Chelsea spending another £25m on an unknown Brazilian kid

comment by Neo (U9135)
posted about 5 hours ago
There is definitely a chance they will burnout but I fear Arsenal would be the ones to take advantage.
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I don’t rate them as highly as others. Good side but fell away last season when the pressure was ramped up

comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by Neo (U9135)
posted about 5 hours ago
There is definitely a chance they will burnout but I fear Arsenal would be the ones to take advantage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t rate them as highly as others. Good side but fell away last season when the pressure was ramped up
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Same as Irish on this

We have them at home 2 days before Christmas.
Hopefully Christmas starts early and we give them their standard Anfield hiding.

comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 25 minutes ago
comment by Neo (U9135)
posted about 5 hours ago
There is definitely a chance they will burnout but I fear Arsenal would be the ones to take advantage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t rate them as highly as others. Good side but fell away last season when the pressure was ramped up
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Teams can learn from this though, it won’t quite be the same foreign territory for them this season. So maybe less chance of them choking….

comment by Terminator1 (U1863)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 25 minutes ago
comment by Neo (U9135)
posted about 5 hours ago
There is definitely a chance they will burnout but I fear Arsenal would be the ones to take advantage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t rate them as highly as others. Good side but fell away last season when the pressure was ramped up
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Teams can learn from this though, it won’t quite be the same foreign territory for them this season. So maybe less chance of them choking….
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Killjoy

comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Terminator1 (U1863)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 25 minutes ago
comment by Neo (U9135)
posted about 5 hours ago
There is definitely a chance they will burnout but I fear Arsenal would be the ones to take advantage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t rate them as highly as others. Good side but fell away last season when the pressure was ramped up
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Teams can learn from this though, it won’t quite be the same foreign territory for them this season. So maybe less chance of them choking….
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Killjoy
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry, just didn’t want you setting yourself up for disappointment! Obviously I’m hoping you’re right though….

comment by Terminator1 (U1863)
posted 3 hours, 22 minutes ago
comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 25 minutes ago
comment by Neo (U9135)
posted about 5 hours ago
There is definitely a chance they will burnout but I fear Arsenal would be the ones to take advantage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t rate them as highly as others. Good side but fell away last season when the pressure was ramped up
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Teams can learn from this though, it won’t quite be the same foreign territory for them this season. So maybe less chance of them choking….
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd say they were a better team last season though.

We'll see if Arsenal can follow our footsteps. We missed out on the title and then won it the next season.

However, they weren't that close to City at the end of last season iirc, we on the other hand lost out by a point.

The next season we tore the whole league a new ass hole and had technically won it by January or thereabouts. Arsenal don't look like doing that.

There will be further complications for them if we make it a 3 horse race as we only had City to contend with when we won it.

They ended up 5 points behind City: 89 vs 84
Effectively 6 points as the GD's were 61 v 45

City would have got 95 points if needed. Last few games when titles was won they had bigger fish to fry.

Arsenal look more pragmatic this season but also not as good offensively. Should help them in the bigger games but they look they're struggling to beat the weaker sides more than last season.

Wonder if that's Arteta's tactics to make them more secure or a natural drop off.

Any news on Ali or Jota injuries?

comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 10 minutes ago
Arsenal look more pragmatic this season but also not as good offensively. Should help them in the bigger games but they look they're struggling to beat the weaker sides more than last season.

Wonder if that's Arteta's tactics to make them more secure or a natural drop off.
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I'm sure it's down to more than just one player but a contributing factor is Odegaard imo. He was simply sensation last year, in terms of transitioning defence to attack he ran games for Arsenal, dictated them.

I don't think he's at the same level this year, not from what I've seen. I do wonder whether the signing of Rice might have clipped his wings a little. Last year he looked like the genuine leader of the team, players would look for him all the time and whoever played in CM, whether it was Xhaka, Jorginho or Partey, was a solid base for him to perform. The balance and the leadership in the middle of the park has changed for Arsenal imo, not sure it's worked well for Odegaard, not yet anyway.

Yeah too much tinkering from Arteta this season but they'll be there or thereabouts come end of the season.

Their base is still good

comment by InBefore (U20589)
posted 20 hours, 12 minutes ago
comment by Robbing Hoody - I taught Szoboszlai how to cushion half volleys (U6374)
posted 5 hours, 16 minutes ago
2nd best by one goal actually. I’m starting to think we’ll look at a LCB before a 6 is the reason I mentioned it.
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we might not even be looking at a DM, Klopps insistant Mac can play the 6 but its more of a team game and the ones around him need to be tighter to help out. Way he talks sounds like its a change in system and we might not even be looking at a more defensive type of midfielder. Instead working with what we have to perfect a new way?

Either way the squads not finished and long term replacements are needed. Especially with Konate failing to prove hes gonna be able to stay injury free for a season hes looking like a Matip replacement as opposed to VVDs.

Expect to lose Thiago, Matip, should be looking at 2 def and a mf imo and january should be the first window to add one or two of them.
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Maybe we won't be going for a 6, you know. There's a chance we wanted to rotate Thiago and Bajcetic in that role, and Alexis has had to fill-in till they're both fit enough. Just had a thought that if we were going to play Bajcetic further forward, why did we sign Gravenberch alongside two other young CMs.

God help us if we play Thiago as a 6

comment by A hoe for Dominik Szoboszlai. A Szobwhoreszlai... (U2720)
posted about an hour ago
God help us if we play Thiago as a 6
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People must think it's 2020

Jeez is it international break or something?

oh look next week has no 12.30 kick off, who plays it next? oh us again vs palace the week after

followed by no 12.30 the week after that...

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp started off with team news, confirming that both Alisson and Diogo Jota will not be available after picking up injuries in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Manchester City: "Both are out. With Alisson it is a bit lesser so we will have to see. He's not going to play tomorrow or on Sunday, probably not the week after, then he could be kind of OK, but Diogo will take a little bit longer. We don't know exactly how long but it is a bit more serious."

Jürgen Klopp on Alisson/Jota injuries

"Both are out. Ali is a bit less [of a problem]. He cannot play tomorrow, not on Sunday, probably not the week after. Not as bad, but bad enough.

"Diogo should take a little bit longer."

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Sounds like Ali should be back for the United/Arsenal game but Jota might be out for a while then. Hopefully he's back by the time AFCON starts.

Would this be Jota 3rd Xmas break on the trot?

What so Adrian

Or kelleher