Arsenal v Liverpool. Sunday 27th Oct. 16:30

[Marc Overmars]

This could be a bit grim.

Hopefully Saka is fit but it sounds like it will be a last minute call. Not sure about Timber and Calafiori either, if they’re both out I’m guessing Partey will go RB and Kiwior LB, with White moving into the centre.

Not confident at all but it’s a fixture we need to be winning.

[Letters]

I hope we win, tbh.

If Saka is out then we'll do no better than a draw. With him we have a chance.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Whilst I do not blame Arteta for the red cards the way the media seems to want to, I absolutely believe he is to blame for many of the injuries we have incurred (obviously not the Odegaard one, although even there I think the club should have prevented him from going on International duty to begin with)

Players are being run into the ground, we are overusing players that have come back from long term injury and are prone to soft tissue problems


With Saka, the only surprise is that this hasn’t happened sooner

[Letters]

I don't entirely disagree but this early in the season I'm not sure you can accuse Arteta of running anyone in to the ground.
But I do think he should rotate more.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I don't entirely disagree but this early in the season I'm not sure you can accuse Arteta of running anyone in to the ground.
But I do think he should rotate more.

I think you have to look at it more broadly than this season. Saka for example. He’s had no sustained period of rest in over a year. The previous started in August 2023, I would struggle to think of any game that he didn’t play not just in the league but in Europe and the cups as well. The season finished in May, then in June you have the Euros….which finished for England on the 14th July and the new football season started again on the 17th August.

He was even started in the league cup game against Bolton for heaven’s sake.

So when you look at Saka, yeah I’d absolutely say it’s about running him into the ground

[Letters]

I agree about Saka specifically. The way Arteta plays him in basically every game is ludicrous.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I agree about Saka specifically. The way Arteta plays him in basically every game is ludicrous.

The potential is there for the same thing to happen with both Rice and Saliba. In fact arguably it did happen with Saliba season before last and it screwed our season.

Timber and Calafiori? I think it comes down to neither being eased back in. One after a long term injury, one after an injury on international duty

Given how injury prone Partey is, we are taking quite a big risk by playing him all the time

[Marc Overmars]

The real issue here is that we still don’t have a decent alternative to Saka, so that’s probably why Arteta feels compelled to play him as much as he does. His delivery is always on point and he often occupies 2 sometimes 3 players which creates space for others. His defensive work is also something that’s become an essential part of how the team functions.

[HCZ_Reborn]

The real issue here is that we still don’t have a decent alternative to Saka, so that’s probably why Arteta feels compelled to play him as much as he does. His delivery is always on point and he often occupies 2 sometimes 3 players which creates space for others. His defensive work is also something that’s become an essential part of how the team functions.

The problem is we’ve never prioritised having an alternative to Saka. Yes what Saka does is unique and not easily replaceable but it arguably doesn’t need to be. We didn’t even necessarily need to sign anyone, although far from perfect it’s clear from Tuesday that Jesus is far more effective on the wide right than he is up front…and actually it would have done his confidence good to play more games in that position.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Unlike a lot of the sports media I thought Martinelli was shit on Tuesday, kept cutting inside when he’s got the pace and strength to take his man on and get in behind him. But it’s not entirely his fault, we’ve been set up to set up our attacks on the right hand side, Odegaard drifts right when he plays because he has a good understanding with Saka.

It’s why this bullshit inverted fullback thing doesn’t work, it largely was there to accommodate Zinchenko who lacks the pace or the defensive discipline to be a proper fullback. When Calafiori plays as a typical left back rather than this nonsense position you see more attacking opportunity on the left hand side and you see Martinelli look a damn sight more dangerous.

It also is preposterous that we play Rice at number 8 which a) he’s no good at and b) it’s an utter waste of his talent when he’s much better at 6.


What little I’ve seen of Merino in an Arsenal shirt doesn’t exactly feel me with confidence either, like Xhaka he’s good at long passing and unlike Xhaka he’s good at winning the ball back in our own half. But he doesn’t have the pace, strength or attacking instinct to carry the ball forward himself and in fact the only player that we have that does seem to do this is Partey yet Arteta insists on playing him at 6 where he doesn’t have the instinct to track his runner and put out fires the way Rice does.

[Mac76]

But it’s not entirely his fault, we’ve been set up to set up our attacks on the right hand side, Odegaard drifts right when he plays because he has a good understanding with Saka.

It’s why this bullshit inverted fullback thing doesn’t work, it largely was there to accommodate Zinchenko who lacks the pace or the defensive discipline to be a proper fullback. When Calafiori plays as a typical left back rather than this nonsense position you see more attacking opportunity on the left hand side and you see Martinelli look a damn sight more dangerous.


Part of the problem is Gabriel, he has me almost screaming in frustration in some games, in those regular moments when he gets the ball from Saliba, gives it back to him, gets it back again, gives it back to Saliba again.... - meanwhile Martinelli is standing in space with his arms in the air...

[Mac76]

The problem is we’ve never prioritised having an alternative to Saka. Yes what Saka does is unique and not easily replaceable but it arguably doesn’t need to be. We didn’t even necessarily need to sign anyone, although far from perfect it’s clear from Tuesday that Jesus is far more effective on the wide right than he is up front…and actually it would have done his confidence good to play more games in that position.

I actually think Vieira did ok there and his loaning out is looking increasingly silly tbh, if only to provide additional options for some lower priority games

[Mac76]

anyway 0-3 Salah hatter

I might even put money on it this time...

[IBK]

I'm not confident about Sunday.

Our defence has not been looking super tight in the last few games even with all first choices available. Not heard much about Timber but would be surprised if he's available. My bet is Partey at RB and Kiwor at LB, with White at CB.

A disrupted defensive line like this will carry an obvious risk of conceding.

I think it likely that we will therefore see Rice and Merino in central MF. This has looked stodgy. I really hope that Havertz and Trossard can find the synergy we have seen playing a kind of rotating/withdrawn CF partnership, but it didn't really work well against Shaktar. Martinelli is nailed on at LW. Will the manager opt for Jesus or Sterling at RW? Personally I would try to play Jesus into some form there.

Overall though I feel the manager will be safety first as he has been recently. Let's hope that we can create something, because if not we will be f*cked because Liverpool carry goal threat and are likely to score. I'm optimistically seeing a draw.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I actually think Vieira did ok there and his loaning out is looking increasingly silly tbh, if only to provide additional options for some lower priority games

I don’t disagree with any of this, but if I’m totally honest I don’t remember him playing there much beyond a home game vs Luton.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Jota is out so there's that at least. :lol:

Salah against [insert guess here] is a bit of a problem though.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Jota is out so there's that at least. :lol:

Salah against [insert guess here] is a bit of a problem though.

