There are few conclusions ive made so far. Liveprool is as good as last season and capable of going as far. City will score less points in the first half of the season than usual. I expect new cb in winter. This is their greatest challenge yet in epl. Arsenal will have similar season with few points extra won by Pepe,.. ocassionally. Chelsea will be stronger and stronger as season goes by. Will be inconsistent. Lampard is amazing and they seem like the first team that actually could close the gap to top2. Better than last season. Maguire and wan bissaka, phenomenal signings. Still far from 80+ points. Tottenham peaked for quite some time. They have no potential to make another step forward and challenge the title with this roster. Almost certainly they will overall have the worse season than last year. Leicester the best among the rest. Cant challenge top 6 tho.
They do miss Allison or a good back-up goalkeeper since they struggle to get clean sheets now, but since the 'expected goals' against is still low and they outperform this number according to understat, I give them very good chances so far when Allison is back. Only Manchester United is tighter but they don't have the same thrust and pressure going forward. Also noticed this from five days ago Maybe my Feyenoord bias but he's in his own country the most underrated player of the past 20 years in my book. So many important goals and assists for Newcastle, Liverpool and the national team. Including the back end of 2016-17 that made them narrowly qualify for CL football. Chelsea good odds for finishing 3rd I think. They do have some depth for that.
Why do you think he went under general public's radar? He scored 4 goals at one point, hasnt he? That is more like the game that sold him. Btw, i still think Liverpool will suffer some crucial injuries this season and fall of the track a bit.
You might be right about that, and none of those four goals were penalties. Only one other Premier League midfielder scored four goals in a single game and that's Frank Lampard (that was with penalties). He also produced goals against Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham that same season in the league (as an attacking midfielder). Okay, here some general thoughts that apply to a range of players, not only him. 1) Sometimes/often it is just not clear what he does. He can look 'invisible' though on MOTD of yesterday he looked decent/good (won the free kick for the 0-2 with guile and trickery). He holds the line and knows his tactical role but what is he doing. Past week against Newcastle he had a deft and delicate chip. 2) He can do many things quite well without excelling in a single attribute. The overall technical, physical and tactical package is fairly good but isn't exceptional in a single thing. His personal presentation for the camera is composed and neat, but shy and boring. Despite some remote traces of taking responsibility and accepting 'leadership', he isn't a man of opinions. 3) Rating players (what they contribute) is in general not easy. There are trade-offs (explosiveness vs stamina; technique vs work-rate) and they can suddenly become a 'different' player. It's what Guardiola says on De Bruyne: "Kevin sometimes is a special player. Sometimes he sees something the other guys cannot see. Sometimes I’m a little bit angry with him when he loses simple balls. How can he lose it with his quality?" (pundits in his own country have noticed that too). Or how the Matip of now, with security and single minded focus, is a different Matip as the one who played with Lovren, Klavan, Gomez. 4) He had some set-backs in his career (got injured in his second full season) and some coaches didn't know his best position. He was used as winger, central midfielder, shadow striker, full-back, tackling defensive midfielder but what is the best for him and his team? What is his role? Then he had the 'luck' Philip Cocu had a clear idea about this from 2013 onward and that made him 'player of the year' material in the league, won the league as captain (even then, not everyone was convinced). 5) Some valuable things only become clear over time. The 'big game' scoring (or not) is something you only see over time. It isn't immediately there after 6 months or one season. One goal against Brazil doesn't prove it, but a few more of those in a serviceable role starts to make a case. One goal in the EL quarter final (for PSV) against the later winner doesn't show a thing, but then there are successive CL semi finals with important goals. Same is true for a fine the correlation between team performances and his presence (he didn't start the Napoli game ). That's something you only see over multiple seasons, for multiple teams and clubs. 6) Without wanting to sound like Calimero: not the right nationality (example, before the player has played a single game) and also not from the Ajax academy or other academies with a strong reputation. He left Feyenoord for PSV at a very difficult time and the former club in chaos (he has since donated substantial money to the academy though, see his wiki page). 7) Falling in between two generations is always tricky. There have been some good players in the past (with strong ratings abroad, playing in continental finals, technically good, not an international calendar yet etc.) who fell between the cracks. With him also getting ignored or overlooked when the KNVB was in chaos (underused in the 2014-2017 years). Thus without suggesting he'll be a legend of his country (top 50 material) he is underrated in his own country in my eyes and he has had valuable contributions in the later stages of the Europa League, Champions League, World Cup, Nations League, as well as the qualifiers now and the league (the goal and three assists that qualified Liverpool for the CL in 2016-17, in the last two games). Btw, I think Chelsea will finish 3rd in the league.
