EPL Matchday 1

[undefined]

Missed this morning's matches, finally got a break & will watch the highlights now.

Wow, West Brom ain't it. B'dendan is the man though.

 

[SM]

With our fixture list we should focus on the cups and finish hopefully top half in the league. We are way off finishing top 4 so if we want CL back then we have to take the first team into every Europa League match

I remember a lot of discussion/debate about whether it was worthwhile for Spurs to try to win the League Cup, has that changed?

 

[undefined]

Missed this morning's matches, finally got a break & will watch the highlights now.

Oooooooof, great start for Everton. Backing them to have their best season since 2014.

 

[Jaymin]

I haven't read the catalogue of opinions in this thread on Leeds. But I think they would have been very lucky to get a point out of that game. That being said their high pressing gave them a chance to put a far superior side under pressure to try and create big mistakes and that worked well. For a recently promoted side that's as good as they can expect to do. Their problems are at the other end where they gifted far too many chances through their own undoing.

The defence is going to take a little while to settle. it was only Struijks third start at senior level and Koch has only been with the squad for a week. Cooper will hopefully be back on Saturday but whether he is completely up to the level is to be seen.

Cant recall too many games last season where we were that clinical in front of goal as well.

 

[Cruyff14]

Wtf was with Richarlison not squaring it to DCL? Utterly selfish and stupid.

 

[JD_2020]

I remember a lot of discussion/debate about whether it was worthwhile for Spurs to try to win the League Cup, has that changed?

Changed the minute we sacked a long term manager for Mourinho. It's cup, cup, cup or nothing now. Would be league title if it was even a remote possibility. But you don't get Mourinho for 36 months and be happy with two top 4 finishes. You have to take a 6th or 8th and a cup now because the dire football we play isn't enjoyable enough to endure for 38 games for 4th.

 

[Zidane98]

Changed the minute we sacked a long term manager for Mourinho. It's cup, cup, cup or nothing now. Would be league title if it was even a remote possibility. But you don't get Mourinho for 36 months and be happy with two top 4 finishes. You have to take a 6th or 8th and a cup now because the dire football we play isn't enjoyable enough to endure for 38 games for 4th.

You're back!! Surprised you didn't go with JD_2021 considering all the s**t that's gone on in 2020! What is the general feeling around the supporter base about Mou?

 

[Loonerty]

The underscore and capitalised JD are throwing me off the most tbh.

 

[JD_2020]

You're back!! Surprised you didn't go with JD_2021 considering all the sh*t that's gone on in 2020! What is the general feeling around the supporter base about Mou?

I'm a once in a decade man. I think i was originally 2006 before 2010.

It's not massively divided. Probably 1/4 hate it (not me). The rest are just cup crazy because we know thats why he was brought in. Then there's Gero the outlier on the positive stakes

 

[Frank Bunn]

Before the game, picking one team out of the two sets of players I would have named 7 Spurs and 4 Everton. After the game I wouldn't have picked a single Spurs player. And that's despite Richarlison doing an impression of Christian Benteke, and Pickford's woeful distribution.

 

[jd2010]

Before the game, picking one team out of the two sets of players I would have named 7 Spurs and 4 Everton. After the game I wouldn't have picked a single Spurs player. And that's despite Richarlison doing an impression of Christian Benteke, and Pickford's woeful distribution.

I'd still lean towards your group. Line ball perhaps on Mina?

Lloris
Doherty - Toby - Mina - Digne
Gomes - Allan - Doucoure
James - Kane - Son

 

[Frank Bunn]

I would have said line ball between Mina and Alderweireld but Mina is better at set pieces. Did you see how slow Alderweireld was when him and Richarlison chased that ball? You're probably right with Digne over Davies. But this is what I was thinking.

Lloris
Doherty Mina Keane Davies
Højbjerg Allan
James
Moura Kane Son

Spurs were flat but you can't judge them off one game. I reckon they will challenge for top 6.

 

[jd2010]

I would have said line ball between Mina and Alderweireld but Mina is better at set pieces. Did you see how slow Alderweireld was when him and Richarlison chased that ball? You're probably right with Digne over Davies. But this is what I was thinking.

Lloris
Doherty Mina Keane Davies
Højbjerg Allan
James
Moura Kane Son

Spurs were flat but you can't judge them off one game. I reckon they will challenge for top 6.

