LOLiverpooLOL - Next Season

[No Fixed Abode]

I quite like some of the Liverpool players but the club and fans are so utterly appalling that I can't wish for anything other than catastrophic defeat.

Agreed. Massive punch up between Liverpool fans and Seville fans before KO last night too.

[Pepe the Horseman]

The kit looks good on me too. Come on you crispymen!

It'd look better on my bedroom floor x

[genome]

[No Fixed Abode]

[No Fixed Abode]

BT Sport don't seem to be showing too many repeats of the Europa League final.

[BR2]

Will we now finally no longer hear football people (managers, players, pundits, fans) spouting the usual rubbish about the grossly over-rated Premier League being the "best" in the world.
I doubt it but one can hope.

[Handsome Man]

Will we now finally no longer hear football people (managers, players, pundits, fans) spouting the usual rubbish about the grossly over-rated Premier League being the "best" in the world.
I doubt it but one can hope.

It's the best to watch in the world. And Liverpool's struggles on Wednesday were mainly due to them paying £12 million for a Championship quality left back from Spain. If our league was so poor then why don't more of the expensive foreign signings do well here.

[No Fixed Abode]

Always the victims it's never your fault. Charged by UEFA AGAIN.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36345440

[genome]

I can understand planning and forewarning a potential parade.

This however...

[Hoop Blah]

That's pretty standard too isn't it?

Tat sellers all over the place print such things ahead of teams winning things.

I know it's kind of funny, but it's not exactly ground breaking is it?

[No Fixed Abode]

Yeah. Pretty inconsequential when you see that punch up in Basel. Strange thing to do when Liverpool fans are always championing crowd safety. Who's fault was it this time?

[BR2]

Will we now finally no longer hear football people (managers, players, pundits, fans) spouting the usual rubbish about the grossly over-rated Premier League being the "best" in the world.
I doubt it but one can hope.

It's the best to watch in the world. And Liverpool's struggles on Wednesday were mainly due to them paying £12 million for a Championship quality left back from Spain. If our league was so poor then why don't more of the expensive foreign signings do well here.

But they do.
The likes of Zola, Bergkamp and Henry who were all brilliant in our football had done poorly or just got older in Italy but were outstanding in The Premier League.
More recently Sanchez , such a star at Arsenal, couldn't hold down a place at Barcelona.
Martial, one of your expensive signings has done rather well as have Silva, Mata Aguero et al.

There are many examples of successes and failures-my view is that defending in the Premier League is so poor that many attacking players can fill their boots.
I prefer watching La Liga to the overhyped Premier League and recent results in Europe show it to be the best league but if people prefer watching our league then so be it.

[Hoop Blah]

I think the Premier League is still the most competitive and entertaining football to watch, but then obviously it's what I'm used to watching so my taste is tuned into it. I do still enjoy the physicality and pace of the league over the other main leagues too, although I'm not sure it's as distinct a difference as it might've been in the past

The top two in Spain, or top 3 I guess as Athletico are going so well at the moment, are better than any of our sides over the last few years but I'd take the likes of Stoke, West Ham or Chelsea to beat their equivalent mid table teams in La Liga in a league competition.

As for players, it's very noticeable that a lot of foreigners struggle to adapt to the pace of the game over here. At least 2 of the 3 you mention BR struggled to start with. Many more just struggle full stop, and that covers burly defenders as well as graceful attackers who get less time on the ball here.

[Sanguine]

On defenders - Mangala (who looked an absolute beast for Porto too) is a prime example.

Atletico's defence gets constant priase, Simeone has them drilled into a brilliant unit - but Felipe Luis of course struggled at Chelsea to cement a place in the team, and Stefan Savic looked like anything but a footballer at City. On the other side of the coin, Toby Alderweireld has been excellent at the back for Spurs - although maybe his apprenticeship at Southampton did him well ahead of his permanent move from Spain.

