2013-14 EPL Season

[Uncle Si]

City can't hit the extra point but happy to get a touchdown....what a rampant display. Just marauding through the Arsenal midfield (who clearly didn't need arteta as he's not even their best mid)

City are just ridiculous at home. Not very excited about the trip there. Credit to Arsenal for bagging three and should feel the 4th was there. Does leave hope that teams can score there. As for Arsenal... Lot of finger pointing at the end of the match (including Wilshere flipping off a teammate and Giroud calling out oil) Two defeats and a draw their last three.. They need a response against Chelsea.

Still... A win AT Bayern and now this? City quickly asserting themselves as league leaders and maybe top 4 in the world

 

[Gatehawk]

City can't hit the extra point but happy to get a touchdown....what a rampant display. Just marauding through the Arsenal midfield (who clearly didn't need arteta as he's not even their best mid)

City are just ridiculous at home. Not very excited about the trip there. Credit to Arsenal for bagging three and should feel the 4th was there. Does leave hope that teams can score there. As for Arsenal... Lot of finger pointing at the end of the match (including Wilshere flipping off a teammate and Giroud calling out oil) Two defeats and a draw their last three.. They need a response against Chelsea.

Still... A win AT Bayern and now this? City quickly asserting themselves as league leaders and maybe top 4 in the world

The game was a lot closer than that 6-3 scoreline dictates in my mind. 4 of City's goals came from Arsenal's mistakes(no excuse for any of those still) and Arsenal had 3 chances(not goals, chances) disallowed by questionable offsides decisions. I really gotta think how this game would've turned out if Arsenal and City hadn't had Champions League matches midweek, or at least equal amount of time to recover. The game was extremely open and there probably should've been more goals in it.

As for the two instances, Wilshere's bird was probably the result of frustration with the referees decisions, and Mertesacker(not Giroud) was apparently upset that Ozil didn't applaud the fans for coming out, though Mesut probably was too upset with the loss to be in the mood to do so.

I do want to take the positives from this game, namely that Arsenal scored more goals at the Etihad than the previous 7 visitors combined and that they never really stopped playing until the end. Out of the 3 tough EPL matches Arsenal had, this was the match I wouldn't mind losing cause of how strong City have been at home.

 

[Uncle Si]

No shame in losing at the Etihad. Giroud got on Ozil as well. Seemed from his lack of effort at the end. Either way..just a bit if frustration being shown from a probably worn out team.

6 goals is a lot. But just more City's class. Looking more and more likely its their league to lose. If the play better away it will be tough to see them not finishing atop the table.

 

[Gatehawk]

No shame in losing at the Etihad. Giroud got on Ozil as well. Seemed from his lack of effort at the end. Either way..just a bit if frustration being shown from a probably worn out team.

6 goals is a lot. But just more City's class. Looking more and more likely its their league to lose. If the play better away it will be tough to see them not finishing atop the table.

That's why I refuse to think of City as title favorites, cause they're horrifically out of wack on the road.

 

[InSuarezWeTrust]

No shame in losing at the Etihad. Giroud got on Ozil as well. Seemed from his lack of effort at the end. Either way..just a bit if frustration being shown from a probably worn out team.

6 goals is a lot. But just more City's class. Looking more and more likely its their league to lose. If the play better away it will be tough to see them not finishing atop the table.

That's why I refuse to think of City as title favorites, cause they're horrifically out of wack on the road.

They're the favorites if you admit it or not.

 

[Uncle Si]

No shame in losing at the Etihad. Giroud got on Ozil as well. Seemed from his lack of effort at the end. Either way..just a bit if frustration being shown from a probably worn out team.

6 goals is a lot. But just more City's class. Looking more and more likely its their league to lose. If the play better away it will be tough to see them not finishing atop the table.

That's why I refuse to think of City as title favorites, cause they're horrifically out of wack on the road.

Last 3 on the road were beating west brom drawing Southampton and beating Europe's best team.

Arsenal just shipped 6 goals to them. 6 goals. Let that sink in. You can say Arsenal could have had more. So should city. Spurs conceded the same. United 4...etc.

No doubt they've struggled but it looks like they've turned it...and if so they are clear league favorites.

 

[Gatehawk]

No shame in losing at the Etihad. Giroud got on Ozil as well. Seemed from his lack of effort at the end. Either way..just a bit if frustration being shown from a probably worn out team.

6 goals is a lot. But just more City's class. Looking more and more likely its their league to lose. If the play better away it will be tough to see them not finishing atop the table.

That's why I refuse to think of City as title favorites, cause they're horrifically out of wack on the road.

Last 3 on the road were beating west brom drawing Southampton and beating Europe's best team.

Arsenal just shipped 6 goals to them. 6 goals. Let that sink in. You can say Arsenal could have had more. So should city. Spurs conceded the same. United 4...etc.

No doubt they've struggled but it looks like they've turned it...and if so they are clear league favorites.

You can also look at it as City shipped 3 goals after having conceded just 2 in their previous 7 at home in the league. Yeah it was an impressive win for City, but in the end Arsenal's defense(and to a slightly lesser extent their decision making) was just flat worse than City's today and that ended up being the deciding factor.

 

[Uncle Si]

Aren't those typically the deciding factors in any match? Arsenal were outclassed today. The attacking duet up top is too much for any defense that visits...the midfield quite capable of matching the best in the world.