Salah of course is a problem but equally he’s only ever scored twice in seven games at the Emirates, and hasn’t scored at all in Liverpool’s last three games here.

He’s going to cause us problems on the right if Calafiori nor Timber as we expect are available. And we don’t want Gabriel overcommitted with keeping him quiet, also I can see Diaz giving White a hard time or Partey if he shifts into the centre

I think if we try and play defensively we will lose, I think as best as we can we have to go for it against them.

Martinelli for me has often bamboozled Van Dijk and TAA, Trossard and Havertz should for me be played as near as possible to a front two

[Marc Overmars]

I don’t think any of our defenders are particularly great 1v1 players and Liverpools front line definitely require special attention. I think it’s highly unlikely that we’ll keep a clean sheet, the full back areas are a big problem right now and I would expect Liverpool to get a lot of joy there.

[fakeyank]

This has a loss written all over it. Kiwior against Salah is the worst than Saliba missing the game tbh. Salah must be having wet dreams at the prospect of Kiwior playing LB.

As for our attack, who will score when our 3 CM's are not offensive minded.. and we know Nwaneri aint starting Sunday. Saka is our only chance of scoring, but seems like he will be out.

Best hope is a draw.

[Mac76]

I don’t disagree with any of this, but if I’m totally honest I don’t remember him playing there much beyond a home game vs Luton.

he played there a few times, admittedly some of it was pre-season games, both before this season and the last, but still it was enough to show he can operate there

[Niall_Quinn]

Whilst I do not blame Arteta for the red cards the way the media seems to want to, I absolutely believe he is to blame for many of the injuries we have incurred (obviously not the Odegaard one, although even there I think the club should have prevented him from going on International duty to begin with)

Players are being run into the ground, we are overusing players that have come back from long term injury and are prone to soft tissue problems


With Saka, the only surprise is that this hasn’t happened sooner

I think most players today are queer. Back in the day, when Billy Bremner could kick you ten feet into the air and the ref would walk past, taking a drag on his John Players, the same men would land with a thump and turn up for the next game. Too many faggots in the modern game.

[Niall_Quinn]

The problem is we’ve never prioritised having an alternative to Saka. Yes what Saka does is unique and not easily replaceable but it arguably doesn’t need to be. We didn’t even necessarily need to sign anyone, although far from perfect it’s clear from Tuesday that Jesus is far more effective on the wide right than he is up front…and actually it would have done his confidence good to play more games in that position.

Barcelona never prioritised for having an alternative to Messi. Brazil made the same mistake with Pele. And man Utd continue to this day to make the same mistake with Rashford. Okay, the last one was a joke. How, exactly, do you compensate when your best players are missing? Unless you have a budget like the gypos and you bring in your also-best-players who are prepared to sit on the bench for a million a week when the actual-best-players are fit. That's what doping does for a club. But not all can dope. And even fewer can buy judges. It'd be nice though, wouldn't it, if we had a couple of Sakas on the bench, waiting to go? Just change the system so it's almost like Saka is playing. Good idea. Now please explain how that works. Especially on the set pieces.

[Niall_Quinn]

Part of the problem is Gabriel, he has me almost screaming in frustration in some games, in those regular moments when he gets the ball from Saliba, gives it back to him, gets it back again, gives it back to Saliba again.... - meanwhile Martinelli is standing in space with his arms in the air...

And his back to goal. Position is not the same as movement. Those defenders will cede the position provided there's no movement. And Gabriel knows exactly what happens when he tip-taps it up to back-to-goal Martinelli - he gets it straight back. The ball should be going over Martinelli and into space, that's when the defenders crap their pants. They sip tea when the back-to-goal ball comes in.

[Niall_Quinn]

Well considering the ref will probably cheat and VAR will definitely cheat, I would think a Liverpool "triumph" is all but inevitable. But we do seem to grab our arses off the deck when decent teams show up - almost like it's worth trying. Best outcome is a draw, but likely outcome is a dodgy winning, retaken penalty for the scousers in the 378th minute of extra time.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Arteta has fucked us again with this lineup

Don’t play Partey at right back you fucking moron. He can’t play there, what’s more Merino is not good enough to be a first team starter and Rice is not good enough to play a more advanced role.

Stick Timber at right back and Kiwior at left and stick Partey at 8. That’s all you had to do you cretin

[Mac76]

It looks to me like he's risking Saka and Timber a bit by starting them

[HCZ_Reborn]

It looks to me like he's risking Saka and Timber a bit by starting them

No choice really, and that’s not the problem

The problem is Partey at right back. It’s ridiculous, not only can he not play there….with Rice being very poor this season and Merino not looking like he’s at premier league level….we need Partey in midfield (at 8)


Stuff Kiwior at left back and Timber at right back (which is his natural position)


Looks like he’s fallen out with Kiwior, maybe Arteta showed him his warhammer collection and Kiwior told him that warhammer was for teen boys and middle aged virgins

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Thank God Saka starts...

...that's all I will say for now as I'm getting tired of complaining about this frightened grown-ass man that call himself our coach!

[Mac76]

And yes I'm surpised Timber's at LB, he clearly doesn't trust Kiwior V Salah and TAA

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Arsenal: Raya, Partey, White, Gabriel, Timber, Rice, Merino,Trossard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz
Subs: Neto, Jesus, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Sterling, Lewis-Skelly, Nichols, Nwaneri

Liverpool: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones, Salah, Diaz, Nunez.
Subs: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Endo, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Tsimikas, Quansah, Morton.

[Mac76]

Our front players all need to show up today, no way are we keeping a clean sheet

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Bergy. :bow:

[Niall_Quinn]

We'd have got a red for that.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Van Dijk kicking out at Havertz. :lol:

[Letters]

1-0, if my neighbour is to be believed

[HCZ_Reborn]

1-0, if my neighbour is to be believed

Yep Saka.

I’d have to say I’d find that annoying if I wasn’t watching the game.

[Niall_Quinn]

Saka's not that great, we don't really need him.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

SAKA!!!

[Letters]

Yep Saka.

I’d have to say I’d find that annoying if I wasn’t watching the game.

It’s kinda more annoying if I am trying to watch on a stream and he’s ahead of me.
So you know a goal is coming but haven’t seen it yet :lol:

It’s as good a way of finding out about a goal as any

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I am a bit scared about this......I really do hope the Arteta we've been seeing these past few weeks doesn't come out again....as we cannot hope to only sit deep and defend against Liverpool for the next 80mins!

[dazthegooner]

It’s kinda more annoying if I am trying to watch on a stream and he’s ahead of me.
So you know a goal is coming but haven’t seen it yet :lol:

It’s as good a way of finding out about a goal as any

Yep same here though it at least keeps me from turining away from the tv :)

[Niall_Quinn]

Partey really goes the extra mile to find the backwards pass.

