@dark knight at what point is this stuff spam. I don't come to bs that much anymore because we are held hostage by posters and censorship.
A friendly reminder: when 24 year-old Danny Williams switched from regular starter at Hoffenheim in BL1 to lock starter at Reading in the Championship in 2013, people wondered if he'd made the right move. The doubts/doubters focused on two areas, level of play/professional development and the related question of that life-altering payday at the likes of, say Leverkusen after another 1-2 seasons. Well, the fact is that moving from mid-table BL1 (with a multi-billionaire sugar daddy to boot) to a Championship promotion challenger already was that life-altering payday. Reading were paying him more than Hoffenheim. Much, much more. The only thing that's changed since is that the financial gap between the German and the English pyramids has widened.
With Norwich playing 4-4-2 more often and Idah getting more and longer PT - starting 4 out of the last 6 EPL games, the last 3 of them in a row - it's becoming ever-clearer that Sarge is now an RM at Norwich. That's the position where he's winning, not exactly plaudits, but certainly recognition for his qualities. Time to stop evaluating him as #9 and complaining about his lack of goals and shots on target and focusing on his build-up play, crossing, passing, linking, harrying opposition LBs/LWBs instead.
With Leeds win and Everton's point cushion the relegation battle is increasingly the expected 4 team race. Norwich/Watford in 2 weeks will be important if Norwich can deny Watford points (and get 3 themselves) obviously, but Norwich, despite being at 18 and 2 points from safety on paper, have game(s) in hand on all their competition. Realistically they are still 19 or 20 and still a good 4-6 points (at least) from 17th. Their GD could really come to bite them even if they do pick up their point accumulation.
As I wrote in previous post: Norwich has caught huge break in that Norwich now plays at Watford this Friday, Jan. 21st. - Norwich will be on 6 days rest - Watford only on 2 days rest. Given the importance of the game, that’s huge for Norwich (or should be)
Yep. Still a big hill to climb, and if they can't grab 3 or at least split points there, it will be steeper, but if they hope to have a life-line that would be the start.
I wouldn't be sure about their points cushion. Rafa's just been sacked. This is not the best time of the season to be looking for a coach to begin with, especially a good one. Which they'll need. Badly. The atmosphere around that club is noxious and has been for some time but the Ashley shitshow at Newcastle has been diverting attention from it. Good coaches will have to think long and hard about whether they'd be better off waiting until the summer for a half-decent option because, under this owner and with a fanbase this frustrated, Everton isn't a half-decent option. More like a poisoned chalice. They could go into freefall.
Of course this is possible, but realistically it's super, extra, extremely improbable. An Everton "freefall" would have to be worse than a Norwich "resurgence" by a total net of 7 points, or 6 points and Norwich making up a GD of ~25 pts! across 17 games for Norwich, 19 games for Everton. That's enough games to swing things, and Everton may be a mess, but that would be quite the collapse. Even as crap as they've been the last few games, they still gained a point on Norwich. Realistically this is a 4 team race to the bottom, and Norwich still have to be heavy favorites to drop, but being the one of the 4 to get out alive is not impossible.
The other huge change from November is that (it seems) Newcastle is not going to splash the expected cash and buy their way out of the bottom 3. Everyone expected they would, and therefore 2 months ago Norwich relegation math was as follows: Watford, Burnley and one of the teams in the gaggle above them. That was a heavy pull. But now it is clearly: Watford, Burnley and Newcastle. Better odds. (if still very difficult) The bottom 4 are so putrid, none of them may make it to 34 points. This is a historically bad bottom 4. Good news for Norwich! But since Norwich has such an awful GD, they have to make it to 34 to have any shot. They can't afford to tie any of the bottom 3 on points in the end. Win the next 2 games, and the path of 34 points for Norwich is difficult, but not impossible. They have 6 days rest to Watford's 2 days rest (next game) They play Crystal Palace at home (2nd game) Stranger things have happened.
Shame for Norwich: last week, they received a ‘big break’ in the schedule in that Watford was re-scheduled to play today and then again this Friday versus Norwich. Norwich would have held many more days rest (had this occurred), since they had no games for the 6 days leading into Friday. But now they just canceled Watford’s match today, so Norwich’s days rest advantage goes ‘poof’
Great idea to keep playing through the holidays, when people are most exposed to others in family reunions and parties, and the weather is cold.
I think a team that's spent just over 62 million pounds on 3 players (12 million on Trippier, 25 million on Chris Woods and 30 million on Seville CB Diego Carlos), with more to come and nearly 2 weeks left in the window is "splashing the cash" and in a serious way.
