General Premier League Thread 2022-23 - mod note in OP 12/03/23

Fitz*

Dropping points in 5 out of 7 games while top of the table and in a title race.

Winning 2-0 in a couple of those games but threw away the lead to teams who were in bad form at the time. Partly influenced by the actions of their own players/manager.

If that's not the definition of bottling it, then I don't know what it. One or two off results (draws) can be taken as normal, but 5. That's too much.

Arteta telling his players to fake injuries, dive and waste time. Ended up costing them momentum in games like West Ham & Liverpool when Jesus dived for a free kick against West Ham. West Ham scored their equalizer from the resulting throw in. Xhaka stupidly trying to start handbags with Trent and firing the Anfield up instead. Trent had a stormer of a game after that and Arsenal nearly lost it. Constantly wasting time in both games. Jesus went down looking at his ankle or fixing his boot or something stupid today while the ball was in play near his own penalty box. Cost the opening goal. There's being streetwise and then there's being stupid. Those small actions have cost Arsenal the title. They stopped doing what they were great at, and look where it has got them.

Let's see if they have the mental capacity to come back stronger next season. Throwing away a title can have a big drain on players mentally. Great season but they have nothing to show for it really.

jacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120597149#Comment_120597149

I agree that Arsenal, next season, will be battling for top 4, not the title. Newcastle United and Manchester United will both, I presume, be spending money, and Liverpool and Chelsea will be expecting to gather more points next season than they did this. After their yo-yo performances of the last few weeks, I am leaving Brighton as top 10 only, and that leaves Aston Villa and Spurs and the next best London team to fill out the top 10.

The year that Leicester City won the league, they were ahead of everyone else in the previous season's final "Last 10 matches" form table years.

In the current equivalent of that table, there are only two teams within 10 points of Manchester City! In England, they are just relentless.

Interestingly, the bottom 3 in the form table are also the bottom three in the actual current league table, and in the same order.

McFly85

In terms of the overall season, it has been a success for Arsenal. Comfortably in the CL spots and look well set up to challenge for them again next season.

But their late season form has been abysmal. No other competitions to worry about, minimal injuries and haven’t made city remotely sweat.

Adding to that the increasingly bizarre tactical choices from the team in multiple games, slowing things down and trying to break momentum of the opposition instead of imposing their own game that has served them so well, it feels like they’ve blown their big chance.

They won’t hit 90 points this season, and I cannot see them bettering that next season.

NIMAN

Its kinda depressing that the EPL is, underneath it all, a 1 team league now.

City have been pushed a couple of times, but they are simply becoming too good for the league.

L'prof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120597335#Comment_120597335

Minimal injuries? You need to stop listening to Ten Hag. I don’t think they’ve been crippled but they’ve had their fair share and important ones at that. Squad just isn’t big/good enough to cope with the rigours of competing in the latter stages

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120597492#Comment_120597492

From the point of view of the actual match going fan I didn't think the Super League was that bad. Just cut these mega teams loose.

I know it still won't be a level playing field but you won't need to beg your club to be taken over by Petro dictators. And said dictators won't be interested anyway.

DellyBelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120597492#Comment_120597492

It really is...and unfortunately I think City could win the next 3 titles...its really been a total domination these last few years...

Arsenal choked when the pressure was on. Understandable. They haven't the experience.

They'd have a title in the bag if they weren't up against "alleged" 🙄 financial cheats.

golfball37

Is anything going to be done about City?

There was a massive furore earlier in the season but it seems to have died down. I don’t particularly like Woolwich or Liverpool but they do operate within the rules and I would be annoyed having missed out on league titles if all of this comes out in a few years in terms of a ruling. It was no consolation to Inter when they were awarded a couple of serie A titles retrospectively- I mean for their fans there was nothing to celebrate

chicorytip

Arsenal will require better defenders in order to win the Premier League or progress to the latter stages of the Champions League. I would not absolve Ramsdale from criticism either. He lacks the calm assuredness that Becker and Allison both possess.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598128#Comment_120598128

He has always been a hypocrite and not just about dirty tactics.

LuckyLloyd

I think we’re in a period of delusion around the Premier League. It is every bit as staid as any other major European league at its one team worst.

It has been convenient for Utd fans (the majority of fans on an Irish football forum) that City with Pep and financial doping exist during a period they cannot win things themselves, but a deep shadow is being cast over the league. The only reason to think City won’t keep dominating is that Pep will get bored and look for a new challenge. Or these latest round of financial charges will finally hit home.

In order to win the league this year Arsenal would have had to get to 95 points, or at least be on track for that with a few games remaining, to pressure City that they may break (and City have already proven in 2019 and 2022 that they don’t crack under furious pressure). That’s increasingly become the kind of standard required, with no reason to expect it to wane next year.

Maybe the hope is they win the CL and Pep leaves?

El Gato De Negocios

Really odd but wholly unsurprising that you single out United fans when every other club in the league are also up against city.

Brendan Flowers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598128#Comment_120598128

And what manager hadn't made hypocritical comments at one time or another? Ferguson said he wouldn't sell Madrid a virus, and the following summer sold Ronaldo to them. Klopp said he wouldn't remain in football if spending €100 million on a single player became normal business, and now he's spending similar on a player that isn't even a regular starter for Liverpool.

McFly85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598266#Comment_120598266

Can’t ever see Pep leaving for a new challenge. He has his ideal setup at City, a machine that will spend whatever he requires them to spend whenever he wishes, that was years in preparation for his arrival.

He will not have the resources he has at City anywhere else, and he’s not the type of manager to look at a team as a project for him to improve, but will look at clubs with the resources required for him to implement his vision.

