General Premier League Thread 2023-24 Mod Note in op 27/6/23 And 21/05/24

Lauras Law

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121422286#Comment_121422286

Considering the massive injury crisis United have had for most of the season so far, "lucky" is just about the last word I'd use to describe United's season so far.

jacool

Lads, if you are looking for competition for Garnacho - he'll have competition in this month's GOTM, not to mind GOTS.

I feel genuinely sorry for Pablo Sarabia, as I feel that his goal against Tottenham took a lot more skill, but in any public vote, there is no way he is getting more votes than Garnacho. Both are super strikes, but in Sarabia's case, he receives a pass across his body, controls it with his right and buries it with his left, without the ball touching the ground. For control and skill I'd rate his higher, but the % chance of Garnacho scoring with his effort would make some people think that's the better goal. Its down to personal opinion I'd say, but I'd hate to see the Sarabia one get lost in the hype.

I don't know how the GOTS gets organised but if its just a collection of GOTM winners, then I fear just me and him will be remembering that goal in May.

klose

Benteke scored an overhead kick for Liverpool against United years ago, cracker goal but forgotten as we were soundly beaten that day. Sebastian Coates scored a brilliant one for Liverpool under Kenny in 2012 against QPR, again, forgotten about as we lost the game.

DM_7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423044#Comment_121423044

Sarabia controlled the ball and it sat up lovely for the strike. It was a reaction to what unfolded but imo it did not have the intent Garnacho's had or the difficulty.

Garnacho moved into a position to attempt and execute his strike which all involved extraordinary reading of the play, imagination, attleticism, technique. It was on another level to what we see most seasons never mind months.

Lauras Law

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121412420#Comment_121412420

Apart from Varane and Sancho, who are the other people that arent talking to each other? And is it players not talking to the manager or not talking to other players?

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121421685#Comment_121421685

My issue wouldn’t really be with a deliberate or non deliberate foul.

My issue is rewarding cheating or to put it euphemistically manufacturing or buying the free or penalty.

Martial deliberately drags his foot to ensure contact with Young’s leg. When they are looking at that in slow motion they can see that and should say no penalty but instead they reward him for cheating and manufacturing the penalty. The players then all do that because they know that that’s the way it’s refereed.

Harry Kane is a perfect example of that. I’m not criticising him he’s just playing by their rules.

Why they think it’s in the games interest to reward that kind of diving and cheating who knows?

VAR should be used to get that culture out of the game instead they use VAR to reinforce it. It’s pathetic.

machiavellianme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423121#Comment_121423121

I'm not disagreeing that Garnacho's was a superb strike, but suggesting he had greater intent is a nonsense. Of course it is every forwards intent to score, but Sarabia was bearing in on goal with only one thing on his mind. Garnacho was moving away from goal, taking on a very ambitious ball that could have gone anywhere. It is impossible to say he had the same level of intent seeing as he would have also been thinking about what happens if he missed his kick entirely or if there's a pass to a colleague in the box. He just executed it exceptionally and the other elements ended up being moot.

whiterebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121422924#Comment_121422924

Best bicycle kick I have ever seen anyway, closely followed by Ibrahimovic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MomkYgXPudw&t=36s

SlickRic

Bale's against Liverpool, in the 2018 CL final of all places, never seems to get mentioned.

I don't know if it's because Bale isn't exactly a Madrista favourite, or whether it's because Karius was in goal (therefore taking it down a notch in people's eyes), but the balls it took to try it on that stage, never mind nail it and win yet another CL for Madrid was insane.

rob316

Isn't there an extreme level of luck with a bicycle kick? Not denying its great when it comes off, but its never my favorite type goal.

pjohnson

I havent seen Berbatovs against Liverpool which I think took an insane amount of skill and composure (tbf those are the two things that oozed outta Berbatov but still)

Zero luck in that imo.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423797#Comment_121423797

The luck is a lot to do with the circumstances where/when you can actually do one. How often do you see somebody attempt one and fail? Far less than you might think, because its not that common that getting a good connection is even possible.

For myself I think Bales was the greatest ever. Not only was it a harder kick to make, but the stage matters and he did it to take the lead in the CL final. That is a different level of performance than having a go in a meaningless league game between also rans in November.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121421741#Comment_121421741

It is a penalty by the way that is refereed. Martial was right to drag his foot into the challenge and go over because that will win a penalty for his team.