I dont have much to add to the Wijnaldum case. Youve said it all. It makes perfect sense. ...If you could fuse Uniteds defense and Arsenals attack, you would get the 3rd best team in epl. I am not sure about Chelsea being the third best at the end although i think in a long run they have a chance to be great. Lampard has a lot to learn as a manager and his inexperience might cost them points this season. I see similarities between Klopp's first 2 years in Liverpool and current Lampard. He has the right ideas, but i think soon he will find out limitations to the such intense playing style. In other words, he will have to learn how to pace his team the hard way. Plus, he doesnt have the squad that has done it on the epl stage. As of the competition, weirdly enough i think United is finally on the right path with few proper signings, just that they have the lack of talent offensively. Daniel James is fantastic, but others are concern to me. West Ham has greater offensive talent than United. If Chelsea slips due to the inexperience, Tottenham is always there on their level so margin of error for Chelsea is too small for me to believe they can be 3rd this season. But hopefully i am wrong because i like that group of players and Lamapard.
It's a bit of wishful thinking and they have some weaker spots (with a transfer ban - also bad luck for players who are tied to them like Bournemouth's defender Ake) but my thoughts are: - If any club has a set of youngsters (or recall players from loan) to fill the void it is Chelsea. Their record in the FA Youth Cup (presumably the most prestigious youth tournament?) is fantastic, outstanding. - They have N'Golo Kante. While he's maybe not the most refined player, he is experienced and he plays for two. You play with an extra player if he's in and fit. He has been the most important player for Leicester, Chelsea and for France (in 2018). - Their defense is not that bad. It can be the 3rd or 4th of the league I think. Manchester United runs them close but they have not the same thrust going forward, so that's easier for them. - I like Abraham as a player. He's maybe shut down against the best defenses and in the Champions League, but note how he created a simple pass option yesterday for Kante, giving Kante the space to shoot. - Jorginho if properly used is one of the best deep-lying midfielders in the league. Interesting how Rodri has also struggled somewhat from a transitional/defensive point of view (and Fernandinho always needed a huge number of tactical fouls - the weight of the club?). - Ross Barkley losing his starting spot very quickly shows Lampard is a quick learner. Maybe I'm totally wrong but overall there can be a good spine with one of the best goalkeepers in the league, one of the best central midfielders in the league (who plays for two), one of the best strikers in the league. You shouldn't play too many youngsters (or too many senior players) but that looks good so far. I tip them to finish ahead of Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United. Of course, all those clubs can also sign players in the January window if they need to, but recent record isn't too glorious there. Lampard is inexperienced but he's not standing alone, and so far it seems he can do good substitutions (good second halves by his team) and is tactically fine. Kovacic, Pedro, Mount, Pulisic, Willian are useful and (for the most part) disciplined players around that spine in the center.
https://audioboom.com/posts/7376891-death-by-good-taste From 13:00 onward. The result wasn't there but Chelsea has looked good against good teams.
