Premier League 2017-2018

Stray Wasp

Registered User
May 5, 2009
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South east London
If one knows where to look one can find the whole article online. I could post a translation here but I'm afraid it is against the rules to re-post material from behind paywalls.

The article is lazy and stupid. It would just be a bland recounting of the fact that Burnley are the surprise team of the year, a little bit of history on the club, some quotes from the team captain, some commentary on the manager (poorly researched at that, Chesterfield was in the FA Cup semifinal in 1997 not 1987 as the article says). The kind of blurb you might find on a random sports website. If it wasn't for the fact that it was 'enriched' with a bunch of stereotypes about the provincial English while written in as condescending a way as possible. The points about race and Brexit are pointless, they serve no wider role in the article other than to make it clear that we - the author and his readers - are supposed to look down on Burnley as a club and town.

30 odd years ago you may have seen articles written this way about African footballers, but it's difficult to imagine anyone today giving us their colorful impressions of the physique of Africans the way Duluc explores the supposed looks of Brits.

A serious and intelligent article perhaps would have explored the miracle that is Burnley being in the Premiership in the first place. A club from a small city that's been economically troubled for decades. No Red Bull, no sheikhs or Russian oligarchs in sight. What money there is comes from local businessmen. Burnley are perhaps unique among the rich man's toys and foreign investment holdings that can be found in the Premier League and investigating that is fine and could be the backbone of a solid article.

But almost everything that Duluc sneers at could also be seen as admirable and something to be emulated by other clubs. Duluc's negativity is solely based on prejudice and his own bias. While Duluc does not have to write positively about Burnley, we should be able to expect him to write fairly about them. He fails on that count in such a significant way that it's fair to conclude he's a bit of a knobhead.

I was ignorant of the rules about quoting stuff from behind paywalls, so much obliged for the summary.

It bears mentioning that a similar-themed article appeared in the Independent newspaper on 22 December 2017. I believe anyone can access the link below.

Burnley, Brexit and Britishness: how a club represents society's split

I know the site is queasy about politics (for understandable reasons), but I beg the mods' indulgence to make one point. You'd never guess from the above article- or indeed from UK media coverage in general- that the traditional power base of anti-EU sentiment in the country was southern England. Indeed, I wonder how many articles about Southampton mention the club represents a city that voted to leave the EU by a 7.5 point margin?
 

YNWA14

Onbreekbaar
Dec 29, 2010
34,543
2,560
Still think Liverpool will finish there or 3rd. They have the second best finisher in the league and just made a big improvement in defense. Also been really effective against parked buses this season.
Yeah, I think I had them 3rd before the season started but I don't think 2nd is out of the question. They've really improved against defensive teams, and with van Dijk coming in as well as our obvious depth I can see a strong 2nd half.
 

YNWA14

Onbreekbaar
Dec 29, 2010
34,543
2,560
So who’s your top 3 players so far this season?

Mine looks like this

1- Salah
2- De Bruyne
3- De Gea

It's so hard.

Like...I think Salah's start has been ridiculous, but he's doing what a poacher should. He's really important in the sense that we need that player who can finish and get into goal scoring positions consistently, but Firmino has been more important to our overall play and has been lights out this season. I can't really decide which of those two I'd say has been Liverpool's best player.

With that in mind I think KdB is much easier to pick out as City's standout -- though an honorable mention has to go to Sterling who has been immense, and has won them a ton of points on his own.

Then there's Kane, who is doing what Kane does. If you credit Salah how do you not credit Kane? Kane is probably more involved in other aspects of the game than scoring between the two as well.

Soooo with that in mind...

1. Kevin de Bruyne
2. Harry Kane
3. Roberto Firmino/Mohammed Salah

For now.
 

Wee Baby Seamus

Yo, Goober, where's the meat?
Mar 15, 2011
15,054
6,003
Halifax/Toronto
It's so crazy to me that we could have a season in which the leading scorer is at 18 goals in 19 games and he not be indisputably player of the season. And yet, here we are. It's easily been Kevin de Bruyne. I'm not gonna do an explicit ranking, but I'll do the top six (i.e. the amount of finalists for player of the year).

KdB, Salah, Kane, de Gea, David Silva, Hazard.
 

hatterson

Registered User
Apr 12, 2010
35,446
12,814
North Tonawanda, NY
EPL xG Table and Scorers for the 2017/2018 season | Understat.com

I know it's not the end all be all but it's certainly interesting that, based on how games have unfolded, Liverpool would be expected to be in 2nd.

