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Premier League 2019/20 | Discussion Thread

Makes me kinda sick to my stomach seeing Liverpool run away with the league. The fact that Leicester is our only hope at this point just shows how underwhelming the other so called "big 6" teams have been compared to their usual standards.
 
WC-Passion said:
Makes me kinda sick to my stomach seeing Liverpool run away with the league. The fact that Leicester is our only hope at this point just shows how underwhelming the other so called "big 6" teams have been compared to their usual standards.
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Feel the same. City were really the only team that could have challenged them, but they've had injuries and as a result their defence has been woeful. Liverpool can't lose this now.

I am just shocked that for such a big club like Liverpool, this will be their first league title for 30 years.
 
Uzi said:
Feel the same. City were really the only team that could have challenged them, but they've had injuries and as a result their defence has been woeful. Liverpool can't lose this now.

I am just shocked that for such a big club like Liverpool, this will be their first league title for 30 years.
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We have never been minnows in this time. There are a lot of reasons but mainly the owners were terrible.

Its best for other supporters to wake up to the new reality. A lot of youngsters will not have experienced this but we are now back to the team we had in the 70's and 80's. Just hope we have enough room in our trophy cabinet. :klopp
 
Uzi said:
Feel the same. City were really the only team that could have challenged them, but they've had injuries and as a result their defence has been woeful. Liverpool can't lose this now.

I am just shocked that for such a big club like Liverpool, this will be their first league title for 30 years.
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City really messed up in the summer. I have no idea how they thought that they'd be fine not replacing Kompany. Bringing Angelino and Cancelo when you completely rely on Laporte for centre defensive solidity was bizarre to me.

I think Liverpool have been poorly managed as a club by their owners for years. When they finally build something, they either lose top players or completely screw it up with their manager. The yank owners finally decided to invest after they hired Klopp, who was a perfect fit for the team and it all came together.
 
The Premier League has confirmed that teams will be informed when their mid-season break will take place no later than Friday, December 20.

For the first time, clubs will be granted a hiatus in the middle of the Premier League campaign, with matchday 26 split across the weekends of February 7-10 and February 14-17.

Due to the draws for the Champions League and Europa League first knockout rounds not taking place until Monday, December 16, the Premier League is holding off on announcing domestic fixtures for February.

A Premier League statement read: "The mid-season player break will have the 10 fixtures of match-week 26, split across the two weekends of 7-10 February and 14-17 February, 2020.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Soccer/En...-confirm-details-of-mid-season-break-20191203
 
Superb win for Crystal Palace after being down to 10 men for most of the match.

Man City with a good win at Burnley too.
 
Liverpool pushed Everton manager Marco Silva closer to the sack and retained their eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a crushing win at Anfield which dropped the Toffees into the relegation zone.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, already missing suspended goalkeeper Alisson and injured Fabinho, still felt able to rest key attacking duo Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino from his starting line-up and win in comfort.

Liverpool effectively won the game with four goals in the first half - Sadio Mane creating two early strikes for Divock Origi and the recalled Xherdan Shaqiri.

Michael Keane pulled one back for shambolic Everton but Liverpool were soon back in control when Origi controlled Dejan Lovren's pass for a brilliant third and Mane got the goal he deserved when he crowned a sweeping counter-attack from Trent Alexander-Arnold's inviting delivery.

Richarlison took advantage of Liverpool's own vulnerable defending to make it 4-2 on the stroke of half-time but in reality Everton were never seriously in contention at any point.

Both sides missed chances in the second half, with the brilliant Mane and Everton substitute Moise Kean culprits, but Liverpool completed the humiliation for Silva and his team with Georginio Wijnaldum's low shot for the fifth in the final minute of normal time.

The question now, as Everton lie in the bottom three, is how long the beleaguered Silva can survive, with Chelsea scheduled to visit Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime.

Silva, 42, is suffering a slow, lingering demise as Everton manager - and this dismal showing is only likely to hasten his exit from Goodison Park.

This was a Liverpool side nowhere near full strength but the game was up for Silva and Everton once they were two down inside 17 minutes.

Silva's five-man defensive system was ripped to shreds, by Mane in particular, and it was no surprise when he removed defender Djibril Sidibe before half-time to introduce Brazilian attacker Bernard.

Everton were a team in chaos at times in the first half, with Sidibe, Mason Holgate, Tom Davies and Keane all arguing among themselves after Shaqiri's goal then Holgate and Lucas Digne also in animated discussion after Origi put Liverpool 3-1 up.

Director of football Marcel Brands cut a concerned figure at half-time, deep in discussion with fellow director Sasha Ryazantsev - and there will surely be more discussions among the Everton hierarchy post-match.

Everton did create some chances but never looked like ending a winless Anfield sequence stretching back to September 1999.

It is also the first time Everton have conceded four goals in the first half of a Merseyside derby since 1935.