Nice article in The Times: "Georginio Wijnaldum would walk into any team When Liverpool launched an online vote for their star player of September yesterday, the torrent of replies celebrated the claims of Joël Matip, then Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk. Most of the team got a mention but there were few shouts for Georginio Wijnaldum. When the reviews were published after Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday, the news agenda revolved around whether Matip is “the new Alan Hansen”, the latest tributes to Van Dijk’s masterful defending, and admiring notices for Andrew Robertson’s flying block to deny John Fleck. The focus for Liverpool’s goal was inevitably on the goalkeeper, Dean Henderson’s, howler rather than on the scorer, Wijnaldum. Yet the Liverpool midfielder, 28, had typically taken up a promising position, lurking on the edge of the area for a clearance. His technique was good, meeting the ball on the volley, head still, his body imparting power, guiding it past the stretching Jack O’Connell, keeping it on target. It was Henderson’s name in the headlines, for letting the ball slip through his grasp, but Wijnaldum, quietly, had contributed. Again. Even if he rarely receives the headlines he deserves, Wijnaldum can never be described as “unsung”. The overjoyed reaction of his team-mates highlighted how much the softly-spoken Dutchman is liked as well as the importance of the goal. Liverpool fans constantly sing his name, and rightly so because of his influence and his passion for the team. Their No 5 came on to score twice against Barcelona at Anfield in last season’s Champions League semi-final comeback at Anfield. He then started the final that Liverpool won in Madrid. He loves the big occasion, scoring against Brazil in their own backyard at the 2014 World Cup, against Germany in Hamburg last month, against France last year. Big names, bring them on. Wijnaldum has scored five times in his past nine internationals. He should be fêted more. It is no exaggeration to venture that Wijnaldum could walk into any midfield in the world. His role with Holland is more expansive but just because he doesn’t repeatedly do the spectacular for Liverpool, it doesn’t mean that he’s not special. He is a player’s player, helping others to shine, creating as well as patrolling and pressing, and always a beacon of calm. He is in control. It is a testament to Wijnaldum’s professionalism that he enters the final two years of his Liverpool contract without any big hullabaloo about his future, without any lessening of his impact on the field, without any change in his positive demeanour around Melwood, the training ground. Wijnaldum turns 29 on November 11, so this will be his last big contract, but those who see him around the club talk admiringly of his relaxed attitude to the situation, trusting to Jürgen Klopp, the sporting director Michael Edwards and the American owners to make the right move at the right time. He’s busy taking care of trophy-hunting business. Wijnaldum is so important to Liverpool, to Klopp, to his team-mates, to the fans. He does not risk giving the ball away lightly, shielding it with his body when challenged, showing his strength and determination. He is so much more than the ultimate continuity man, simply keeping moves ticking over. He is the brains in Liverpool’s midfield as well as one of the dynamos, often communicating with Klopp, always taking responsibility, and the manager trusts him implicitly. Tomorrow should bring Wijnaldum’s 150th appearance for Liverpool since his £25 million move from Newcastle United in 2016. RB Salzburg are in town, and Klopp knows that he will need his most tactically sharp, industrious midfield players like Wijnaldum. Saturday should bring him a century of Premier League starts for Liverpool, in another challenging game, this time the visit of Brendan Rodgers’s vibrant Leicester City. Wijnaldum is increasingly Klopp’s go-to man. Klopp appreciates the straight talking commonly found with Dutch footballers. When omitted from the starting line-up against Barcelona, Wijnaldum spoke afterwards of his “anger” towards the German. In some dressing rooms and with some players, that could be construed as an attack on the manager, rather than simply a sign of the player’s professionalism — more hunger than anger. The Klopp-Wijnaldum axis is vital for Liverpool, conveying tactical tweaks from bench to team. Wijnaldum is hugely popular around Melwood, smiling, chatting away. He crosses friendship groups in the dressing room, knocking around with the South Americans, the English, getting on with everyone. In many ways, Wijnaldum is Liverpool’s new Lucas Leiva, the Brazilian who is still much loved after a decade of selfless service from 2007 to 2017. He leads by example, fronting up on and off the field, not