2023/2024 English Premier League Thread

[The Big Chill]

Arsenal finally with a nice finish.

[Winsor_Pilates]

You can script Arsenal matches, they're so predictable.
The price of strikers keep going up & up.

[Matty81]

Surely they have to try something different even if they can't afford Toney. You can't throw away these kind of opportunities to win titles. Who else are they being linked with? Jonathan David who they have been linked with a lot in the past is having a bit of an off year and his contract expires in 18 months, rumored ask in the summer was 50 but you wonder if they could get him for 40 or so with the contract run down a bit more and try something different. I could see him being a real threat regularly playing for a high octane offence like that where he gets chances every game.

It seems like there is already some smoke around them trying to flog Nketiah to Palace for 30 and maybe it could set off a chain reaction if they do move for someone and make the figures work... 20 seems more likely the max you could see someone paying for Nketiah with his scoring rate, but I could see that move actually happening as a couple clubs in the Bundesliga have been linked to Mateta at Palace for 10 recently and for some reason they seem to be obsessed with Nketiah for several windows. Maybe they can get a new striker for just 20 million net if that all plays out.

[Locke]

Ahhh...listening to those Scousers take over Arsenal's stadium. 'Twas a thing of beauty.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Surely they have to try something different even if they can't afford Toney. You can't throw away these kind of opportunities to win titles. Who else are they being linked with? Jonathan David who they have been linked with a lot in the past is having a bit of an off year and his contract expires in 18 months, rumored ask in the summer was 50 but you wonder if they could get him for 40 or so with the contract run down a bit more and try something different. I could see him being a real threat regularly playing for a high octane offence like that where he gets chances every game.

It seems like there is already some smoke around them trying to flog Nketiah to Palace for 30 and maybe it could set off a chain reaction if they do move for someone and make the figures work... 20 seems more likely the max you could see someone paying for Nketiah with his scoring rate, but I could see that move actually happening as a couple clubs in the Bundesliga have been linked to Mateta at Palace for 10 recently and for some reason they seem to be obsessed with Nketiah for several windows. Maybe they can get a new striker for just 20 million net if that all plays out.

Well I question the “these opportunities to win titles” phrase you use. They had that incredibly easy start last year which made them think they were better than they actually are. One win in seven where you struggle to score is not championship form.

[Matty81]

Their form is bad (partly because their strikers have been so bad in the league) but I think they have a shot to win this year. I don't see liverpool cruising to victory. spine is much stronger with rice. They have palace and forest after the break to get some momentum going and then a huge game at liverpool.

Pure opinion but think they should find a way to add a striker this window even if they have to sell a couple players on the fringe like nketiah or smith-rowe. In a couple years with newcastles financial might once they can spend again and chelseas massive crop of youngsters they bought maturing plus city being city I think it will be much tougher for them, not sure they will have a longer window of opportunity than this season and next.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Their form is bad (partly because their strikers have been so bad in the league) but I think they have a shot to win this year. I don't see liverpool cruising to victory. spine is much stronger with rice. They have palace and forest after the break to get some momentum going and then a huge game at liverpool.

Pure opinion but think they should find a way to add a striker this window even if they have to sell a couple players on the fringe like nketiah or smith-rowe. In a couple years with newcastles financial might once they can spend again and chelseas massive crop of youngsters they bought maturing plus city being city I think it will be much tougher for them, not sure they will have a longer window of opportunity than this season and next.

Win what?

I wont count them out of the EPL. That seems like a wide open race.

Obviously they cant win the FA cup anymore, Liverpool saw to that.

Are they still in Cariboo? I dont remember.

I suppose they're still in with a shout in the Champions' League, but I dont see that sticking. I might be wrong there though.

[Matty81]

The premier league is what I was talking about, they're out of the domestic cups. To me the cups are secondary/much lesser objectives anyway with a lot of luck involved and your team composition and focus is always on winning the league and seizing a chance to grab a premier league title over all else. For big 6 teams other than City lately the chance to be in the mix down the stretch doesn't happen all that often. I'm not an Arsenal supporter so you guys who are would know better than me, but it seems to me like they're letting a chance go begging if they sit on their hands this window with how bad their strikers have been relative to the rest of their team. You've got to at least try something different rather than hoping Jesus or Nketiah become prolific unexpectedly.