Silva now faces an uncertain future - and Everton face what increasingly looks like a relegation fight.

Liverpool march relentlessly on

Liverpool continue their relentless march towards what will be a first league title for 30 years and this victory was a graphic illustration of the strength at manager Klopp's disposal.

It was Klopp's 100th Premier League victory - he is the second-fastest manager to reach a century in the competition - and it extends the Reds' run of 32 matches without defeat, their longest such run in top-flight history.

Liverpool, who lost only one Premier League game since the start of last season, were not even at full tilt or full strength and yet eventually overwhelmed their struggling Merseyside neighbours.

Salah was able to have the night off and Firmino and captain Jordan Henderson were only introduced as late substitutes as Klopp rotated his resources.

Liverpool's defence was vulnerable but their sheer potency in attack more than compensates, led by the world-class Mane, who tormented Everton all night and only blotted his copybook by missing two chances to make the scoreline even more emphatic.

And Origi is fast becoming Everton's bogeyman, scoring twice in the first half after grabbing that dramatic 96th-minute winner in this same fixture last season.

Liverpool were nowhere near their best, not that they needed to be, but this was an impressive demonstration of the power assembled by Klopp that has put them in such a commanding position in the title race.

Man of the match - Sadio Mane
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50568387.
 
Excellent 2 0 win for Newcastle.

Meanwhile Arsenal mess it up again, losing 2-1 at home to Brighton.
 
Managerless Arsenal's season plummeted to a new low as they were beaten by Brighton in interim manager Freddie Ljungberg's first home match in charge.

Alexandre Lacazette marked his 100th Gunners appearance by heading his side level after Adam Webster had given the visitors a first-half lead.

With the score 1-1, there was frustration for Ljungberg and Arsenal when David Luiz thought he had made it 2-1 with a volley but it was correctly ruled out following a VAR check for offside.

Neal Maupay headed Brighton's winner from Aaron Mooy's cross to leave Arsenal on their worst winless run since 1977 - and 10 points off a Champions League spot.

Where do Arsenal go from here?
Arsenal, who are 10th in the table, have now failed to win any of their last nine games in all competitions and fans who stayed for the final whistle booed their team off the pitch after a tepid performance.

Twelve years after his last appearance for Arsenal as a player, Ljungberg was given a chance to show fans inside a far-from-full Emirates he is capable of managing the club where he won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups.

It started well, with the Swede given a decent reception by the crowd, before rapidly going downhill as Brighton, who had lost their previous four away games, took control.

Ljungberg dropped Shkodran Mustafi from his 18 after last Sunday's 2-2 draw with struggling Norwich, yet Arsenal were still a shambles at the back.

Maupay had already forced Bernd Leno into a one-handed save when Webster struck from a corner after lashing home following Dan Burn's downward header.

Arsenal improved with the introduction of club record signing Nicolas Pepe after half-time and France forward Lacazette lifted the mood by climbing above the Brighton defence to head his side level after Mesut Ozil's first Premier League assist since February.

Yet the Gunners were short on confidence and ideas - while Mat Ryan produced a superb save at the end to frustrate the home side further.

The Brighton keeper flung himself across his line to keep out substitute Gabriel Martinelli as Arsenal, who have home games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United on the horizon, failed to win for the 11th time in 15 top-flight attempts.

The home side's night was summed up towards the end of the first half when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a go at team-mate Joe Willock after a home move had broken down.

More Emirates joy for Potter
Brighton boss Graham Potter was making his first return to Arsenal since his Ostersunds team beat the Gunners in the Europa League in February 2018.

Asked before the game whether he would be a Premier League manager if Ostersunds had not had a good run in Europe, Potter said: "Probably not. We all get to a certain point by doing something and everyone's path is different. Ostersunds was mine."

The Seagulls had given leaders Liverpool a late score on Saturday and, on a night to remember, they carried on from where they left off at Anfield to climb three places up the table to 13th - one point behind Arsenal.

Brighton's first Premier League win since 2 November was built on guts and determination.

While Maupay, who now has five goals this season, and 19-year-old Aaron Connolly tormented lacklustre Arsenal, Webster and Dunk were solid at the back for the visitors.

In addition, Potter's arrival at Brighton has seen them become a menace at set-pieces.

Seven of Brighton's last 10 league goals have been scored via set-piece situations.

Man of the match - Mat Ryan (Brighton)

'This is not Arsenal' - what they said
Arsenal interim boss Freddie Ljungberg: "We didn't show up in the first half, didn't work hard and want to play.

"Second half we had a word and were better but we are suspect on the counter and we have no confidence. I need to work on that and get confidence back into the boys.

"At half-time we said 'This is not Arsenal, we have to give it a crack.'

"We're in a difficult situation, we've lost a lot of games and the confidence has gone down."

Brighton boss Graham Potter: "It's a nice moment for us. It gives us a little bit of belief. It was a good game for us, not perfect but we showed real courage and belief.