only stopping and talking to the media in the good times, but willingly putting himself forward to be the dressing-room spokesman in defeat. After only his second game for Liverpool, the 2-0 loss away to Burnley in August 2016, a club official asked Wijnaldum whether “he would do the post-match?” He immediately did five broadcast interviews, dealt with the tricky questions adroitly and was thanked by the official. Wijnaldum looked surprised at the expression of gratitude. “You can’t just talk when you win,” he replied. Liverpool realised even more what a special character they had brought in. Wijnaldum is a role model, an inspiration to young players, somebody who rose from difficult circumstances in Rotterdam when his parents divorced and he moved in with his grandmother, Francina. Wijnaldum has never forgotten those who have helped him on his journey to the top. He found space in a crammed calendar last season to fly to Rotterdam to attend the 75th-birthday celebration for Wim van Hanegem, the Dutch legend who had backed him during a trying stage of his career at PSV Eindhoven. One of the many qualities that Wijnaldum offers coaches is his versatility, something that Klopp noted from early in his career. Wijnaldum’s intelligence and mobility allow him to play a range of roles. Shortly after he signed for Liverpool, the Dutch newspaper AD published a graphic revealing his tactical flexibility, going back to his days as a striker with Sparta Rotterdam Under-14s. He subsequently expanded on his variety act, listing the positions that he has filled in an interview with the club website, beginning by detailing how he also played midfield and No 10 for Sparta’s academy, then centre back in Feyenoord’s academy when moving there in 2004, as well as midfield, right wing, left wing and No 10. After moving to PSV in 2011, Wijnaldum operated as a No 6, at right and left midfield, as well as No 10. In his one season at Newcastle, Wijnaldum featured initially as a No 10 but also as a No 6, a No 8, right and left midfield, and left wing, also confirming how much he learned tactically during his brief period under Rafa Benítez. So far at Liverpool, he has played No 6, No 8 and, during an injury crisis, at centre back against Brighton & Hove Albion. He has served the Netherlands as a No 6, right midfield, No 8 and No 10. Blessed with a “total football’ education, the man for all positions is the man for all reasons. Wijnaldum deserves to be celebrated as one of the most effective midfield players in the world. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...-wijnaldum-could-grace-any-midfield-qc3vft7d6 ------- Quite fitting that when he won the domestic footballer of the year award in 2015 (in an overall more attacking role) the 'lucky and invisible' Clarence Seedorf gave the recognition to him. https://www.voetbalzone.nl/doc.asp?uid=255347
Maybe Tottenham is better when in form, but Arsenal and Manchester United are not imho. I still back them to finish 3rd.
Beautiful. For what it's worth I've been banging the Wijnaldum drum for years and trying to explain his worth and importance on the pitch to many people (yes, including on the Dutch boards) but he remains underrated. He is Liverpool's best midfielder and has been pretty much since he joined; he's not the type of player that will always get the recognition though and as long as he helps the team he's just fine with it. It was the same thing with Firmino...soccer fans are often quite shallow and if the player isn't making crunching tackles, mazy dribbles or scoring/assisting at ridiculous rates they don't often see what can make a player really special. van Dijk - Wijnaldum - Firmino are the spine of one of the best teams in PL history for a reason.
I actually dont like the article although i like the premise of it. The article is too cliche. They try too hard to romanticize the situation. Since Brendan Rodgers took over Leicester, february 2019, tottenham is 14th in the league winning astonishing 19 points. Leicester is 3rd behind the two. I dont see pochettino rising from this. It is probably the end of the era. Chelsea are clear number 3 in this moment, actually not far from Liverpool performance, but they will fall. Lampard took advantage of the initial positive shock that a new manager brings (just like Solskjear won first 8 games or so). Short term, i sense problems for Chelsea. Long term, i am absolutely with Lampard.
Thread series about possession and losing of possession: According to OptaPro’s Possession Value framework, @andrewrobertso5 has generated the most positive contributions in possession for Liverpool behind the front 3 this season, increasing his side’s overall goal probability. Width. https://t.co/m1wsuiZMlO pic.twitter.com/QY1g5NBGbV— Stats Perform Pro (@OptaPro) October 4, 2019 For all the EPL top sides.
