Some EPL Musings [R implied]

[a***@hotmail.com]

Man City - Easily the best team in the league. Been swatting everyone away like pesky flies. And while they're still possession heavy, this isn't Barca-style tiki taka. They have been making a lot of incisive vertical inroads and scoring some great goals. Greta team to watch. De Bruyne is on fire. Their only weakness is lack of depth at striker. I'll-eat-a-nacho is not a bad backup, but after him there's no real striker in the squad.

Man Utd - Not sure what to make out of them yet. They have been getting results but they are so staid to watch. Pogba isn't looking worth half the price paid for him, but granted it's early days yet. Mourinho hasn't really figured out how to use him. It's been the Ibra show so far, and when things stop working it's been route 1 to his head every time.

Liverpool - Looking a bit like 13/14, i.e. you'll get a goal or two on us every time but we'll just fucking outscore you. But biased or not, this is one great team to watch. When on they will chew you up and spit you out. If Klopp can get the defense sorted then definite top 4 contenders, and dare I say, an outside shot at the title? The schedule has been brutal so far, 4 out of 5 have been away games, and played last season's top 3 as well as Chelsea. Or as one might say, maybe they've played the easy part of the schedule if the past is anything to go by.

Everton - Impressive start, but their schedule has been as soft as a baby's buttocks.

West Ham - WTF happened to them?

[MH]

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man City - Easily the best team in the league. Been swatting everyone away like pesky flies. And while they're still possession heavy, this isn't Barca-style tiki taka. They have been making a lot of incisive vertical inroads and scoring some great goals. Greta team to watch. De Bruyne is on fire. Their only weakness is lack of depth at striker. I'll-eat-a-nacho is not a bad backup, but after him there's no real striker in the squad.

If Gundogan can stay healthy, and Kompany gets back to fitness and stays
there, they will be very hard to beat. More likely the pressure of CL
plus injuries, plus Bravo's eccentricities and lack of depth at the back
(the fullbacks are all pretty old) will make them drop enough points for
the league to remain competitive.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man Utd - Not sure what to make out of them yet. They have been getting results but they are so staid to watch. Pogba isn't looking worth half the price paid for him, but granted it's early days yet. Mourinho hasn't really figured out how to use him. It's been the Ibra show so far, and when things stop working it's been route 1 to his head every time.

Looking less frail at the back (though I am not sold on Blind as a
central defender), and adding Pogba and Ibra, while getting Shaw back to
health, makes them a much better team than last year. My big question
is how Mourinho will handle the Rooney situation, and whether his (JM's)
ego can be kept in check. He is usually sound in his first season in a
new job, though. Decent chance of winning the title given lack of CL
matches.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Liverpool - Looking a bit like 13/14, i.e. you'll get a goal or two on us every time but we'll just fucking outscore you. But biased or not, this is one great team to watch. When on they will chew you up and spit you out. If Klopp can get the defense sorted then definite top 4 contenders, and dare I say, an outside shot at the title? The schedule has been brutal so far, 4 out of 5 have been away games, and played last season's top 3 as well as Chelsea. Or as one might say, maybe they've played the easy part of the schedule if the past is anything to go by.

Very good start apart from the anomalous Burnley game. Those first 5
games very challenging enough, with 3 away in London. So lots of
positives. On the other hand, despite beating Arsenal and Chelsea, they
are actually still behind both teams in the standings. No EL or CL, so
if Klopp husbands his resources, the title is not out of the question,
and a top 4 place is certainly within their grasp.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Everton - Impressive start, but their schedule has been as soft as a baby's buttocks.

Yup, they have not played anyone yet who is all that good. Their
signings were excellent though (A. Williams, Gueye, Bolassie), and
Coleman and Baines seem to have shaken off a bad season. Stones will
not be missed all that much this year given that Williams is still
better. Could they be this year's Leicester ? I doubt it very much, but
they might make the top six, possibly even top 4 if things fall apart at
3 of the bigger clubs. Koeman certainly seems to know how to run an EPL
team, which is in contrast to the disaster he was at Valencia.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
West Ham - WTF happened to them?

