EPL 2023/2024
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For what it's worth, on The Rest is Football a couple of weeks ago Micah Richards was arguing with Lineker and Shearer that the game is far more intense today.
While no one disputed that today's players are better athletes the two oldies said they thought it just as intense in their day because of the greater physicality, the lack of protection from referees and the state of the grounds - all of which were energy sapping and so added to the intensity
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Liverpool remembered how to convert chances a couple of games too late. As well as arsenal playing it will be a miracle if city don’t get 6 points from last 2 games.
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Yeah surely Man City do it from here. Would have to be a massive slip up if not!
Nice 5-nil demo job done by Chelsea this morning. Need to keep winning knowing that Man Untd and Newcastle will have to drop/share some points on the run home given they face each other
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@KiwiPie said in EPL 2023/2024:
@Billy-Tell Emerson Royal at left-back is a walking calamity. Definitely thought they over achieved early in the season and now they just look as leaky as West Ham. And Villa are hardly storming to 4th spot but they haven't needed to with Spurs and Man U so poor.
Interesting that Ipswich have 2 consecutive promotions, neither time as champion but only 10 defeats over those 92 games.
If Tottenham had 1 extra point things would be interesting as Aston Villa are running out of steam at a rapid rate and I'd be surprised if we get another point.
Thankfully for the Villains, Tottenham do have Man City, a game Tottenham would probably want to lose voluntarily haha.
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@KiwiPie said in EPL 2023/2024:
@Billy-Tell Emerson Royal at left-back is a walking calamity. Definitely thought they over achieved early in the season and now they just look as leaky as West Ham. And Villa are hardly storming to 4th spot but they haven't needed to with Spurs and Man U so poor.
Interesting that Ipswich have 2 consecutive promotions, neither time as champion but only 10 defeats over those 92 games.
To be fair to Emerson he hasn't actually played much. We have been just as leaky with Udogie, Porro, Johnson and everyone else
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@MajorRage said in EPL 2023/2024:
Ten Hag sacked tonight surely
That was abject tonight. Without the decent players that they do have (Bruno was out) and Casemiro giving an all time dreadful performance at centre-back. At times he looked like the paunchy chap from a pub team who can play a bit.
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So relying on West Ham to beat city away. That’s like hoping the crusaders win a match home or away.
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@Billy-Tell said in EPL 2023/2024:
So relying on West Ham to beat city away. That’s like hoping the crusaders win a match home or away.
Relying on West Ham to draw or beat City away. Draw for City and win for Arsenal gives Arsenal the title on goal difference. Villa seal 4th place and UCL football. Spurs can still be tipped out of Europa if both Newcastle and Chelsea win their final 2 games and Spurs lose their final game. United need to beat Newcastle this week to realistically have a chance of top 7.
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Fuck City are annoying.
They last lost in early December. The 2nd half of the season their record is a frankly ridiculous 16-3-0
Arsenal on the other hand have gone a perfectly acceptable 14-1-4 and will likely finish 2nd.
They just don't lose in the league after December, ever. Relentless. It's why the old "top at Christmas" means fuck all. Even if you are top at Christmas, you know you are going to have to be exceptional for the rest of the season as well, as City will just grind you down.
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Since the Leicester title win (2015/16), and Guardiola took over - City's points totals/games lost are as below. The often have a blip in the season but the blip is small and they go on long unbeaten runs.
2017 78/6 (3rd)
2018 100/2 (1st)
2019 98/4 (1st)
2020 81/9 (2nd)
2021 86/6 (1st)
2022 93/3 (1st)
2023 89/5 (1st) -
Liverpool have had seasons where they have scored 92 and 97 points and come 2nd.
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Nation state clubs have by and large undelivered but City' strategy of employing the best manager / coach / strategist in the world and then give him any player he wants is unsurprisingly, genius.
I'd like to see Pep leave for a smaller club to really test his abilities and see how City fare without him. I reckon they would decline markedly - not Utd plummet but come back to the pack.
It will never happen but it would be bloody interesting to see what Pep could do with sat Palace's resources. I reckon he's get them to CL. Players would join to play under him.
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Another season down in the PL with City (yawn) claiming their 4th on the trot. Hard to say they didn't deserve it either, with Arsenal pushing them really hard, they withstood the pressure, stepped up and won. One of the most fun seasons I've watched with plenty of twists, strange results and goals. Rather odd that it co-incided with Englands arguably worst season in Europe in a long time. So let's wrap it up.
City: Champs again, phenomenal team full of phenomenal players with a generational manager.
Arsenal: Decent enough choke again, the loss vs Villa the difference between 1st and 2nd
Liverpool: Klopp didn't get his dream farewell as once again he proved, he cannot manage a title race.
Villa: Wow! What a season for them, huge kudos to Emery.
Spurs: Excellent first season for Postecoglu, hard to beat at home and epitome of the fun season
Chelsea: Poch worked it out in the last quarter (pass it to Cole), great launchpad for next year
Newcastle: Bit of an also-ran season after last year, Howe has some off season thinking to do
Man Utd: Ten Hag been sacked yet? Colossally underachieving squad.
