English Premier League 2016/17 season official thread

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Don't know how many on here are particularly interested in English "soccer", but I know of one or two who follow it.

This season will be fantastic. Leicester City, who previously were relegation favorites, pulled off the shock of the century by winning the Premier League by some distance (a trophy won only by five clubs in its 20+ year history) and will be looking to defend it against a whole host of clubs.

My club, Manchester United, have been in poor form since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013. Seasons under David Moyes (henceforth referred to as "the fraud" or "piss teeth") and Louis van Gaal have been relatively fruitless with the exception of the rise of young Marcus Rashford and an FA Cup win last year. But now we have arguably the best manager in the world under Jose Mourinho and a host of new players including Zlatan Ibrohimovic and it's looking a bit tasty this season :)

[SirArtemis]

As a Chelsea fan, I feel like Mourihno will be hit or miss for you but with the inclusion of Ibra and Pogba, we'll see if he can do anything.

I'm interested to see what Conti can do at Chelsea, and now with kante from leicester in the midfield to help hold it down it might be interesting but they still need to deliver offensively.

I'm excited for this weekend and the kickoff of the season.

[Fez_The_Kid]

Will definitely be keeping an eye on Stoke City after Ramadan Soubhi's move, with El-Neny and El-Muhammady in their respective teams. Should be fun watching those three. Also, Chelsea have been keeping an eye on Mahrez; if it does happen, it will be a pretty hefty hit to Leicester's chances.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Not sure about Mahrez. Quality player but Leicester have made it clear he isn't for sale. Can't see him acting up to try and force a move either, doesn't seem the type.

[SirArtemis]

It was Arsenal scoping Mahrez, not Chelsea. Still, he's not moving and he wouldn't make a big impact at Chelsea. My concern with Chelsea is how defensively they've played over the years and their struggle with scoring goals and relying too heavily on the midfield to do that. I think Conti want's to play 4-1-4-1 instead of 4-2-3-1 but I'm not sure if that's in full effect just yet.

[Atzar]

Conti want's to play 4-1-4-1 instead of 4-2-3-1

Alright, I have a request for you people.

In American football and basketball, I understand language like this - if you talk about a 4-3 alignment in football or a zone defense in basketball, I know exactly what you're talking about. In soccer, I don't have any sort of understanding of tactics (beyond the obvious "make ball go in net") and I think that limits my ability to enjoy it.

So I'm looking for a quick crash course in the more common formations. I feel like I'd like soccer if I didn't feel so much like a cat watching a laser pointer on the wall.

[SirArtemis]

@Atzar,

Basically it speaks to how you shape your players on the field. It starts from the back and moves forward. For example, the traditional 4-4-2 means 4 defenders, 4 midfielders, and 2 strikers up front. The traditional chelsea setup that has been commonly used of late is the 4-2-3-1, which spreads your midfield a bit more leading to 4 defenders, 2 defensively-minded "holding" midfielders (their job is to assist the defenders and to control the pace of the game) and three offensive midfielders (whose job it is to orchestrate offensive moves for the striker as well as score themselves), with the sole striker up front.

Here's a crash course with photos.

http://www.soccer-training-guide.com/soccer-formations.html#.V6ou6_krKHs


EDIT: The wiki page isn't bad either

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formation_(association_football)

[Fez_The_Kid]

Actually, Mahrez met with Conte (http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/698011/Riyad-Mahrez-Chelsea-Antonio-Conte-hotel-journalist-agent-transfer-news-gossip).

[SirArtemis]

Actually, Mahrez met with Conte (http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/698011/Riyad-Mahrez-Chelsea-Antonio-Conte-hotel-journalist-agent-transfer-news-gossip).

It isn't going to happen. They are too heavy in the midfield already. Unless they sell Oscar and pick him up, which to me is very unlikely.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Well. Saturday could have been better. Still, that clown Claudio Bravo will get a few teams ripping him apart ;)

[Fez_The_Kid]

More than a few, mind.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Against a good side like Chelsea, Arsenal or Spurs he'll get found out.

[SirArtemis]

We'll see if Chelsea can keep it up. They should have had the win on Swansea. Shit luck and mistakes cost them 2 points in a very competitive league this year. Pep is doing well though. Liverpool still have a good shot. Tomorrow's game will be interesting.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

I am extremely worried about the scousers. They are playing well and we have to go to them next weekend on the back of a 1-1 with Stoke which should have been a 6-0 smashing on the balance of play.

If we can't kill off games like that we might as well stay at home :rolleyes:

[Gum]

merseyside derby tomorrow :< dreading it like always. *fingers crossed*

https://hdlogo.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/everton-fc-logo1.png

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Calling a draw here. 2-2.

[Gum]

i'd sell my soul to satan right now for a draw

[Gum]

i'm going to heaven. confirmed.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Unlucky, that.

