Football season 2018/19

An edited digest of the 'Fan matrix' in today's i paper, hopefully of interest to some here:

Man City: 'Aguero looks absolutely razor'. (City_Sean)

Newc U: 'Bottom three by the end of Sept due to fixtures'. (PaddockLad)

Saints: 'I like Charlie Austin but he has the turning circle of the Titanic. The more dynamic patnership of Gabbiadini-Ings needed tomorrow against Leicester'. (Nick Roberts)

WHU: 'Bad start....but trust Pellegrini to sort a solid formation'. (Chris Scott)

Man U: 'We're straight up garbage'. (L1ink)

Watched the Wolves - City match and I was well impressed with Wolves.Thought they defended superbly and looked good on the break.Obviously pleased City getting the equalizer threw  La Porte but it was one of those games when City had a lot of chances like Stirling's superb shot on goal in the first half but none came off.Thought Benjemin Mendy for City was outstanding.Sane was really average coming off the bench giving the ball away.

Arsenal - West Ham much needed points for The Gunners and more woe for West Ham....Looking forward to your comments Kev.

Expecting Liverpool to win against Brighton....but I was thinking that about Wolves - City.......

BielsaBall continues at Leeds .................. what difference this new coach has made to what is, largely, the same team as last year.

I'd read all about his reputation, and the respect many other top coaches and players have for him, but to see his ideas as to how the game ought to be played being translated into action on the grass, in such a short time since he arrived at Elland Road, is quite astounding. 

Like The Stranglers said, 'Something better Change' at my Saints. 2-1 defeat at thome to Leicester.

At last a result for the Arsenal by no means convincing or really enjoyable but a win all the same.

I think with the Arsenal, it’s going to take a season for the team to adjust to the new manager, new players,  new tactics.....

I think it’s described as the pain before the gain...

I get the whole transitional thing but over the course of the last three matches we have repeatedly left huge holes at the back expecting Henryk M to tuck in behind when Bellerin has bombed so far forward that he cannot get back isn't realistic                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Today a more clinical set of finishers would have punished us more severely and it could well have been three losses.

Peter Cech as good a stopper as he is will never be the keeper sweeper needed at the base of Emery's system we simply do not have the players to play the way he is setting us up to play.    

You have to remember with any team you are endeavouring to change you need time....and the right players for that system .....

no doubt the team will evolve over the season... 

we are going to have to be patient, it was the same for klopp at Liverpool and Pep at Man City.... their first seasons were essentially a write off...

Of course you are right WENGER2015 patience is a must for any long term Arsenal supporter we have learned this over many, many long years with short periods of explosive brilliance.

My fear is that Emery does not have the personel right as of now to play HIS way,  when you have a team like West Ham and no disrespect to them getting behind us the way they did you have to wonder if perhaps he should bend a just a little and where is the high tempo pressing game that is supposed to be his trademark.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola already had very decent squads and were given £80-90 million to spend on one player and the same to spend on just a keeper Unai Emery had to do with less than that amount to strenghten a whole team.

The one silver lining is Matteo Guendouzi who in time I have no doubt will become the player we have needed for so long a player to win the ball back and to bring it out of defence with purpose and with confidence he is a real gem of a player.  Lucas Torriera also looks like a very good buy who could also go on to become a great Arsenal Player.

 I shall have patience but also  a lot of trepidation. We have a run of games now until we meet Liverpool in November to put a run together and get a few points. Let's just hope that Koscielny comes back sooner than expected he is a player that could galvanise our defence a bit more.

BOB THE BUILDER 

Agree with you completely.

Attacking we will be a force to be reckoned with, but defensively we need to improve massively, which in a way is a familiar story....

unfortunately I think we are in for a rollercoaster of a season....

Oh dear. Taxi for José?

I'm sure he'll feel others have let him down.

Not just a taxi....a special taxi for the special one...

Next up is Burnley.

An early season relegation six pointer.????

Wow ! Great victory for the boys at Old Trafford last night. Lucas, my boy ! What a steal from PSG !

Don't worry Jose. It was probably the fault of the pitch, the players, the referee, the weather and Donald Trump. Anyway, tell us about your three Premier League titles........ again.

Great result for Spurs at the theatre of dreams.....well done boys.

Klopp and Guardiola are moving their teams forward .....Jose is going backwards.... especially out of press conferences......argh the special one...    

Tabby cat posted:

Klopp and Guardiola are moving their teams forward .....Jose is going backwards.... especially out of press conferences......argh the special one...    

I heard that press conference Ian. It was utterly bizarre. He was either drunk or he's completely losing the plot.

Probably both Kev,

It's all part of the Jose public persona.It' s getting a bit predictable and tedious now.Every thing has to be slightly weird,there can never be any straight talking nor honesty with him.

I do think your Hammers will be fine with Pellagrini.Thought they where ok with Arsenal early days I know.Work friends who are West Ham supporters aren't happy with Nobel saying he's to slow these days.

What really tonks me off is that all the pundits are going on about how Man U are having problems, Mourinho, money spent, blah, blah blah, but sod all about how Spurs played better than them and won.

And what's so bloody special about Manchester? (A city I heartily loath and detest for reasons that are nothing to do with football.)

steve

At least we've kept our 100% record!

I wasn't there but Saints have recorded their first win of the PL season, away at Palace. Happy chap.

Saw my lot stuff Plymouth 3-0 today. 16 points from 6 games and only 3 goals conceded. Pompey have started the season far better than I could have hoped.  

Football is weird isn’t it. We start with 2 players on the bench we need on the pitch and minus an injured centre half. We play awfully; lose the replacement centre half to a self-inflicted injury and the 2 worst players on the day each score a goal. Keeper makes zero saves in 96 minutes bar the 2 free gifts we gave them but which they place straight at our keeper. We’re top of the table and everyone goes home happy. 

Christopher_M posted:

I wasn't there but Saints have recorded their first win of the PL season, away at Palace. Happy chap.

On the message boards there is much praise for Danny Ings, scorer of the first goal, a player whom I think we can all agree has a short surname. Except that he is being referred to as Ingsy!!

Only in football!

Christopher_M posted:

Christopher_M posted:

I wasn't there but Saints have recorded their first win of the PL season, away at Palace. Happy chap.

On the message boards there is much praise for Danny Ings, scorer of the first goal, a player whom I think we can all agree has a short surname. Except that he is being referred to as Ingsy!!

Only in football!

From what I saw on MotD, Saints' win at Palace was well deserved.  Credit Roy H for saying that Southampton deserved their win in his post-match interview. Nice to see a manager being objective.