Before last season, some pundits were picking them to go down, and
chuckling that they would inaugurate their new big stadium from the
Championship. I think a lot of that was because of the managerial
change, but Bilic proved them wrong. Right now, it looks as though
Bilic might be the first manager to lose his job.


No comments on Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs ? The former have recovered
well from a shaky start. They already have the usual injury plague.
Unusually, they have been able to play fairly badly a couple of times
and still get away with points (eg. vs. PSG).

Chelsea have the advantage of a very good squad and no European
distractions. In the absence of a rash of injuries it is hard to see
them not making the top 4 this season, and a title is not beyond them.
I was not impressed with their transfer activities, though. That they
signed Terry again indicates weakness at the back , and Luiz is not the
best solution for that. Ivanovic is not the player he was, so why not
switch Azpilicueta to the right, and play Alonso ? (Same question could
have been asked about Felipe Luis a couple of seasons ago). Playing
both Kante and Matic in midfield seems to be over-doing it as well.
Will be interesting to see how Conte handles all this.

Spurs: Solid defensively, but Erickson is not in the form of last year,
and Delle Ali might be a one year wonder. Kane took a while to get into
his stride last year, and if that happens again, they may be too far
behind. I can see them finishing 5th to 7th.

[Google Beta User]

Can Liverpool play heavy metal furious football AND be tight at the back with lots of clean sheets?

Some good depth in midfield and attack though.

[Sven Mischkies]

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man City - Easily the best team in the league. Been swatting everyone away
like pesky flies. And while they're still possession heavy, this isn't
Barca-style tiki taka. They have been making a lot of incisive vertical
inroads and scoring some great goals. Greta team to watch. De Bruyne is on
fire. Their only weakness is lack of depth at striker. I'll-eat-a-nacho is
not a bad backup, but after him there's no real striker in the squad.

They have been the best team in the league for a handful of years now.
Now with a better coach they should also be able to win it.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man Utd - Not sure what to make out of them yet. They have been getting
results but they are so staid to watch. Pogba isn't looking worth half the
price paid for him, but granted it's early days yet. Mourinho hasn't
really figured out how to use him. It's been the Ibra show so far, and
when things stop working it's been route 1 to his head every time.

Mourinho needs $$$ so he can buy the team he wants, or a team that is
already set up the way he likes it. They'll probably be fine at the end
of the season, but there will beplenty of bumps down the road.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Liverpool - Looking a bit like 13/14, i.e. you'll get a goal or two on us
every time but we'll just fucking outscore you. But biased or not, this is
one great team to watch. When on they will chew you up and spit you out.
If Klopp can get the defense sorted then definite top 4 contenders, and
dare I say, an outside shot at the title? The schedule has been brutal so
far, 4 out of 5 have been away games, and played last season's top 3 as
well as Chelsea. Or as one might say, maybe they've played the easy part
of the schedule if the past is anything to go by.

Well, I think you are a bit over enthusiastic with your 13/14 reference.
It might also be a bog standard Spurs season.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
West Ham - WTF happened to them?

They have a shit stadium.


Ciao,
SM

[Murat Bey]

Post by Sven Mischkies

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man City - Easily the best team in the league. Been swatting everyone away
like pesky flies. And while they're still possession heavy, this isn't
Barca-style tiki taka. They have been making a lot of incisive vertical
inroads and scoring some great goals. Greta team to watch. De Bruyne is on
fire. Their only weakness is lack of depth at striker. I'll-eat-a-nacho is
not a bad backup, but after him there's no real striker in the squad.

They have been the best team in the league for a handful of years now.
Now with a better coach they should also be able to win it.

They weren't playing like this, ever.

He'll probably win the league in April with a 10-15+ point gap. I think he'll do very good with this City team.

Post by Sven Mischkies
Mourinho needs $$$ so he can buy the team he wants, or a team that is
already set up the way he likes it. They'll probably be fine at the end
of the season, but there will beplenty of bumps down the road.