Davies no way over Digne. He is an okay vanilla player that can still offer up horror shows like yesterday's. Toby's pace has been an issue for 12 months and is only going to get worse. We have holes in more positions than ever with only Son, Kane, Doherty & Lloris (short-term) being areas i'm happy with. Still think we don't get enough out of Lucas, Dele & Bergwijn because we don't counter often enough. With our fixture list I'd bite people's hand off for 6th and a trophy. Even 7th and a trophy is the best we can aim for.

 

[Zidane98]

Gotta love the old combined xis.

 

[Zidane98]

On Everton - impressed with what I've seen on the mini match. Like Arsenal they may also be turning a corner. Annoyingly.

 

[Frank Bunn]

Davies no way over Digne. He is an okay vanilla player that can still offer up horror shows like yesterday's. Toby's pace has been an issue for 12 months and is only going to get worse. We have holes in more positions than ever with only Son, Kane, Doherty & Lloris (short-term) being areas i'm happy with. Still think we don't get enough out of Lucas, Dele & Bergwijn because we don't counter often enough. With our fixture list I'd bite people's hand off for 6th and a trophy. Even 7th and a trophy is the best we can aim for.

Do you think it's the squad? If so, what sort of players would you be looking for to improve it?

A bad day at the office?

Or Mourinho getting it wrong?

 

[Frank Bunn]

On Everton - impressed with what I've seen on the mini match. Like Arsenal they may also be turning a corner. Annoyingly.

Not convinced about Arsenal. They haven't really improved the squad. And it was only Fulham.

Everton have added some real quality. Toss up between James and Allan for MoM.

Newcastle the other team that have made good signings.

 

[jd2010]

Do you think it's the squad? If so, what sort of players would you be looking for to improve it?

A bad day at the office?

Or Mourinho getting it wrong?

Yeah its the squad. I've been saying for 18+ months we need to make big changes and getting it right. We half arsed it last season and got Ndombele who makes Jake Stringer look like he has abs & Lo Celso who is very good but injury prone.

I'm not happy with our starting quality at:
CB
LB
CM x1 (I dont rate Winks or Sissoko as starters for a title contender)


Then we need depth at:
RB (Aurier is no good)
CB (assuming we sell Foyth a young CB coming through would be needed)
AM (we saw what happened with no Lo Celso in the side, we have nobody who can create)

Can Mourinho do more? Perhaps. He likes to play on the counter and Everton didn't allow for that except for when they had a corner so we lacked any sort of idea on how to score.

 

[SM]

Gotta love the old combined xis.

Cruyff will be along any minute.

 

[jd2010]

On Everton - impressed with what I've seen on the mini match. Like Arsenal they may also be turning a corner. Annoyingly.

I was confident Allan would do well in the PL but you're never too sure until you actually see it, and he was great. That midfield trio with Gomes who is underrated and Doucoure who we've seen can hit purple patches could be a real asset. If moving up the pyramid can kick Doucoure on to another level they will be entrenched in that next tier below the big 4 (Pool, Manc x2 & Chelsea). That next tier is evening right up with Arsenal, Wolves, Leicester and us all not greatly different in quality

 

[bok_party]

Not convinced about Arsenal. They haven't really improved the squad. And it was only Fulham.

Everton have added some real quality. Toss up between James and Allan for MoM.

Newcastle the other team that have made good signings.

I think first game can always see teams a little bit off and then from there they grow. I don’t think we were amazing but to still win 3-0 is a pretty great start. Things will get much better for us.

 

[jd2010]

Anyone take advantage of the massive same game multi odds Sportsbet have for shots on target during games?

Smashed 2x winners, one paying over 20/1 and then money back on the 3rd for missing 1 leg.

Ings x2, Zaha x1 + McCarthy booked
Kane x2, Richarlison x1 +Hojberg booked (money back)
Salah x2 + Bamford x1

 

[RossFC]

 

[Pykie]

Watched the Everton/Spurs game in full this arvo.

That Rodriguez/Allan combo is the absolute dogs bollocks.

Definite top 4 potential imo.

Should of been 3 or 4-0. Rodriguez put Richarlison in about 5 times.


Hard what to make of Spurs, they are getting canned, but I don't think they were actually that bad. Son was good, and Kane almost got on the end of one. Doherty should have scored.

I just think that midfield unit of Evertons is going to dominate ALOT of sides.

Rodriguez the player of the round along with Salah so far imo.

 

[SM]

Spurs are in trouble primarily because they have such a congested start to the season and their temptation is going to be playing Kane and Son in the majority of those games. If either or both of them get injured then they're in big trouble.