GWT: English Premier League: 8/13 - 8/15/2016

[Alex Jones]

Interesting the way City are playing a back three in attack. Have to wonder how long pep will leave that fourth guy back in December.

 

[Deficient Mode]

Interesting the way City are playing a back three in attack. Have to wonder how long pep will leave that fourth guy back in December.

Sagna and Clichy both playing as narrow pseudo-midfielders. Interesting stuff. Needs work though. Clichy seems a bit awkward there to me.

City's squad will probably face a lot of turnover in the coming weeks in the transfer market. Just judging from the players whom Pep doesn't seem to like.

 

[Alex Jones]

Sagna and Clichy both playing as narrow pseudo-midfielders. Interesting stuff. Needs work though. Clichy seems a bit awkward there to me.

City's squad will probably face a lot of turnover in the coming weeks in the transfer market. Just judging from the players whom Pep doesn't seem to like.

Doesn't work to me, city have not been the best at building from the midfield.

 

[Gooch]

If it helps anyone else, I found the game on CNBC. Never thought to check there.

 

[Live in the Now]

Sterling winning a penalty earlier in a game where City's shown little incisiveness, ho hum.

 

[Deficient Mode]

Doesn't work to me, city have not been the best at building from the midfield.

It started out well. It has been a bit of a stalemate since then. Yeah, if Yaya isn't good enough at positional play and pressing for Pep (as I sort of expected), then their midfield has a lot of question marks apart from a currently injured Gündogan.

And as I type that, Sunderland equalize. lol.

 

[S E P H]

Man I had to turn the game to the Doctor Who marathon on BBCA, it's like watching paint dry in a library having to listen to a Professor talk about economic principles of the people in the Ningxia province of China in the 1980s. Just brutal.

 

[Blender]

I would not be upset with another Sunderland goal.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Sunderland funnily strung 2 passes and got a reward. This should serve as a lesson for pep playing Kolorov instead of Otamendi

 

[StatesideSensFan]

I don't know if it's mentioned elsewhere but can someone direct me to where on earth these premier league games are being shown on Directv? The NBC has Olympics on all their channels and their spillover EPL channels appear to be showing nothing.

490s. I watched some of every game today

 

[Blender]

Sunderland funnily strung 2 passes and got a reward. This should serve as a lesson for pep playing Kolorov instead of Otamendi

Otamendi was pretty awful most of last season. He'd have to really improve over that to make much of a difference.

 

[Alex Jones]

Man I had to turn the game to the Doctor Who marathon on BBCA, it's like watching paint dry in a library having to listen to a Professor talk about economic principles of the people in the Ningxia province of China in the 1980s. Just brutal.

Actually that's a pretty interesting study in public private partnerships, especially in smaller communities.

 

[Live in the Now]

I know it's just one game but I've been thinking for a while that Pep will have to change his style to some degree. Lots of good counter attackers in this league.

Of course I think he will and I picked them to win the league.

 

[YNWA14]

Pep out! Moyesie the goat

 

[Cassano]

Classic Moyes

 

[Live in the Now]

Taking off Jermain Defoe, mark of a top manager.

 

[Blender]

I know it's just one game but I've been thinking for a while that Pep will have to change his style to some degree. Lots of good counter attackers in this league.

Of course I think he will and I picked them to win the league.

He doesn't have the same depth of talent he did at Bayern either, so trying to play the same probably won't cut it. Still, with how much this squad cost, there is little excuse for Manchester City not winning the title, or at the very least fighting until the end for it.

 

[Live in the Now]

Will this be the year that Sunderland finally goes down? They have barely survived a few too many times lately.

Moyes in.

Them, Swansea, and Burnley.

 

[Blender]

Uninspiring debut for Guardiola. Only the first game of course, but he needs the team playing better than this if they have any serious aspirations.

 

[Cassano]

Guardiola was winless his first two matches at Barca...

 

[Live in the Now]

Uninspiring debut for Guardiola. Only the first game of course, but he needs the team playing better than this if they have any serious aspirations.

It wasn't their best team. No Gundogan for one.

 

[Deficient Mode]

I know it's just one game but I've been thinking for a while that Pep will have to change his style to some degree. Lots of good counter attackers in this league.

Of course I think he will and I picked them to win the league.

I don't know that the EPL is any more predisposed to counterattacking than the Bundesliga. Certain aspects have remained constant across Pep's different tenures at Barca, Bayern, and City - the pitch divided into different zones with the players having set positions in those zones, organized counterpressing to keep the opponent from getting a foot in the game, emphasis on technical players, etc. - but at Bayern he was able to adapt his style to the great team that he was coming into. In contrast, the City squad was in desperate need of rejuvenation, and it looks like there are several key players and big signings from previous years whom Pep will dispose of, so he will ultimately be able to tailor the team exactly how he wants, whether it happens in this window or not. Just the glut of dribbling wide attackers suggests to me that he will carry over his Bayern style more than the Barca one.

 

[ghostnights]

Moyes in.

Them, Swansea, and Burnley.

Wanna make an avatar bet that swans stays up? No way they get relegated

 

[Live in the Now]

No, I don't.

But I feel like they've taken some enormous steps back and that Llorente is a below average #9 at this stage of his career.

Is Matip hurt?

He was but he's supposed to play. Really would prefer Klavan plays tomorrow given how he looked in preseason. Matip is more of an expansive attacking option because his range of passing is better, so Liverpool will be really aggressive.

 

[Blender]

It wasn't their best team. No Gundogan for one.

For sure, and it's his first real game managing them. Not predicting how they will do either way, just stating the obvious that the team can't play like this regularly and expect to win the league.