EPL Discussion Thread

[Ravenor]

Figured I'd go ahead and make a page dedicated solely to the EPL

 

[Teagz]

Went ahead and pinned it for ya.

 

[Ravenor]

Went ahead and pinned it for ya.

 
I'd upvote this, but apparently I've used my allotted quota, so thanks!

 

[Ravenor]

As for the first post musings I'd like to dedicate it to my squad... Liverpool!
 
I don't think there is a more frustrating team in the EPL right now than them.  You might be perplexed on how I can say such negative things for a team holding a six point lead for the final Champions League spot and mounting a 'title' charge (4 points back with 11 games left), but all is not great in Merseyside.
 
Our defense has been utterly shambolic, at 6's and 7's for the majority of the season.  It certainly hasn't helped us that we've been plagued with injuries; Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Glen Johnson, Jose Enrique, and Sakho have all been touch and go with nagging injuries this campaign.  It's a sad affair when Flanno, or Flani Alves as my twitter friends across the pond have dubbed him, has been our healthiest and even keel defender.  Obviously, injuries are part and parcel to the game, but I've never seen a team be so decimated in a particular position before.  This has been a big proponent to us shooting ourselves in the foot.  Now, others have been at fault for this, but having a ragtag backline and individual errors have proved costly for us.  We have had roughly 30 serious errors, 23 of which have directly resulted in a goal scoring opportunity, with 8 of those finding the back of the net.  If we can have some kind of stability at the back, I can see us being a serious threat for the title.
 
Our record away from Anfield is nothing to write home about, either.  Not that many teams are hugely successful on the road, but if we want to be taken seriously as a title contender this season (or future seasons for that matter), we need to shore up on that end.  This year, our away form is 5-4-4. Aside from the 5-0 drubbing of Spurs at WHL, we have been poor, highlighted mainly by our 3-1 loss to Hull City, yes Hull City!
 
However, with the so far scathing review, there are a lot positives.  First off, Brendan Rodgers is the ideal man for the job.  The culture he has implemented is one I can see working for a long, long time, and I'm a big fan of how he holds himself in interviews.  The team has certainly looked to rally behind his mentality, and it's paying huge dividends.
 
Secondly, our attack is probably the most potent on the planet.  No other team has a strikeforce like SAS (Suarez and Sturridge), Raheem Sterling has been a revelation in the new year, having a true number ten in Coutinho (aka David Blaine) to run the offense through, and the meteoric rise of Jordan Henderson's game have all been monumental in our attack-minded offense.  Last but not least, it doesn't hurt to have somebody as iconic as Captain Fantastic (Steven Gerrard) still leaving his mark on the game.  As good as our offense has been, we can't be expected to go out and score 4 or 5 goals every game, so that's what I harped on the defense so much earlier in this post, but as long as we are piling in the goals, there isn't a whole lot to complain about.  This also goes hand in hand with our home form, where we are 12-1-1 this year.  Anfield has become a fortress again, and I think for the first time in five years, teams are legitimately afraid to come here, after seeing some of our scintillating, free flowing, high scoring games in front of the Kop (see the Fulham, Norwich City, Everton and Arsenal games as reference)!
 
All in all, it's a good time to be a Liverpool fan.  We are looking to get back into the Champions League for the first time since 2009, and honestly, there isn't a better atmosphere than a Champions League night at Anfield.  I mean, who can forget the 2005 final against AC Milan (granted, this wasn't at Anfield haha).  With every game difficult, and all the big teams still having to come to Anfield this year, we have total control of our destiny, and I for one can't wait to see where the season takes us!

 

[Teagz]

Glad to see City come away with the championship. Been casually following since I watched their comeback on the final day two seasons ago. One of the coolest scenes I've seen in sports.

 

[The Guid]

Liverpool, man. Talk about choking the title away.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Someone help me pick a favorite team. I think I'm finally ready to commit

 

[cruzg24]

If you like a team that has an unlimited budget go with Man City, a team with a rich championship history Man United, a team with a controversial coach great uniforms and very posh go with Chelsea. Arsenal and Liverpool are very popular as well and are 2 and 3 respectively in terms of championships.

