Originally Posted by echappist (Post 2408914)

I'll get things started with a NYT article on Sarri, he who came so close to guiding SSC Napoli to a scudetto on two occasions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/s...-stories-below

Originally Posted by Climb01742 (Post 2409188)

Watching my Gunners fall rather feebly to MC today, one thought kept coming...the new boss is the same as the old boss. I feel a long season coming.

Originally Posted by Mzilliox (Post 2409243)

spineless performance, but a few positives. Lichtensteiner was solid when he came on, and once Torreira and lacazette were on, the team came to life. there is something wrong with Mesut Ozil, every pass was behind or in the feet of his teammates, and for a player who wants to wear the 10, he sure seems to have an aversion for being on the ball all the time. Ive never seen a 10 who is on the ball so little, it blows me away.

Originally Posted by JACKS (Post 2409324)

As an United fan, gonna be an ultra long season watching City and Liverpool battle for the title. Jose's gotta go for a fresher mind like Low the German national coach.

Originally Posted by wc1934 (Post 2409581)

United fan? You need to start rooting for DC United - Rooney seeking the highlight films - I don't like him but must admit that yesterdays performance was pretty good.

Originally Posted by Climb01742 (Post 2409374)

I hope you're right about the positives. It's only one game but their play was so disspirited. I had hopes for a clean slate. Instead, it felt more like a blank slate. About Ozil...I wonder if his psyche is damaged from all the fuss in Germany?

I knew MC was gonna be brutal, but damn, Liverpool looks tough too.

Originally Posted by wc1934 (Post 2409581)

United fan? You need to start rooting for DC United - Rooney seeking the highlight films - I don't like him but must admit that yesterdays performance was pretty good.

Originally Posted by echappist (Post 2409600)

;)

that said, something's awfully wrong when you have Rooney commanding that high a salary (something like $8M USD/year?) when you have others barely scraping six-figures.



Compare and contrast the following (easy to do, as both mainly play as 4-3-3)

Attack: 3 from the group of Aguero, Sterling, Jesus, Sane, Silva (POR), and Mahrez vs
3 from the group of Sturridge, Firminho, Mane, Salah, Shaqiri, and Lallana

Midfield: 3 from the group of KdB, Silva (ESP), Gundogan, Fernandinho, Foden vs
3 from the group of Keita, Fabinho, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum

Defense: 4 from the group of Delph, Mendy, Otamendi, Stones, Laporte, Kompany, Walker, and Danilo vs
4 from the group of Robertson, Moreno, van Dijk, Lovren, Matip, Klavan, TAA, and Clyne

In any cup tie between the teams, I'd take the Scousers over MC (little known fact, Klopp is the only coach with a winning record against Guardiola). Over a season, however, MC has more depth overall at least for now, with maybe slightly more depth for LFC for midfield. I'd actually take LFC's first choice defense over that of MC, but other than Clyne, they are really thin.

As for x-factor, Klopp has shown to be astute in identifying and incubating talent. We all smirked when they paid for the underwhelimg Ox; no one was laughing at the end of the season. One of their starting outside backs played on a relegated Hull team; the other an academy product who wasn't able to buy a beer at the start of 2017-2018, but few would trade the pair for any other Premier League pairing now. So who knows, perhaps they'll have fringe players step up to boost depth.

Regardless, would love to see them do well.

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On another note, not sure if it's good or bad that Champion's League coverage is now on Turner Sport. For all their bloviating commentators, Fox at least showed most of the games from group stage onward...

Originally Posted by goonster (Post 2409698)

I've been a Liverpool fan for twenty years, and have never felt this kind hope, positivity, optimism, etc. This is the year that everything will click.

Van Dijk is tremendous, and the team's defensive record since he joined speaks for itself.

Offensively, they actually have decent depth now. I hadn't really seen Naby Keita play for RBL, but he is exactly the right player to raise this team another notch, i.e. not a guy who sprays the ball in the Xabi Alonso style, but somebody who can carry the ball, draw defenders and then release the ball at exactly the right moment. Shaqiri and (a healthy) Sturridge* are also quite good at football.

Of course the league is Man City's to lose, and Pep has shown that his teams can handle that pressure, but then there was the 2011-2012 season when he failed to defend the title a year after fielding one of the greatest sides ever.

Liverpool can't control whether Man City drop points, but in the head-to-head games Klopp's teams are like the mongoose to Pep's cobra.

When it all comes crashing down, I'll have a party and y'all can dance on the smoldering pile that was the dream. :banana:

(* = a blessing unto your hamstrings . . .)

Originally Posted by echappist (Post 2409716)

out of curiosity, why is your username Goonster as opposed to Scouser?

Originally Posted by wc1934 (Post 2409581)

United fan? You need to start rooting for DC United - Rooney seeking the highlight films - I don't like him but must admit that yesterdays performance was pretty good.