Arena "The Beautiful Game" - The Official JCC Football (Soccer) Thread.

Great

This season is going to go badly much faster than the last one did

 

Did I not say PL?

You’ll probably blame everyone but the manager again. But if he was any good hes be coaching the current players to be better and looking beyond players he’s worked with. You will be crap again and it’s great.

 

We're already crap

And some players can't be magically made better if they don't have the ability.
McTominay is just not Top 4 level, Klopp & Pep wouldn't take him in their squads because they know he can't offer them anything however great they are as coaches.
You think any player can just become Scholes or Gerrard? Of course not, you have to have natural ability in the first place that is then refined to be elite level by good coaches.
I know Pep wanted Fred a few years ago, he potentially can be useful in certain systems but there are better options available.

Neither Klopp nor Pep went with what they had, they bought in new players who could do what they wanted.
The Liverpool & City teams now are different to when they first arrived, if they're so good why didn't they just make the likes of Joe Hart, Lallana, Clyne etc into greats?
Because they weren't good enough to do what was required whatever the coaching, so they got replaced with better players like Salah & Ederson

The problem is how much real power the manager has.
Why is he picking Maguire if he continues to be so poor, especially when he has Varane?
It's likely because he's been told he has to, because Maguire is expensive & has a strong dressing room English clique who would create problems if he wasn't Captain.
It's a peacemaker situation because the players are so divided.

And the transfer team is so inept they're now running around trying to get whoever will come just to give ETH numbers so they can say they did something.
Which won't work, so he'll fail just like everyone else because the club don't care enough about him being successful.

Maybe change is coming, but I'm doubtful the Glazers will sell

 

NOTE: TIMO WERNER DIED ON THE WAY BACK TO RB LEIPZIG

 

You mean United, who will have wasted the whole summer on FDJ only to get nowhere

 

After 3 days in France with my Everton supporting boss, a Lille supporting co worker and me a reprobate from the lower leagues. We've got a view of the needs of some PL teams (not all because some we just don't care enough about to even find out much about the team)

Bournemouth - Don't care going down, probably bottom
lol @ Arsenal - Good transfer window, team capable of top 4 (just) and we believe the manager is possibly more capable than we currently give credit for. Probably needs to stay as they are now, maybe a CDM but the team needs a season to settle and then grow next year.
Villa - High pressure on Gerrard, unsure if he'll be given time. Needs a key defender and midfield but frontline is woeful
Brentford - Toney will be gone by the end of the season, expect them to avoid the drop this year but next year is screwed.
Brighton - In Potter we trust, lose him, lose the league
Chelsea - We believe will be 5th, new ownership and a massive up heaval in the backline coupled with 4 left backs suggest that Football Manager style chairmanship isn't a great idea.
Palace - Don't care. Assume they lose Zaha, then it's all over but otherwise they're a nothingburger league filler right now.
Everton - Lots of debate here but most of it was the none Everton fans laughing. Feel Lampard is out of depth and may be more a Championship manager. Signings so far are woeful and forward line is none existent.
Fulhan - Lose Mitrovich and they're gone, Keep Mitrovich and they're more than likely gone
Leeds - Have made signings but, who are they? Definite lower league, probable relegation candidates. Feel it will be avoided but would not be surprised if they were 18th.
Leicester - Sold loads and "bought" a reserve goalkeeper (free). Tailspin pending? Maddison has strong chance of moving on before August ends. Will avoid the drop but it'll be close.
Liverpool - Need a midfielder for depth. Not to improve but to give depth. Whoever finishes above Liverpool will win the league
City - Sold their left flank and looks like Bernard is going to moneybags Barca. Massively strong team though and whoever finishes above City wins the league
United - Desperate need for Rashford to remember he's actually a good footballer. For Sancho to remember he can take people on an be effective but crucially for the club to get a midfielder that either of McFred can play alongside as they can't with each other. 6th again, outside chance of 5th IF they sort that midfield out. The Ronaldo discussion involved most of the bar in Lille and most said a sensible team would move him on but all agreed that United were a basketcase and that 6th was a pipe dream. @Diggy - Lille football fans say this Liverpool have got the league this year
The Toon - Howe extending contract is a good move and all believe he's being pragmatic in team building. Needs to be a little bolder but we're expecting upper top half this year and have a strong change of ousting Man U from their 6th place stranglehold.
Forrest - Some good signings but feel will struggle. Think will avoid the drop even though they came up in the play offs as there have been some shrewd signings so far (Lingard needs to grow up to be effective though)
Southampton - Remove Ward-Prowse and they go down, keep Ward-Prowse and they go down but with a handful more goals. All astounded he's still at the club.
Spurs - Third expected unless their innate Spursiness overwhelms the Conte effect then it'll be 4th
Wet Sham - All felt could be a dark horse. Get a decent striker and 7-4 could be a possibility (many felt the Hammers would be the ones to drop United to 7th). Good manager and some good-great players.
Wolves - Selling the family silver. Lille fans astounded Neves still there but most felt PSG or Madrid would go for him. With Coady now gone too (on loan, why and also WTF!!) we feel Wolves could be a risk for the drop too.


