Liverpool have 2nd sewn up - EPL 2018/19

Unsurprisingly I agree with ogmor rather than number none. This was a high quality game notable for the technical ability and willingness of both defences to play out from the back. It was a game defined by the finest of fine margins. Fine margins and Dejan Lovren.

They were doing fine without De Bruyne, not at last season's level but still right up there with Liverpool. I mean anyone would miss him, he's the best player in the league, but I think it was the absence of Fernandinho that really blew a hole in their title challenge. They don't have another player like that and he's essential to the way they play. If he's there to win back possession City will dominate, because it's so hard to get the ball off them, but without him their defence is very susceptible to being run at, including by direct mid-table teams.

I'm not arguing that these aren't excellent teams as they obviously are. But City's passing was noticeably sloppy and Liverpool largely failed to put execute the slick attacking moves that have typified their games this season A symptom of all the pressing that was going on? Sure. But it wasn't a high-quality game overall, let alone the best of the season or whatever

Bayern seem to be getting closer to meeting Chelsea's €40m valuation for Hudson-Odoi.

Bournemouth have somehow agreed to pay 19m for Dominic Solanke

Puncheon deal close... the football universe holds its breath...

Take Scott Sinclair... please. Boom boom.

city's passing worse than usual bc their opponents were better than usual. all these things are relational. teams might look masterful in training or against an open side, but that supreme command is a sign of the lower quality and imbalance. if anyone can think of a rival league game that wld be a contender I'd be interested bc nothing I can think of comes close

Warnock 0
v
"a lack of class" 1

it's weird how often he talks about other clubs and professionals lacking class, considering he's a rabid anti-football psycho cunt

Power move from palace to loan a player to relegation rivals... guess we don't think either Punch or huddersfield have much future in the top flight

we don't have any relegation rivals anymore - as sure as eggs is eggs we down! Punch move is just chucking some dead weight onto already sinking ship or maybe our chairman just likes trolling our new found prem fans.

aww i have a soft spot for him

I did in 2011

no doubt he'll give it 100% lol, but if Mooy + Williams are fit he doesn't make the bench.

You'd want a building firm specialising in sports facilities for that

I've heard Punch got sacked from a building firm for failing to trap a bag of cement. But seriously, one upshot of signing shit players is there is plenty of change left to upgrade your facilities. We'll have 9th best training ground in the champo soon!

Funny thing is Wagner kept saying any potential signings had to have the right attitude for him. Then he wasted the whole summer transfer window negging with some total waster who wanted to have highest wages/top dog status. Oh well.

Gotterdammerung fast approaching i fear

he's got the safest job in the prem apparently, chairman has said he's staying even if we go down. But the word of a ruthless greetings card magnate probably isn't worth scheisse.

This is probably 'newsflash' territory but fuck there's something vulgar about that Man City scoreline.

It's as vulgar as the Tottenham one on Friday.

Tranmere are two divisions below Rotherham

so there's a bit of a difference

we havent spent that many billions either tbf

Friday didn't feel this ugly to me, but it's by degrees.

Spurs were away mind

Love the excuses. It's still 7-0.

meanwhile

#BreakingNews: DC United’s Wayne Rooney was arrested on public intoxication and swearing charges, sources tell @abc7news #MLS #DCUnited pic.twitter.com/W4KWnnDkcT

— Erin Hawksworth (@ABC7Erin) January 6, 2019

lawl

You know what it's like in the US, you can't drink alcohol till your over 40.

Really want the "swearing charges" typed out court style tbh

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DwPxahAX0AATM6e.jpg

Nazi salute by Wayne Hennesey 🤔? pic.twitter.com/U4eYrvZjK5

— GoalMouthFC (@GooalMouth) January 6, 2019

Yesterday evening I had a meal with my team mates and we had a group photograph. I waved and shouted at the person taking the picture to get on with it and at the same time put my hand over my mouth to make the sound carry. It’s been brought to my attention that frozen in a

— Wayne Hennessey (@WayneHennessey1) January 6, 2019

moment by the camera this looks like I am making a completely inappropriate type of salute. I can assure everyone I would never ever do that and any resemblance to that kind of gesture is absolutely coincidental. Love and peace Wayne

— Wayne Hennessey (@WayneHennessey1) January 6, 2019

Amazing.

pic.twitter.com/ETsJO2IvLk

— Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) January 7, 2019

yessss

No way Hennessey is a nazi, he *stopped* dyeing his hair blond.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Are_you_right_there_father_ted.jpg

Thought Wayne’s excuse was a load of bullshit until I saw this. #cpfc #hennessey pic.twitter.com/3H1gUjFXTD

— Robbie Welch (@RobWelch2000) January 7, 2019

Not sure any keeper should be attempting a Nazi salute in a setpiece situation fwiw.

Moussa Dembele is on his way out

this time last year that was our team

ah, mousa. I didn't understand him at first. he wasn't an especially good passer, barely ever shot, wasn't that quick and always seemed to hold onto the ball for too long. poch arrived and everything changed; all the players were now defenders, pressing, trying to muscle past their opponents and gain ground, and suddenly dembele made perfect sense. strong, balanced & agreeably vicious, he wld shrug off opponents and charge past in a Ronaldo-esque fashion, always getting fouled, always looking like he was abt to mutter something under his breath. he tied the team together, was indispensable for a few seasons and had some magnificent performances in big games. fare well beefy prince

he had the best hips in football for a while

Eriksen to Real in the summer seems to be gaining traction

(with possibility of Isco moving the other way)

xp Absolutely. Ogmor otm. When he was good he was great.

Even last year Dembele was destroying and dominating some of the best midfielders in Europe, he was just impossible to knock off the ball. But I'm guessing we're getting a decent whack for him even now.

Ah OK £11m. That's not bad at all considering his age and injury record.

out of contract in the summer too. eriksen to real seems like standard newspaper filler

what, you're above the Carabao Cup now are ya?

weird game. always something going on, or on the cusp of, but very arrhythmic and full of misjudgements. Rose was great repelling attacks and seems to offer almost nothing else atm. playing it out from the back resulted in losing possession around the centre circle nearly every time. resilience in the last half hour was superb but its neccessity largely avoidable