Didn't he say he only needed 4 "specialists" which he got and then he was ready to win the title? He must be upset that he can't mock Wenger these days..

[a***@hotmail.com]

Post by Murat Bey

Post by Sven Mischkies

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man City - Easily the best team in the league. Been swatting everyone away
like pesky flies. And while they're still possession heavy, this isn't
Barca-style tiki taka. They have been making a lot of incisive vertical
inroads and scoring some great goals. Greta team to watch. De Bruyne is on
fire. Their only weakness is lack of depth at striker. I'll-eat-a-nacho is
not a bad backup, but after him there's no real striker in the squad.

They have been the best team in the league for a handful of years now.
Now with a better coach they should also be able to win it.

They weren't playing like this, ever.
http://youtu.be/diY22ch_Hxc
He'll probably win the league in April with a 10-15+ point gap. I think he'll do very good with this City team.

Post by Sven Mischkies
Mourinho needs $$$ so he can buy the team he wants, or a team that is
already set up the way he likes it. They'll probably be fine at the end
of the season, but there will beplenty of bumps down the road.

Didn't he say he only needed 4 "specialists" which he got and then he was ready to win the title? He must be upset that he can't mock Wenger these days..

He mocked both Wenger and Klopp when they said Pogba was way overpriced. The permutations for Mourinho humiliations are quite abundant this season.

[Murat Bey]

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man City - Easily the best team in the league. Been swatting everyone away like pesky flies. And while they're still possession heavy, this isn't Barca-style tiki taka. They have been making a lot of incisive vertical inroads and scoring some great goals. Greta team to watch. De Bruyne is on fire. Their only weakness is lack of depth at striker. I'll-eat-a-nacho is not a bad backup, but after him there's no real striker in the squad.

They're getting Gabriel Jesus in January. Until then they have those youngsters, De Bruyne and Nolito who can fill in the role as false 9.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man Utd - Not sure what to make out of them yet. They have been getting results but they are so staid to watch. Pogba isn't looking worth half the price paid for him, but granted it's early days yet. Mourinho hasn't really figured out how to use him. It's been the Ibra show so far, and when things stop working it's been route 1 to his head every time.

It's early days, I assume they'll get it together and start climbing again. I would've told them Pogba's real worth if they asked me before they spent all that money (it's €20m). Juventus are probably laughing. He has a very strong body and between Valencia and Pogba United can keep the ball by the corner flag for 30 minutes and the opponent won't be able to get it from them, but he seems to have nothing else to offer in terms of football, and he shoots every ball to row z. He was pretty much the same during Euros. We still have to see more. I don't know why Mourinho is wasting Mkhitaryan the same way he wasted Kevin De Bruyne but his loss is someone else's gain. KDB will become one of the best players in Europe over the next few years.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Liverpool - Looking a bit like 13/14, i.e. you'll get a goal or two on us every time but we'll just fucking outscore you. But biased or not, this is one great team to watch. When on they will chew you up and spit you out. If Klopp can get the defense sorted then definite top 4 contenders, and dare I say, an outside shot at the title? The schedule has been brutal so far, 4 out of 5 have been away games, and played last season's top 3 as well as Chelsea. Or as one might say, maybe they've played the easy part of the schedule if the past is anything to go by.

I'd like to see how Klopp survives the November-March period. His Dortmund had several injury and form issues due to his intense style but he hired Bayern's fitness and nutrition people over the summer so he should have capable staff. I think chances of a top 4 finish for Liverpool are good but it's too early.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Everton - Impressive start, but their schedule has been as soft as a baby's buttocks.

But they play good.

[a***@hotmail.com]

Post by Murat Bey

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man City - Easily the best team in the league. Been swatting everyone away like pesky flies. And while they're still possession heavy, this isn't Barca-style tiki taka. They have been making a lot of incisive vertical inroads and scoring some great goals. Greta team to watch. De Bruyne is on fire. Their only weakness is lack of depth at striker. I'll-eat-a-nacho is not a bad backup, but after him there's no real striker in the squad.

They're getting Gabriel Jesus in January. Until then they have those youngsters, De Bruyne and Nolito who can fill in the role as false 9.