West Ham: Farewell to Moyes whose been superb, shame the fan base didn't really appreciate it
Palace: Unbelievable finish and mid table a superb return for this club
Brighton: De Zerbi leaves with a job very well done. Always threatening, not always getting what deserved
Bournemouth: Similar to Palace, fans must be happy with this season
Fulham: Look the full Premiership team this year with a disappointing end to the season.
Wolves: Sold, but not spectacular. Suspect fans will want more next year
Everton: Fans happy to see them stay up which isn't good enough for a club of this calibre. Financial difficulties will continue to unfold, but perhaps worst is behind them
Brentford: Another good season, have a feeling they will struggle next after the last couple as don't seem to be moving forwards
Notts Forest: Perhaps could have done better as Wood had decent service. Will be happy to stay in though
Luton Town: Disappointing to see them go down, epitome of the fun season with Spurs. Will be missed
Burnley: Back to the championship, with that perhaps a better reflection of their level
Sheffield United: Totally not up to it, arguably would have gone down in the Championship as wellAwards:
One Man Team Award:
Must go to Cole Palmer at Chelsea. Absolutely carried them through the middle part and then when the team realised that working with him was the way forwards, results came. Penalty fight vs Everton epitome of Chelseas lows. A true football hero in the middle of a bunch of over paid prima donnas.Worst Call Of The Year:
@MajorRage said in EPL 2023/2024:I think Rice is going to be a complete failure at Arsenal. There is no way he's worth 105mm & the pressure of it will tell.
Dickhead Of The Year:
Hotly contested award with plenty of contenders, but I'm going with West Ham fans. Moyes has done more for your club than anybody and he agrees it's time to depart, but all your Moyes Out signs when you've been in the top half of the table shows just how much you think you are above your station. Dickheads.Toughest Challenge For Next Year Award:
Ratcliffe. What are you going to do when you learn that ten Hag wasn't the biggest problem, your over paid for bunch of talent is. Good luck fella, will need.We Will Miss You Award:
Luton Town, what a club to have in the EPL. Walk through the postman's back garden to enter the stadium, then have no clue what you'll get. Down 3-0 at half time? Doesn't mean anything ..... So much fun to watch week in, week out.Departing Manager Award:
Lots to choose from here, but I'm going to give it to Klopp. Not only did he manage to win the EPL once in his 8 years, but he managed to turn the worlds biggest fan club of over entitled one eyed fools, into something even .... worse. He shall be missed, but I'm sure I'll keep hearing the he would have won so much more if it wasn't for cheating City line over and over again .... Fun fact. He didn't.Biggest Thing Of Last Year To A Bit Nothing This Year:
Newcastle. Talked about at every level the entire season last year, but a bit of an also ran season this one.Spirit of the Premier League award:
I'm giving this to my colleague Carl. Season ticket holder at Spurs for 25 years, 42 year old Dad of 2 boys, loving father, fantastic husband and hard worker. He gets it for, in his words "punching the lights out of the Spurs fan supporting City. I'll always support the team, fuck that". The best part is he took a Dutch graduate to the game and it all unfolded in front of him. Legend.Proper Awards:
Manager Of The Year:
Really tough this one, but I'm giving it to Emery. Villa were superb from the get go and he managed it superbly. Guardiola superb as always, and this could have been Arteta's if they'd gotten over the line. But for sheer punching above expectations, it's gotta be Unai.Signing Of The Year:
I'm giving this one to Palmer. Perhaps Rice was a better overall, but he came with a huge amount of talent, fanfare, talk & coverage. Palmer didn't, and he did more for his team than Rice.Player Of The Year:
Honourable mentions to Palmer, Odegaard, Rice, Watkins but I have to go with Foden for this one. Sheer talent, sheer will and some fantastic goals. When somebody outshines Haaland, De Bruyne, Grealish ... the list goes on ... they have to be somebody special.The Major Rage Overall Award:
And the big one, the one you've all been waiting for. I don't think there has been a bigger standout for me across the season this year as much as previous ones. Loads of talent out there, loads of excellent games, loads of brilliant watching but I think one person just sums it up for me. I acknowledge this come from left field but I have absolutely fucking loved Ange Postecoglu. I can't even really explain why, maybe it's because he's really just a fat Aussie bastard, but I've loved it.Along with Luton Town, the epitome of why this season was such a fun one. Onya Ange.
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@mariner4life said in EPL 2023/2024:
Fuck City are annoying.
They last lost in early December. The 2nd half of the season their record is a frankly ridiculous 16-3-0
Arsenal on the other hand have gone a perfectly acceptable 14-1-4 and will likely finish 2nd.
They just don't lose in the league after December, ever. Relentless. It's why the old "top at Christmas" means fuck all. Even if you are top at Christmas, you know you are going to have to be exceptional for the rest of the season as well, as City will just grind you down.
Very few teams have lost while leading at Xmas. In fact if memory serves me correctly, that sad claim to fame is Liverpool's. Which is unfortunate when you can amass what is historically a winning total and still lose the title. That's how good sports washing is when done exceptionally well.