[Gum]

bless you dude ;D

it is what it is

and yeah at the very least i'm glad it wasn't a martinez era roll over collapse disaster and that's encouraging. everton had to go balls to the walls for the first 30 minutes to compete. because of the quality difference. and then after that they were all knackered. and you know i think in january if everton can close the quality gap with a few decent signings that when the anfield derby rolls around i don't think i'll be nearly as scared about it lol. i think i'm actually looking forward to it for an opportunity to finally get a win. for the first time in my life i'm genuinely optimistic about everton's future. and if they do get their stadium right on the waterfront then i'll probably move back home lol.

but everybody tried really hard and i can be happy with that. i feel sorry for some of the players more than anything else. gueye and coleman especially really wanted the victory. broken hearted for mccarthy if it's his hamstring again. hope the defeat doesn't affect morale too much and that the rest of the season goes alright.

on a side note looks like firmino got his teeth re-whitened for the big match lol and lovren was doing his usual fake hard man act. never has there been such a phony hard man since the days of paul ince.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Gum my boy, get the fuck in!!!

4-0 :cool:

Pep will be having a meltdown soon, the peanut headed muppet. Now we just have to do a job against the bin-dippers and it's a great weekend!

[Gum]

http://68.media.tumblr.com/a518405f55bcd44e93316b7cd90c84a2/tumblr_oju0gvL4MV1rzx2ppo1_1280.jpg

This part made my day.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Good lad. 18 years old, what an age to score your first club goal.

Our result was ok given the performance. Should have had the game buried in the first half but not finishing our chances is once again an issue. Pogba's handball was :rolleyes:

[Gum]

blergh they're always lucky ;D if i was bothered i'd bring up the fact that luis garcia's goal never crossed the line but i just can't be bothered tbh

[SirArtemis]

C'mon chelseaaaa

[Gum]

C'mon chelseaaaa

OH SNAP MAN LOOK WHO IT IS

yeah chelsea got it wrapped up already. i gotta be honest, i got it 100% wrong at the start of the season. i imagined city w/ pep running away with it and i thought that conte would struggle in england. shows how much i know about football.

good win for everton today. i know it sounds a bit daft, but i think that win there against palace was more significant than the win against city last week. i say that because two or three months ago, away to palace would have been precisely the kind of fixture everton would have gotten beat it. made up with davies man, such a talent. he runs all day, box to box, great short passer, great long passer, he can tackle, he's got technique for days and can dink his way out of trouble. lookman looks (:<) like a signing and a half too, looks like a good player with a lot of potential. and of course schneiderlin, i can't complain about getting him in for everton. next season for everton will be a big one!

edit:

http://i3.liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/article12488264.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/GettyImages-632292758.jpg

killybegs finest ;D

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

You guys left it late Gum. Good result though!

We nearly fucked it up again against Stoke. We really need to start putting away our chances more. Good thing is that we go another game unbeaten - 17 in a row now - and Rooney got his 250th goal with a superb free kick. Plus with our lovable neighbors over the road throwing away two points and their fixture list looking a bit dodgy we can hopefully leapfrog them into 5th soon.

Good to see you back Boris! Your lot are our anti-Liverpool insurance policy for the titlw so i'm cheering you on.

And, more importantly, the "Liverpool can't mathematically win the league day" draws ever closer. :)

[Gum]

dude that rooney free kick, such a great player.


And, more importantly, the "Liverpool can't mathematically win the league day" draws ever closer. :)

i lol'd

i try not to be that bitter but it's hard

the whole top 6 this season is sooo competitive, but if anybody's gonna drop out of it it really looks and feels like it might be city.

[Gum]

http://68.media.tumblr.com/a37c7d2c0929bec310a16fbeb93c66ab/tumblr_okhywf4BVG1rzx2ppo1_1280.png

bbhahahahahahahah :D ;D ;D: D :D: d;adpkakaesmfk wefiW po fkQ ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^______^!!!!!!!!


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[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

http://68.media.tumblr.com/a37c7d2c0929bec310a16fbeb93c66ab/tumblr_okhywf4BVG1rzx2ppo1_1280.png

bbhahahahahahahah :D ;D ;D: D :D: d;adpkakaesmfk wefiW po fkQ ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^______^!!!!!!!!


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This.

:D :D

Must have been the wind again :rolleyes:

Jurgen Flop

[SirArtemis]

I mean to be fair the FA cup and EFL are useless tournaments that only mean something for the sake of tradition, especially the FA cup. The actual prize money is pretty trash.

[Gum]

from the perspective of the owners you're spot on, art. and realistically speaking, they're only good if you win them. if that makes sense. but it was liverpool's last chance at a trophy for the season. believe me, my best mate back home isn't answering my emails for a couple of days lol. winning a cup competition when you're out of the title race is a big deal for english fans. i can't speak for other countries, but if you're not in the title race, it really is a big moment when you're knocked out of the cups.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

I mean to be fair the FA cup and EFL are useless tournaments that only mean something for the sake of tradition, especially the FA cup. The actual prize money is pretty trash.

:confused:

No-one gives a shit about the prize money, especially when the TV money is far more lucrative. The FA cup is a must win trophy every year for most clubs. The EFL cup less so, but what it does for mentality is absolutely essential.