It shouldn’t be a penalty though and VAR should be used to get that out of the game so next time Martial or whoever it is doesn’t stick the leg out or drag his foot into contact with an opponent to “win” the penalty.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423869#Comment_121423869

Your back is to goal and your kicking a ball over your head behind you, definitely luck involved. Keepers are stood still for these goals too as they dont expect it as the strikers back is to the goal.

Not an overhead kick but Zidanes CL Final goal in 2002 is my favorite goal of all time. That is skill and perfection in a strike.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423906#Comment_121423906

It is impossible for VAR to determine that Martial deliberately dragged his foot there to win a penalty.

Martial has been dragging his feet for ten years, the video would show nothing new there.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423908#Comment_121423908

They appear to be stood still because most of those kicks unexpectedly reverse the direction of the ball.

djan

Seeing the Garnacho goal and what a beauty, fair play to him and surely a contender for goal of the season already. No need to bring out other better goals but just enoy it for what is a unique highly technical goal.

DM_7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423374#Comment_121423374

On my side I am not disagreeing on Sarabia scoring a quality goal in its own right. Just din't think it was as anywhere close to as difficult to execute but that is just my own view of course.

Would say Mitoma v Wolves was above Sarabia's also.

https://youtu.be/Q52hTL2zlm0?si=qiizUn_MmuRyVgjh

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121424388#Comment_121424388

Olise goal on Saturday was brilliant.

Fitz*

Personally, I prefer the team build up goals that are just tapped in at the back post via great movement and passing, but in terms of individual moments of brilliance, that Garnacho goal was certainly one of the best this season and will sure to be a staple for PL highlights for years to come.

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121424570#Comment_121424570

this here is my favorite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ta8GUS688&ab_channel=SkySportsRetro

Mitch Connor

The Cole goal vs Barcelona is my favourite United goal for similar reasons.

TitianGerm

Berkamp against Newcastle and Suarez v Norwich are two of my favourite PL goals.

jacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121424754#Comment_121424754

I agree 100% - those team goals are total football. Arsenal seem to be the main purveyors for some reason. This is what they are training on day in day out. The other goals are rare things of beauty, but in the end, most of this is down to people's preferences, I guess.

~Rebel~

Just watching the Fulham Wolves game as a total neutral observer - and I really have to wonder if they need to give a good revision to the rules and punishments to actually reflect the original intent of those rules?

Fulham just got and scored a pen - fair pen, there was a foul just inside the corner of the box, no issue. But with the bar for what rightfully earns a penalty being so low, and the impact of its result being so high, does there need to be a rebalance? Should there be tiers of punishment for fouls in the box depending on where it is? Like, should there be a new extra box within the box maybe? So maybe a foul in the 'outer' one results in a penalty-style free shot at goal from the point of the foul, without other players allowed in the box? Meanwhile fouls within the new inner box stay as normal. Then to tidy up the flagrant exceptions, anything that's ruled a denial of clear goalscoring opportunity - as that rule already stands - even in the outer box is a regular pen. For simplicity, it could be done by just slightly expanding the size of the keepers area lines.

Just a thought, but it seems so weird that so many games turn entirely on really innocuous little moments in positions of little to no danger.

McFly85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121426198#Comment_121426198

Thought of that before myself - lads getting tripped with their back to goal on the edge of the box getting their team a massive opportunity.

A penalty should be awarded for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity within the box - there’s already rules for bookings on this so it should in theory be easy to implement. Anything else could result in an indirect free kick which would still be a big opportunity, but a little more balanced to the offence.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121426304#Comment_121426304

And we just had our 3rd penalty of the game, and it was another one where the attacker (Wilson) hadn't a hope in hell of scoring from where he picked up the ball, running towards the edge of the box away from goal. The punishment is just so high for passages of play that were never likely to result in goals. Whatever the solution, it just feels like the balance is wrong now.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423906#Comment_121423906

There’s another one there for Fulham. The player “winning” the penalty by ensuring he makes contact with the defender and then dives. The attacking player in both those incidents are initiating the contact that brings about the penalty.

Neither should be a penalty but under current culture they are.

omega man

Shocking pen decision there for Fulham. Wasn’t given on field by ref and surely not an error. Sick of VAR at this point…

retalivity

O'Neil is going to go mental...