"Credit to our players, they did what I think an away team has to do in terms of frustrating but it still takes courage from the players and that's what I'm pleased with.

"We dug in, I'm very pleased."
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50582066.
 
Watford: Nigel Pearson succeeds Quique Sanchez Flores as manager
Watford have appointed Nigel Pearson as manager until the end of the season.

The former Leicester City boss will take charge after Saturday's Premier League match against Crystal Palace.

The 56-year-old is Watford's third manager of the season following Quique Sanchez Flores' sacking on Sunday after less than 90 days in charge.

"Nigel comes with all of the experience and success we believe can have a very positive impact on our season," chairman Scott Duxbury said.

Watford's under-23 coach Hayden Mullins will oversee Saturday's fixture.

Flores was dismissed on Sunday following the 2-1 defeat at Southampton, with the side bottom of the Premier League.

He succeeded Javi Gracia, who was sacked in September.

Pearson last managed in the Premier League at Leicester but was sacked in May 2015 and replaced by Claudio Ranieri, with the Foxes winning the Premier League title the following season.

He has since had a five-month spell at Derby County, leaving by mutual consent in October 2016, and at Belgian First Division side OH Leuven, where he was sacked in February 2019.

"It's been a pleasure spending time listening to the passion with which he talks about the game," Duxbury said.

"Saturday gives the perfect opportunity for Nigel to be officially introduced to our supporters as Hayden leads the team in the quest for a very important three points."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50694065
 
Manchester derby: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Man Utd remain 'bigger club'

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still believes Manchester United are a bigger club than Manchester City.

City are well placed to finish above their rivals for a seventh successive season, which has not happened since the 1930s.

The Blues have won three Premier League titles since the last of United's 20 successes in 2013.

Asked before Saturday's Manchester derby whether he still regarded United as being bigger, Solskjaer said: "Yes."

The United manager added: "It's inarguable we are too far behind but what are we going to do? Give up? Not challenge them?"

In trophy terms it will take City a long time to catch United but, off the pitch, City are closing in on United's financial superiority.

However, City manager Pep Guardiola feels there is more to being a big club than purely silverware.

And he knows City fans who revelled in their side's underdog status two decades ago, when they spent four successive campaigns outside the top flight, have always thought of themselves as being equals.

"For United's fans, they'll always be the biggest club. For the City fans, they'll always be the biggest club. It doesn't matter if you have had a lot of success in the past, it's part of what you feel," Guardiola said.

"I learnt about Manchester City's history and in the bad, bad moments, the support was almost higher or louder than, for example, now.

"If you are looking at the trophy cabinet, [United] are better, no doubts about that. Numbers are numbers and in that situation they've lifted more titles than us. But we're trying to be there for as long as possible and for City fans, Manchester City will always be better."

Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, City have won seven derbies compared to United's three, while City have amassed a total of 91 points more than United over the past six seasons.

City are already 11 points in front of United this season, but Solskjaer said: "Our aim is to bridge the gap and eventually go past the teams above us. We have the resources and the people to do it.

"Since I came in, seven players, with loads of experience, have gone. We need to rebuild and change the culture.

"We need to strengthen the squad in depth and quality. When we get those players in, I am sure the gap is going to close. But do I look like I am going to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on players I am not sure of?"

For now, that means relying on fast, attacking players.

Former United manager Jose Mourinho said so after his Tottenham side lost at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Guardiola, too, has delivered a similar message.

"It's clear they are a counter-attacking team," he said. "When I remember the goals against Chelsea at the beginning of the season, most of them were on the counter attack, when Chelsea attacked a little more. Against Liverpool, the goal was a counter attack."
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50693901.
 
GOAL - Tottenham 3-0 Burnley
Son Heung-min
 
GOAL - Bournemouth 0-1 Liverpool
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
 
GOAL - Bournemouth 0-2 Liverpool
Naby Keita (44 mins)
 
Goal of the season contender... with bonus Arabic commentary.

<iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/f9ib0/lgrqbw" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Good win for Arsenal tonight 3-1 away at West Ham.
 
ELZjPhKXsAEEzRW
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The world’s biggest cricket stadium with a capacity of 110,000 spectators is taking shape in Ahmedabad and is likely to host its first international match early next year <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/J52BEzDQqe">pic.twitter.com/J52BEzDQqe</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1205835835440021504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
GOAL - Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City
Raheem Sterling (15 mins)
 
Ancelotti appointed Everton manager and will watch from stands
New Gunners boss Arteta will watch from stands as Ljungberg takes charge

Everton v Arsenal
 
FT: Tottenham 0-2 Chelsea
 
Last edited:
GOAL - Tottenham 0-1 Brighton
Adam Webster (37 mins)
 
GOAL - Tottenham 1-1 Brighton
Harry Kane (53 mins)
 
GOAL - Tottenham 2-1 Brighton
Dele Alli (72 mins)
 
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