Premier League 2018-2019

[Jersey Fresh]

In completely shocking news, Jack Wilshire is getting ankle surgery and will be out 6 weeks.

 

[Blender]

You did.... otherwise why bring up money spent?

I was criticizing Pep for his sudden criticism of the EPL after having to spend two years overhauling what was already the most expensive club in the league. If he had again failed to win the league like his first season, he wouldn't dare toss stuff like this out there. That isn't saying he needs to win the league with a weak club to prove his point, but his point rings pretty hollow when managing one of the most expensive squads in the world.

 

[Evilo]

You guys know how I hate Gerard Houllier for his behaviour in 1993.
Still he knows a thing or two about football, there's no denying that.

When asked about the best player he coached, he said Steven Gerard had everything, except a little weakness in the air. Added that nobody realized he was as fast as Michael Owen. That did indeed surprise me.
But he said the best player, talent wise, wasn't Gerard but Safet Susic (@Power Man knows him). I was surprised he admitted that because he's a short lived legend (in terms of peak).

He also added a name : Juninho.

 

[HoseEmDown]

You implied it with the whole most expensive side ever. He's definitely not a prophet but he is the best coach in the world there's no argument for anyone else really. And the EPL isn't as great as what people make it out to be. These aren't mutually exclusive.



Sevilla would beat anyone not named City or LFC regularly. And they are 5th best in la liga.



More like 15 place team in Spain has a better chance of beating the top teams in the EPL than the 15th place in the English league does. Despite less money or "talent"

Didn't Leicester beat Sevilla head to head in the knockout stages not too long ago? The same Leicester who had sold their best player and who everyone thought wouldn't even make it out of their group. They gave Athletico all they could handle the next round too. Leicester outside of that one season isn't even a top 7 club.

 

[Il Mediano]

When asked about the best player he coached, he said Steven Gerard had everything, except a little weakness in the air. Added that nobody realized he was as fast as Michael Owen. That did indeed surprise me.

Damn, Owen was lightning before his injuries. That surprises me as well.

Gerrard was incredible , it's kinda crazy how far the "he didn't win the league" talk can take some people's opinions. I used to think it was mainly just banter , but I still hear people say things like that today. I mean...as if the guy wouldn't have started on any team that won the league in his prime.

I didn't get to catch much of Juninho, tbh. I've seen plenty of videos of his legendary free kicks , though.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

I was criticizing Pep for his sudden criticism of the EPL after having to spend two years overhauling what was already the most expensive club in the league. If he had again failed to win the league like his first season, he wouldn't dare toss stuff like this out there. That isn't saying he needs to win the league with a weak club to prove his point, but his point rings pretty hollow when managing one of the most expensive squads in the world.

Nah what he says about football should never be considered hallow. He got in his players and dominated the league like no other. There's nothing to it really.

Didn't Leicester beat Sevilla head to head in the knockout stages not too long ago? The same Leicester who had sold their best player and who everyone thought wouldn't even make it out of their group. They gave Athletico all they could handle the next round too. Leicester outside of that one season isn't even a top 7 club.

Ruben Kazan and Celtic beat Barca... results happen. What Sevilla did to Manu that day goes beyond the scoreboard.

 

[Gecklund]

Nah what he says about football should never be considered hallow. He got in his players and dominated the league like no other. There's nothing to it really.



Ruben Kazan and Celtic beat Barca... results happen. What Sevilla did to Manu that day goes beyond the scoreboard.

I think you mean what Mou did to United. Sevilla played well but Mou didn’t have any attacking players on until the end. Once he brought those players on they dominated Sevilla and they were unlucky not to get at least a goal.

 

[KJS14]

Sevilla would beat anyone not named City or LFC regularly. And they are 5th best in la liga.

La Liga is better, but not this.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

I think you mean what Mou did to United. Sevilla played well but Mou didn’t have any attacking players on until the end. Once he brought those players on they dominated Sevilla and they were unlucky not to get at least a goal.

Again so very typical.

You had Sanchez,Lukaku, Mata, Young and Herera who was replaced by Pogba at the 17th minute.

Second leg you started with Lukaku, Sanchez,Young,Rashford and Lingard. Pogba comes on at the 60th minute. Nothing was decided up until that moment in fact the tie was 0-0. Both Sevilla's goals come on after that waste of space Muriel comes off and Yedder comes on in the 72 minute who pots in a brace. The whole board was screaming for that sub, painfully obvious Muriel was one of the biggest reason(along with DDG) that scoreline wasn't embarrassing for Manu. Please spare me the revisionism.

 

[les Habs]

1. More TV money than rest of Europe.
2. More money leads to more talented players (except if a team is completely inept).
3. More talent leads to better parity.
4. More parity leads to higher chance of underdogs preforming well against better teams.
5. ?????? (aka Leicester City winning the league).
6. Best overall league in the world (La Liga still have the best teams though).

1 Which has meant very little thus far.
2 So 90% of the Premiership is completely inept then.
3 So the lack of parity in the Premiership proves I'm correct with the above reply.
4 Again, you actually need parity first.
5 The exception that proves the rule. Actually down to a number of circumstances.
6 Still no, after all these years.

