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On January 29 2020 20:04 Bacillus wrote:
I think the preseason friendlies are hardly comparable here. Your international team players are often joining in later, you're playing half intensity games with light preparation while rotating the whole roster with unlimited subs and so on. Surely there's some unnecessary travel and PR aspects to it nowadays, but for the most of it, it's still designed to get the match fitness up. It's a completely different thing to play multiple competitive matches each week for extended periods of time.
Most teams already treat domestic cups that way too. A lot of squad rotation, and some players definitely don't give it 100% (West Ham were awful against WBA). Klopp was complaining about an extra match in which he would not have fielded a strong team anyway.
I am mostly annoyed that Klopp is choosing the FA Cup to fight instead of one of the newer competitions which raise more money, such as the Club World Cup. In December he skipped one match in Birmingham for two in Qatar. (I know that was the League Cup but that is still much older than the Club World Cup.)
If the Champions League does get expanded (and I think Liverpool FC are in favour but Klopp is not) then would Klopp be willing to stay away from those matches, or would he abandon the domestic cups?
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all teams treat cups as playgrounds for their younger players. City is just the only team with a full starting eleven on their bench thats why it looks as if they care about the cups
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On January 30 2020 01:42 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:
Heck of a signing...
He is a great player. Not sure how he will adapt to life on EPL and its intensity and speed.
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not with that tired face I think.
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dat back pass from silva...
edit: red, boring
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Why is 19 points so ridicilous? Didnt city win the league with more points advantage?
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Norway28874 Posts
Yea City won by 19 points in 38, not 24 games. If they, and the other teams in the league keep up the same point average as they have been getting so far, they will end up 30 points ahead.
That 19 points was also ridiculous. United beat Arsenal by 18 points back in 99-2000, but there are only 4 seasons out of 28 or so where the difference between #1 and #2 has been more than 10 points.
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Northern Ireland27230 Posts
On January 30 2020 07:23 sharkie wrote:
Why is 19 points so ridicilous? Didnt city win the league with more points advantage?
It’s pretty ridiculous more because both Liverpool and City set such a crazy pace last year and City pipped then. 19 points to that City team that’s largely intact is more impressive than the sheer numbers.
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On January 30 2020 08:07 Wombat_NI wrote:Show nested quote +On January 30 2020 07:23 sharkie wrote:
Why is 19 points so ridicilous? Didnt city win the league with more points advantage? It’s pretty ridiculous more because both Liverpool and City set such a crazy pace last year and City pipped then. 19 points to that City team that’s largely intact is more impressive than the sheer numbers.
By largely intact you mean plagued by injuries to key players (aguero/de bruyne) or positions with poor back-up? (Mainly CB)?
Laporte's injury and Kompany's departure were very significant to City's results so far.
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But Kompany's departure was actively.
And its not like Liverpool didnt have key injuries either. Allison was injured at the start of the season - a lot of people seem to have forgotten that... Fabinho, Keita and now Mane.
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Northern Ireland27230 Posts
On January 30 2020 18:32 KobraKay wrote:Show nested quote +On January 30 2020 08:07 Wombat_NI wrote:On January 30 2020 07:23 sharkie wrote:
Why is 19 points so ridicilous? Didnt city win the league with more points advantage? It’s pretty ridiculous more because both Liverpool and City set such a crazy pace last year and City pipped then. 19 points to that City team that’s largely intact is more impressive than the sheer numbers. By largely intact you mean plagued by injuries to key players (aguero/de bruyne) or positions with poor back-up? (Mainly CB)? Laporte's injury and Kompany's departure were very significant to City's results so far.
De Bruyne’s already played more this season than last, it’s testament to how good their squad is in those areas that they won the league last year. Jesus is an able deputy for Aguero, or they can move things around and play without an orthodox striker.
Issues at the back for sure, although they really should have invested more intelligently there. Liverpool have been lucky in their irreplaceable players being largely fit. They can rotate that midfield 3 almost at will and it still works, not so much the front 3, Van Dijk or the fullbacks.
Just checking Pep’s Bayern and they won the Bundesliga by 19, 10 and 10 points.
What I meant by how impressive this season is is when Pep gets into that league winning grove it’s bloody hard to dislodge him and takes a great season to do so. Liverpool had a historically great season last time out and still didn’t manage it, so to keep it going and flip it round to such a degree that the gap is as large as it is is rather solid work.
City’s record had Mourinho’s United as the closest challenger. For whatever reason the Premier League hasn’t had multiple very good/great sides playing in it simultaneously for quite some time. We’ve got two at the moment in City and Liverpool, hopefully others can step up moving forwards.
Certainly nothing like the mid-2000s
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Rumours say another big cash splash on the Portuguese league has happened/will happen soon with Barcelona chasing Braga's Trincão.
Kid was really good at the youth level and was starting to have some game time on the first team. Let's hope he has a chance with Barça to develop.
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West Ham have signed Tomas Soucek, captain of Slavia Prague, on loan for the rest of the season.
He did really well in the Champions League group stage in the group of death against Inter, Barca and Dortmund. He's 6'4, strong and can run a lot. Could be a bit of needed grunt and fight for their upcoming relegation battle.
Also Newcastle have signed Danny Rose on loan due to long term injuries to 2 of their full backs.
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The relegation battle transfers are really interesting. I wonder if Bournemouth, Norwich, Villa or Watford are still going to chip in and bring in someone to make a difference.
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51663 Posts
you know we've gone down the shitter when we have to resort to loaning an out-of-prime nigerian striker from the chinese league.
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Northern Ireland27230 Posts
It’s not a sexy signing but it may yet prove an effective one. They’re probably only looking for a body in there while Rashford is there.
It’s a tricky business signing anyone other than a star centre forward these days, as Spurs continually find for example.
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51493 Posts
I think the signing is a good one, its a good emergency signing for Yanited with no risk to it. He just needs to get them 5-10 goals in the next month or so while Rashford is out, and then he will just be bench fodder. He is capable of that as well, his performances for Watford led Klopp to want him when he first joined Liverpool before Igalho wasted it all and went to China lol.
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Northern Ireland27230 Posts
A few goals would be nice, I think his main task will be to be a proper focal point so that Martial can flourish instead of being stuck in the middle where he doesn’t show his best.
United really dropped a clanger not necessarily in selling Lukaku but leaving themselves so short up top.
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51493 Posts
Yeah 100% martial and rashford need a Lukaku or in this case Igalho to help them shine.
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Willy Caballero > Kepa for Chelsea. Just made a big save too
I wish Tammy Abraham would play the whistle and not go to ground so easily he would score more than he already does
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EPT