[Letters]

I am a bit scared about this......I really do hope the Arteta we've been seeing these past few weeks doesn't come out again....as we cannot hope to only sit deep and defend against Liverpool for the next 80mins!

It would be utter lunacy to do that at home and without Saliba

[dazthegooner]

Think Saka will be going a lot of helping put with Partey this afternoon.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Merino nearly sets up Salah.

[Niall_Quinn]

That kind of trivial error really is unforgivable at this level.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

1-1 Van Dijk.

[Niall_Quinn]

Fucking useless defending. That all started with Partey panicking at the back. Then the wanker literally opens up the gap for van Dick.

[dazthegooner]

Terrible defending

[Letters]

1-1 Van Dijk.

This the flaw in my system.
My neighbour doesn’t yell when we concede a goal

[Niall_Quinn]

Clear case of delaying the game. No card.

[Niall_Quinn]

Almost 2-1 but classy defending by Merino - for Liverpool unfortunately.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

It would be utter lunacy to do that at home and without Saliba

Well thankfully Liverpool has ensured he can't revert to type.

I'm a bit more comfortable with this scoreline.

[Niall_Quinn]

Get Partey off and put on somebody that knows which direction to play in.

[Niall_Quinn]

Havertz misses an open goal, but surely it's a pen? Taken right off his feet.

[Niall_Quinn]

Nope, VAR manages to clear that one without fuss. Absolute bullshit, clear pen.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Nope, VAR manages to clear that one without fuss. Absolute bullshit, clear pen.

I am confused....is there any angle that shows Konate actually got the ball???

[Niall_Quinn]

McCallister finally booked, for his 50th foul.

[Marc Overmars]

Need to be ruthless here, chances are there.

[Niall_Quinn]

I am confused....is there any angle that shows Konate actually got the ball???

Doesn't matter if he got the ball, he went straight through the man. If that's not a pen then there's no such thing.

[Niall_Quinn]

Martinelli with the field goal.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Martinelli puts it out the stadium.

[Niall_Quinn]

Should be 3 or 4 - 1 now, too many wasted chances.

[Niall_Quinn]

Why isn't that a foul and a yellow for Nunez? That's a joke. He even put his elbow out to increase the impact.

[Niall_Quinn]

That's a lovely goal. 2-1 and well deserved.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

MERINO!!!!

[Niall_Quinn]

Rice puts that on a plate.

[Niall_Quinn]

Oh, here comes VAR.

[Marc Overmars]

Get the fuck in!

[Niall_Quinn]

They're trying to find a decent reason to cheat.

[Niall_Quinn]

This is ludicrous.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

VAR delaying the restart again.

[Niall_Quinn]

Got to thank Sky TV for that goal. They had the goods right on screen and the officials couldn't find any excuse to rule it out.

[dazthegooner]

VAR delaying the restart again.

Should get at least a yellow for that!

[Niall_Quinn]

Defence is really ropey today. That was a free header right in front of goal.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

2-1 HT!

[Niall_Quinn]

Nunez kicks the ball away. Just as Gabriel was walking to pick it up and resume play. No card.

HT, 2-1, should be 4 or 5. Total dominance, but wasteful. And the defence doesn't look like it can resist a Liverpool revival if it comes.

[Marc Overmars]

Big time to get the goal before half time but it’s hard to see us keeping them out.

Will just come down to how wasteful or not we are.

[Mac76]

Played bloody well so far, including Partey tbf, just need to keep it up

[Niall_Quinn]

Played bloody well so far, including Partey tbf, just need to keep it up

You were criticising Zin in the other thread, but you put him on in place of the entirely negative and 1mph Partey and watch the difference. Saka would be twice as effective.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Doesn't matter if he got the ball, he went straight through the man. If that's not a pen then there's no such thing.

I 100% agree with you...but I was hoping for the sake of the referees there is an angle that actually shows he got the ball...as that is one of the clearest penalties I've seen all season!

[Niall_Quinn]

They are blaming Havertz for the Liverpool goal when it was all abut Partey being bitch slapped and dismissed as the super lightweight he is.

[Niall_Quinn]

What happened with the timing of the first half? VAR wasted so much time, yet there's only a few minutes extra time. In the gypo match the ball was in play for more minutes than any other second half in the season to that point, but they just kept on playing and playing. It's so blatant. They can't remember their cheaty "rules" from one week to the next.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Played bloody well so far, including Partey tbf, just need to keep it up

The starting lineup...giving our situation, has been spot on so far.

Saka should be worshipped at this club.
Trossard surprisingly has played well (first time he has done that as a starter).
Partey has been also great.

Unfortunately Havertz, who has been kind of reliable these past few games isn't.....and Martinelli is Martinelli.

If we keep up like this.....and I clearly mean we don't sit deep and just defend...we will win.

As for the defence, I think Timber has been suspect (not a surprise seeing his layoff) and Gabby, Raya and White have been a bit nervous.

Whatever happens, we can't just sit back and defend...even if all Arteta believes he can get is a point.

[Niall_Quinn]

The starting lineup...giving our situation, has been spot on so far.

Saka should be worshipped at this club.
Trossard surprisingly has played well (first time he has done that as a starter).
Partey has been also great.

Unfortunately Havertz, who has been kind of reliable these past few games isn't.....and Martinelli is Martinelli.

If we keep up like this.....and I clearly mean we don't sit deep and just defend...we will win.

As for the defence, I think Timber has been suspect (not a surprise seeing his layoff) and Gabby, Raya and White have been a bit nervous.

Whatever happens, we can't just sit back and defend...even if all Arteta believes he can get is a point.

I don't get that analysis at all. Nunez, obviously, has been anonymous as usual but that would be true in any match. All the threat has been from Diaz, Salad has been invisible apart from when Merino played him through.

[Niall_Quinn]

Studio now pimping upcoming shows on Sky. Sad.

[Niall_Quinn]

Come on then boys. More of the same, but tighten up that defence. 3 points on offer here, don't fuck it up.

[Niall_Quinn]

There's a yellow there for something. Liverpool bench apparently. For nicking hubcaps in the car park.

[dazthegooner]

So not for Nunez? <_<

[Niall_Quinn]

The two heroes fall in battle, screaming with their last breath. I hope they will both be okay.

Oh yes, they are back to 100%, instantly.

It's embarrassing.

[Niall_Quinn]

Fuck. Gabriel is genuinely injured by the look of it. Seems like a Kiwior incident is imminent.

[dazthegooner]

Looks like Gabby is coming off :(

[Niall_Quinn]

Nunez is very lucky he doesn't play for us (and so are we). He'd easily be off by now.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Gabriel off for Kiwior.

Well that's less than ideal.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Gabriel off for Kiwior.