Awful refereeing. I am not saying that CIty would have won, but they should have got 2 penalties and Fabinho's goal is not regular. Bernardo Silva touches the ball with hand than second later it touches Arnold's. If the advantage was called (which makes no sense to do in your own penalty box), then the play should have been stopped the moment it hit Arnold's hand and Bernardo's handball should have been called, which means Fabinho's goal is irregular. Sterling was clearly, and intentionally pushed by Mane from behind the back in the moment Sterling was about to cross the ball. Sterling fully had the ball in his control so the argument that the ball was going out of play is invalid. Penalty plus yellow card for Mane. I am not sure what is the rule in epl right now, but Arnold was hit in the hand one more time and by the new rules, any handball in the penalty box is disallowed. Penalty and not card for Arnold. Time to reflect on my thoughts months ago. CIty didn't cope well with injuries and their defence is clearly struggling. I thought it was impossible that Liverpool continues getting lucky in terms of late goals and all the little things that makes up the football match. But perhaps they are doing something that makes them appear lucky, but it is not luck, but courage or mindset or something like that. The similar situation to Real Madrid's threepeat, when being inferior in so many matches, they've managed to get the job done. Maybe there is something to their mentality, or they are simply lucky. They are widely overachieving in terms of the amount of points they've collected. It is still long way to go, so perhaps karma or something catches them. They are as good as last season, with perhaps a bit more experience, but they are not playing as 11 wins 1 draw team. I underrated the level of immediate impact Chelsea is capable of making. They are on par with Liverpool's and City's level this season. Liverpool and City proved to be able to keep it up throughout whole season, but it is unclear whether Chelsea will able to do so. Lampard is phenomenal. I love him, his attitude, passion and vision of football. He will be at the reputation of an elite managers in no time. Arsenal is pretty similar to the last season. Points may not exactly suggest that, but it is give or take the same unconvincing, full of conceptual problems team. Arsenal fans seem to want Emery out. I've been warning them about him since the day one. He is not the type of coach that can force a style of play upon opposition. He is too malleable, flexible, reactive manager to manage the top top team. He doesn't have a clear idea of how to play therefore potential of his teams are limited to what oppoistion allows. Pepe is yet another star from French league that didn't suceed in any of top4 leagues. Although he is not much to be blamed in this Arsenal team. Emery deserves 95% of it. Tottenham has some unpredictable problems from our points of view. What is going on within them is impossible to tell. They have quality for more. Manchester United was maybe a bit unlucky in some cases. They've improved defense for quite a bit, but it seems to take a toll on their attack. They are not having that great players anyway and Solskjear doesn't seem to have vision of this team that could play better, like Lampard has. United will remain competitive but not impressive. Leicester seems to be flying atm. It was a good call to name them the best of the rest, except they are even better. Rodgers is doing phenomenal job and the improvment was already seen the last season, but i was hesitant to predict anything more than 7th place for them, but i shouldn't have been. They are bit overachieving at this point. They are not as good as City, Liverpool, Chelsea, but they are well structured and it remains to be seen if their depth can keep this going. Top 4 seems to be their utlimate reach. West Ham disappointed me. They have much better squad than this, especially attack.
In terms of the ones where I might end up a significant number of places out this time with my prediction (the equivalent of Watford/Fulham and to an extent West Ham/Arsenal last season), it's looking like you pointed out a couple of them possibly to be fair (if things don't change much): Leicester who like you say you may even have under-estimated yourself but you did think would come above 9th anyway, and Southampton who based on the end of last season I'd felt 12th was seemingly quite realistic, but you did mention I remember that you thought they'd not be as high as that. It is looking like Chelsea can finish higher than where I put Man Utd, and Man Utd could finish lower than where I put Chelsea (4th and 5th respectively), despite the opening day result.