That's correct. My point is that there is no real #9 after SA and KI. The team has been getting goals from everywhere so not a huge problem right now, but it could hurt them in the UCL knockout stages if (or when) Aguero goes down long-term.

Post by Murat Bey

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man Utd - Not sure what to make out of them yet. They have been getting results but they are so staid to watch. Pogba isn't looking worth half the price paid for him, but granted it's early days yet. Mourinho hasn't really figured out how to use him. It's been the Ibra show so far, and when things stop working it's been route 1 to his head every time.

It's early days, I assume they'll get it together and start climbing again. I would've told them Pogba's real worth if they asked me before they spent all that money (it's €20m).

The only players who are close to worth 100m are players that can carry a team on their backs consistently, i.e. Messi and Ronaldo. Even Bale isn't there. This signing was a desperate move by United to try to show big boy relevance in the marketplace. You're right, Mkhitaryan should have been their #10 and they should have gone after Kante instead.

Post by Murat Bey

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Liverpool - Looking a bit like 13/14, i.e. you'll get a goal or two on us every time but we'll just fucking outscore you. But biased or not, this is one great team to watch. When on they will chew you up and spit you out. If Klopp can get the defense sorted then definite top 4 contenders, and dare I say, an outside shot at the title? The schedule has been brutal so far, 4 out of 5 have been away games, and played last season's top 3 as well as Chelsea. Or as one might say, maybe they've played the easy part of the schedule if the past is anything to go by.

I'd like to see how Klopp survives the November-March period. His Dortmund had several injury and form issues due to his intense style but he hired Bayern's fitness and nutrition people over the summer so he should have capable staff. I think chances of a top 4 finish for Liverpool are good but it's too early.

The defense is still a question mark. I really think Mignolet is the root cause. When your last line of defense is such a nervous wreck, you really can't expect the rest to have much confidence. And he's a total disaster with his feet. I think Karius should be taking over very soon.

[Murat Bey]

Post by a***@hotmail.com

Post by Murat Bey

Post by a***@hotmail.com
Man City - Easily the best team in the league. Been swatting everyone away like pesky flies. And while they're still possession heavy, this isn't Barca-style tiki taka. They have been making a lot of incisive vertical inroads and scoring some great goals. Greta team to watch. De Bruyne is on fire. Their only weakness is lack of depth at striker. I'll-eat-a-nacho is not a bad backup, but after him there's no real striker in the squad.

They're getting Gabriel Jesus in January. Until then they have those youngsters, De Bruyne and Nolito who can fill in the role as false 9.

That's correct. My point is that there is no real #9 after SA and KI. The team has been getting goals from everywhere so not a huge problem right now, but it could hurt them in the UCL knockout stages if (or when) Aguero goes down long-term.

He'll use Kolarov or Fernandinho. Loss of his wingers and central midfielders would be more of a blow to him than one of his strikers.

Post by a***@hotmail.com
The defense is still a question mark. I really think Mignolet is the root cause. When your last line of defense is such a nervous wreck, you really can't expect the rest to have much confidence. And he's a total disaster with his feet. I think Karius should be taking over very soon.

Yes but Karius is almost back I think, no? You need a left back.

[Murat Bey]

Post by a***@hotmail.com
That's correct. My point is that there is no real #9 after SA and KI. The team has been getting goals from everywhere so not a huge problem right now, but it could hurt them in the UCL knockout stages if (or when) Aguero goes down long-term.

But yes they are thin. They are also thin in defense and midfield too. They have people like Delph, Toure and Fernando but Toure will probably never play again. Maybe in League cup. He might play youngsters and fullbacks out of position.

[Murat Bey]

Personally I consider Liverpool as a strong top 4 contender this year, just no telling where they'll finish (could be 1st through 4th). They don't have European games to distract them either. Klopp is a very good coach and has a first class backroom staff (he hired Bayern's fitness coach and nutritionist over the summer). They and City play the best game and I think both of them will end up in top 4. Liverpool look so lively like the Dortmund 2012.