Will the real Aston Villa please stand up? They don't seem to be able to win at home.
Definitely enjoyed the Chelsea-Newcastle game this morning. Dominated but should have scored a couple more. The win put them in first place for a couple of hours until Spurs did the same to Man City who do not look very good so far this season.
After being an Arsenal fan for 25 years, I can honestly say they have become boring to watch. No creativity, nobody who runs at the opposition. More long balls this season then Wenger allowed in 22 years. I'm not sure if it's the players or Arteta's philosophy, but the team seems to lack spirit and the ability to break down the other team. Hate to admit it, but Liverpool , Spurs, and even Chelsea are more fun to watch.
The Gunners have gone almost 8 hours without scoring a goal in open play in PL games. 
Look on the bright side, Arteta seems to have improved their defensive play. I don't know how Leeds didn't win that game yesterday.
Unfortunately Liverpool looked very good against Leicester despite multiple injuries to key players.
39 year old Ibrahimovic scores another two goals to help Milan beat Napoli. He leads Serie A in goal scoring...and he missed two games with Covid! Machine.
It was good to see fans back in the PL yesterday. Of course I'm referring to the ones at Stamford Bridge who were enjoying themselves at the expense of Leeds. Giroud scores another to cap off a pretty good week.
Leeds remind me a little of Blackpool when they were back in the PL several years ago. Fun to watch because they are always pushing forward but often to the detriment of their defence. I don't mean to suggest they will follow the path Blackpool took to relegation because they're not that loose and their goalkeeper is outstanding.
I still hate Raheem Sterling. More diving yesterday as he turns the heat up on Salah and Mane for the gold medal.
Some pretty good matches this weekend. Love seeing Leicester in the top 4. Can't say they are the plucky underdogs anymore, but they are a bit of a one trick pony and I fear any injury to Vardy would see them as a bottom half club.
Intriguing match Everton at Burnley. With Garrett Southgate in the stands, it had a bit of a match within a match between Pope and Pickford. I'd go out on a limb and say Pope had the better of it, but both made some top saves.
Son and Kane are clicking at Spurs. That feed by Kane and Son's strike for the first was sublime.
So Slaven Bilic was the first EPL manager to get sacked by West Brom. Pretty harsh considering they've played most of the so-called top 6 and current top 10 and been competitive for the most part.
Weird season so far. Many teams are very inconsistent or is there relative parity in the EPL? The diving is still pissing me off. More of it yesterday and on the weekend. Refs reversing penalty calls but not giving a yellow for diving in cases it was obviously not an innocent slip?
Speaking of diving, I hope Spurs-Liverpool today will be a good game.
Pompey go top of League One!! I'm sure nobody else here is interested in that and the crickets will be even louder than usual.
Liverpool seem to be finding their game, which is not a good thing.
Ha! I blame the crickets on the fact Arsenal4ever and I are probably not going to be commenting on this thread until the Gunners can get their collective sh!t together (see you in 2022). I like Arteta and I like what he is aiming to do...but there's a lot of questions (dropping Ozil and Socrates completely being the biggest for me, plus the complete breakdown of discipline of the squad, lack of an offensive plan). The scouts have also missed big on some of their signings (Lacazette/Pepe/Xhaka) and their younger talent hasn't developed the way they'd hope. The only players on that squad that could be a starter on a legit top 4 squad would be Auba (and not in his current form), Partey, and that's about it (maybe Leno).
Arsenal in relegation form. The issue is with the players and the recruitment, not Arteta. It's been a shambles there for years. They were so poor at the weekend, and even worse today in the EFL Cup. I feel bad for my buddy when he texts me mid-game: "I can't watch any more of this s**t. I'm going to drown my sorrows with a couple beverages."
I don't understand why they West Brom sacked Bilic. I agree with you, Steve, that results have been improving - they were relatively solid defensively to get that point against City. I guess the owners just couldn't resist offering Big Sam a pint of his favourite wine to seal the deal. They got hammered at the weekend, and I still think they'll go down. I realize that Allardyce hasn't been relegated in his managerial career, but the odds are really against them. I think we can all agree that Sheffield United have already been cut loose and they are done.
In Serie A news, Juve lost 3-0 today after an understandable straight red for a terrible challenge by Cuadrado after losing the ball in Fiorentina's 18-yard box. It was a shocking tackle. 
Oh, and goalfests galore for neutrals this weekend, both in Liverpool's shellacking of Palace, and the Man Utd-Leeds game was a cracker. Steve - you'll be pleased to know that Dan James was booked for diving!
Pompey has a long way to make it back to the top tier, but just getting back to the Championship would be a feat!
Very poor officiating of the Manure Wolves game. They still barely won. Pathetic
My frustration with Messrs. Havertz and Werner continues, especially the latter. There have been comments by the media about them not adapting (yet) to the speed and physicality of the EPL. It got me thinking about who the best German players in the EPL have been. #1 scorer is...Mezut Ozil. Really? And by a good margin too if you count goals (33) and assists (54). Klinsmann #2 in goals. I have to be positive that both of these guys can beat those records.
