2016/2017 THE Premier League Thread

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Slava

I read yesterday that Sunderland has won as many games in their last 30 as Mourinho has in his last 41. That's hilariously bad.

and entirely inaccurate. Mourinho won 17 of his last 41 PL matches. Sunderland won 17 of their last 88. Mourinhos PL record in the last two or three years isn't very good, but really, let's not exaggerate ...

[Slava]

Originally Posted by devo22

and entirely inaccurate. Mourinho won 17 of his last 41 PL matches. Sunderland won 17 of their last 88. Mourinhos PL record in the last two or three years isn't very good, but really, let's not exaggerate ...

Well I just read it somewhere, and I wasn't actually going to go through and look things up. Regardless though, its pretty dire. You have "the special one", a ridiculous amount of money spent and at this point 8th on the table and a goal differential of one. How long does that go on?

[devo22]

the thing is that they played very well against Stoke and Burnley. They played good attacking football and created a lot of chances, they just didn't bury them. Hard to blame Mourinho for that, it's hardly his fault that Ibrahimovic and co. are unable to convert at the moment. That's four points dropped unnecessarily and that sucks, but unlike last year, they've played pretty well in most games. The Chelsea game was a shocker and the first half in the derby was weak too, but other than that, the on-field performances have been decent for the most part. The results will come, hopefully.

[devo22]

Another season-ending knee injury for Danny Ings. Poor guy, some players just can't catch a break. Hope he recovers again.

Uniteds reserve manager Warren Joyce has left the club to take over as Wigan manager. Great chance for him, although that really sucks for United.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by devo22

Another season-ending knee injury for Danny Ings. Poor guy, some players just can't catch a break. Hope he recovers again.

Ugh that's awful. Really likable guy and a decent player too. It's gonna be tough for him to resurrect his career after this.

[GirlySports]

have you guys head this? How One Man’s Bad Math Helped Ruin Decades Of English Soccer
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...nglish-soccer/

what do you think? I'm a fan of 4-4-2 and the long ball (as you all know) so I think this theory is bunk.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

have you guys head this? How One Man’s Bad Math Helped Ruin Decades Of English Soccer
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...nglish-soccer/

what do you think? I'm a fan of 4-4-2 and the long ball (as you all know) so I think this theory is bunk.

I don't think any theory is the correct one. Teams are easier to defend against when they are predictable, so the best teams can usually score in a variety of ways.

It's all about being adaptable. The best players can adapt to multiple styles, and the best managers can adapt their style to their players.

I always thought Fergie was brilliant at that. You couldn't pin all of his teams down to exactly one style, unless you count winning as a style.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by The Big Chill

I don't think any theory is the correct one. Teams are easier to defend against when they are predictable, so the best teams can usually score in a variety of ways.

It's all about being adaptable. The best players can adapt to multiple styles, and the best managers can adapt their style to their players.

I always thought Fergie was brilliant at that. You couldn't pin all of his teams down to exactly one style, unless you count winning as a style.

I just think the presenter is handpicking info. He mentioned 92 and 94 but not 90 and 96 (Englands only two semifinal appearances). Not to mentioned they lost to Norway in 93. Norway weren't exactly Spain.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

what do you think? I'm a fan of 4-4-2 and the long ball (as you all know) so I think this theory is bunk.

The long ball is great when you don't have a plan and/or a technically inferior team.

One that sticks out for me is the Republic Of Ireland had great success with it at Italia 90. Just put them under pressure and kick it up to the big men.

Not really rocket science.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I just think the presenter is handpicking info. He mentioned 92 and 94 but not 90 and 96 (Englands only two semifinal appearances). Not to mentioned they lost to Norway in 93. Norway weren't exactly Spain.

Did the authors only use 92 and 94 to come to their conclusion or were they using it as examples where England was already headed down the wrong path? At the end of the day, The Big Chill is correct and winning teams will require a Plan B. I think it is much easier for a shorting passing, possession-based team to switch to hit and hope for the last 10 minutes of a match than a long ball team to imitate Barca for a bit.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Addick

Did the authors only use 92 and 94 to come to their conclusion or were they using it as examples where England was already headed down the wrong path? At the end of the day, The Big Chill is correct and winning teams will require a Plan B. I think it is much easier for a shorting passing, possession-based team to switch to hit and hope for the last 10 minutes of a match than a long ball team to imitate Barca for a bit.

perhaps but they lost to Sweden and Norway in 92 and 93. Not exactly skilled teams. Norway outhoofed England! Euro 92 was a weird tournament. France were perfect in qualifying and didn't get out of England group either.

[GirlySports]

Chelsea look incredible

[Locke]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Chelsea look incredible

They're really putting Everton to the sword.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Locke

They're really putting Everton to the sword.

Russian oligarchs FTW, b$tches. And it looks like Borough has a bit more to offer than Barca, so it's all coming up Millhouse.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

perhaps but they lost to Sweden and Norway in 92 and 93. Not exactly skilled teams. Norway outhoofed England! Euro 92 was a weird tournament. France were perfect in qualifying and didn't get out of England group either.

The authors' main argument was that England didn't select the strategy that would lead to the best probability of scoring/winning. They stated that possession football generated more scoring opportunities and therefore represented the best chance of winning according to the statistics. The fact that Norway and Sweden played a game that conceded possession to the opposition only strengthens the authors' argument as if England played possession football, they would have had an even greater amount of possession than usual and the probability of scoring would have been higher than normal. By playing hit and hope football England actually played into Norway and Sweden's hands.

[Slava]

I just wanted to post that I'm dreading tomorrow. Spurs haven't looked good, and I have enjoyed being the only unbeaten team thus far.

[Slava]

Well what do I know. Spurs looked good today and it was a great game. Nice to have Harry Kane back and he looked pretty good.

I basically hate Lee Dixon. He is a brutal commentator because he is so biased its ridiculous. I get it...you won a title with the gunners, and congratulations, but really not every call should go them and against Spurs. I would enjoy a 5-1 win for Spurs just to hear him moan for 90 minutes.

[devo22]

I burst out laughing when I saw the United lineup today. FML. Being a Flames and United supporter is not a lot of fun these days.

[Senator Clay Davis]

So Liverpool looking at top of the table, and would be unbeaten if not for that stinker against Burnley. Klopp already has them looking extremely sharp, Mane and Coutinho look like a lethal duo.

[devo22]

lol and of course United play great today. I know nothing about football it seems. But to be fair, Swansea is terrible.