Premier League 2021-2022

[IthacaMatt]

I played JV and Varsity in CNY. Been following USMNT since 2002 and started regularly following euro club teams in 2009. Of course played fifa all the time so knew tons from that.

Seen matches in Italy, Spain, and england. Euro stadium seats are too small for our american behinds.

So, you're saying luxury box is the only way to go, then.

 

[cusefan88]

So, you're saying luxury box is the only way to go, then.

Or I need to lose some pounds.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Yeah, I used to be a big hockey fan as a kid. We played street hockey down in the Valley. We used to go watch the Blazers, when they were other-worldly, just so so good.

I've caught myself enjoying NHL games when I channel surf at night. Really fast action. Lots of fun.

Ice soccer as I call it

 

[ImperialOrange]

This reminded me of some random things I used to find myself watching:

I feel like Charlton FC had their own channel on Time Warner Cable or something that would show their replays non stop in the evening/late at night.
Same with Hofstra football for some reason.

I'm from Pennsy so think it was FX or some obsure channel for me

 

[ImperialOrange]

Anyone watch Crystal Palace v. West Ham?

A pretty well played 2-2 draw. Connor Gallagher, a Chelsea loanee, twice scored to bring Palace back from a deficit on the road to equalize.

As I watched the game, to see how the young loanee fared, I noticed that old Palace veterans like Wilfred Zaha and Jordan Ayew refused to pass Gallagher the ball early on.

When Gallagher bundled in his first goal - Palace's first as an entire team in 3 games, and he barely got any congratulations from his teammates. ("Damn pampered Chelsea brat here to take one of our jobs. He thinks he's too good to be here., etc.")

Well, Gallagher's second goal was exceptionally well taken, with a striker-like pivot in the box, and thumping shot past the keeper.

He has quite a ways to go in the defensive side of his game, and just getting more involved. But maybe now his teammates will trust him a bit more.

Conor Gallagher studying new boss Vieira after idolising Lampard

Chelsea youngster Conor Gallagher has started studying his new manager Patrick Vieira and made a dream start to his latest loan spell at Crystal Palace

www.mirror.co.uk

Have to imagine the London rivalry is pretty fierce. Odd loan move for Chelsea honestly but you have so damn many talented younger players on the books.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Have to imagine the London rivalry is pretty fierce. Odd loan move for Chelsea honestly but you have so damn many talented younger players on the books.

They sold 120M worth of them this summer - paying for Lukaku, and another move to come. Out the door are defenders Guehi (20M) and Timori (30M), the young defenders from the Academy, and of course Zouma, too (30M). Three central defenders and they've got 3 guys out of. contract!!

Then you add Abraham to Roma (40M), they got somebody to buy Zappacosta (Atalanta - 9M), Victor Moses (Russia), Michy Batshuyai (Turkey). It even looks like they've got a loan to buy deal for Bakayoka in France, and Reading in the Championship took Drinkwater on a loan.

Calumn Hudson-Odoi may be sold to Dortmund in the next couple days (25M?). Ruben Loftus-Cheek may still be sold to West Ham for 15M.

Marina has done a tremendous job. I hear that Jules Kounde from Sevilla is supposed to be a 50M acquisition, and if they can get it across the line Saul Nuguez from Atletico (still only 25 years old!) on a loan w obligation or option to buy for 40M in year two. That's the sticking point, if that one gets worked out in time.

 

[ImperialOrange]

They sold 120M worth of them this summer - paying for Lukaku, and another move to come. Out the door are defenders Guehi (20M) and Timori (30M), the young defenders from the Academy, and of course Zouma, too (30M). Three central defenders and they've got 3 guys out of. contract!!

Then you add Abraham to Roma (40M), they got somebody to buy Zappacosta (Atalanta - 9M), Victor Moses (Russia), Michy Batshuyai (Turkey). It even looks like they've got a loan to buy deal for Bakayoka in France, and Reading in the Championship took Drinkwater on a loan.

