EPL Matchday 4

[Sozabarus]

Your standard playbook tbh. 100 posts during the week on Rodrigo being sh*t and a flop. Then can't cop any return serves back the other way. Biggest snowflake on here.

Rodrigo MOTM for Leeds on most websites. The SM effect. Please continue sh*t canning the rest of the side, based on your current strike rate it might ensure we make the European spots...

I remember when Liverpool first signed Salah, SM was calling him a flop after the first pre-season game. Has not learnt his lesson.

 

[Pykie]

I remember when Liverpool first signed Salah, SM was calling him a flop after the first pre-season game. Has not learnt his lesson.

What was the nickname back then, Mildred?

 

[SM]

I remember when Liverpool first signed Salah, SM was calling him a flop after the first pre-season game. Has not learnt his lesson.

Don't think that's what I said, I said he was a pace merchant. I very quickly changed my tune.

 

[jod23]

Threat for the title?

You’ll win it by 20 points again.

I hope so but it's still too early to tell. Leicester and Everton are looking great. But it has been good to see the rest of the top 6 already falter and look vulnerable in places. We just gotta keep winning though. Already 5 clear of City is a good start though after 3 games.

 

[SM]

I hope so but it's still too early to tell. Leicester and Everton are looking great. But it has been good to see the rest of the top 6 already falter and look vulnerable in places. We just gotta keep winning though. Already 5 clear of City is a good start though after 3 games.

Such a shame there's no attendance for the Merseyside Derby, first huge game between these two in a fair while I reckon.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

In fairness if you have a few digs at a player you haven’t seen much of and has barely played with his new team, you can’t blame supporters for having a go when he shows something. It was more than a tap in though, he’s been quite influential in last two games as a sub. Has he proven he’s worth £30m yet? Far too soon to say but early signs are promising.

 

[jod23]

Such a shame there's no attendance for the Merseyside Derby, first huge game between these two in a fair while I reckon.

Gotta beat Villa first and draw level with them on 12 points. Then I'll start thinking about the Derby.

 

[Frank Bunn]

It was a tough day for keepers. Maybe due to the conditions.

Pope had a mare. Had a clearance charged down but got away with it. Later miscontrolled a back pass and ended up giving away a penalty.
The commentators were tipping Newcastle keeper Darlow for a future England place until he had a series of howlers.
Ederson made two brilliant saves then gifted Rodrigo a goal.
Pickford dropped an easy catch to give away a goal, parried a save into the mixing bowl and flapped at a cross.

 

[BackOnOurPerch]

I can actually see Pep leaving City before the end of the season if they are miles behind Liverpool in the league again.

Should go now and become an assistant to Bielsa.

 

[giffler]

Should go now and become an assistant to Bielsa.

Bring in poch as well there’d be so much love in the dugout

 

[chef]

Jorginho was really good last night but was given a lot of time by Palace.
Not sure I'm too keen to sell, especially for 20m...

What if we can upgrade him?

 

[Gameova_]

City draw

 

[Gameova_]

Everton win again

 

[Loonerty]

What if we can upgrade him?

I still think 20m is really cheap.

 

[bok_party]

Leeds looked really good against another top team apart from the first 20. Wonder if it had something to do with Pep showing a bit too much respect for Bielsa’s game plan.

 

[Memphis]

I remember when Liverpool first signed Salah, SM was calling him a flop after the first pre-season game. Has not learnt his lesson.

This made my morning.

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

Did anyone here actually watch Newcastle v Burnley?

Early days but the Clarets look like going down.

I still can't see West Brom and Fulham surviving, especially given their squads are basically Championship-standard and they did didn't improve them in any way except for Areola (who has had a shaky start) Yes, I'm aware Brom drew with us but we were utterly pathetic in the first 25 minutes.

 

[DaRick]

Redundant to say that Everton are looking really good - what strikes me is not that they beat WBA/Crystal Palace/Brighton, but that they utterly dominated them. They also were the better side against Tottenham. James, Allan and even Doucoure have really elevated the side to a new level. I don't know how long their form will last - Ancelotti is IMO a better cup manager than a league manager and they won't be able to cut through better opposition nearly as easily - but they look good for an EL place at worst.

Leeds have been (predictably) inconsistent but they were certainly the better side against City and were IMO unlucky not to take all 3 points. Koch has solidified their defence, Meslier has held his own despite his youth, Helder Costa has started surprisingly well and Klich/Phillips look the business. Bamford has even done well, but I'm not sure that will last given his past travails at this level. There's still a chance that they flame out, but unlike other Bielsa sides, this one won the Championship, which is by most accounts more physically demanding than the PL, so I'm not sure that they'll suffer too much. I would still be impressed if they finished above 10th though.

I expected Rodgers to suffer his usual 3rd season syndrome but that certainly hasn't happened. Leicester's squad is for mine still too thin to juggle both Top 4 and EL but it looks like the off-season break, plus Ndidi's return, did them a world of good.

Pep has never managed a 5th season for a club before, and so far it doesn't look like his 5th will be better than his 4th. He'll most likely focus on winning the CL and then leave at the end of the season because I suspect both club and manager may need a change.

It looks like Sheffield United are feeling Henderson's loss more than I thought - their relative paucity of goals last season is haunting them now. Burnley haven't been great either - maybe their season so far is symbolised by their best player (Pope) making a serious error in the last game. Burnley at the very least should stay up though.

