Premier League (Fantasy too)

[Phredd3]

I really thought they would do better. I almost had Rashford in my fantasy team too. Texting with some of my United fan friends today that I really think they were better with Ole. It’s amazing that they have not improved but perhaps it’s early days?
Ten Hag had that ‘dear in the headlights’ look. He looked lost.

It is ONE GAME. I don't know how you can conclude much at all about Ten Hag at this stage. I'll grant you that United as a whole has been kinda clueless for a while now, but maybe give the coach a little bit of a runway.

I did not think Ten Hag looked lost, for whatever that's worth. I thought he looked frustrated. Rashford had just 34 touches the whole game, without taking a single official shot. Ronaldo came in with 40 minutes to play and got 29 touches...and no shots. How many times did Fred and McTominay give up the ball, and in return how much did they create? The team got absolutely killed by their own midfield. It doesn't matter how good your strikers are if nobody can get them the ball in a threatening position. Why United haven't upgraded their midfield this transfer window, I'll never know.

To be clear, I'm a City fan, so it's OK with me that they didn't.

[Furniture]

It is ONE GAME. I don't know how you can conclude much at all about Ten Hag at this stage. I'll grant you that United as a whole has been kinda clueless for a while now, but maybe give the coach a little bit of a runway.

I did not think Ten Hag looked lost, for whatever that's worth. I thought he looked frustrated. Rashford had just 34 touches the whole game, without taking a single official shot. Ronaldo came in with 40 minutes to play and got 29 touches...and no shots. How many times did Fred and McTominay give up the ball, and in return how much did they create? The team got absolutely killed by their own midfield. It doesn't matter how good your strikers are if nobody can get them the ball in a threatening position. Why United haven't upgraded their midfield this transfer window, I'll never know.

To be clear, I'm a City fan, so it's OK with me that they didn't.

yes you are correct it’s just ONE GAME.

[75Crazie]

My schadenfreude is in high gear. That usually leads to a sharp downturn in short order.

[OldPhiKap]

My schadenfreude is in high gear. That usually leads to a sharp downturn in short order.

Kid knows:

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/s...LztmwGhgPAPS7A

[Phredd3]

Kid knows:

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/s...LztmwGhgPAPS7A

Hah! That's funny stuff right there. When Ten Hag substituted McTominay into the midfield at halftime, all I could think was that it was a sign of true desperation. There is a *lot* of work to do. The announcers were talking about three to five years, and I'm not sure they're wrong.

[Furniture]

yes you are correct it’s just ONE GAME.

TWO GAMES now.

Question:

What do Man United, The Black Eyed Peas and Prince Andrew all have in common?

Answer….All useless since Fergie left…

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/s...LztmwGhgPAPS7A

[jimmymax]

How about those Bees! Who needs Ericksen?

[duke74]

Let’s not forget my Gunners. Good start to the campaign.

[OldPhiKap]

“This is Manchester United!”

https://twitter.com/conorsketches/st...g7FU69_lc-dLmg

[OldPhiKap]

Tuchel v. Conte, Round One:

A75ED3FE-3273-4D33-8519-0BFCA3FCF382.jpg

CA14DDB8-D182-469D-BED4-50B46D75CD1E.jpg

Round two:

https://twitter.com/brfootball/statu...Ga9ccWAfsK_ixA

[Furniture]

Tuchel v. Conte, Round One:

A75ED3FE-3273-4D33-8519-0BFCA3FCF382.jpg

CA14DDB8-D182-469D-BED4-50B46D75CD1E.jpg

Round two:

https://twitter.com/brfootball/statu...Ga9ccWAfsK_ixA

It would only have been a proper derby if a punch had been thrown.

[OldPhiKap]

It would only have been a proper derby if a punch had been thrown.

Both matches today were riveting. Glad EPL is back!

[Phredd3]

Both matches today were riveting. Glad EPL is back!

Yeah, those were two of the best matches I've seen in quite some time. Nottingham Forest v. West Ham was every bit as riveting, if a bit lower in temperature.

[flyingdutchdevil]

...but these players have got to be pissed off. The Champions League Final was June 10...and their seasons started August 7. Ouch. That's a short, short break.

