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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (4 Viewers)

From the article Gianmarco posted in shaders LFC thread, it seems Henry and Liverpool are obsessed with proving to the world they're not a "selling club."  
Good.  They've got enough money that they shouldn't be.

Maybe it gets harder to sign guys to long-term deals, but it's not like Liverpool are competing directly with Real, Barca, Bayern for players anyhow.  So what else is 2013 Phil going to do if he's not ready for Barca and Liverpool offer him a fortune to play for them while they help him become the finished product?

And I'm totally cool with Southampton doing the same.  

 
January 2017:

Suck it up, Phil.
Yeah.  Pretty ####ty to sign an extension and then change your mind so quickly.  Much like Neymar signing a year ago and then trying to claim a loyalty bonus as he moves to PSG. 

Ultimately, I don't want players on the team that aren't happy being there.  I realize that is the luxury of being a Barcelona fan where it is easier to replace even star talent.

 
From the article Gianmarco posted in shaders LFC thread, it seems Henry and Liverpool are obsessed with proving to the world they're not a "selling club."  
It's a bit over-the-top. £138M or whatever was just a ridiculous amount.  

But I think more than anything, Klopp was legitimately astonished Coutinho out in a transfer request and the team never really identified a replacement.  By the end, they seemed to settle on Lemar, but time ran out on the window.

I totally get the "selling club" label that LFC are trying to shed, but I think they made a poor decision here.  They may never see that money again and will look like real idiots if they sell an unhappy Coutinho next summer for £70M.

 
With Clyne not being listed for the CL squad, Joe Gomez suddenly seems pretty important to Liverpool's squad.  He'll split time with TAA at RB and might be 3rd choice at CB, ahead of Klavan.  Even if they think he's the real deal, seems crazy they didn't address this in a year where they qualified for the CL.

January?

 
Welcome to Shader's post-international break EPL predictions!

The most difficult thing for me is to put aside all the bias that comes from the first three games and try and objectively look at the teams and what will happen. I honestly think trying to rank these teams is an exercise in futility but it's still fun!

1. Manchester United - First of all, they haven't played anyone.  So I'm not going overboard.  But it appears they've solved their offensive issues and are going to be as strong as ever defensively.  I love the Matic-Pogba-Mkhitaryan-Lukaku spine.  Very difficult to stop.  Still have no idea what Chelsea was doing letting them have Matic.  

2. Liverpool - I remain convinced that Klopp is the best manager in the league and he's added a few pieces that are turning Liverpool into an offensive machine.  While all the podcasts were all talking about the demise of Arsenal and focused on how pathetic they were, there was one piece missing.  They literally had no answers for Salah/Mane.  They simply could not stop either of them.  It seems pretty obvious that there's only one way to play against Liverpool - Sit deep.  But the speed of Mane/Salah won't allow that strategy to work longterm imo.  LFC didn't have a lot of trouble with the parked bus scenario last year until Mane left for Africa and then got hurt.  BTW, yes the defensive issues on this team are legit, which is why I'm not putting this team at 1.  

3. Chelsea - Team hasn't done much in the transfer window that I like.  I hated their Matic move.  Conte's long-term outlook at Chelsea is what hurt their transfer dealings, imo.  But still, he's an incredible manager and Hazard is about to return.  Chelsea will be just fine.  

4. Man City - Not buying this team.  They've spent a ton, but now you have a ton of young guys that Pep has to try and mold into a team and keep happy, despite a lot of bench time.  In Mourinho's world, he has an XI, everyone has responsibilities, and they can grow together and continue to gain confidence and experience together.  This seems to me to be the way that things are done at Bayern, Real Madrid etc.  Yet Pep can't settle on a starting lineup, has too many offensive pieces and the team seems to lack coherency.  I think City are a ticking time bomb as with all the money they've spent, they still aren't that great in central midfield, and aren't that great defensively. 

5. Tottenham - Extremely tough CL schedule.  No real home field advantage....Personally I think Tott have peaked.  They achieved 2nd place twice, and I think that was their window to win the league.  Everyone else got better, Tott didn't really get better.  I think it's vital that they get top 4 this year or else they will see an exodus of players that want out next summer, but I don't know if they'll be able to get it done.  It doesn't take much of a slip to miss top 4, so I'm not implying Tottenham isn't a VERY GOOD team...just that they'll just miss out.

6. Arsenal - I do think they'll start winning some easy games and get themselves back in the mix, but there's also a chance that this thing goes really, really south and Arsenal finishes in the 10-14 range.  They had a horrific transfer window, but at least they held onto Sanchez.  Whether or not Sanchez and/or Ozil can get motivated remains to be seen.  But things look quite toxic for this team, and there's only 35 games to go!

 
6. Arsenal - I do think they'll start winning some easy games and get themselves back in the mix, but there's also a chance that this thing goes really, really south and Arsenal finishes in the 10-14 range.  They had a horrific transfer window, but at least they held onto Sanchez.  Whether or not Sanchez and/or Ozil can get motivated remains to be seen.  But things look quite toxic for this team, and there's only 35 games to go!
I'll bet you one brazillion dollars this won't happen.  Other than that I agree with a lot of your post.  I'd put City up higher - just too talented, but I agree with your reasoning.