On the other hand when I was watching a game show recently I considerably over-estimated Leicester's goal scoring through the whole Premier League era! The contestant's task was to guess the 10 teams with the most goals (to the end of last season) and I was trying to think which 10 I'd go with too: I included Leicester rather than West Ham even though West Ham had momentarily crossed my mind and then disappeared out of it again - I think I'd still have guessed Leicester if I'd re-considered them though. I got the other 9 correct, as did the contestant even though he was even more out with Stoke as his final guess in West Ham's place! The numbers will have moved a bit but this currrent list from PremierLeague.com has the same teams in the top 10: Rank Club Stat 1. Manchester United 2,005 2. Arsenal 1,861 3. Liverpool 1,802 4. Chelsea 1,797 5. Tottenham Hotspur 1,565 6. Manchester City 1,409 7. Everton 1,370 8. Newcastle United 1,260 9. Aston Villa 1,134 10. West Ham United 1,078 11. Southampton 948 12. Blackburn Rovers 927 13. Leicester City 652 14. Middlesbrough 648 15. Leeds United 641 16. Sunderland 612 17. Fulham 604 18. Bolton Wanderers 575 19. West Bromwich Albion 475 20. Crystal Palace 435 Another thing I did when I made my Premier League table prediction for last season (and maybe I don't change it now) is an all-time English league table based on all of history (which I know could be done in a mathematical way, but I just attempted it based on general feeling and perception, factoring in all competitions, with more emphasis to more modern times, with some consideration of the peak quality of teams and of the players the clubs have had through the years etc): 1 - Manchester United 2 - Liverpool 3 - Arsenal 4 - Tottenham Hotspur 5 - Chelsea 6 - Manchester City 7 - Nottingham Forest 8 - Everton 9 - Aston Villa 10 - Leeds United 11 - Newcastle United 12 - Leicester City 13 - Derby County 14 - Blackburn Rovers 15 - West Ham United 16 - Ipswich Town 17 - Sheffield Wednesday 18 - Wolverhampton Wanderers 19 - Norwich City 20 - Southampton
I'd still say Liverpool are two or three injuries away from breaking down. We have already seen Liverpool misses something without Salah (though not vs Barcelona), without Van Dijk, without Firmino. The Liverpool directorate (not Klopp) has done some good scouting but the bench is still rather thin. Potentially also a Robertson and TAA are hard to replace (remember Milner as full-back? a yellow/red card waiting to happen). Alexander Arnold is still a vulnerable defender (as is the central defender Gomez/Lovren at times) and playing without a true holding midfielder can become a problem is there is a small lapse in physicality, concentration, discipline. Virgil van Dijk vs. Man City76% Pass accuracy5/9 Accurate long passes2/3 Tackles won4/5 Aerial duels won3/4 Ground duels won9 ClearancesJust because these performances are normal for van Dijk, it doesn't mean we shouldn't praise them. Excellent again, as per usual. pic.twitter.com/2qfUBCaAjn— The Tactical Times (@Tactical_Times) November 10, 2019 The pass from Van Dijk 🤤 pic.twitter.com/WrhHlxJAr2— T (@IlPhenomeno_) November 2, 2019 And that while missing training! The fixtures are piling up now, so let's wait...
At this stage it does seem like my prediction will be further away than last season's! I'd probably expect things to veer a bit more towards my original prediction for this season than they are now, but I guess I'll be more than 38 places away (adding them all up). Maybe this (which would be 38 places away again) is just about feasible, but it's not my adjusted prediction for how things will end up by any means! It's just an attempt at envisioning being as close as last season. 1 - Liverpool (would be 1 place out) 2 - Man City (1 place too) 3 - Leicester (6 places) 4 - Man Utd (0 places) 5 - Chelsea (0 places) 6 - Tottenham (3 places) 7 - Arsenal (1 place) 8 - Wolves (0 places) 9 - Everton (1 place) 10 - West Ham (3 places) 11 - Southampton (1 place) 12 - Sheffield United (6 places) 13 - Bournemouth (2 places) 14 - Newcastle (1 place) 15 - Burnley (2 places) 16 - Crystal Palace (3 places) 17 - Brighton (0 places) 18 - Watford (4 places) 19 - Aston Villa (3 places) 20 - Norwich (0 places) Unlikely to be this, or even closer to my original list I think!