I could see him taking a break if they won the CL, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all for City to offer him a sabbatical for a season or 2 before coming back if he wishes.

rob316

Its outrageous but realistically you need to aim for 100 points to be sure to top city for the league. Liverpool couldn't sustain it, they chose keeping a winning squad together over strengthening and refreshing. City can do both that's the difference.

I never thought for a split second Arsenal could win the league, City just hit their stride at the end of the season and there is no margin for error.

I absolutely see the super league back on the table if City aren't hammered over the financial breaches.

POKERKING

Or maybe man united/chelsea could spend the money they have been spending more wisely and with a structure to support it, maybe even with a proper manager and either of these clubs could challenge city? Its not only money that city are doing what they are doing, there are lots of other factors at play too.

LuckyLloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598391#Comment_120598391

Utd fans on this forum seem to have enjoyed their titles and success last few years. That's the vibe you get from the posts on the forum anyway.

Seems to be mostly fans of other clubs who are questioning the financial aspects that underpin this period of success.

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120597999#Comment_120597999

Becker and Allison? Sounds like an awesome pairing. Liverpool must be using some sort of cheat code to get two players in one for such a vital position. It would go some way to explaining why Alisson Becker is considered one of the best in the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alisson_Becker

ctrl-alt-delete

If we look at it, without looking into it Arsenal progressed this year.

Looking into it, and in the end (technically not over) back upon it - I don't think it is harsh to say they bottled it.

They would snap your hand off at the start of the season for the position they were in fully confident they could close it out.

Unfortunately those who faltered this season should pick back up again next season, add to the fact Newcastle should they seal a champions league spot will be able to attract a better calibre of player earlier than they had imagined.

Basically I think Arsenal have missed a massive chance.

Outside of City at least, the race for the other spots seems to be growing.

BenK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598666#Comment_120598666

Nobody disputes City have spent money well and the likes of United, Chelsea poorly. The problem is City have been spending money they, as a club, shouldn't/don't have to spend.

& the money is, 100%, fundamentally, the primary factor at play with their continued success. Everything else is just obfuscation.

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598925#Comment_120598925

You are absolutely correct. They are an incredibly well run machine, from top to bottom, but that just glosses over the fact that they "supposedly" weren't acting within the rules set forth by the league. Looking at their squad right now and they could keep winning the league for the next couple of seasons even if they got a transfer ban of 3 or 4 windows. Bar, removing them from the league I don't know what punishment can be really handed out that will actually impact them.

El Gato De Negocios

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598667#Comment_120598667

From what Ive seen, United fans have just as big an issue with City's financial conduct as anything however because its come at a time when LFC were a world class team and its cost them titles, alot of people, and not just United fans, found it amusing. Please though, dont for one second try to say that if the roles were reversed, ie if it was United achieving ridiculous points totals but still not winning things that you and many LFC fans wouldn't find it every bit as amusing.

Fitz*

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598666#Comment_120598666

You're forgetting the fact that Man Utd didn't blatantly cheat in order to get that money to spend. Man City did. Already admitted to it and paid the fine, and continued to do it over a number of years.

Man City spend money that they cheated to receive in order to distort the market and maintain their position. Price the majority of other clubs out of maintaining any sort of equilibrium.

But yeah, look over there at them.

POKERKING

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120599060#Comment_120599060

You have completely missed my point.

IncognitoMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120599222#Comment_120599222

The defense of City nearly always comes down to the same couple of points. And none of them are ever actually about City not cheating!!

1 - Other clubs have spent money so City should be allowed to make up whatever they like. If you don't like that you are just part of the status quo.

2 - Other clubs have cheated in the past. So City should be allowed to carry on. It doesn't matter to what level. City should remain unchecked.

3 - You are only raising this because you are jealous. City should be allowed to break rules and spend what they like and if you don't like it then it is because you are jealous of the cheating football club.

POKERKING

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120599302#Comment_120599302

None of that was my point.

My point was, it was mentioned in the thread that no one can compete with City and the league is going to be like the French league/German league where they have no competition(or words to that affect). Thats not true, there is nothing stopping the aforementioned teams competing if they get there houses in order as they have and will continue to do so spent big money with not an awful lot to do show for it. If they do it right, like city, any of city/chelsea/united/newcastle could win the league plus liverpool/arsenal if things fall correctly for them.

SlickRic

The issue with City is that they also have Pep.

So you have the best manager with the financial cheats.

The league could get away with it when Chelsea were doing their business, because you had the Utd dynasty with the best manager, or Arsenal popping in who were ahead of the game for a while on sports medicine as well as knowledge of the French league, and stole a march that way.

but teams catch up.

Liverpool competed for a few years in this era because they got ahead of the game on recruitment.

The thing that City empathisers do not seem to understand, or they simply block out, is that if all things are equal - manager quality, recruitment, facilities - then it is the money that separates the teams, not the manager. I hear all the time that Pep is, in fact, the reason for the dominance. it's nonsense and it's looking at it backwards. the cheating money with him is what puts them over the top. the other teams are busy looking for marginal gains by trying to get ahead on certain things, but once everyone catches up, the oil soaked club is going to win, because money trumps everything. you can refresh and change without any cost, or having to wait. you just do it. that's not normal.

It's Pep PLUS money that has screwed the league.

BenK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120599348#Comment_120599348

And they only have Pep because of the money.

BenK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120599340#Comment_120599340

I'm sorry but that's absolute rubbish. 'If they do it right, like City...' City haven't been doing anything right from a financial perspective!

Liverpool, a massive club, couldn't have been doing anything more right when they were competing. Their transfer business was pretty much impeccable and they just about won one league title for all their efforts. Arsenal, in reality, should really be league champions this year if things were in any way normal. 90+ points totals is just not normal. Yeah, if a team catches lightning in a bottle it might win a league, but City are just hoovering up everything in between.