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

usually don't jump on the City bashing , but every neutral must feal deflated tonight - really wanted Arsenal to do it.

Historically, it's normal for any team to have a wobble.

City's wall of money has meant that in recent years you're not allowed. Again, funny that.

Reality is, a 100 point pace is what's required these days, or at least the mentality for it, City and Liverpool changed the game the last 6 years.

No. Why? Arteta was deliberately getting in the way slowing the game down. These managers make it too much about them.

Back to the football.

I haven't seen Arsenal until last night, bar highlights.

Do they always play the ball out from the back like that, to draw in the opposition?

It looked very risky against who they were up against last night, and led to at least one goal. I wanted them to win but kept seeing Ramsdale doing these small passes to players who were being closed down really quickly. I wasn't surprised when City benefitted from it.

I said it a month or two ago a few injuries & playing the same team week in week out would catch up on them,

Last night was poor big game & they just let the second half fizzle away, no real pressure out on City in the second half ,

Arsenal will now finish 3rd ,

Liverpool finished runners up with 97 and 92 points respectively in the last few seasons. Arsenals form is similar to Liverpools those seasons. It isnt a wobble, any other time they would win the league by a stretch. The fact is to beat City to the title you literally have to be perfect, which is exhausting for smaller squads as can be seen by Liverpools collapse this season

How many Arsenal players would get into the City team? Saka would be the only one I’d make a case for.

Saka , Saliba , Partey for me

Not really it would probably improve them if Foden replaced Grealish.

People miss the point on City’s money, and how it’s been such an advantage.  Utd are literally the only team that could spend in the same way in a non-dodgy way, and because of their structural failures, they get pointed at as proof that money is not the reason for City’s success. 

Which is quite obviously nonsense.  One organisation failing does not prove that it was a level playing field.

Chelsea can spend, but it’s a similar story to City, obviously.

“But Arsenal have spent loads recently”

“But look at Liverpool’s spend on Nunez, Van Dijk, Luis Diaz etc”

“Spurs aren’t scared to spend”

“City have a great net spend over the last couple of years”

All points that are designed to divert you from what happened over the last decade and a half. 

City spent with impunity for years - not just on players.  They modernised absolutely everything and got ahead of the curve.  They paid their manager an inordinate amount of money to manage them.  They pay Txiki, the best in the world at what he does, an incredible sum of money.  They have the best training facilities, attract the best youth talents etc etc etc … all through funding that is eminently dodgy at best, and against the rules at worst.

While all this money was being spent with said impunity, Arsenal were standing still on the pitch (and worse) because they had to pay for their stadium.  Spurs had to pay for theirs, and their facilities, while not really spending enough to keep pace.  We all know about Liverpool’s net spend.  City were revamping facilities while also investing like maniacs in the playing squad and management.

The dodgy unlimited spending has put them in a position that is ahead of the curve.  That has taken good management of said dodgy finances, yes, but falling into a pit of money has enabled them to not care about budgets and viability like a normal business for a very long time, to the point now where they can largely be run like a normal football club, but the horse bolted a long time ago.  Everyone else is simply catching up.

So, yeah, it does matter.

All of the above is correct but they would have won 2 less Prems minimum if they had nay other manger other than Pep , Without him they simply would not have been as good for such a sustained period,

He is without question the best manger in the world to have if you have an unlimited budget, His style of football can only be achieved with really top top player but at the same time if your a big time Charlie or all about you he will ship you out the door no questions asked ,He wants the right players not just the Big name ones ( like what happens at PSG )

He is literally perfect for one of those bottomless pit clubs ,

You can have one or the other, but not both. Playing squad or Infrastructure, not playing squad and infrastructure.

Likewise, but on the other side, Liverpool have greatly increased their infrastructure but have let their playing squad grow old together & stagnate.

Pep is obsessed with his football philosophy. That philosophy being only join teams with a bigger transfer window than the rest of the league combined 😝