I also have a bad feeling about the EPL's ability to keep playing. Postponed games due to covid are becoming more frequent. Everton seems a little pissed about Man City getting permission to postpone and I must say I have a hard time believing City couldn't put together a 14 player team. Maybe not the 14 Pep wanted.
Liverpool has looked very vulnerable this week. Brief lull or decline? We shall see
Apparently 5 Man City players will be unavailable for the game against Chelsea tomorrow. Walker and Jesus were already identified as infected but Pep tells us we'll have to wait until Sunday to see who the other 3 are. It would be a shame if it was DeBruyne, Aguero and Sterling.
I know I shouldn't joke about it but these pro football players should be fit and healthy enough to kick the virus' ass.
Sheeeet, ManUre at the top of the table makes me ill.
@steve8 posted:Apparently 5 Man City players will be unavailable for the game against Chelsea tomorrow. Walker and Jesus were already identified as infected but Pep tells us we'll have to wait until Sunday to see who the other 3 are. It would be a shame if it was DeBruyne, Aguero and Sterling.
Sheeeet, ManUre at the top of the table makes me ill.
Soft penalty given for the game winner. Matic should have gotten 8 yellows
@steve8 posted:Apparently 5 Man City players will be unavailable for the game against Chelsea tomorrow. Walker and Jesus were already identified as infected but Pep tells us we'll have to wait until Sunday to see who the other 3 are. It would be a shame if it was DeBruyne, Aguero and Sterling.
Sheeeet, ManUre at the top of the table makes me ill.
The rumours are Ederson and Cancelo. Not sure about the last player.
Garcia confirmed out. And Mendy should be out of the squad for disciplinary reasons after being a bonehead and breaking Tier 4 lockdown restrictions on NYE.
Two more City players tested positive yesterday including Scott Carson, their #3 goalkeeper. They better hope Steffen doesn't get injured today.
Rumour of Diego Costa going to Wolves? He could probably help them right now.
The conversations about Lampard being sacked have started. Abramovich has fired many managers for less and in fact the only time he let a manager continue on with a record as bad as Frank's current record was Mourinho redux.
It looks like 8th tier Marine will not manage an upset of Spurs in the FA Cup. Marine is ranked 165th in the country while Spurs are 4th which makes it the largest disparity in the history of the competition.
All was not lost though as League Two Crawley Town upset Leeds Utd. by 3-0. Sixth tier Chorley also upset Derby County who had to field their youth team because of a covid outbreak. None of the Derby youngsters (average age 18) had ever played a first team game and didn't even have their own shirts.
Fortunately Chelsea were spared any such blushes and my two favourite German players each scored!
Pompey got dumped out by Bristol City 
In Spain it seems Barca are beginning to find their feet.
Crazy couple of weeks. City destroyed Chelsea, despite their squad being severely hampered by COVID. I'm not getting Lampard's take on the squad. Werner doesn't seem to be up for being a winger, but isn't looking great at striker either. It looks that Giroud is their best option up front. If Pulisic/Ziyech could stay healthy, that'd be huge. And what is Lampard going to do with the Kante, Jorginho, and Kovacic. I've always thought Kante was the best defensive mid in the league, but they've got him pushed up. Hudson-Odoi is starting to show flashes of his old self.
Arsenal is looking a bit better thanks to the young ones. Smith-Rowe, Saka, and Martinelli have made all the difference at the expense of the more expensive veteran players. I'll say that to me, the difference is the runs that these boys do. These guys consistently put in the runs...Smith-Rowe immediately after he passes almost always makes a run, and Saka has the courage to take guys one on one and go to goal (as opposed to Pepe, who prefers to go one on three and go side to side versus towards the goal). Getting Partey back is a real boost.
And Liverpool are struggling. One point from nine in their last three games, only scoring one goal. The big three up front have suddenly dried up. And Alexander-Arnold has struggled the past few games. With their injury issues in the back, it's looking harder and harder for them to repeat as champs. Tasty match up with ManU at the weekend.
Steve8, what are you thinking about Lamp's leash with Roman? At least he has Ole at ManU to be the example of having patience with a manager...
As I watched the game against Leicester yesterday I was seriously thinking that Lampard is out of his league. He clearly has no idea who his best starting XI are and the season is half over. Plays Rudiger two games in a row at the expense of Zouma, who imo has done very little wrong this season on defence and his 4 goals scored makes him one of their top scorers. But why even do that? Rudiger is going to help with their total lack of offensive creativity?
And Chilwell was a mistake. Far too smug and casual. He should spend a few games on the bench even if it means playing Emerson or Alonso (gasp). I have nothing more to say about Werner and Havertz other than I hope they come around. Mount and Hudson-Odoi are the only two attacking players showing signs of life these days.
I just finished reading an article in the Guardian about the Chelsea board identifying possible replacements for Lamps. Tuchel's name was mentioned and a few others (Rangnick, Nagelsmann and Hasenhüttl) who wouldn't be able to join until the summer. Presumably Abramovich still has Guus' number on speed dial.
Chelsea canned the manager ---Finally
If I'm going to seem LCFC drop points, it might as well be to Leeds. With Vardy out, I see them dropping down the table with some speed.