Calumn Hudson-Odoi may be sold to Dortmund in the next couple days (25M?). Ruben Loftus-Cheek may still be sold to West Ham for 15M.

Marina has done a tremendous job. I hear that Jules Kounde from Sevilla is supposed to be a 50M acquisition, and if they can get it across the line Saul Nuguez from Atletico (still only 25 years old!) on a loan w obligation or option to buy for 40M in year two. That's the sticking point, if that one gets worked out in time.

Nice to have so many pieces to work with. I didn't see Tammy had been sold but I rate him highly after his time at Villa. Victor Moses... Don't get me started. I'm not selling Hudson-Odoi if I'm Chelsea, he's super talented.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Nice to have so many pieces to work with. I didn't see Tammy had been sold but I rate him highly after his time at Villa. Victor Moses... Don't get me started. I'm not selling Hudson-Odoi if I'm Chelsea, he's super talented.

I think CHO is kind of like Adama Traore of Wolves, in a sense. He's sometime electric with the ball and seems almost unplayable - but in the end, the end product is just not there - not enough goals, not enough assists, not enough key passes, not the best judgment, is what it comes down to. I would prefer to sell him and focus on Ziyech on that side of the field instead.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Nice to have so many pieces to work with. I didn't see Tammy had been sold but I rate him highly after his time at Villa. Victor Moses... Don't get me started. I'm not selling Hudson-Odoi if I'm Chelsea, he's super talented.

An embarrassment of riches, it's true. But we aren't spending money we don't have. We invest wisely in our prospects.

Among our current young attackers, I think that Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Lukaku and Havertz are going to be here for at least the next few years. I have heard them talk about Kingsley Coman, who would be a great addition; the proper level of talent to actually make a difference today, and not just constitute a bet for the future.

Werner is probably gone in the next window, back to Germany... I heard that Chelsea was looking at this 6-7 center forward Sasha Kaladjic, a more skilled front man than you might expect. Give me a group like that, and we are going to score a million goals.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Oh yeah, I forgot to put the year of that high school trip. I went on that trip in 2005, so no, I didn't get into soccer really until 10 years later.

Because in 1994, there was some history between the US and Columbia at that World Cup. You've probably been told the story, if you were too young to remember it.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Good topic. Played club, high school, played sectional ship in dome, got some individual awards, stopped playing for 10+years and for last three years play pickup every Sunday.

Never reallly watched soccer until was forced to when living in nyc with hardcore Arsenal fans.

I’m a Wolves and San Diego Loyal fan and deep into their fandom. SD more recent addition because of proximity and run ins with Landon. Wolves fandom for a while even before Premier promotion. Picked them randomly to piss off friends who wanted me to bandwagon top flight teams. Odd feeling Wolves starting 0-3 but feeling super optimistic with new regime.

 

[cusefan88]

An embarrassment of riches, it's true. But we aren't spending money we don't have. We invest wisely in our prospects.

Among our current young attackers, I think that Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Lukaku and Havertz are going to be here for at least the next few years. I have heard them talk about Kingsley Coman, who would be a great addition; the proper level of talent to actually make a difference today, and not just constitute a bet for the future.

Werner is probably gone in the next window, back to Germany... I heard that Chelsea was looking at this 6-7 center forward Sasha Kaladjic, a more skilled front man than you might expect. Give me a group like that, and we are going to score a million goals.

I watch a lot of Bundesliga. Kalajdzic is a solid striker. He is decent with his feet but I don't see him at Chelsea level yet. Best tall striker in the league currently is Wout Weghorst at Wolfsburg. They have a sneaky good team (including US defender John Brooks).

 

[creatorsgam]

Odd feeling Wolves starting 0-3 but feeling super optimistic with new regime.

They will finish top-half of the table for sure, IMO. Should have earned a result vs. my Red Devils Sunday. Deserved all 3 points from it to be honest… it can be a cruel game.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Nuno has set them up in a narrow defensive structure - a Christmas Tree formation. It makes teams play wide against them while Spurs control the midfield.

