Essential The Official Football (Soccer) Thread - 'We will not be there.' - Pep Fraudiola

[OscarAcosta]

Playing in Ligue 1 has a ceiling in development. It's cool for a couple of season but you need to move on to grow more. Lowkey the Prem might be the best for development. As it tests you physically even if you flop/fail in the league players tend to be better in the next league they play in. Look at McTominey went from a mid run of the mill Prem/British b2b midfielder to a giant and best midfielder is Serie A this season. Antony actually looks like a 100m player with Betis.

There's a certain amount of 'horses for courses' when trying to judge the standard of the league by how a player performs when moving from one to another. It seems a very inexact science. Whilst Serie A was much better when they played there, Bergkamp, Henry, and Vieira, to name but three, all looked out of their depth in Italy but brilliant in the PL. The PL was probably evolving, too. I don't think that you would have said that Serie A was streets ahead of the PL at the time.

The McTominay thing is fukking MENTAL, though. To me, he often looked as if he was trying to hide in games, and I thought that he was a bit of a coward. He looks sooooooo different for Napoli. I can't get my head around it!

 

[hood b. goode]

The McTominay thing is fukking MENTAL, though. To me, he often looked as if he was trying to hide in games, and I thought that he was a bit of a coward. He looks sooooooo different for Napoli. I can't get my head around it!

Mola Lookman the coldest winger in Serie A...i was shocked that he was a championship washout

 

[jj23]

So we stripped an already thin squad in the January window with no replacements and now injuries have ripped through. Could have told you that for free but whatever. Wont even bother watching this team anymore.

Arsenal and United doing the same nonsense.

 

[OscarAcosta]

Arsenal and United doing the same nonsense.

I might be totally wrong, but it seems to me that:

A) In United's case, it seems to be all down to PSR issues. They simply have to churn as much of the dross on high wages, and, in turn, unfortunately sell the most profit-generative homegrowns as possible, otherwise they're stuck with a squad which is useless for their latest messiah.

B) I think in Arsenal's case, it's all about not wanting to spend in January what could be spent on better / better value in the off season unless a top-tier player were to be available. I'd imagine that we're starting to sail pretty close to the wind on the PSR bollocks too. Also getting payback for our lack of injuries last season. Fortuna balancing the scales....

 

[OscarAcosta]

Mola Lookman the coldest winger in Serie A...i was shocked that he was a championship washout

It's extra strange when the players are at advanced stages of their careers. Lookman and McTominay 27 & 28 respectively, I think.

Wasn't Lookman quite highly touted as a youngster, or am I misremembering that? I can't remember McTominay ever being spoken about as anything more than 'average to good' mid-table club PL player if things went right. A mate of mine from back home is a tragic - goes to as many of the U21, or whatever it's called, for United too, and I can't ever remember him mentioning McTom.

It would make more sense for one of those to have a late renaissance than the other.

 

[Ukbrotha]

I might be totally wrong, but it seems to me that:

A) In United's case, it seems to be all down to PSR issues. They simply have to churn as much of the dross on high wages, and, in turn, unfortunately sell the most profit-generative homegrowns as possible, otherwise they're stuck with a squad which is useless for their latest messiah.

B) I think in Arsenal's case, it's all about not wanting to spend in January what could be spent on better / better value in the off season unless a top-tier player were to be available. I'd imagine that we're starting to sail pretty close to the wind on the PSR bollocks too. Also getting payback for our lack of injuries last season. Fortuna balancing the scales....

Its not really comparable. United's case is far more about completely clueless people running things at the club. Clearly not the case with Arsenal despite the body blow of losing Edu in the middle of the season. United issues while PSR related could also have been avoided if ineos had a slight clue what they were doing.

 

[OscarAcosta]

Its not really comparable. United's case is far more about completely clueless people running things at the club. Clearly not the case with Arsenal despite the body blow of losing Edu in the middle of the season. United issues while PSR related could also have been avoided if ineos had a slight clue what they were doing.

Yah, agree. I certainly didn't mean to compare them at all. There are loads of reasons to differentiate the scenarios, and I agree with everything you wrote.

I always had a pretty high level of respect for United the club, and the Arsenal - United years competing for trophies & the PL are probably my favourite years as a fan. What has gone on at that club over the last 10-or-so years is both fukking criminal but also tragicomic.

 

[Roberto Firmino]

Lucho with another start after b2b stinkers better have something for me

 

[Nero Christ]

Diaz made that one happen

 

[bigdaddy88]

Diaz just scored ,he gon score a hat trick and nikkas gon get on their knees for the next 3 months

Good goal though lol

 

[bigdaddy88]

First goal in 11 games u hear that smdh

 

[Nero Christ]

@bigdaddy88 ya mans making it all happen today

 

[DapMeUp!]

I'll be back for the United vs Spurs game

 

[bigdaddy88]

One more and start making subs lol villa are kinda mod but they play like a cup final on wednesday

 

[bigdaddy88]

I'll be back for the United vs Spurs game

Ya'll need to be more realistic on which games we are likely to drop points,Wednesday and Sunday sure not today lol....I wasn't expecting arsenal lose to LEICESTER c'mon