Winning trophies is what the game is all about. There is no greater cup competition in the world than the FA Cup (before anyone says Copa Del Ray, that's a two horse race in a shit league :rolleyes:)

[SirArtemis]

Thing is, the FA cup and EFL cups often times have the big clubs field their backup squads so realistically speaking it doesn't seem that meaningful. I mean Chelsea today started Begovic (backup), Terry and Zouma (been injured for some time), Chalobah, Ake, Loftus Cheek, and Batshuayi. The main starters int he squad were Willian and Pedro up on the wings. Even Fabregas isn't a starter in most cases. Yet they decimated 4-0 and gave some cameo time to Costa late in the game and gave some time to Ivanovic to score a goal.

[Gum]

chelsea are running away with league. they'd be fools to risk their first choice players in a secondary competition. but secondary doesn't equal meaningless. there's a lot of factors that go into team selection. if you're out of the title race, then you'll probably field a stronger team. if you're in the title race then you won't. if you're in a relegation battle you won't. if you're a lower league team trying to get promotion, then you'll field a weak team. it's not just the big clubs that field second choice players, wolves made 7 changes from their usual team to play liverpool today. to win the fa cup for wolves would be a dream come true, but they have to consider their chances of winning (low) versus their need to perform in the league (high). but to win the fa cup would be the greatest moment in wolves' history if they pulled it off. then, also, if you haven't won any trophies in a long time, then that's another thing that can add value to the cups. also, the financial position of the club has to be considered too, because one position up in the premier league is worth more than winning one of the domestic cups. take everton for example, everton fielded strong teams (and lost anyway) because they weren't in the title race and they also aren't hurting for money (for the first time in decades lol) and haven't won a trophy in 21 years.

it's like shin says, trophies are trophies. big clubs have to win them. it's more about the context. it's not that you're wrong to say they're pointless, because, to most owners they definitely are and even to some fans they are kinda not very important. but to the vast majority of fans they carry a lot of meaning. and it's not just tradition, it's also the one chance for glory for a lot of fans and clubs. not everybody supports united, city, chelsea, liverpool or arsenal. and dude, even if one of those perennial trophy winning teams wins one of the cups, just watch the fans and the players celebrate after winning. even chelsea would field their first team if they got to the final of the fa cup.

i mean, i was alive in the 80s when everton were winning the league, as alive as a two year old can be. but, i was like idk, 11 when everton won the fa cup in 95 and i will never forget it. i will never forget paul rideout and the joy he brought to my life. and i still have my copies of the morning papers after everton won. this picture of big dunc is one i've been enjoying for two decades.


http://www.efcsa.org/wp-content/uploads/Players/Ferguson-95-FA-Cup-580x1024.jpg

[SirArtemis]

I'm not saying winning it is disregarded, moreso that it's less impressive when a team knocks out a "big name" because frankly they, as you said, aren't fielding their best. maybe they don't exactly care. maybe the big club doesn't care that they're out and the weaker club just is glad they went through. But yes, as you get near the semi and the final, you play a better squad. we're down to 16. tottenham barely scraped through. And what a game. Chelsea coasted.

[Gum]

Barca

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Barca

Glad to see that shithouse Di Maria get his comeuppance. That pleased me greatly.

Suarez's diving though. :rolleyes:

[Gum]

that shithouse Di Maria
I had no idea the parting of the ways between Di Maria and United wasn't amicable?

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

I had no idea the parting of the ways between Di Maria and United wasn't amicable?

He is a coward and wasn't fit to wear the shirt after the way he acted. Massive embarrassment to United.

[Mordelain]

Reading this thread is basically like trying to understand Latin.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Boris will be a happy man tonight.

Ander Herrera showing he has the footballing intelligence of a block of lard. "I'm on a yellow card already. What would be the best thing for me to do now? Oh yeah, i'll commit a foul! That would be right good."

Paul Pogba ambling around the midfield like he's playing for the local pub team on a cold Sunday morning after a night on the piss whilst poor Rashford is up front on his own, feeding off the long ball tablescraps fed to him by Rojo :rolleyes:

[Gum]

Reading this thread is basically like trying to understand Latin.

You know it's funny you say that because a lot of the badges have Latin mottos.


Ander Herrera showing he has the footballing intelligence of a block of lard.

In your man's defence, that second yellow didn't seem like a yellow to me. I say that as a neutral. Seemed like the ref wanted to make an example of him.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Perhaps it wasn't but so soon after a foul it was a terrible bit of stupidity from him. Herrera has been doing this all season. He also doesnt know when to shut up and stop shouting at the ref.

[SirArtemis]

Worst Chelsea performance of the season. I don't even need to see the end to say that. They can't win this. It's pathetic. 4 point gap. let's see if they blow this.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Bad day at the office, Boris. Nothing more.

We'll celebrate the win and be back to shouting at the TV again next week when we revert to type.

[Ayithe Solete]

United were due a win, and played well enough to deserve it. Well chuffed!