 
Good work Shader as always.

The CIES released a post-window transfer analysis today that has some interesting data, although no big surprises.  http://www.football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/mr/mr27/en/

No surprise that 2017 saw more massive increases in spending, particularly in England.

Specifically regarding Chelsea, I keep reading that the club didn't do much in the transfer market. I understand that sentiment, but the club spent over 230 million Euros! That's second only to ManCity and PSG in all of Europe. I understand that Matic wanted to leave based on Bakayoko coming in. He was a pro about it and in those cases, the club will let him go where he wants assuming a decent price is offered - they did the same with Cech, Lukaku, DeBruyne, Bamford, Bertrand, Challoba, Ake and others.  The only regret I have with this window is Chelsea could not find a solution for Diego Costa, so that's an ongoing headache that should have been dealt with.  Its probably a very difficult situation though, as he went publicly hostile with his negotiations, made clear there's only one destination for him, and unfortunately that club has a transfer ban and doesn't seem to want him as badly as he wants them. Its a pretty informative contrast this summer between Matic and Costa in terms of how a wantaway Chelsea player should conduct himself in order to get what he wants, even if what he wants is to play for a rival.

PL is poised for another entertaining season. Lots of mid-week action and should be a good battle for the league and the top 4 spots.

 
Good work Shader as always.

The CIES released a post-window transfer analysis today that has some interesting data, although no big surprises.  http://www.football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/mr/mr27/en/

No surprise that 2017 saw more massive increases in spending, particularly in England.

Specifically regarding Chelsea, I keep reading that the club didn't do much in the transfer market. I understand that sentiment, but the club spent over 230 million Euros! That's second only to ManCity and PSG in all of Europe. I understand that Matic wanted to leave based on Bakayoko coming in. He was a pro about it and in those cases, the club will let him go where he wants assuming a decent price is offered - they did the same with Cech, Lukaku, DeBruyne, Bamford, Bertrand, Challoba, Ake and others.  The only regret I have with this window is Chelsea could not find a solution for Diego Costa, so that's an ongoing headache that should have been dealt with.  Its probably a very difficult situation though, as he went publicly hostile with his negotiations, made clear there's only one destination for him, and unfortunately that club has a transfer ban and doesn't seem to want him as badly as he wants them. Its a pretty informative contrast this summer between Matic and Costa in terms of how a wantaway Chelsea player should conduct himself in order to get what he wants, even if what he wants is to play for a rival.

PL is poised for another entertaining season. Lots of mid-week action and should be a good battle for the league and the top 4 spots.
See...this is no fun.  The idea is you must HATE everything @shader posts, so your faux rivalry can breathe...sooo...I'm just gonna assume that "Good work Shader, as always"  was a sardonic, tongue in cheek, compliment...

 
From Reddit:

Joshua Kimmich from Germany, only 22 years old, just completed his 21st straight 90th minute game for Germany.

This ties Beckenbaur for second place and leaves only Berti Vogts as the one player who has played more 90 minute straight games for Germany.

 
See...this is no fun.  The idea is you must HATE everything @shader posts, so your faux rivalry can breathe...sooo...I'm just gonna assume that "Good work Shader, as always"  was a sardonic, tongue in cheek, compliment...
My entire post was just a ruse, a trap to fan the flames of the CM - @Kafka rivalry in advance of the CL group stages. This will be fun. I've got a plan.

 
http://fiftyfive.one/2017/09/us-soccer-federation-rejects-nasls-division-ii-application/

The USSF has rejected the NASL’s efforts to maintain its second division status, according to multiple sources. The seven-year-old league will likely have to drop down to the third division along with the brand new USL D-3 and National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).
I had the opportunity to go to the Cosmos game Sunday but couldn't. Watched part of it on TV.... poor crowd, especially for a holiday Sunday with decent weather. Some decent play, but nowhere near MLS level. I hope this works out- especially for my old team-mate- but it's not been trending well the last two years.

 
Good work Shader as always.

The CIES released a post-window transfer analysis today that has some interesting data, although no big surprises.  http://www.football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/mr/mr27/en/

No surprise that 2017 saw more massive increases in spending, particularly in England.

Specifically regarding Chelsea, I keep reading that the club didn't do much in the transfer market. I understand that sentiment, but the club spent over 230 million Euros! That's second only to ManCity and PSG in all of Europe. I understand that Matic wanted to leave based on Bakayoko coming in. He was a pro about it and in those cases, the club will let him go where he wants assuming a decent price is offered - they did the same with Cech, Lukaku, DeBruyne, Bamford, Bertrand, Challoba, Ake and others.  The only regret I have with this window is Chelsea could not find a solution for Diego Costa, so that's an ongoing headache that should have been dealt with.  Its probably a very difficult situation though, as he went publicly hostile with his negotiations, made clear there's only one destination for him, and unfortunately that club has a transfer ban and doesn't seem to want him as badly as he wants them. Its a pretty informative contrast this summer between Matic and Costa in terms of how a wantaway Chelsea player should conduct himself in order to get what he wants, even if what he wants is to play for a rival.

