good as well. Can't wait to upgrade my LG G3, getting tired of it.
GAF Off-Topic religion witch-hunting and arab-o-phobia has gotten extremely out of hand in the last few weeks. What a completely disgusting place.
By DerZuhälter Go To PostGAF Off-Topic religion witch-hunting and arab-o-phobia has gotten extremely out of hand in the last few weeks. What a completely disgusting place.
Not like here m8
By Vivalabanter Go To PostBut isn't the point that we have a more "competitive" league because our top sides aren't good enough to blow them away.
Well, not good enough to blow them away because of what: poor top sides or better mid-table sides?
By n8 Go To PostWell, not good enough to blow them away because of what: poor top sides or better mid-table sides?I think it's relatively poor top sides.
Look at how our Europa league teams have fared over the last few years. The mid table teams are not that good.
I don't think this competitive thing is the main factor though. Think it's more an issue with the tactical naïveté that our teams play with, and are almost encouraged to play with, to be successful in our league.
Over the past few years City, United and Arsenal have repeatedly coasted against the "weaker" sides in the PL, because it doesn't take much to beat them. A very simple game plan will suffice. All have struggled badly in Europe and routinely been outplayed - because our sides are not capable of adapting to the challenges that European sides put forward. Suddenly making the pitch big and overlapping full backs doesn't cut it.
By Laboured Go To PostSo as n8 was saying there's a bit more to EPL clubs not doing well than just EPLol.
Marcotti's take on it a few weeks ago and I agree.
The Premier League is just so intense and physically draining that players are tired when it comes time to play in Europe.
This is a corollary to the previous theory. It doesn't explain why, for example, City, United and Arsenal all lost, given that it's September and nobody can claim to be tired at this stage. It's true that it's physically demanding, possibly not more so than Germany but likely more than Italy, France or Spain. Yet the usual argument applies: It was just as physically demanding between 2007 and 2010. What's more, if players are tired, they ought to be tired when they play in England, too. Yet, late into the season, we see English teams – both involved in Europe and not – continue to run and play hard.
The Premier League is just so deep and so packed with tough opponents that you can never take a weekend off. Nobody rolls over for you.
Assuming this is true (and that's a big assumption), is this really a bad thing? Do you become stronger by habitually facing tough opponents, or do you do it by stomping all over cream puffs week in, week out? Plenty of very clever coaches, from Fabio Capello to Laurent Blanc to Jose Mourinho, have put forth the opposite argument – that the toughness of the Premier League is what makes their team better. Facing a real test every week makes you resilient and prepares you for the quality you face in the Champions League.
Teams elsewhere rest players ahead of big Champions League games. English clubs do the opposite, resting players in Europe to preserve them for the league.
Another sweeping statement, with little empirical evidence. Who did Manchester United rest for the trip to Eindhoven? Marouane Fellaini? And City? Forget Sergio Aguero, who was injured; you'll note that Raheem Sterling and David Silva did not play the previous weekend but did start against Juventus. Arsenal? Was it really the absences of Francis Coquelin, Hector Bellerin, Aaron Ramsey and Petr Cech that cost them the game? Besides, most of these teams are deep with talent. It's ironic that the side that rested the most players in Europe, Chelsea, are also the one that won 4-0.
And you might say "oh Shanks going on about Italy again" but Serie A in the 90s was one of the deepest and toughest leagues ever world class legendary players on like 7 teams and they dominated Europe.
The truth of the matter is that the quality of the top three is just beyond all else. They would still dominate even if they played in the PL
think they're doing their annual look for excuses routine
this pack of English clubs is quite simply lacking, nothing more nothing less. They'll all bounce back eventually
this pack of English clubs is quite simply lacking, nothing more nothing less. They'll all bounce back eventually