Also, I'd like to say, comparing leagues by how teams from each respective country do against each other in European knockout competitions is an argument full of holes. Roma, for instance, is not better than Barcelona even though we knocked them out. Therefore, it is not indicative of Serie A's superiority over La Liga.

Totally agree, but it can also be quite indicative.

 

[Cassano]

I think you mean what Mou did to United. Sevilla played well but Mou didn’t have any attacking players on until the end. Once he brought those players on they dominated Sevilla and they were unlucky not to get at least a goal.

Sevilla were unlucky not to put tie away in first leg bro. If they played Ben Yedder from the start it could've been a rout like D2M says.

 

[Gecklund]

Again so very typical.

You had Sanchez,Lukaku, Mata, Young and Herera who was replaced by Pogba at the 17th minute.

Second leg you started with Lukaku, Sanchez,Young,Rashford and Lingard. Pogba comes on at the 60th minute. Nothing was decided up until that moment in fact the tie was 0-0. Both Sevilla's goals come on after that waste of space Muriel comes off and Yedder comes on in the 72 minute who pots in a brace. The whole board was screaming for that sub, painfully obvious Muriel was one of the biggest reason(along with DDG) that scoreline wasn't embarrassing for Manu. Please spare me the revisionism.

To be honest, I don't remember the game exactly. Also Young and Sanchez don't really count cause they were both trash. Same with Mata and Herrera. All of them were playing defensively or just awful. What I remember is that we were severely lacking in attack and then I think it was Martial that came on and changed things for United. I definitely could be wrong though. But yeah Young and Herrera definitely shouldn't be included. Mata okay maybe but he's still trash and Alexis is just now starting to find his form with us.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

To be honest, I don't remember the game exactly. Also Young and Sanchez don't really count cause they were both trash. Same with Mata and Herrera. All of them were playing defensively or just awful. What I remember is that we were severely lacking in attack and then I think it was Martial that came on and changed things for United. I definitely could be wrong though. But yeah Young and Herrera definitely shouldn't be included. Mata okay maybe but he's still trash and Alexis is just now starting to find his form with us.

My dude this makes absolutely no sense. I can't count you best players because they played poorly? If that's the case then anyone who wins isn't that good the opponent just played worse.

Martial came on the 80th minute in the first leg and 77th minute in the second leg when Man U was already on the brink of elimination and desperate for 2 goals. So, it's only natural for Sevilla to sit back and Manu to attack.

The fact remains Sevilla emasculated the 2nd best team in the EPL. Then put up a great fight against Munich where they could've advanced again.

 

[Gecklund]

My dude this makes absolutely no sense. I can't count you best players because they played poorly? If that's the case then anyone who wins isn't that good the opponent just played worse.

Martial came on the 80th minute in the first leg and 77th minute in the second leg when Man U was already on the brink of elimination and desperate for 2 goals. So, it's only natural for Sevilla to sit back and Manu to attack.

The fact remains Sevilla emasculated the 2nd best team in the EPL. Then put up a great fight against Munich where they could've advanced again.

Young is a fullback. You definitely can't count him as an offensive player. Herrera is a 6/8 not an offensive player. Mata under Mou is an 8, not an all out offensive player. Alexis was meant to be an offensive player but he was trash. Now I'm not saying you're wrong at all. Just different perceptions of the game. I entirely agree that La Liga is a step ahead of the PL. Hell I think the BL is on par with the PL and I'm a fan of a PL team.

 

[Il Mediano]

Spanish clubs are just more well run than English clubs. In fact, Spanish clubs might be the best run clubs of all the major European leagues, with Germany and France being the next in line.

It also helps that Spain has far better domestic youth and is willing to play them. It seems England has a new strong wave of young talent coming , but for years, Spain destroyed them in this regard.

This domestic youth allows clubs to fill their rosters with cheap, quality talent, and establish a culture/ethos. All these factors , combined with a higher standard of coaching (imo), contribute to them closing the wealth gap between them and England.

For instance, I don't think an English equivalent of Athletic Bilbao could survive in the Premier League. I could envision an equivalent surviving in Germany , and certainly in France. But not England , and not Italy either.

The fact Directors of Football aren't at every club in England speaks volumes. The days of the manager controlling everything are over. Transfers are far too complicated now and teams are investing more and more in scouting/management teams. It's just impossible.

If English clubs could combine their wealth , improve their domestic talent, and learn from other leagues on how to run clubs in the modern game , then yes, there would be nothing holding them back from being the best league in the world. Maybe it will happen someday.

England may be wealthy, but speaking as someone who follows another league, every fan in Italy wants to sell the players they don't want on their teams to England. I see some of the players Premier League clubs buy from other leagues , and just think "wow, that guy isn't worth anything close to that."

So yes, the money cannot be denied , but the quality of the players being purchased can. As can the the teams, which still need to function as a whole , not just a collection of transfer fees.