Just a reminder xG seems to essentially ignore goalkeeper quality, hence why United has been consistently lower than their xGA and Liverpool consistently higher.

It also seems to ignore finishing quality as the large majority of tops teams are above their xGF every season.
 

Live in the Now

Registered User
Dec 17, 2005
53,236
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LA
Then there's Kane, who is doing what Kane does. If you credit Salah how do you not credit Kane? Kane is probably more involved in other aspects of the game than scoring between the two as well.

Salah has five assists in the league.

Kane has one.
 

Savant

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Just a reminder xG seems to essentially ignore goalkeeper quality, hence why United has been consistently lower than their xGA and Liverpool consistently higher.

It also seems to ignore finishing quality as the large majority of tops teams are above their xGF every season.
To me xG is an efficiency measure more than anything else.
 

YNWA14

Onbreekbaar
Dec 29, 2010
34,543
2,560
Salah has five assists in the league.

Kane has one.
Yeah but if you look at Salah's assists it's not like they're amazing for the most part. Often enough they're just a lay off for a tap in on an odd man counter or a cutback.

Kane participates more in the buildup and works harder against the ball.
 

Live in the Now

Registered User
Dec 17, 2005
53,236
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LA
So if anyone thought Cou was leaving well clearly not. At least Salah wasn't going to play tomorrow anyway due to fixture congestion and that should be the only missed league game.
 

spintheblackcircle

incoming!!!
Mar 1, 2002
66,278
12,216
Here is an interesting look at Burnley.

Burnley, Brexit and Britishness: how a club represents society's split

"The club has never signed a player from Asia or north Africa. Their only Latin American (goalkeeper Diego Penny) made just one league start a decade ago. Meanwhile, not a single Premier League minute this season has been played by a non-white footballer."

(since this article was written, Nahki Wells has played 2 matches)
 

bleedblue1223

Registered User
Jan 21, 2011
51,911
14,888
Here is an interesting look at Burnley.

Burnley, Brexit and Britishness: how a club represents society's split

"The club has never signed a player from Asia or north Africa. Their only Latin American (goalkeeper Diego Penny) made just one league start a decade ago. Meanwhile, not a single Premier League minute this season has been played by a non-white footballer."

(since this article was written, Nahki Wells has played 2 matches)

How many clubs are like this in Europe, I know of the Basque policy in Spain, but I am curious how many clubs value cultureish characteristics on how a player develops.
 

Savant

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Ragnar Klavan is the first Estonian to score a PL goal. Estonia is the 97th nation to score in the league.
 

couture23

Registered User
Jun 23, 2012
13,396
705
Toronto
I'm a bit biased as a Liverpool fan, but I think Salah is the clear favourite for EPL POTY so far.

De Bruyne would be right behind him, and then you can select a number of players from Kane, Silva, or even dare I say Raheem Sterling?

Also, how comically bad were Morata's misses yesterday?
 

TheMoreYouKnow

Registered User
May 3, 2007
16,415
3,455
38° N 77° W
Here is an interesting look at Burnley.

Burnley, Brexit and Britishness: how a club represents society's split

"The club has never signed a player from Asia or north Africa. Their only Latin American (goalkeeper Diego Penny) made just one league start a decade ago. Meanwhile, not a single Premier League minute this season has been played by a non-white footballer."

(since this article was written, Nahki Wells has played 2 matches)

A lot of this article was lifted by the French writer but this article is fairer, probably because it was written by someone with a bit more knowledge about the situation and less of a hyper-negative view of the British.
 

Wee Baby Seamus

Yo, Goober, where's the meat?
Mar 15, 2011
15,054
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Halifax/Toronto


Wenger was Weah's manager at French side Monaco between 1988 and 1992 but he is not sure he will able to attend.
"I have been invited by George to come to the day where he will be the President," he said.
"I believe I will be busy but if I am suspended (for his comments on referees) I will have time to go."
 

maclean

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Jan 4, 2014
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Wenger banned for three games for the W.Brom match, going into refs' dressing room and swearing at them. ...Anybody know whatever happened with Mourinho's antics?
 

Savant

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Wenger banned for three games for the W.Brom match, going into refs' dressing room and swearing at them. ...Anybody know whatever happened with Mourinho's antics?
It’s cool. He can go see George Weah now
 

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