EPL 2020/2021
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@antipodean Not the upset it would have been last year. These days it seems everyone wins at Anfield. Except Liverpool.
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@dogmeat said in EPL 2020/2021:
@antipodean Not the upset it would have been last year. These days it seems everyone wins at Anfield. Except Liverpool.
Too many injuries to key players and they've fallen off a cliff of lafe
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After an eventful week for the last European ties we have the Champions League and Europa League draws for the QFs and beyond.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Quarter-finals
Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund
Porto v Chelsea
Bayern Munich v PSG
Real Madrid v LiverpoolSemi-finals
Bayern/PSG v Manchester City/Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid/Liverpool v Porto/ChelseaFinal
Winner of semi-final 1 v Winner of semi-final 2EUROPA LEAGUE
Quarter-finals
Granada v Manchester United
Arsenal v Slavia Prague
Ajax v Roma
Dinamo Zagreb v VillarrealSemi-finals
Granada/Manchester United v Ajax/Roma
Dinamo Zagreb/Villarreal v Arsenal/Slavia PragueFinal
Winner of semi-final 2 v Winner of semi-final 1 -
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I look at that draw and the $6 for Chelsea looks alright
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Ajax taking an 11 point lead in the Dutch Eredivisie after an easy 5 - 0 win over lowest placed ADO Den Haag, this weekend.
PSV now has to share their second place with AZ Alkmaar, who beat them 2 to 0. Feyenoord takes a sad 5th place after they only managed a 1-1 draw against Emmen.https://eredivisie.nl/en-us/fixtures/overview
https://eredivisie.nl/en-us/Standings -
I just saw the Spurs penalty and wonder what VAR is for. Once you see it in slow mo, Kane is about to cross and Cash slides to block the cross. Kane lets the ball run out of play, jumps over to Cash and lands on his leg and then rolls around in agony. I can understand the ref giving it but surely VAR will overturn that?
Anyway FA Cup semis
Leicester v Southampton (the draw both will have wanted).
Chelsea v Man City -
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@higgins said in EPL 2020/2021:
@kiwipie said in EPL 2020/2021:
I just saw the Spurs penalty and wonder what VAR is for.
Especially after the Phoenix got stiffed last night
Haven't seen the game yet - will check it out.
Nearly all EPL players dive because that is the way you force a ref to make a decision and they almost never give a penalty if a player stays on their feet (see Foden v Southampton for an example). Kane is the master of the sneaky pen though, as per the one this morning. Not to mention his highly dangerous tactic of moving to the landing point of a bouncing ball to be knocked over by the defender heading it away.
They need to look at it from a basketball viewpoint as well - does the player change his line to tread on the defender and "Draw contact"
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@bovidae said in EPL 2020/2021:
VAR isn't the problem, it's the people using it who continue to make dumb decisions that is! Most of the controversy is in the EPL, not the rest of Europe.
All VAR/ TMO issues seem to stem from a lack of appreciation of context shown by those that use it. Slow something down frame by frame and you can make yourself see anything you want to. Doesn't make it the right decision
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@canefan said in EPL 2020/2021:
@bovidae said in EPL 2020/2021:
VAR isn't the problem, it's the people using it who continue to make dumb decisions that is! Most of the controversy is in the EPL, not the rest of Europe.
All VAR/ TMO issues seem to stem from a lack of appreciation of context shown by those that use it. Slow something down frame by frame and you can make yourself see anything you want to. Doesn't make it the right decision
that right there is every single fucking sport it is used for. i hate it, so so much.
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@mariner4life said in EPL 2020/2021:
@canefan said in EPL 2020/2021:
@bovidae said in EPL 2020/2021:
VAR isn't the problem, it's the people using it who continue to make dumb decisions that is! Most of the controversy is in the EPL, not the rest of Europe.
All VAR/ TMO issues seem to stem from a lack of appreciation of context shown by those that use it. Slow something down frame by frame and you can make yourself see anything you want to. Doesn't make it the right decision
that right there is every single fucking sport it is used for. i hate it, so so much.
Did you see the Bundee O'Aki red card on the weekend?
Worst card in living memory, and man has it got some competition!
EDIT . ... just see you've commented on that and agree with it. So I'll just STFU now.
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@kiwipie Leeds outplayed us but Newcastle matched us in terms of ineptness. As a result it is really Fulham v Newcastle for 18th.
They have a game in hand but it's against Liverpool. Unfortunately I think it is at Anfield....
Fulham v Newcastle is the last round. If we keep matching them for points it will all come down to that result. Ideally I would like us to draw clear before then - we are a better team IMO.
Unfortunately I think the players are tightening up now that safety seems a real chance. Break will hopefully allow Parker to set that right.
Fortunately Newcastle players don't seem up for the battle.
Really fortunately - Steve Bruce.
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@dogmeat You're spot on with that analysis. Callum Wilson has been good this season as the targetman and Saint-Maximin is the main creator. Without those 2, Newcastle's attacking threat is virtually zero. I saw Joelinton against Brighton and the fact he cost 40 million and is their highest earner is laughable. Looks like those 2 will be back after the international break.
Fulham also struggle to get the goals even when they are on top and it could come down to either club grabbing a couple of lucky wins somewhere.
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Good longish read about how difficult it is to make the grade as a professional
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/extra/hfe5e1289y/The-Impossible-Dream
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Some predictable results today in EPL. Man City totally dominated Leicester and won 2-0, Liverpool totally dominated Arsenal and won 3-0 and Leeds routinely beat Sheff U 2-1. And then you have Chelsea taking the lead v West Brom, having Thiago Silva sent off and losing 5-2 - West Brom aren't quite dead yet and the top 4 is even more wide open.
City 17 points ahead of United who have 9 games left. On average, United would expect to get about 18 points from 9 games so City are very close to being crowned champions.
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And maybe Fulham aren't going to save themselves after all. 1-0 v Villa with time running out and they go down 3-1. Combine that with Newcastle getting an unexpected point v Spurs (and should probably have taken all 3) and Fulham are starting to run out of games to get the wins they need.
Meanwhile the thorny issues of penalties continues. The smaller clubs complain that the bigger clubs get soft pens and they get no pens and if you've seen Maguire on Welbeck which should have been a penalty/red card then you begin to think they have a point. Suspect if that was Dunk on Rashford, Mike Dean would have pointed straight to the spot.