[stealthpapes]

The top two in Spain, or top 3 I guess as Athletico are going so well at the moment, are better than any of our sides over the last few years but I'd take the likes of Stoke, West Ham or Chelsea to beat their equivalent mid table teams in La Liga in a league competition.

I'd say the exact opposite. Whenever an English team has faced an equivalent Spanish/German/Italian side in Europe outside of the Champions League, they get comfortably beaten.


Also - rofl

[stealthpapes]

There are many examples of successes and failures-my view is that defending in the Premier League is so poor that many attacking players can fill their boots.

I have some sympathy with this.

As for players, it's very noticeable that a lot of foreigners struggle to adapt to the pace of the game over here. At least 2 of the 3 you mention BR struggled to start with. Many more just struggle full stop, and that covers burly defenders as well as graceful attackers who get less time on the ball here.

But I also agree with this - the counter is often true, of course - most English players can't cope with the style of the continental leagues.

[Hoop Blah]

The top two in Spain, or top 3 I guess as Athletico are going so well at the moment, are better than any of our sides over the last few years but I'd take the likes of Stoke, West Ham or Chelsea to beat their equivalent mid table teams in La Liga in a league competition.

I'd say the exact opposite. Whenever an English team has faced an equivalent Spanish/German/Italian side in Europe outside of the Champions League, they get comfortably beaten.


Also - rofl

I think that's why I put in the caveat about a league competition. One off cup games, often under European referring, has probably seen them coming out on top more frequently yes, although I think that's more the top few sides than the mid-table and bottom half sides (maybe West Ham wasn't the best example of a mid-table team this season).

There are many examples of successes and failures-my view is that defending in the Premier League is so poor that many attacking players can fill their boots.

I have some sympathy with this.

As for players, it's very noticeable that a lot of foreigners struggle to adapt to the pace of the game over here. At least 2 of the 3 you mention BR struggled to start with. Many more just struggle full stop, and that covers burly defenders as well as graceful attackers who get less time on the ball here.

But I also agree with this - the counter is often true, of course - most English players can't cope with the style of the continental leagues.

I'd absolutely agree with the comments about defending in the Premier League the last 3-5 years. So few teams look like they want to actually defend it's become a lost art really.

In terms of the players, I think it's largely a horses for courses thing. Any transfer is a bit of a gamble and many players moving just down the road don't settle at a new club. Moving country, culture and then into a different style of football just makes that more of a gamble and I wasn't meaning that was a reason for the Premier League being better as such, more that it's just different.

[Hoop Blah]

I'd say the exact opposite. Whenever an English team has faced an equivalent Spanish/German/Italian side in Europe outside of the Champions League, they get comfortably beaten.

I was just thinking about this, in terms of the UEFA Cup.

2016
Spurs beat Fiorentina, then got stuffed by Dortmand but played a reserve team
Liverpool beat Dortmand and Villareal (easily from memory) but then lost to Seviila
United didn't play anyone
West Ham & Southampton got knocked out by nobodies though

2015
Only Spurs played a decent side in the knockout stages, Fiorentina, and got knocked out!
Liverpool and Everton lost to Besiktas and Kiev respectively but Everton stuffed Wolfsburg 4-1 and 2-0 in the league stages

2014
Swansea lost to Napoli in the knockout but beat Valencia 3-0 in the groups, also losing 1-0
Spurs lost to Benfica

2013
Spurs beat Inter in the knockouts, then lost to Basel, drew 0-0 twice with Lazio in the groups
Chelsea won it, but didn't play anyone from the big leagues
Newcastle lost to Benfica
Liverpool lost to Udinese in the groups, but beat them as well, before losing to Zenit in the knockout

All in all I think that's a decent record against the other big league teams. Where we seem to struggle more in the UEFA is beating the top teams from the so called weaker leagues, so your Benfica's, Besiktas', Zenits and Kievs.

[stealthpapes]

Fair enough, I get the feeling that the caveat "but played a reserve team" comes up too often as well.

[No Fixed Abode]

2013

Chelsea won it