Champions League is a bit of an exception and yes they have a shot there as well as it's just them and City left from the prem, of the 16 teams left you'd probably say that only Barca, Real, Bayern, City would be favored to beat them in a 2 legged tie, if the draw is favourable they could have a legitimate shot there as well.

[Slava]

Well we got drawn at home to City for the 4th round, so that is basically as bad as it gets for us.

[Locke]

This match is so tough for me.

On the one hand I want United to lose because...watching United lose is always fun.

But at the same time I want them to still have to be involved in the competition so they can perform poorly elsewhere. They already crashed out of Europe bottom of their group, the least they could do is stick around the FA Cup?

[Locke]

Lol! This should be good.

United are running their starting XI against a League 1 side.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Locke

Lol! This should be good.

United are running their starting XI against a League 1 side.

LOL! And?

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well I question the “these opportunities to win titles” phrase you use. They had that incredibly easy start last year which made them think they were better than they actually are . One win in seven where you struggle to score is not championship form.

Only in your head.

Stop making things up.

In fact last season, I do recall someone predicting their team was going to win the title.

It wasn’t an Arsenal supporter.

Originally Posted by Slava

If we're doing predictions, I'll take a stab:

Winners: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club

Top Four: Spurs, Liverpool, City, Chelsea

Golden Boot: Son

Relegated: Fulham, Leeds, Everton

First manager sacked: Arteta

Surprise of the season: ETH gets United rolling and they finish 5th, narrowly missing CL.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Barnet Flame

Only in your head.

Stop making things up.

In fact last season, I do recall someone predicting their team was going to win the title.

It wasn’t an Arsenal supporter.

Yeah, pre-season before a ball was kicked? I'll predict them now to win this year also.

[Barnet Flame]

My point is, stop making things up.

That’s all. There wasn’t a single Arsenal fan here posting what you claim. Nor was there anyone in my less than vast circle of friends that are Arsenal fans of that mindset.

The entire season was one big, wtf was going on? Where did this come from?

And it was enjoyable if ultimately fruitless because the football was good. I loved last season.

This season, not so much. You can only score by committee for so long, and we just don’t have an outlet to finish off what is still good play but without the tools up front, nothing will happen.

But no matter, I’ve still got the Flames. Sigh.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Barnet Flame

My point is, stop making things up.

That’s all. There wasn’t a single Arsenal fan here posting what you claim. Nor was there anyone in my less than vast circle of friends that are Arsenal fans of that mindset.

The entire season was one big, wtf was going on? Where did this come from?

And it was enjoyable if ultimately fruitless because the football was good. I loved last season.

This season, not so much. You can only score by committee for so long, and we just don’t have an outlet to finish off what is still good play but without the tools up front, nothing will happen.

But no matter, I’ve still got the Flames. Sigh.

I wasn’t talking about posters here though. I think that start last year ramped up the pressure in general though. We all know it’s a longer term project (except for Leicester one year, I guess). But when you unexpectedly challenge like that it amplifies things and makes people think that you’re a player away or that kind of thing. I don’t think that’s some way out on a limb kind of take.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

You can script Arsenal matches, they're so predictable.
The price of strikers keep going up & up.

So what you're saying is that Arsenal, the Gunners, are ironically the team with the most threadbare Arsenal and the fewest 'Guns?'

[Barnet Flame]

More Pop, than Top guns.

[Locke]

Balls.

Liverpool's Premier League title bid has suffered a new injury blow with Trent Alexander-Arnold set to be sidelined until mid-February with a knee ligament tear.

Alexander-Arnold, 25, has undergone a scan to assess the full extent of the damage sustained while playing in Sunday's FA Cup third round win against Arsenal at the Emirates.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/...ks-knee-injury

Considering we're without Robertson and Tsimikas still, lost Matip for the season and Salah and Endo are leaving for competitions.

Not. Good.

But TAA is so influential to the team. Without him and Salah we're going to have to grind out results.

[Locke]

Oh Chelsea...thats a bad one to drop.

Its going to be interesting to see who wins the FA Cup because it seems like nobody wants it.