Anyone think that there will be a better goal than the one Liverpool scored yesterday after the West Ham corner? Ridiculous. TAA's pass was nice, but Shaqiri's first time pass was so perfect...it's stuff you do on Fifa (the video game) that you'd never expect someone to do in full speed in real life. And then for Salah to take it down perfectly. Honestly, probably the best goal I've ever seen. Six touches (including Robertson's clearance with his head) to go the length of the field.
Always been partial to this goal.
I remember watching that one live and thinking how tight the lanes were and how intricate the passing had to be. The Liverpool goal was amazing just based on the length of the passes combined with the lack of touches. And Salah's touch is still mind blowing.
Like 9 by ManU better
My prediction of City winning the league is looking pretty solid right now.
What a shame West Brom didn't beat ManUre yesterday because they deserved to.
Anxious to see the team Tuchel picks today for the game against Newcastle. He better play James and Alonso as wingbacks. Abraham deserves another start after the game he played against Barnsley in the FA Cup. I'm concerned about their central midfield. Jorginho is still sideways Jorginho but Kante is not playing well this season, even when he plays his defensive role. Gilmour has played well in some previous games but not so much against Barnsley.
Azwiese, you liked that Salah goal better than Ronaldo's overhead goal against Juve in the CL a couple of years ago?
It's like picking your favorite kid, but I would even put Rooney's overhead v City from a decade ago above the Ronaldo one v Juve. At least that one looked like a cohesive play. The Ronaldo goal was kind of a broken play. The Rooney goal was after a nice bit of passing. But I would just say that with the Liverpool goal, the amount of ground covered, combined with the lack of touches, combined with the skill/technique of those touches, it was incredible.
Watching Barca today, it's weird. They've been so good for so long. With a decent chance that Messi is going to leave after the season, their Champs League ambitions are going to take a precipitous fall. They really did have an amazing cast of players like Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Pique, Puyol, and obviously Messi. They didn't (maybe couldn't would be the better word) replace Xavi and Iniesta, and they aren't going to be able to replace Messi. It could be a while before we start talking about Barcelona being a serious contender.
@azwiese posted:It's like picking your favorite kid, but I would even put Rooney's overhead v City from a decade ago above the Ronaldo one v Juve. At least that one looked like a cohesive play. The Ronaldo goal was kind of a broken play. The Rooney goal was after a nice bit of passing. But I would just say that with the Liverpool goal, the amount of ground covered, combined with the lack of touches, combined with the skill/technique of those touches, it was incredible.
Well fwiw Rooney did shin his goal. The fact that Ronaldo's goal was from a broken play made it all the more spectacular for me. The speed of the cross which was behind him and his ability to time and strike it perfectly, picking the top corner (presumably intentional) and leaving Buffon rooted where he was. And I'm no fan of Ronaldo either. He's a DWE but an incredibly talented football player.
As for Barcelona, I don't see them coming back on PSG this time.
All smiles after Chelsea beat Liverpool yesterday to hand them their 5th consecutive loss at Anfield which is a club record. It looks like my prediction of them not defending their title is pretty safe as is the prediction of Man City winning it.
I'm not really enthused about the way Tuchel has the Blues playing but they are getting the results. And I have to hand it to him for reviving a few left for dead players. In addition to the previously mentioned Alonso it seems Christensen and Rudiger have both found their game. No such luck with Jorginho though and I remain unimpressed with Ziyech. Havertz has now been left for dead and Abraham may be following him.
City WTF penalty in 30 seconds! Sloppy play, High possession, and a great defense by ManU
CL draw yesterday and Chelsea got the draw I wanted although Porto did beat Juve so I should be careful of what I wished for. BM v PSG is a good draw too.
I'll take Man City, Bayern, Chelsea and Real Madrid to go through to the semis. Not that I want the latter to win but I don't see Liverpuddle getting their act together.
And as I write this I see Man City's chances of 4 trophies this year are still alive after beating Everton in the FA Cup quarter finals.
Perfect time to revive this thread as Chelsea just ended the quadruple dream of City by beating them 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-finals. Bring on Real Madrid.
I also enjoyed watching Newcastle take 3 points from West Ham this morning setting up next Saturday's game between West Ham and Chelsea in the race for the top 4.
Norwich City is going back to the EPL and it looks Watford will be going with them.
I just read that Flick will not be returning as the manager for Bayern Munich next season.
Congrats to Chelsea on the win (can't believe I'm typing that). City passed Chelsea about 5 years ago in my dislike of teams that overspend and break rules to buy trophies. How City got the Court of Arbitration to overturn FFP still amazes me (cynical as I am). And the fact that the smirking Ruskie rarely appears on camera makes Chelsea more bearable.
Jose gets sacked Again. Along with his coaching staff of Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have also been sacked.
The proposed Super League appears to be dying (I hope). Man City has pulled out; Chelsea is expected to do the same. Nothing like a money grab to unite the fans. American owners, among others and not surprisingly, are in favor of the SL. Kroenke (Arsenal), Glazer (ManU), and Liverpool (Fenway Group) should be kicked out of the EPL.
