***Official*** English Football Season 2019-20

[andmark]

I took my daughter to Wembley last night. Always a decent atmosphere for the floodlit games, and always a nightmare getting out of the place. fwiw my take on the game was that England were lucky to only be one goal behind after 20 minutes but dominated the rest of the first half and deserved their equaliser. The second half was even for the first 30 minutes or so but Germany took over the last 10-15 minutes and deserved their winner. I thought Germany played the better football on the whole. Their build up play was certainly superior to ours and most of our players looked pretty ponderous in comparison; maybe Walsh was the exception, and Williamson looked promising, but not easy to see from Row 15. Beyond that. I'd like to see Ellen White drop the silly binoculars celebration when she scores and I do think some of the others are over-rated (Parris and Scott spring immediately to mind). Maybe Neville has to some extent lost the dressing room; they've certainly lost something since the WC.

I think I'd agree with pretty much all of that. Before that period in the second half where Germany really dominated, I thought England were using the long ball well, creating some decent chances. I do like England's well structured pressing system, though, as you say, Germany played better and were worth their victory.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

That City defence is why LiVARpool will win the league.

 

[DriveClub]

Anyone else think we don't see anymore of those brutal tackles that we used to see anymore? Looks like there's a concerted effort by FIFA to see more goal scoring matches and less brutal tackling now.

 

[sledger]

If by brutal you mean reckless and unnecessarily dangerous then yes, and good riddance.

 

[DriveClub]

If by brutal you mean reckless and unnecessarily dangerous then yes, and good riddance.

Yes thats what I mean

 

[Uppercut]

If by brutal you mean reckless and unnecessarily dangerous then yes, and good riddance.

People's perceptions of what is or isn't a dangerous tackle have almost no relation to medical realities though. Dangerous in football just means "any contact between studs and a player".

 

[sledger]

I didn't say they did tbh.

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah but I wanted to use your post as an excuse to rant.

 

[sledger]

Yeah, it's fair enough, but the issues you mention notwithstanding, the fact that excessive/disproportionate uses of force and similar (e.g. two footed lunges etc.) have largely been phased out of the game is a development very much for the better imo. "Brutality", to use DC's term, for the sake of brutality adds nothing good to the game, and any argument that football is any the poorer for its absence is pretty facile.

 

[Uppercut]

It's not as clear-cut as that. Football has lost something from being sanitised, and I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to prefer the way it used to be, which was still much less dangerous than rugby is today.

 

[sledger]

Yeah, maybe, I just have no interest in seeing blokes running around kicking each other.

It doubtless has lost something, but the quality of the play/players is so much better on the whole than it was 20 years or so ago.

 

[Furball]

People's perceptions of what is or isn't a dangerous tackle have almost no relation to medical realities though. Dangerous in football just means "any contact between studs and a player".

Hence the clamour to downgrade Son's red last weekend despite it being a dangerous tackle.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I think I'd agree with pretty much all of that. Before that period in the second half where Germany really dominated, I thought England were using the long ball well, creating some decent chances. I do like England's well structured pressing system, though, as you say, Germany played better and were worth their victory.

thoughts on Neville by someone who's watched them all autumn here England’s “Victory Tour” goes wrong as Phil Neville unravels

 

[sledger]

Seems Aubameyang is now in a feud with the Arsenal board over his social media behaviours, great

 

[Furball]

saying this after every game in october doesnt make it any more true

It's worth noting that Liverpool have already played the rest of the 'big 6' and Leicester.

City have had much easier fixtures thus far and are 9 points behind.

 

[Furball]

On Arsenal, worth noting that Kasper Schmeichel was kept busier by a Southampton side who were down to 10 men and who were getting dicked 9-0 than he was by Arsenal's forwards.

 

[sledger]

Torreira having an emergency meeting with the board to discuss his future this week apparently

dire

 

[Uppercut]

Torreira having an emergency meeting with the board to discuss his future this week apparently

dire

It's really not worked out from Torreira's perspective. I still rate him but he seems to have got gradually worse during his time at Arsenal, which is a bit of a disaster for a 23 year old. Looks like a player who needs a move.

 

[Cabinet96]

I suspect things could rather rapidly improve for him if his next coach doesn't consider him an Aaron Ramsey replacement like the current one does.

 

[Uppercut]

I suspect things could rather rapidly improve for him if his next coach doesn't consider him an Aaron Ramsey replacement like the current one does.

Potentially, but Guendouzi being similar but better makes it difficult to fit him in. I can think of some solutions but wouldn't be all that confident that they would work. Picking the Arsenal team is a hell of a job.