Well that's less than ideal.

I just hope Arteta doesn't use this as an excuse to bring in more defensive players till at least the 85th minute or something.

[Niall_Quinn]

Saka hasn't had a touch so far. What did we do during the HT talk?

[Niall_Quinn]

What's going on here? The whole pressing game has vanished and we're just sitting back, even though the defence now lacks Saliba and Gabriel.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I just hope Arteta doesn't use this as an excuse to bring in more defensive players till at least the 85th minute or something.

We're running out of those

[Niall_Quinn]

That's the first decent thing Partey has done. Why can't he do that all the time?

[Marc Overmars]

Would be quite impressive if we hung on to this now with Gabriel off.

[dazthegooner]

That's the first decent thing Partey has done. Why can't he do that all the time?

Probably would do if he was played in his best position

[Niall_Quinn]

That's a fucking foul, right under Taylor's nose!

[Niall_Quinn]

LOL, Raya booked for delaying the restart, which Liverpool have done at least 3 times.

[Niall_Quinn]

Ridiculous. Foul Against Rice for tackling. It's so bloody one-sided.

[Niall_Quinn]

Tbf, another ridiculous decision that goes our way this time. Maybe he's just entirely incompetent.

[Niall_Quinn]

I can't see why losing Gabriel suddenly makes us play like this instead of how we were playing in the first half. Is our bench so bad we have to do a hang-on job just because one player goes off?

[Niall_Quinn]

Come on Martinelli, you have to do more that just hang on to it.

[Niall_Quinn]

More needed from Martinelli, it's not good enough.

[Niall_Quinn]

Timber, wh has pocketed Salad tbf, off, Skelley on. Better be up to it sonny.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Timber off injured, Lewis-Skelly on.

Jesus wept.

[Niall_Quinn]

Havertz can't get it on target. But why not? How much do these guys get paid?

[Niall_Quinn]

Saka still waiting for a touch. What the fuck is this?

[Niall_Quinn]

Wow, Taylor goes to full cheat mode.

[Marc Overmars]

Nothing wrong with being defensive but not at the price of completely blunting ourselves. Just asking for some shit to go against us when we do this.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's 11 vs 14 now. 10 minutes plus endless ET to go. Can they hold out?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

2-2 Salah.

[Marc Overmars]

An equaliser that was always on the cards.

[Niall_Quinn]

Oh well. We asked for it, we got it. Fully expect a 3rd for Liverpool now. I just don't get how you can have a first half like we did and then decide to completely fuck it all up by sitting back and hoping a constantly diminishing defence can hold out. It's soooooooooo fucking negative and obviously invite negative outcomes.

[Marc Overmars]

I would suspect that we will be losing this now. We just haven’t done enough in this half and we’re not suddenly going to switch on now.

[Niall_Quinn]

Subs are on, Jesus and Nwan-whatever, but who is he bringing off? Saka - LOL. Absolutely unbelievable. And Martinelli. So We've gone like for not-quite-like. We've weakened the team, at a vital moment.

[Niall_Quinn]

WHY? Why would you take off Saka? We're hanging in by a thread now and relying on an individual moment of brilliance. So you bring off the player that could do that? WHY?

[Niall_Quinn]

Jesus really isn't a striker is he? Straight at the keeper.

[Letters]

3-2? #neighbourupdates

[Niall_Quinn]

Taylor blew early to prevent all that. He's a grade one cheat.

[Letters]

Did we have the ball in the net? He was yelling about something

[Niall_Quinn]

Taylor has decided the result. And the Sky shitbags just go along with it as if this isn't one of the wort examples of cheating so far this season.

So, REAL SCORE is 3-2, PL score is 2-2

[Niall_Quinn]

Taylor came through at the key moment. He's earned his bribe today.

[Niall_Quinn]

I'm dreading the hook up of two of the worst cheating cunts in the league, Taylor and Salad. There's time for one more dive.

[Niall_Quinn]

Taylor has it covered, nothing will be allowed now until the final whistle. He's shutting everything down. The Asians must want 2-2.

[Niall_Quinn]

Ah-ha, they even took our corner away from us. It's so blatant.

[Mac76]

You were criticising Zin in the other thread, but you put him on in place of the entirely negative and 1mph Partey and watch the difference. Saka would be twice as effective.

Yes a left-footer who can't defend would be great at RB :rolleyes:

[Mac76]

Robbed by the ref again

[McNamara That Ghost...]

2-2 FT. Think we could have done more tbf.

Oh well on we go

[Niall_Quinn]

Asians win again. FT 2-2.

Arteta bottled it. Taylor sculpted the result very skilfully tbf, and 2 eat points thrown down the drain. I say easy because Liverpool are actually shit. Nothing there. And all we can et is a draw at hime? No title coming here.

[Niall_Quinn]

Yes a left-footer who can't defend would be great at RB :rolleyes:

Yet a player who cn't do anything unless he has 5 minutes on the clock is a boon?

[Niall_Quinn]

Robbed by the ref again

Well, we made it easy for him. Obviously Taylor is corrupt, but he didn't have to work that hard to get the gambling market result. We decided to sit back, for some unexplicable reason. Liverpool really aren't that good, they have no attack whatsoever. And they aren't that great in the middle either. But we decided to make them look good in the secnd half, by sitting back and letting them play. Very stupid, inexplicable, don't know what the theory behind that shit was.

[HCZ_Reborn]

The irony of loading up the team with defenders and conceding more goals

How the fuck did we manage to get done on a counter attack when we had the lead

We can criticise Taylor all we want for blowing early, but if we imagine for a second that VAR wouldn’t have taken that goal away from us I think we’ve been watching a different sport

Anyway 2 points dropped. We’ve made Newcastle and Chelsea must wins now.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

2-2 FT. Think we could have done more tbf.

Oh well on we go

Well if we'd taken the half chances that fell to Havertz and Martinelli better.....who knows.

With all the injuries we had, a point isn't that bad.

However Salah's goal was extremely poor and naive defending and once again shows we struggle when our first team players aren't around.

[Niall_Quinn]

Oh well, fairly easy 3 points thrown down the drain. By choice. Not so smart.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

WHY? Why would you take off Saka? We're hanging in by a thread now and relying on an individual moment of brilliance. So you bring off the player that could do that? WHY?

I also think this was a terrible decision.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Well if we'd taken the half chances that fell to Havertz and Martinelli better.....who knows.

With all the injuries we had, a point isn't that bad.

However Salah's goal was extremely poor and naive defending and once again shows we struggle when our first team players aren't around.

You can say that about any team though. If you’re telling me City haven’t been massively impacted by losing Rodri I’d say you’ve not been watching City.

[Marc Overmars]

Good point I suppose but the second half demonstrated why the criticism about being overly defensive is there.