Anywho... I'm gonna expand this post to European soccer in general. This is going to be a "boring" year due to a few behemoths vying for either a Premier League title, a Champions League title, or both. And if you're Bayern or PSG, you don't care about the domestic title. It's already yours.

Here are teams that are out of the running for the Champions League title:

Barcelona: For a club $1.3B in debt ($1.7B with a historical EUR/USD rate), these idiots continue to sign players without selling players. They are either too young in certain roles or too predictable in others. They won't have a chance.
Chelsea: They sold a lot of players and are going to continue selling lots of players (including Ziyech and Pulisic). They are clearly the 4th best team in the Premier League after the two titans and Tottenham
Any Italian team: They just don't have the talent to compete with the other top teams in the top leagues. Milan, Inter, Juventus, Napoli...little chance any of these teams make it to the semis.
Man Utd: They aren't in the Champions League but...hhahahahahahahahahaha...hahhaahhaahahahhaaha hahaha. A $1B spent on this squad with nothing to show for it. 2 losses out of 2 games, 6 conceded goals. Ten Hag should have never left Ajax to coach these prima donnas.

There are five teams who will be playing for the title:

Real Madrid: Not as talented as the other 4 but oh my goodness they have a will that any coach who die for. Benzema is probably the most clinical finisher in the world. And the supporting cast - which is a mix of very young and very old players - does their job. Ancelloti is a CL genius.
Man City: Most complete team on paper. Constantly winning the Premier League. High talent at every position. Best coach in the world. Still haven't won a CL title.
Liverpool: Same as above, only a little worse at nearly everything. Likeable because Liverpool is one of the most storied programs in the world.
PSG: Clicking, and have great attacking talent. But they are the Gonzaga of the soccer world: great on paper, always win their league, fail to win the big one in stunning fashion. But, like Man City, they are very angry. And unlike Man City, their B squad could probably win the domestic title.
Bayern: No elite team players team soccer like Bayern. They are stacked, and losing Lewandowski isn't as big a deal given they've replaced him with Sadio Mane and their attacking line is playing like Liverpool (all these elite wings. And Bayern has better attacking midfielders than Liverpool).

There you have it.

[Phredd3]

...but these players have got to be pissed off. The Champions League Final was June 10...and their seasons started August 7. Ouch. That's a short, short break.

Who should they be pissed at? The early break is because of the funky World Cup schedule. The World Cup should be over at this point, and training for league play should just be starting. Every WC year has a short break for the top players, but this one is even worse than that.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Who should they be pissed at? The early break is because of the funky World Cup schedule. The World Cup should be over at this point, and training for league play should just be starting. Every WC year has a short break for the top players, but this one is even worse than that.

Qatar and FIFA. Blame everything on Qatar and FIFA for the next 4.5 months.

[Kdogg]

Tuchel v. Conte, Round One:

A75ED3FE-3273-4D33-8519-0BFCA3FCF382.jpg

CA14DDB8-D182-469D-BED4-50B46D75CD1E.jpg

Round two:

https://twitter.com/brfootball/statu...Ga9ccWAfsK_ixA

Why are the sides so close at Stamford Bridge? They are yards apart. That should have been fixed years go. Conte is known for his celebrations. It takes a seismic event to get Tuchel to act like that. Post game, Conte took to Instagram and said he would have tripped him after one of the goal celebrations.

Image-from-iOS-1.jpg

[Kdogg]

Qatar and FIFA. Blame everything on Qatar and FIFA for the next 4.5 months.

Might be doing it after the World Cup too depending on injuries and fatigue.

[Furniture]

...
Chelsea: They sold a lot of players and are going to continue selling lots of players (including Ziyech and Pulisic). They are clearly the 4th best team in the Premier League after the two titans and Tottenham

I’d say, behind the big two, it’s probably a toss up between Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal…Man U could still improve as well..

[flyingdutchdevil]

I’d say, behind the big two, it’s probably a toss up between Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal…Man U could still improve as well..

I think the Spurs will be head and shoulders better than Chelsea; their attack is stacked. But I can see the three of them battling it out.

As for Man U, really? That team is in complete disarray. It's really sad. And there isn't a fixable solution in sight. They aren't going to finish in the top 6, not to mention the top 4.