PL is poised for another entertaining season. Lots of mid-week action and should be a good battle for the league and the top 4 spots.
I get it...Chelsea DID spend money.  But there are a couple things.

1. Costa to Morata is a wash (at best) and that was a huge chunk of it.

2. Matic to Baka is a wash, at this point.  I struggle the most with judging midfielders so perhaps Baka is far better suited to what Chelsea want to do than Matic, but Matic is EPL proven and I'm not ready to call that an upgrade.

3. Zappacosta, Drinkwater, Rudiger....all really solid players that were definitely needed (I guess) to bolster the depth of a team that will now be in the CL.  It's amazing that a team with as many loaned out players as Chelsea actually needed that, but they did.

I suppose I'm being a bit harsh towards Chelsea here.  I'm just not a guy that jumps up and down over signings unless they are IMPACT signings, and to be honest I don't see a single impact signing.  Not a single signing that is going to dramatically change and improve the way Chelsea play, but then...they just won the league so maybe that's just fine.

 
CletiusMaximus said:
I finally watched "Concrete Football" on Netflix this weekend and can recommend it.  "Ballon sur Bitume" in French, with subtitles, about the street football culture in Paris, featuring Mahrez, Aurier, Benatia, O. Dembele and some cool french hip hop guys like Niska.

Trailer

https://www.netflix.com/title/80184974
is it better than the I Zlat doc (can't remember the title- but it was zlat-o-rific)

 
yikes, the off the field stuff for Orlando City continues to be ugly this year

=====================

Alicia Rose DelGallo‏Verified account @OSAliciaD

Orlando City midfielder Will Johnson has been arrested on a domestic battery charge, details coming.

 
Dortmund is on FS1 again this weekend.  Looks like they are giving us a healthy dose of Puli watching.  Hopefully he will play following the international games.

9:30am eastern

 
PL moves transfer deadline to Thursday before season starts - starting next season

Premier League clubs have voted to close next summer's transfer window before the season starts.

Managers have complained that the ability for players to move when the season is under way causes disruption to their squads and preparations.

From next season, the window will close at 17:00 BST on the Thursday before the Premier League season begins.

The vote was not unanimous and clubs will still be able to sell players until the end of the normal window.

 
PL moves transfer deadline to Thursday before season starts - starting next season

Premier League clubs have voted to close next summer's transfer window before the season starts.

Managers have complained that the ability for players to move when the season is under way causes disruption to their squads and preparations.

From next season, the window will close at 17:00 BST on the Thursday before the Premier League season begins.

The vote was not unanimous and clubs will still be able to sell players until the end of the normal window.
makes so much more sense. I never understood the current set up.

 
makes so much more sense. I never understood the current set up.
I suppose its going to be somewhat tricky with the other big Euro leagues open for business about 3 weeks later than the PL. I'm not sure exactly what that means in terms of strategy, purple dildos, etc., but I could imagine a smart agent using the much earlier closing date in England as leverage for a client who has several suitors across multiple leagues. Presumably, English teams will have to register players by the PL cutoff date, but will still be able to close outgoing transfers for an additional few weeks.

 
I suppose its going to be somewhat tricky with the other big Euro leagues open for business about 3 weeks later than the PL. I'm not sure exactly what that means in terms of strategy, purple dildos, etc., but I could imagine a smart agent using the much earlier closing date in England as leverage for a client who has several suitors across multiple leagues. Presumably, English teams will have to register players by the PL cutoff date, but will still be able to close outgoing transfers for an additional few weeks.
I wonder if this could make all the big leagues move up their deadlines.  Ideally, by August 5th or so all leagues would be done with transfers.  Time will tell.  

 
Van Dijk practicing with the team again.

A completely unrelated thought spurred by Deadspin's "story" on the Patriots today -- I wonder how much of my disaffection for American football and transition to futbol was caused by the loathing I have for the Patriots organization? 

 
5 dads and 5 sons going to the Fire v NYRedBull game tomorrow.

MLS guys - please tell me everything I need to know in order to sound smart about this game. I know both teams are in playoff contention and Schweinie, that's it. 

 
5 dads and 5 sons going to the Fire v NYRedBull game tomorrow.

MLS guys - please tell me everything I need to know in order to sound smart about this game. I know both teams are in playoff contention and Schweinie, that's it. 
Red Bulls have gone to a 4-5-1 (ameoba-type thing where the 4-5-1 actually becomes a pseudo 1-5-4).  As the numbers suggest they flood the midfield looking to turn teams over and then get the ball to Klejsten to send in a through ball to most likely Wright-Phillips (having another hell of a season), but they like to run at the backline in numbers.  They tend to push everyone up and leave Long one-v-one when there is a lone forward.  My sense from watching them against NYCFC is that it's fairly effective until the opposition figures out how to deal with (need to go over the top).  They also have Adams who is a U-20 and fun to watch as well (they move him around too much for my taste).

It's a fairly unique strategy that generally makes for exciting matches...they want to score and aren't afraid to put themselves at risk.

No clue on Chicago.  

 

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