[Mac76]

I also think this was a terrible decision.

I was also surprised but it's possible Saka needed to come off because of his injury

[HCZ_Reborn]

Good point I suppose but the second half demonstrated why the criticism about being overly defensive is there.

How is it a good point, we took the lead twice.

This is every bit as poor a result as losing to Bournemouth.

[Mac76]

So the ref had blown his whistle before Havertz netted but was he right to? Was there a foul?

And apparently we should have had a corner at the end

[Mac76]

How is it a good point, we took the lead twice.

This is every bit as poor a result as losing to Bournemouth.

That's a bit silly, we literally had none of our first choice defence in their positions against a good attacking team

[Marc Overmars]

How is it a good point, we took the lead twice.

This is every bit as poor a result as losing to Bournemouth.

Alluding to the fact the entire defence was obliterated by the end however yes I am also irritated that we didn’t hold on.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

If we win the next five then it's alright I guess but dropping points in four games already when dropping points in 10 last season was too much.

Can't have many more of these.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

You can say that about any team though. If you’re telling me City haven’t been massively impacted by losing Rodri I’d say you’ve not been watching City.

Yeah the quality of their play has been affected but not their mentality.....no matter what the situation is they try and win or grab something.

I said it earlier in the thread that I noticed nervousness in the defence, so I kind of knew Liverpool was always going to score.....just a shame we couldn't make any of the half chances count and we have idiots like Raya trying to run down the clock in the sixtieth minute or so.

The biggest shift in this team has been the mentality, the negativity is just so overwhelming and surprising....but what exactly is responsible for the shift is not something glaring IMO.....I mean Arteta choosing to plays 7- 8 defensive players anytime we take a lead might have something to do with it, but it seems there is something more....

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

So the ref had blown his whistle before Havertz netted but was he right to? Was there a foul?

And apparently we should have had a corner at the end

I think he felt Havertz used his hands to either control the ball while jumping or to get leverage. I think this particular decision was fair.

Oh and I heard the whistle or either saw his gesture cause I also knew it wasn't a goal.

[Ollie the Optimist]

Where on earth is the foul at the end that Taylor blew for?

Obviously sky think there is one as they can’t go against the PGMOL

[HCZ_Reborn]

That's a bit silly, we literally had none of our first choice defence in their positions against a good attacking team

As much as it pains me, I agree with NQ. They aren’t a good attacking team….they’ve got Salah who yes is a great player

Diaz is a very good player but more often than not can be missing an end product

When you take the lead twice against a team at home you should be winning.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Yeah the quality of their play has been affected but not their mentality.....no matter what the situation is they try and win or grab something.

I said it earlier in the thread that I noticed nervousness in the defence, so I kind of knew Liverpool was always going to score.....just a shame we couldn't make any of the half chances count and we have idiots like Raya trying to run down the clock in the sixtieth minute or so.

The biggest shift in this team has been the mentality, the negativity is just so overwhelming and surprising....but what exactly is responsible for the shift is not something glaring IMO.....I mean Arteta choosing to plays 7- 8 defensive players anytime we take a lead might have something to do with it, but it seems there is something more....

We’ve always been negative when defending leads against the big sides under Arteta. In a way it’s understandable because we don’t have the quality up front to finish teams off.

[Niall_Quinn]

So the ref had blown his whistle before Havertz netted but was he right to? Was there a foul?

And apparently we should have had a corner at the end

No, there was no foul, he just blew the whistle and then picked something. That was a totally legit goal, but you can't question the unimpeachable and impartial Taylor. He's so corrupt and so obviously corrupt it's painful to have to find words to express the obvious. `he's been corrupt for years. BUT. If you don't fold like cheap deck-chairs in the second half, having dominated a very ordinary opposition, then you don't give the ref a chance to win his Asian Gambler of the Year award. Self inflicted inury, despite the known-in-advance corrupt Taylor.

[Niall_Quinn]

If we win the next five then it's alright I guess but dropping points in four games already when dropping points in 10 last season was too much.

Can't have many more of these.

Dude. Please.

It's already over, don't you get that?

This league will come down to 2-3 points and the officials have already decided it.

Okay, so here you are. City win. Amazing achievement, blah, blah.

We MAY get second again, it's possible. Depends if Liverpool want to haul themselves up rm their presently shitty fluke form. We can easily beat them, if we want to. But it's not actually possible to beat city because of the rules which are set by city. And this come down to money, which is unimpeachable. Do you really think the 150K a week boys will sacrifice that gig so the fans can get a balanced playing field? It takes a lot to be able to pay fairly mediocre actors 150K a week. You MUST have a return on that investment and the recipients aren't going to be complaining once they make bank. Not sure I'd complain myself if somebody was just stuffing 150K a week in my bank account. Why would I?

[Letters]

How is it a good point, we took the lead twice.
It’s not that good but not a disaster either


This is every bit as poor a result as losing to Bournemouth.
No it isn’t.
It’s an okish result for us, a good result for Liverpool but the real winners, as always, are City.

Whether it’s rigged by actual bribery and corruption or just by City being allowed to flout the rules to hoover up all the best players doesn’t really matter. The brilliance of sport is its unpredictability. But the PL isn’t unpredictable. Bookies could pay out on City now and sleep soundly in their beds. And we aren’t out of October yet. It’s why I follow it all at arms length these days.

[Marc Overmars]

Sooner Odegaard is back the better.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Sooner Odegaard is back the better.

Why, so he can sit in our own half and help defend a 1 goal lead as well?

[Marc Overmars]

Why, so he can sit in our own half and help defend a 1 goal lead as well?

No because he’s the best presser we have and someone who makes us play football.

[Letters]

Overall we've muddled through without him pretty well, Bournemouth aside, but we do need him back soon if we're going to have a chance this year.
Although City are so relentless it's already hard to look past them.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Overall we've muddled through without him pretty well, Bournemouth aside, but we do need him back soon if we're going to have a chance this year.
Although City are so relentless it's already hard to look past them.

I think it’s very easy to look past them. They’ve struggled to get wins in very easy fixtures, the type of fixtures where they were winning by three or four goals in the last two seasons. That’s why I’m so annoyed, because despite cunt referees City are there to be got at. Yesterday was the most ordinary looking Liverpool team since Brendan Rodgers was in charge, yet our mentality was to treat them like they were at the height of Klopp. They aren’t. They do not play with anywhere near the same intensity nor do they have the same calibre of players (Salah and Van Dijk aside)

They have two hard fixtures coming up on the south coast in the league. Could they win both of them? Sure….will they? Based on what I’ve seen….no I don’t think so.