 

[Gecklund]

The PL reminds me of the Oilers and Leafs. They have the money to give to mediocre players and they may be overpaid but they’ll get who they want. While most of the other leagues remind me of a team like Tampa Bay where they use they’re scouting to get not only good players but the right players.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Young is a fullback. You definitely can't count him as an offensive player. Herrera is a 6/8 not an offensive player. Mata under Mou is an 8, not an all out offensive player. Alexis was meant to be an offensive player but he was trash. Now I'm not saying you're wrong at all. Just different perceptions of the game. I entirely agree that La Liga is a step ahead of the PL. Hell I think the BL is on par with the PL and I'm a fan of a PL team.

Full backs provide just as offence as they do defence or at least they should. 8 is primarily an offensive player. Hell even 6's can help the offence if used properly. Im sorry again you can't just say this player was trash so he doesn't count. Muriel was abysmal and Sevilla still tore up the field despite him being an offensive black hole.

The argument for me at least right now is not which league is better but rather the EPL isn't as good as advertised.

 

[Gecklund]

Full backs provide just as offence as they do defence or at least they should. 8 is primarily an offensive player. Hell even 6's can help the offence if used properly. Im sorry again you can't just say this player was trash so he doesn't count. Muriel was abysmal and Sevilla still tore up the field despite him being an offensive black hole.

The argument for me at least right now is not which league is better but rather the EPL isn't as good as advertised.

Oh I agree 100% that the EPL isn’t as good as advertised. People act like it’s on the same level as the NHL is to hockey or the NBA is to basketball.

 

[Corto]

But he said the best player, talent wise, wasn't Gerard but Safet Susic (@Power Man knows him). I was surprised he admitted that because he's a short lived legend (in terms of peak).

He also added a name : Juninho.

Safet Susic is a legend.

 

[Corto]

Slightly (or very) off-topic, but regarding Safet Susic...
There's a game that had legendary status here, last game of qualifiers for the 1984 EURO, Yugoslavia-Bulgaria in Split, for 3 reasons:

- Yugoslavia won the game 3-2 with an injury time winner, qualifying for the EURO
- commentator Mladen Delic screaming "Is it possible???" at the end of the game ("Ma je li to moguće") - and it became the 80s version of a meme, spoken even today in Croatia
- commentator Mladen Delic scolding Safet Susic after Susic was just dribbling and dribbling and then once he lost the ball the commentator screamed "Not alone, Safet!" (Ma ne sam, Safete) - which again, became a meme, and is mentioned even today all across former Yugoslavia

My father had that game on tape for years, and I watched when I was 9 or 10, and then re-watched it dozens of times when I was a kid still.
Safet Susic was absolutely brilliant that game.

Ex-Yugoslavia had some brilliant footballers who spent their peaks in France, like Susic and Skoblar, which are largely unknown internationally as France didn't quite break out as a super power at the time.
Even Alen Boksic people know for his time at Juve and Lazio, and barely anyone knows he was top scorer for Marseille and Ligue 1 and won the EC with them before the whole Tapie thing blew Marseille up and he moved to Lazio.
(in fact, Boksic finished 4th in Ballon d'Or voting that year, scored 23 goals in Ligue 1 and 6 goals in 8 games in EC)

(I realize this is OT lol, and maybe not the most interesting story to anyone who doesn't know who Susic is )

 

[Venkman]

Leeds, Huddersfield or one of the Sheffield clubs could do something similar to Athletic and stay in the PL. Although it's only possible because the current generation is quite good. Using players from South and West Yorkshire (pop. 3.7m) Basque Country population is about 3m. Ampadu's Dad was born in Bradford so might count. McBurnie, Wisdom, Cardiff's Danny Ward and Championship players would fill the bench.

Vardy Calvert-Lewin
Delph Milner
Kalvin Phillips
Rose Maguire Stones Holgate Walker
Smithies
​

 

[Evilo]

Boksic was fantastic.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Gerrard was incredible , it's kinda crazy how far the "he didn't win the league" talk can take some people's opinions. I used to think it was mainly just banter , but I still hear people say things like that today. I mean...as if the guy wouldn't have started on any team that won the league in his prime.

Eh, Lampard was better.

 

[Savant]

Eh, Lampard was better.

No.

Lampard was a better goal scorer and on better teams, Gerrard was better all around.

If you put Lampard on those Liverpool teams, and Gerrard on those Chelsea teams, Liverpool gets worse and Chelsea gets better.

 

[YNWA14]

Damn, Owen was lightning before his injuries. That surprises me as well.

Gerrard was incredible , it's kinda crazy how far the "he didn't win the league" talk can take some people's opinions. I used to think it was mainly just banter , but I still hear people say things like that today. I mean...as if the guy wouldn't have started on any team that won the league in his prime.

I didn't get to catch much of Juninho, tbh. I've seen plenty of videos of his legendary free kicks , though.

Gerrard was pretty fast, but I don't think he had Owen's acceleration which makes a big difference. Also yeah...Gerrard was incredible. He's an icon and while I'm not going to get into the comparisons or arguments there aren't many players period I'd have taken over him in his prime.