2017/2018 THE Premier League Thread

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Locke

Oh come on, just call a spade a spade and say it.

"Spurs finished above Arsenal ergo season = Great Success."

Now we see if Kane and Alli can dive England to the promised land!

Lol, well you know what kind of speaks to how well things are going at Spurs? Beating Arsenal is kind of anti-climactic now. Sure, when some posters on here were taking shots at us in November about being behind them it was meaningful, but nearing the end of the season and when it became official it was kind of a moot point. They're really in shambles now, and honestly when you look at the signings or rumoured signings for them, they've taken a pretty clear step back.

We did however beat both Liverpool and Madrid, and both of them failed to beat us this season, so that's a good start. It's evident that Spurs have been punching above their weight though. We just can't spend like Liverpool/United/City in particular, so to keep pace with them and beat them in the league really puts the pressure on the academy or getting young players to develop.

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Well realistically no one is challenging City next year unless they have a ton of injuries, their squad depth is insane and they're probably adding Mahrez and Jorginho. But Liverpool have an elite attack, what looks like a potentially elite midfield depending on the signings, and a very solid defense. If they get the goalie, you can't tell me on paper there is a better challenger than them at present. The other difference is Liverpool beat City three times and Spurs got annihilated both times they played City.

Sure, City walked the league, but that's honestly not that impressive to me. They spent like $500m or some ridiculous thing, and of course they're adding more. If anything the fact that they could only win the league and bombed out of the FA Cup and CL is just funnier.

And yeah, Liverpool beat City three times, but the competition is the head-to-head home/away where we all play each other. They finished 4th. I guess we'll see how things look after the window closes, and they might be better, but you just never know. Last year, weren't we hearing what a great window it was for West Ham and Everton, and both of them struggled this season. It's difficult to predict how things come together.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

What about winning the PL vs losing the CL in the final?

Nope. Still take losing in the CL final.

Winning the PL? Who cares? You wonder why the major clubs want to break away from their domestic leagues and form a Super League?

Go ask Guardiola the same thing. If he'd trade the PL title for playing and losing in the CL final and hed throw that winners' medal at you so fast it'd leave a bruise.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Locke

Nope. Still take losing in the CL final.

Winning the PL? Who cares? You wonder why the major clubs want to break away from their domestic leagues and form a Super League?

Go ask Guardiola the same thing. If he'd trade the PL title for playing and losing in the CL final and hed throw that winners' medal at you so fast it'd leave a bruise.

Nah a league win still means more than a CL final loss which in the end means nothing - speaking as a Juventus fan here.

IMO the order of importance goes:

CL Win
League Title
Qualify for CL (Top 3/4 Finish)
Europa League Win
Domestic Cup Win
CL Finalist

Sure as a fan it’s a great accomplishment that season to get to the CL final, and the journey is always fun but in the end losing in the finals vs the semis is all the same - it doesn’t matter to anyone outside that team and a runner up medal doesn’t count as a trophy.

Now I agree that every manager would trade a domestic league title for a shot at PLAYING and WINNING the champions league final...but no manager in he world is trading a domestic league title for a guaranteed loss in the CL final.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Nah a league win still means more than a CL final loss which in the end means nothing - speaking as a Juventus fan here.

IMO the order of importance goes:

CL Win
League Title
Qualify for CL (Top 3/4 Finish)
Europa League Win
Domestic Cup Win
CL Finalist

Sure as a fan it’s a great accomplishment that season to get to the CL final, and the journey is always fun but in the end losing in the finals vs the semis is all the same - it doesn’t matter to anyone outside that team and a runner up medal doesn’t count as a trophy.

Couldnt agree more for the most part, but what you're discounting is that this is where the players want to be.

If you've made a run to the CL finals, thats where players want to play. It vastly increases the status of your club and the attractiveness to potential recruits.

Far more than any domestic league win.

[White Out 403]

I think winning a major league like the PL would attract people just as well as a good run in the CL dont you think? I think City is expected to do better in the CL based on their quality in the league.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Locke

Couldnt agree more for the most part, but what you're discounting is that this is where the players want to be.

If you've made a run to the CL finals, thats where players want to play. It vastly increases the status of your club and the attractiveness to potential recruits.

Far more than any domestic league win.

I think players just want to play for elite clubs that have a history of success in the Champions League and Domestically, and who have the chequebook to write big money deals.

Plus domestic success means you play in the CL the following year, which is what players care about. If Liverpool made the CL finals this year but hadn’t qualified for next year they wouldn’t be that attractive of a destination.

The way I look at it there are 3 tiers of “top” teams.

Tier 1: Munich, Madrid, Barcelona
Tier 2: Manchester United, Juventus, PSG, City, Chelsea (May drop to tier 3 now that they’ve tightened the purse strings a bit)

Then I think it’s actually a big gap to the third tier:

Tier 3: Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Roma, Dortmund, Athletico, etc (Teams like Milan and Inter if they get their #### together again)

Getting to the CL final helps Liverpool for next season and pushes them to the top of Tier 3 but it still doesn’t elevate them into the top two tiers IMO.

[Senator Clay Davis]

United got Pogba without even being in CL, Arsenal got Aubameyang, Coutinho left a CL squad in the middle of the season....money is what these guys care about, not stature. All things equal they want the CL, sure, but all things are not equal. If Alexis Sanchez retires having gone to the PL and never made it past R16 of the CL, I'm guessing the like £100 million in wages he made will help him get over it.

[d_phaneuf]

Biggest thing with the kane signing, on top of the telegraph saying alli and eriksen are expected to follow shortly, is it has moved the wage structure up, which had always been said would happen at the new stadium

Kane is on 200k a week, with bonuses can go up to 300k, spurs have long used bonuses in top player contracts and if the levels are now higher it opens up a lot more options for who can be a target

Kane will be the top of the wages, but now that those below can get in 150-190k zone plus bonuses is a major jump for the club

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by d_phaneuf

Biggest thing with the kane signing, on top of the telegraph saying alli and eriksen are expected to follow shortly, is it has moved the wage structure up, which had always been said would happen at the new stadium

Kane is on 200k a week, with bonuses can go up to 300k, spurs have long used bonuses in top player contracts and if the levels are now higher it opens up a lot more options for who can be a target

Kane will be the top of the wages, but now that those below can get in 150-190k zone plus bonuses is a major jump for the club

What's the deal with Dembele? Spurs are selling him? Why?
I'd love to have him at United.. arguably the most underrated central midfielder in the prem.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

What's the deal with Dembele? Spurs are selling him? Why?
I'd love to have him at United.. arguably the most underrated central midfielder in the prem.

He's in the final year of his contract and said he doesn't plan to re-sign. He's also on the wrong side of 30 and they have Winks to replace him.

[d_phaneuf]

Hes been injured a lot this year, like rube says hes older now too, i think hes looking for a big final pay day because the rumors are mostly for a move to china

I like winks and think he has a big future but if dembele does go they need to bring in a starting level CM, cant go into next year with just dier, wanyama, and winks as CMs.

[devo22]

Fekirs move to Liverpool has collapsed it seems. Something came up with his knee during the medical and Liverpool wanted to pay less, but Lyon wouldn't have it. They put out a statement that the deal is off and they are looking forward to Fekir staying and playing CL with them.

https://www.olweb.fr/fr/article/nabi...-ol-35343.html

[Slava]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1005520476867907591