[Letters]

I think it’s very easy to look past them. They’ve struggled to get wins in very easy fixtures, the type of fixtures where they were winning by three or four goals in the last two seasons.
But they do have a habit of starting (relatively) slowly and then going in to beast mode. You can't give them a head start and then try to catch them. The only season anyone stopped them was when Liverpool went absolutely mental and basically won every game till it was all but over.
The thing which slightly encourages me is we've already ticked off some tough away games, but the lack of a cutting edge up front - which we all knew about but Arteta didn't address in the summer - and the fact our defence seems to have gone backwards are worrying.

[HCZ_Reborn]

City have had three tough fixtures this season and they dropped points in two of them.

This so called beast mode happens when they get a run of favourable fixtures, well I’d say they’ve had three favourable fixtures and have looked far from convincing in any of them.

Rodri is by far their most important player, it is the absolute same as if we had to go the whole season without Saliba


Yeah we’ve had a tough time with injuries. But yesterday wasn’t about injuries it was about negativity….about failing to kill off the game when we absolutely had them on the ropes. If they had dominated the game and we got through by the skin of our teeth that’s something else. But that’s not what happened.

Bournemouth made this a fixture we really had to win. But to be honest we’ve all absorbed the Arteta mentality of safety first, hoping before the game we could eek out a draw against a team that anyone who saw them knew they were as average as you like. We weren’t penalised by having anyone sent off, we did it to ourselves and it’s infuriating

[HCZ_Reborn]

Confirmed that Anthony Taylor blew for Kiwior competing to win a header because that’s just not on

[Letters]

eek out a draw
eke :sulk:

:d

[HCZ_Reborn]

eke :sulk:

:d

No it was eek, a sign of distress :lol:

[Letters]

:lol:

It was very recently that I learned that the word is "lode" in the phrase "mother-lode", and not "load".

Another one people get wrong is "baited breath". It's "bated", dammit! As in "abate", like you're stopping breathing in anticipation.


I'm glad we've had this talk :cool:

[HCZ_Reborn]

:lol:

It was very recently that I learned that the word is "lode" in the phrase "mother-lode", and not "load".

Another one people get wrong is "baited breath". It's "bated", dammit! As in "abate", like you're stopping breathing in anticipation.


I'm glad we've had this talk :cool:


You’d like a podcast called Everything Everywhere Daily. Five minute podcast which gives you a bit of etymology behind words and irrelevant facts

[Mac76]

:lol:

It was very recently that I learned that the word is "lode" in the phrase "mother-lode", and not "load".

Another one people get wrong is "baited breath". It's "bated", dammit! As in "abate", like you're stopping breathing in anticipation.


I'm glad we've had this talk :cool:

I really lose it when I see 'lose' spelt 'loose' (even though you can kind of see why a double 'o' would make sense to the less literate)

[Mac76]

But they do have a habit of starting (relatively) slowly and then going in to beast mode. You can't give them a head start and then try to catch them. The only season anyone stopped them was when Liverpool went absolutely mental and basically won every game till it was all but over.
The thing which slightly encourages me is we've already ticked off some tough away games, but the lack of a cutting edge up front - which we all knew about but Arteta didn't address in the summer - and the fact our defence seems to have gone backwards are worrying.

This

Citeh have to still be the favourites, especially considering that Haaland is relatively out of form, missing some fairly easy chances he'd normally have for breakfast

Once he starts.churning our the hatters again they'll be off into the distance

Only Liverpool can stop them IMO, which is possible as I think Liverpool are better than a lot of people seem to be giving them credit for

[HCZ_Reborn]

If Liverpool finish above us it’s a result of us having collapsed. It’s us or City, and without Rodri who has been recognised as the quality player he is with the Ballon d’or….we still have a fantastic chance of it being us, but what’s clear is if we do it will be despite Arteta not because of him.

As for Liverpool? I think anyone could see that this was not an impressive side or anywhere near the side of four/five years ago

To be honest I’m not sure how they’ve not conceded more goals even with the relatively easy fixtures they’ve had, their defence isn’t great at all.

Midfield….i was talking about Merino being poor, I think Gravenberch is even worse


MacAllister is their version of Ramsey


I like Diaz very good player but he like Martinelli can often be wasteful despite his goal scoring spell at beginning of season

[Mac76]

I think this Liverpool side are much better than people seem to want to believe, my money's on them being first or second

[Letters]

I think this Liverpool side are much better than people seem to want to believe, my money's on them being first or second

This is why you don't see many poor bookies.

[Letters]

what’s clear is if we do it will be despite Arteta not because of him.
Well that is bullshit. This is mostly Arteta's squad now. He trains them, picks the side, sets the tactics. He is responsible for results good or bad.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I think this Liverpool side are much better than people seem to want to believe, my money's on them being first or second

Second if we or City collapse, Third if we don’t

I think our goalkeeper is now as good as Alisson (both capable of errors)

Our defence is much better


Our central midfield is much better


Salah is better than any of our strikers, Havertz and Nunez are about the same, Martinelli and Diaz about the same


Saka probably better than any of their attacking players bar Salah (possibly Jota but guy can never stay fit)


Odegaard is miles better than copy and paste

No point comparing Nwaneri and Jones as the former never plays, but at this point for experience you’d go with Jones

Trossard better than Gakpo

Chiesa better than Jesus

As for coaches, I’ve seen no evidence that the Dutchman is any better than Klopp (but Klopp for me was a far better coach not just than Arteta who is an average-below average coach but Guardiola as well)

It’s not a case of not wanting to believe anything….this Liverpool side are not that impressive. Salah remains far and away their most important player, and if he gets injured they are utterly screwed

[Marc Overmars]

I don’t think there’s much between us and Liverpool. I’d give us the edge but overall I think we will be on a similar footing this season.

The question really is will City have a less than 90 points season? If they do then the title is very much up for grabs but if they don’t then I don’t think us or Liverpool stand a chance.

[Mac76]

Second if we or City collapse, Third if we don’t

you could argue we've collapsed already - not all our own fault, it's partly through injuries and refs - but the result's the same, we've dropped at least 9 points already, some in games which these days are a 'must-win'


I’ve seen no evidence that the Dutchman is any better than Klopp

he doesn't have to be 'better' does he, only more or less on a par and for me I think he's calmed things down a bit and given the team a better chance of keeping it going through a whole season

Also I don't think it's all about Salah, he actually has had some quiet games and they've still come through - and in any case take Saka out of our team and likewise we're nowhere near the same

I think a combination of bad luck, refs and Arteta's caution has made a title win this season extremely unlikely seeing as Citeh haven't even really got going yet

[HCZ_Reborn]

Except we haven’t collapsed, Sunday was a massive disappointment mainly because of how much better we were than them. Honestly if we’d won by 2 or 3 goals I don’t think anyone could fairly say that would have flattered us. I still think losing with ten men away at Bournemouth is better than losing at home to Forest.