Arsenal did well to score three...but this game was all City

 

[Gatehawk]

Okay Si, since it seems to be in your nature to torch any rational thought by me down, would you agree with this guy:

[youtube]l_2KebChrBg[/youtube]

 

[Uncle Si]

So you're posting arsenal fan videos now?

Such a twat...

Gate, my nature has nothing to do with you. To be honest I couldnt care less about you or your thoughts on any of this. I'm a fan if the league and sport. Yesterday was an important game in the sport and City did everything to assert themselves as league favorites and European contenders. If some irrational fanboy of Arsenal keeps on about his team after giving up a touchdown worth of goals than good for him. No one will take that seriously.

Identifying your shit defense and calling on the need to get things fixed would have been "rationale"... But that's just not in your nature

 

[Hawkspur]

Good God. Loan out Assou-Ekotto so that Naughton can come on to do nothing but pass the ball to Liverpool players when under no pressure. The only positive from this game so far is that Dawson is going to miss the next one. It's all well and good playing a high line, but not if you are missing your best 3 centre halves and have only one legitimate defender on the pitch (Walker). Against Luis Suarez, Sterling & Coutinho of all people.

 

[Hawkspur]

Go Seahawks

 

[Uncle Si]

Go Seahawks

Still love you Spur.. Your team did nothing to reward your loyalty today. Let's hope better from our Hawks

 

[Hawkspur]

Your boys look good. They didn't have to do a lot to win today, but they played great.

 

[Uncle Si]

Yeah, hard luck, Spur. Your team has talent, but the tactics were all wrong today. Liverpool played very well and had plenty of fire all through the first half. Was looking tetchy in the second half until Paulinho was rightfully sent off for a nonsense challenge with high feet.

Suarez needs to be made the highest paid player in all of football. I just can't get enough.

Lots of plaudits to go around today (Henderson and Sterling's best games as Liverpool players?) But its all about Suarez...

is he the best player in the world on form right now? Easily top 3? Has to be said. Best player in the PL and outside of Aguero its not close.

Spur... questions to be asked of AVB this week? I know hes been under some scrutiny (unfairly in my opinion) of late.

 

[Hawkspur]

Spur... questions to be asked of AVB this week? I know hes been under some scrutiny (unfairly in my opinion) of late.

I agree that the pressure on AVB has been unfair, but Spurs have had 3 utterly dismal games now (Liverpool, 0-5 West Ham 0-3, City 6-0), 2 of them at home, so even if the media scrutiny has been unfair, there will be a large number of fans who will be getting uppity. It doesn't help that those 2 home games have been category A games (the most expensive). While results have been better overall than under Redknapp (the best start to the premier league season ever, points-wise, before yesterday, anyway), the football hasn't been as exciting to watch. The tactics yesterday were terrible and a major factor in the scoreline, if not the result. The lack of scoring has been alarming, although in fairness they have created quite a lot of shots but just can't shoot. The assumption in the media seems to have been that Spurs should be formidable this season because they got so many new players, completely ignoring the fact that over the past 2 seasons they have had to replace the best 2 players the club has seen in at least the last decade (Modric and Bale) as well as getting rid of van der Vaart. It would have been amazing if Spurs had a great start to the season, but that's no excuse for the performance yesterday. AVB has a reputation for sticking to his formation and tactics and playing a high line against Suarez, Coutinho and Sterling with your slowest CB (Dawson), a midfielder (Capoue) and a muppet (Naughton) was clearly a lamentable decision.

I like AVB and think that he handles himself very well but when your put up performances like the one yesterday questions will be asked, quite loudly by a lot of people.

 

[Hawkspur]

Well, AVB has been sacked, but in more important news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25394091

 

[Uncle Si]

Well, AVB has been sacked, but in more important news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25394091

Beat me to it about AVB. Can't say as I'm shocked. He'll go back to the continent now. Or West Brom will snap him up.

Unfair to AVB.. but such is the Prem. I dont (Liverpool just scored again) see him staying in England. Plenty of solid clubs loo (Liverpool just scored again) king for a manager of his ilk.

I had to read the Ronaldo article twice to be sure it was he who actually created the museum...

 

[Hawkspur]

This is the type of wisdom you get in so much of the mainstream UK football media that makes it nigh-on unbearbale: Jamie Redknapp's take on where AVB went wrong -

"He had a nightmare at Chelsea and then they went and won the Champions League without him (nevermind that your dad was too busy talking himself up for the England job - as well as the Chelsea one once the England job vanished - to notice his side blow a 13 point lead in the space of 3 months to ensure that we got 4th rather than the 3rd that would have guaranteed CL), but he finds himself as the manager of Tottenham with a squad of Modric, Bale and players like that. They've decided for one reason or another to dismantle one of the best sides Tottenham ever had over the last couple of years AVB could hardly kick Modric or Bale out the door quick enough. The players that have been brought in have been nowhere near the level (and if they were they would be playing for Real Madrid or Man City, not Spurs. It's also worth noting that 'Arry's last 2 signings were Ryan Nelsen and Louis Saha. And no, he signed neither Modric or Bale. In fact, he was trying to sell Bale to Birmingham until an injury meant we had to keep him).

:34853_doh:

With such a vested interest, why not just keep your trap shut? Oh yeah, the genes run strong, I guess.

 

[InSuarezWeTrust]

Flanagan - Destroyer of managers.