Three days in France to redefine how an office is to work to support "Best in Class" and to implement various tests/trials and fact finding processes. My take away is that Lille think, Man United are now an utter Farce. They agree with the premise of lol@Arsenal (to be applied to PSG) and that Everton are an utter mess.

It was a good trip.



For the record, Barrow was mentioned once and it got me many sympathy beers.
//worth it

 

Unfortunately your Lille supporting coworkers haven’t been paying much attention to the PL, @FatBurt

it’s Manchester City for the league this year, financial doping will get you a long way.

As will a friendly, grease palmed UK press; they got Haaland for 55 million. And I have a twelve inch cock. Both are absolutely true.

but at least they stop Liverpool from winning.

 

Plenty of other trophies available.
Liverpool still won 2 last season, better than most teams.

I find it odd that Leicester let Schmeichel go only to bring in someone who is arguably not as good.
Though they do have a younger Danish keeper so maybe he can become the new Schmeichel down the line.

 

Schmeichel was last year of contract and on the decline. Expressed a wish to play elsewhere too.

Leicester also on the border with FFP and need to move players on as heels says

 

Oh my god I just got back from morning errands and we're up against ****ing Frankfurt?! How are we going to blow this?

Edit: Ah, there it is.

Really sums him up in a nutshell.

 

Only the league was being discussed.

 

Why, if Varane is fit enough for the bench, is he still not playing ahead of Maguire?

 

I will say this about City's bull**** cash flow, they do have the guts to let Pep just keep someone on the bench until he thinks they're ready no matter how much they cost. United do not seem to have the same restraint. That or Ten Hag legitimately thinks he can fix the Maguire problem on top of every other problem you guys have, which like, good luck with that my dude.

 

Waiting on Richie rage








Richie rage intensifying

 

We go live to United supporters' reactions:

 

Not worth getting mad about

It's expected now.
I don't waste time with it anymore, I'm out until the World Cup.

It'll be even worse next week

 

This is a dreadful (but not unexpected performance) from United.

Brentford have been excellent and have exploited the abject lack of midfield that United have.

If I was ETH, I'd be dropping Fred now, bringing Varane on and moving Martinez into the holding role as Fred is just going walkabout and Brentford clearly saw that was a risk and they've set up to exploit it.


4 now BTW. United could get Southampton'd at this rate

 

De Gea is great.

that defender isn’t too short

mcfred is the issue

 

The whole team is the issue

Rangnick said they needed 10 players
"Open heart surgery"

But they got rid of him and ignored that
ETH can't do anything without a while new team and he won't get it

If he's any sense he'll quit now and save himself

 

I want one better, ten hagainst.