I think we are still easily capable of winning against Newcastle and Chelsea. From what I’ve heard there’s no reason Gabriel won’t be fit for the game at St James Park nor Timber…

In regards to Salah, Liverpool have played 13 games this season, Salah has scored in 8 of them….and the games where he hasn’t scored…they’ve struggled to kill teams off (palace and Leipzig key examples of that).

Apart from anything else, what made Liverpool so effective under Klopp was the intensity they played at…that same intensity just isn’t there under the Dutchman.

[HCZ_Reborn]

The main reason City haven’t got going is because they don’t have Rodri available to them, he wasn’t there at the start of the season and he won’t be there until the end of the season. De Bruyne equally is unfit, and he’s not been the same player.

So I don’t think this expectation that they are suddenly going to turn it on is necessarily going to materialise. Haaland is a top player for sure, but he looked like Niklas Bendtner on Saturday.

After the next two games, the hardest fixture away from home we will have for the rest of the season is Anfield. The rest of the games…well I’m not saying we will win them all, but absolutely we should be looking to do so. Getting the tough fixtures out of the way (and being unbeaten in them) is a big boon.

Also I’d say just as much that we’ve not got going this season, we are just as capable of going on a run where we go through teams like shit through a goose.

[Mac76]

Apart from anything else, what made Liverpool so effective under Klopp was the intensity they played at…that same intensity just isn’t there under the Dutchman.

And yet after nine games they're one point off Citeh with a better GD, wierd isn't it?

Read my post again, I think Slot's more measured approach is a good way of maintaining a title challenge, rather than them running out of steam like they did last season and IIRC the season before

[HCZ_Reborn]

And yet after nine games they're one point off Citeh with a better GD, wierd isn't it?

Read my post again, I think Slot's more measured approach is a good way of maintaining a title challenge, rather than them running out of steam like they did last season and IIRC the season before

They ran out of steam because they weren’t good enough, and they are 1 point behind City because they’ve had ridiculously easy fixtures up until Sunday.

That they were even contenders at all is testament to what an excellent coach Klopp was


If Klopp had managed us I genuinely believe we’d have won the title both last season and the season before. Even with the same players

What I’ve seen of Liverpool so far, they dominate chances against teams that they should be beating, then they run out of ideas panic a bit and try to shut up shop…which was a bit like us Sunday


The difference is they haven’t yet had an opponent that will punish them for that.


Honestly I don’t know if this is just a case of you holding on to a prediction you made earlier in the season that seemed to be from panic, but and this is not even my words here it’s the words of articles I’ve seen written about Liverpool describes them as Pedestrian.

This to me is your footballing equivalent of the Trump assassination attempt was staged

For all Van Dijk’s post match bluster, they know full well they were extremely lucky to walk away with a point Sunday. Frankly they were fortunate to get a win against Chelsea.

[Mac76]

They ran out of steam because they weren’t good enough



If beign #'not good enough to beat Citeh on full form then yes probbaly, but you have to look at other factors - a lot of commetnators said Klopp's heavy metal football meant they ran out of steam


That they were even contenders at all is testament to what an excellent coach Klopp was

If Klopp had managed us I genuinely believe we’d have won the title both last season and the season before. Even with the same players
.

Agreed, but none of that means Slot can't do it




What I’ve seen of Liverpool so far, they dominate chances against teams that they should be beating, then they run out of ideas panic a bit and try to shut up shop…which was a bit like us Sunday


I don't think any team has played to its best yet or been completely dominant, the league is about beating pretty much everyone - if we'd had a different start and were on or near top then I'd say we had a chance but Liverpool are playing well and i think we will drop points in at least of the next two league games



it’s the words of articles I’ve seen written about Liverpool describes them as Pedestrian.


you're always quick to dismiss it when other posters fall back on what other people say





Honestly I don’t know if this is just a case of you holding on to a prediction you made earlier in the season that seemed to be from panic


No I just think it's odd that a team which has a lot of very talanted players and is generally beating everyone put in front of them is somehow deemed not to have a chance and yet for all your criticism of Arteta you think we will finish above them

[HCZ_Reborn]

If beign #'not good enough to beat Citeh on full form then yes probbaly, but you have to look at other factors - a lot of commetnators said Klopp's heavy metal football meant they ran out of steam



Agreed, but none of that means Slot can't do it




I don't think any team has played to its best yet or been completely dominant, the league is about beating pretty much everyone - if we'd had a different start and were on or near top then I'd say we had a chance but Liverpool are playing well and i think we will drop points in at least of the next two league games



you're always quick to dismiss it when other posters fall back on what other people say




No I just think it's odd that a team which has a lot of very talanted players and is generally beating everyone put in front of them is somehow deemed not to have a chance and yet for all your criticism of Arteta you think we will finish above them

I’ve stated the reason why I think we should finish above them, because even with the drag factor of Arteta our players are better than theirs

You talk about the array of talent in their squad and I’m telling you I don’t see it. Gravenberch, MacAllister, The Hungarian in midfield are vastly inferior to Rice, Partey and Odegaard


It’s how it goes usually, the team with the better players finishes in the higher position


Even with two recently ropey performances we are in a good position despite having had far harder games (if Liverpool get seven points from Villa, Spurs and City away maybe I can conclude that there’s something there that’s clearly not obvious, but I doubt they will)

I think Forest showed the blue print for beating them…that didn’t look to me like an aberration. Liverpool were bereft of ideas after shooting their bolt in the first half.

Even our resident Liverpool fan on here is largely waiting for the other shoe to drop

[HCZ_Reborn]

It’s not a mystery, we have been a better side than Liverpool for over two years now.

They lost players like Mane, Firminho, Wijnaldum and Fabinho and the players they’ve been able to bring in to replace them are not as good

And players like Van Dijk and Salah as is understandable as they get older are whilst still top players, not quite as good as they were three-four years ago

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

For what it's worth I don't think we're anywhere near as bad as you think we are, but not as good as Mac thinks we are (I love to see it so carry on!). Though tbf I don't think you're as good as you think you are, nor as bad as Mac thinks you/Arteta are. I think you'll finish above us, but I don't think it'll be a yawning chasm; I think a lot will come down to injuries, on both sides.

I think we will revert to the mean at some point, in no small part down to Jota being out until after the next international break, which is the Istoree of Jota unfortunately.

On the game, tbh, I didn't really watch it so can't really comment. By all accounts you battered us first half and didn't take advantage, second half we maybe should have taken advantage of your back line. And didn't. I think we're happier with the point than you are, but you can make arguments either way given injuries etc. I think the referees calls were much of a muchness.

City will probably win it. And on we go.