Man U have for mine been awful - Crystal Palace cut through them all too easily and I think they were fortunate against Brighton. Woodward's incompetence is a sad contrast with Marina's efficiency. If Cavani stays fit he'll be an asset, but that's a big if given his recent physical decline. They relied far too much on Fernandes and Pogba to create chances last season and although van der Beek is a good player, he doesn't really fit that well into this Man U side (he's more a raumdeuter than a creator). Their CB's aren't IMO good enough for a team of Man U's expectations, while they often lack width because AWB isn't great going forward and Rashford/Greenwood tend to drift inside. de Gea is past his best, but Henderson is promising.

Arsenal have gotten results but haven't looked great in doing so. I suspect that's down to the limitations of their squad - Arteta knows that this Arsenal side cannot consistently play good possession-oriented football and so has opted for a more defensive approach. Luckily Leno is a great shot-stopper and so this approach works somewhat.

Chelsea have improved as the season has progressed - not surprisingly because our signings have had more time to integrate. I expect much more to come from us.

Brighton are just like last season - attractive football but poor finishing. West Ham remain a circus, but they've shown that their squad on paper is certainly good enough to stay up - they outplayed Arsenal and were unlucky not to get something out of the game. Wolves have been disappointing, but I expect them to improve quickly.

I expected Newcastle to struggle but Wilson has been more of an asset to them than I thought he would be. I expect him to come back to earth somewhat though - he's never scored 15 PL goals in a season.

Aston Villa have held up well, but against weak attacking sides - their true test comes later (Martinez should be a boon though). Hassenhuttl is by himself capable of getting Southampton to 10th, so we'll see what happens.

Tottenham should rise up the rankings because this is very much a side made in Mou's image, but problems with fitness have held them back. On paper, Kane is the top striker that characterises all good Mou sides, their wide players (Son, Bergwijn, Moura) are all rapid and defensively they are capable. They should be a very good counter-attacking side.

EDIT: West Brom and Fulham don't look PL standard (unsurprisingly). West Brom benefited greatly from individual errors against us. Also, the table does look a bit crazy because of the unusual circumstances. I expect most of the teams to be roughly where I would expect them to be come Christmas, when every side has settled.

 

[Elmer_Hauser]

I still can't see West Brom and Fulham surviving, especially given their squads are basically Championship-standard and they did didn't improve them in any way (yes, I'm aware Brom drew with us but we were utterly pathetic in the first 25 minutes).

Definitely think Fulham is going down, but The Baggies might find a way to stay up (just).

Sheffield United and Southampton also will be thereabouts in the survival dogfight.

 

[Gameova_]

Your standard playbook tbh. 100 posts during the week on Rodrigo being sh*t and a flop. Then can't cop any return serves back the other way. Biggest snowflake on here.

Rodrigo MOTM for Leeds on most websites. The SM effect. Please continue sh*t canning the rest of the side, based on your current strike rate it might ensure we make the European spots...

I agree. He is a massive snowflake.

 

[RossFC]

Lol Gags. (Probably right though)

 

[Gameova_]

Isn't he that city flog who said Liverpool will never win a title??

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

Leeds have been (predictably) inconsistent but they were certainly the better side against City and were IMO unlucky not to take all 3 points. Koch has solidified their defence, Meslier has held his own despite his youth, Helder Costa has started surprisingly well and Klich/Phillips look the business. Bamford has even done well, but I'm not sure that will last given his past travails at this level. There's still a chance that they flame out, but unlike other Bielsa sides, this one won the Championship, which is by most accounts more physically demanding than the PL, so I'm not sure that they'll suffer too much. I would still be impressed if they finished above 10th though.

Because Bielsa is not a talented manager yeah?

 

[RossFC]

Isn't he that city flog who said Liverpool will never win a title??

These were their comments at the start of last season.

 

[DaRick]

Because Bielsa is not a talented manager yeah?

I'm afraid that, like others, you have misinterpreted my prior posts.

2020/21 Football Predictions

Premier League: 1. Liverpool 2. Leeds United 3. Manchester City 4. Chelsea 5. Manchester United 6. Arsenal 7. Tottenham 8. Wolves 9. Leicester City 10. Everton 11. Sheffield United 12. Newcastle 13. Southampton 14. Burnley 15. Crystal Palace 16. Brighton 17. West Ham 18. WBA 19. Aston Villa...

www.bigfooty.com

13) Leeds United
Very difficult to rank. On the one hand, Bielsa is up there in terms of pure managerial skill. It's also not clear to me that Leeds will suffer the usual issues associated with Bielsa sides; namely that they start well before badly fading away. While COVID probably made a difference, Leeds were clearly picking up steam even before the enforced break. The Championship is a notoriously physically demanding league, so if a Bielsa side can survive that (never mind ultimately winning easily) then I don't see why they would burn out in the PL. On the other hand, there are obvious holes in this Leeds side, enough to say that I think they'd probably be relegated without Bielsa's involvement. None of the GK's or LB's are at the required standard, and while Rodrigo will no doubt score more than Bamford (who wouldn't really?), I'm not sure he alone will be a massive difference-maker. Much depends on whom they secure over the coming weeks.

And don't tell me that you would have ranked Leeds above 10th prior to the season starting. Nobody else on the predictions thread (seriously) did.