The Scots got it right. They just shut down for a couple of weeks. How hard is that? No huge loss of revenue and no scheduling insanity.
The Diego Carlos deal has not closed yet though. I guess it will. But color me underwhelmed (expect for Carlos) so far. Howe knew Trippier at Burnley, but he is surplus goods at Athletico. Woods....maybe the biggest effect will be that it hurts Burnley. I think they need at least 2 more quality players- not Woods quality...better- to materially affect their chances to not relegate. Let's see what happens. I had expected better quality players...someone like a Lingard or Martial for example (maybe not them specifically, but at least a couple more)
It looks as if the deal is off. After Sevilla's game last night, Carlos told the press "I have a lot of time left here" and the coach more or less confirmed that, saying " I think Diego Carlos will be until the end of the season." It could be brinkmanship, but Carlos' buyout clause is a whopping 80 million Euros and Carlos is a lock starter for Sevilla. With the CL last 16 to come, they have no incentive to sell unless Carlos is prepared to force a move and there's been plenty of reporting that he was ruling that out. As for "better quality players", Leverkusen's Dutch LB Mitchel Bakker is rumoured to have started discussing personal terms already and if Lingaard and/or Martial are prepared to force a move, they can land either one one of them. Alassane Plea is also being linked to them (by Bild's chief football writer, no less) and Reims have publicly rejected a 35 million Euro bid for Hugo Ekitike.
They're short on time, yes, but they have the money and a hell of a lot of spending latitude under sustainability rules. If they can still get Carlos and Lingaard or similar (Brooks maybe? ) signed by Tuesday, say, you could see another 3 players deciding that the relegation fight looks winnable and trying to force their own moves
If Newcastle buys several good quality players and rises from the muck, Norwich then needs a new team to join them to make 3 (others) Everton is a possibility (not a probability). But maybe even better odds to look at is Brentford. Brentford has the same number of points as Norwich since October 15 (11). 3 months a long time. Brentford seems to have hit a wall/reality as a promoted club. Norwich beat them at Brentford and still have a home game against them. They know them well from the Championship. It does not appear Brentford has made any major purchases in Jan. Win Friday and beat Brentford head-to-head…then they ‘only’ need to be 5 points better than Brentford on all other games rest of year. Not impossible task Need to win Friday first @ Watford. A win against Watford puts them ahead of Watford in the table (and temporary escape from relegation zone). Between Burnley, Watford, Newcastle and Everton/Brentford - Norwich still have a small shot of escape. Burnley has a such a fixture backlog now- it is a real issue. They will have to play many weeks with mid-week games while opponents can rest for them for weekend matches. Good for Norwich.
This is spot on. The reality of "games in hand" is that they have to be won, which requires scoring goals. If you've just sold the only one of your strikers to hit double figures in a PL season more than once over the last five seasons, you're going to struggle. Put trying to squeeze 5 postponed games into a season that has only 16 scheduled games left is only going to make it even harder.
Norwich basically have to hit three aces on the flop. Burnley have 2 points in 5 games. If they get 2 in the next 5, they jump Norwich in GD. If they manage a shock win in 5, they jump Norwich in points. NUFC has 2 in 5. They need 1 pt in 1 to jump Norwich in GD. Watford are a point ahead and have 2 games yet to play. That's the worst for Norwich, obvs, as they still need to catch Watford at +1 (and GD) + any points they sneak in the next 2 games. Watford have 1 pt out of 5. Those 4 teams live and die as much on their opponents level of terrible as their own ability to sneak a point here or there. Norwich needs all 3 to hit the skids for a minute or they need to get very hot (for them)
Let me say this: First of all, kicking the ball and let the opponent finishing as a goal. Next step, kicking the ball and let your teammate finishing as a goal. Final step, kicking the ball and let yourself finishing as a goal.
Any credible ‘save Norwich’ scenario has them winning all these games in remaining: @ Watford (tomorrow) Burnley (home) Newcastle (home) Brentford (home) Pretty much have to take all 12 points in these games rest of season and a few more wins against lesser-type foes to have a shot. So that would be a partial (but not full) offset to what you noted. First things first- Watford!
Yep, not unpossible. Basically one of the 4 will end up with a chair. Watford controls their destiny, such as it is. Norwich gets a result tomorrow and the tables turn a bit.
Any of the bottom teams can beat a club much higher on the table that is not fighting for anything at that point... if the check clears.
Dunno. Pulisiic is a winger/wide AM who Tuchel like to play as a False 9 these days. False 9s aren't expected to to score, or even make assists really. If they do, they may not be doing their main job; which is pulling CBs and DMs out of position by moving between the lines and running every channel as the moves develop.