It's a solid foundation that mask their weaknesses. Their midfield looks a little light in quality / numbers right now to last all season in that formation, but this bunches them up in the middle to make up for lack of elite quality among some of them with tactics and numbers.

But they are off to an excellent start.

Is that the technical explanation for "park the bus" ?

 

[IthacaMatt]

Is that the technical explanation for "park the bus" ?

Well, Nuno certainly isn't Tony Pulis.

 

[creatorsgam]

Well, Nuno certainly isn't Mourinho at Chelsea circa 2004.

Fixed.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Ok. That's it. Talk in American sports insider language, not premier league, you cheeky feckers.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Fixed.

Mourinho's teams let in less than half a goal a game, but they hardly parked the bus.

His teams scored tons of goals. His Chelsea teams score 75 goals or so every year, while only letting in 20 or so. In Madrid, his team was the first to tally 100 goals in a La Liga season.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Chelsea with a deadline day steal - Saul Niguez on loan from Atletico Madrid. Modest loan fee and only an option to buy, not an obligation.

With Jules Kunda, we had a verbal agreement on a 50M Euro price, which is what prompted the Zouma sale to West Ham, and then Sevilla's management tried to squeeze an extra 15M out of Chelsea, so Marina walked.

That's OK. That means that we'll actually play Chalobah this year. This team is in very good shape.

 

[creatorsgam]

Mourinho's teams let in less than half a goal a game, but they hardly parked the bus.

He used the tactic against strong sides.

Also might have coined the term.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Chelsea with a deadline day steal - Saul Niguez on loan from Atletico Madrid. Modest loan fee and only an option to buy, not an obligation.

With Jules Kunda, we had a verbal agreement on a 50M Euro price, which is what prompted the Zouma sale to West Ham, and then Sevilla's management tried to squeeze an extra 15M out of Chelsea, so Marina walked.

That's OK. That means that we'll actually play Chalobah this year. This team is in very good shape.

As a Liverpool fan, this last Chelsea move really pisses me off. Liverpool had been connected to Saul earlier in the window and didn't get him and now one of their rivals got him at a very reasonable price.

What is Liverpool doing? Spent less than 19 premier league teams and 4 championship league teams? They have an aging, injury prone squad with a steep drop-off after the top 13 or so. I am not one to knock ownership, but, unlike Chelsea, the team is in very bad shape. Liverpool will probably finish top 4, only because I still think there is a drop-off between Liverpool and the rest of the pack... no other team below the top 4 has players the quality of Salah, TAA, VVD, Allison, Robertson, Fabhino, etc... But I will say Tottenham comes close and is playing much better than I gave them credit for. After this year, if Salah leaves, Liverpool becomes Arsenal or Tottenham. Really bad and short sighted team building from FSG.

 

[IthacaMatt]

He used the tactic against strong sides.

Also might have coined the term.

Fair enough. He also was an expert at winning games 1-0. If they scored first, his teams never gave up leads.

 

[creatorsgam]

Fair enough. He also was an expert at winning games 1-0. If they scored first, his teams never gave up leads.

Yep. Wasn’t a bad strategy, it was a winning strategy.

Love Jose… when he is coarse with the media, it tends to be humorous. Rarely a dull moment with him.

 

[cusefan88]

If I had come into the PL a few years later I'd probably be a Chelsea or Liverpool supporter when I "picked" a team. Unfortunately I was enchanted by Henry and the young kid Cesc Fabregas. Alas...Arsenal has slowly gotten worse and worse.

 

[IthacaMatt]

If I had come into the PL a few years later I'd probably be a Chelsea or Liverpool supporter when I "picked" a team. Unfortunately I was enchanted by Henry and the young kid Cesc Fabregas. Alas...Arsenal has slowly gotten worse and worse.

Well, you got to see the top of the mountain ...