Sent from my M2101K6G using Tapatalk

[Mac76]

Gravenberch, MacAllister, The Hungarian in midfield are vastly inferior to Rice, Partey and Odegaard


The same Partey you were furious about being selected for RB and then had what was generally agreed to be a very good game?

I am not saying we don't have better players overall - I think we do - but that's where your 'drag factor' comes in and it's greater than you think

[HCZ_Reborn]

The same Partey you were furious about being selected for RB and then had what was generally agreed to be a very good game?

I am not saying we don't have better players overall - I think we do - but that's where your 'drag factor' comes in and it's greater than you think

Yes the key to my annoyance being played at right back, I don’t believe he should play there. And I suspect had he played in midfield…we would have had more control of the game in the middle of the park.

The drag factor hasn’t been enough to see us finish behind Liverpool in the last two seasons. But yet you think it will this season under this rather interesting belief that this Dutch guy will prove to be a better coach than Jurgen Klopp (it’s certainly not a claim lacking ambition :lol:)

[Letters]

City will probably win it. And on we go.

Pretty much :shrug:

[Mac76]

Yes the key to my annoyance being played at right back, I don’t believe he should play there. And I suspect had he played in midfield…we would have had more control of the game in the middle of the park.

The drag factor hasn’t been enough to see us finish behind Liverpool in the last two seasons. But yet you think it will this season under this rather interesting belief that this Dutch guy will prove to be a better coach than Jurgen Klopp (it’s certainly not a claim lacking ambition :lol:)

I have no idea how the league will finish but nor does anyone else, so I can make my predictions as much as anyone else.

And you're as usual distorting what I'm saying - Slot doesn't have to be better than Klopp or even as good, if Citeh are a little off the boil that could still be enough

I'm saying that with the start we've had, our lack of striking depth and Arteta's caution i don't think we finish above third although - wait for it - I could be wrong... :faint:

I think Shaqiri's take is pretty good, though I'm not quite as down on the team or Artete as all that, I think Arteta has done some great things, signing some great players and bonding the team and also the fans, but IMO his caution and lack of experience is now costing us

I think that even without the injuries and sendings off we maybe still lack goals and with a dodgier defence (even with Saliba and Gabriel) I think we'll need more goals than last season, but I don't see where they're coming from

[Mac76]

Pretty much :shrug:

:gp:

[HCZ_Reborn]

I have no idea how the league will finish but nor does anyone else, so I can make my predictions as much as anyone else.

And you're as usual distorting what I'm saying - Slot doesn't have to be better than Klopp or even as good, if Citeh are a little off the boil that could still be enough

I'm saying that with the start we've had, our lack of striking depth and Arteta's caution i don't think we finish above third although - wait for it - I could be wrong... :faint:

I think Shaqiri's take is pretty good, though I'm not quite as down on the team or Artete as all that, I think Arteta has done some great things, signing some great players and bonding the team and also the fans, but IMO his caution and lack of experience is now costing us

I think that even without the injuries and sendings off we maybe still lack goals and with a dodgier defence (even with Saliba and Gabriel) I think we'll need more goals than last season, but I don't see where they're coming from

Is there evidence that our defence is dodgier ? When we’ve had our first choice defence available and finished games with 11 men. We conceded three goals in five games.

And in regards to Liverpool as I keep (patiently I’d add) trying to explain is that even up front they only have one player who is definitely better than any of ours and that is Salah. We’ve scored 17 goals in 9, which is only one fewer than at the same stage last season (having as I’ve said played much tougher games)

Given injuries, given unfair refereeing and given the drag factor of Arteta we are in fine shape.


I think your problem is you assume I have a problem you making a prediction, but if I think it’s utter nonsense I’m going to say so. My opinion is that it will be City or Us, and actually if we navigate the next few games well start to get players back from injury and we sign a striker in January….i think the loss of Rodri is such a massive blow for City that it will be us.


Liverpool? Unless we really screw up in a big way….or city do it’s third highest possibly 4th depending on Chelsea

[Mac76]

We've coped better than a lot of people thought without Odegaard so I'm not sure losing Rhodri is so important, they lost Haaland for quite a while last season and it didn't stop them

Finally (and I mean finally) the very fact it's you predicting Citeh or us means I'm off to the bookies to put money on Liverpool :haha:

[HCZ_Reborn]

We've coped better than a lot of people thought without Odegaard so I'm not sure losing Rhodri is so important, they lost Haaland for quite a while last season and it didn't stop them

Finally (and I mean finally) the very fact it's you predicting Citeh or us means I'm off to the bookies to put money on Liverpool :haha:

Odegaard is an important player, but Rodri is the essential player for City. As essential for them as Saliba is for us

I wouldn’t mind but this silly running joke of yours is based on a few scoreline predictions for Arsenal at the beginning of last season. But I suppose you have to have something to dine out on.

[Mac76]

Odegaard is an important player, but Rodri is the essential player for City. As essential for them as Saliba is for us

I wouldn’t mind but this silly running joke of yours is based on a few scoreline predictions for Arsenal at the beginning of last season. But I suppose you have to have something to dine out on.

It's not just my running joke and it's also based on numerous otherr predictions, including Declan Rice being a bad signing

[HCZ_Reborn]

It's not just my running joke and it's also based on numerous otherr predictions, including Declan Rice being a bad signing

Numerous other predictions like to comment?

No I apologise it’s yours and Letters joke


I admire your brazenness given how often you’re wrong about things

[Mac76]

Numerous other predictions like to comment?



Life's too short for me to go back through your posts but you know it's true ;)

[HCZ_Reborn]

Life's too short for me to go back through your posts but you know it's true ;)

I know I made rubbish scoreline predictions at the beginning of last season which were overly negative but I don’t know any such other thing. Even the Rice thing I said I didn’t rate him (I still don’t truth be told) I don’t think (and by don’t think I mean I know I didn’t) make any prediction, played well last season at number 6 but he’s being played in a role he’s no business playing in



And as I say pretty brazen for someone who constantly says stupid or outright wrong things.


And someone who has to resort to pointing out spelling mistakes or typos because that’s the nearest you’ll ever get to winning an argument with me :lol:

[Mac76]

And as I say pretty brazen for someone who constantly says stupid or outright wrong things.


such as the fact that Liverpool are second and demonstrably have a good team and a manager who so far has done well?


And someone who has to resort to pointing out spelling mistakes or typos because that’s the nearest you’ll ever get to winning an argument with me :lol:

I win our arguments all the time, you just don't realise it - continued contradiction isn't winning, it's just blind stubbornness

[HCZ_Reborn]

continued contradiction isn't winning, it's just blind stubbornness

Who are you talking to here? Me or yourself ?

Yes I get that you make loads of poorly evidenced assertions on both football and politics. But yes I guess patiently trying to explain to you that your assertions are baseless or that you’re objectively wrong must just come across like contradiction.