 

[A.E]

Vardy to Arsenal deal should be done soon. The Gunners officially requested his medical records for review.

 

[Stray32]

didn't even see we had this thread, awesome
 
should be a busy summer for City, Gundogan is definitely not the only new starter they'll be adding

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Who's everyone's squads

 

[BrandonNBA]

Any soccer fans still on here?
 
Skipping my 2:30 Psych class to watch the United/Liverpool clash.
 
Haven't seen what I've wanted from United yet, hopefully that will change. 

 

[buzzy]

I've actually been watching some PL last couple of weeks, and before the NT break. Pretty fun league.
 
Watching right now.

 

[cruzg24]

Its been interesting watching Zlatan in the premier league who has 4 goals, but has missed some crucial ones as well.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Chelsea

 

[buzzy]

United is just inconsistent has fuck

 

[Phil The Thrill]

I wanted to start following the EPL. Who should I root for?
 
I'm not hopping on the United bandwagon.

 

[BrandonNBA]

I've actually been watching some PL last couple of weeks, and before the NT break. Pretty fun league.
 
Watching right now.

The premier league looks to be the best its been in a very long time. Good, physical league.
 

Its been interesting watching Zlatan in the premier league who has 4 goals, but has missed some crucial ones as well.

I don't feel like he's been utilized correctly. Most of his goals have come off crosses that he has headed in. Don't get me wrong, Zlatan is huge and is good in the air, but that's not his best play style.
 
He's much better when he has the ball played to his feet at the top of or inside the box where he can distribute or create as we know he can. (One of the best in the world at doing so). 
 
Unfortunately in this system I feel as if Jose has made it an emphasis to play crosses into the box and it's not working for us.
 

Chelsea

 

United is just inconsistent has fuck

Jose isn't running the right system. This isn't me jumping off the bandwagon, I was skeptical of his hire beforehand. I went on several rants about it on Reddit.
 
He's put together an offensive minded squad who are their best when they are free to move and be creative which is why we've seen Pogba's ineffectiveness as well as Ibra's. The problem is he's a defensive minded manager who has restricted players movement by telling them to keep a certain shape, especially in the center of the field. So the problem is we get movement on the outside which gives us the opportunity to put crosses in, but lack of movement in the middle makes it stagnant and hard to play a direct attacking style.
 
Even if you look at our back 4, the 2 full backs in Shaw and Valencia are attacking minded fullbacks who get forward more than other fullbacks. It's just not working.
 

I wanted to start following the EPL. Who should I root for?
 
I'm not hopping on the United bandwagon.

The best way to determine this is just to pick a weekend you have free, switch to NBC, and watch a few games. Find a team you enjoy watching.
 
Everton, Chelsea, and (can't believe I'm saying this) Liverpool are all solid clubs this year and fun to watch. 

 

[CoachAF]

I wanted to start following the EPL. Who should I root for?
 
I'm not hopping on the United bandwagon.

 
I started following Everton when they bought Tim Howard a few years back. I have enjoyed watching them play. They lacked a lot of creativity and offensive output with Martinez at the helm, but they seem to have found a spark under Koeman. They aren't one of the top 5 clubs, but they have a great history and ability to finish at the top of the table year in and year out. They have churned out some great talent over the years, and usually lose that talent to the ManU's and Chelsea's of the world, but they also find ways to keep the team competitive. They have a GREAT rivalry with cross-town Liverpool. They remind me a lot of the Mets in how they play 'little brother' to Liverpool (or the Yankees), but they have had runs as a top tier team winning in the early 70's and mid 80's. The last decade, they have been a perennial top 10 team that can't really get over the hump. They have relatively new ownership in place who has more money than previous owners, but we will have to see if they spend. They made some very late additions in the last transfer window, and some would argue didnt make enough, but I was please with the additions of Ashley Williams in the back and Idrissa Gueye in the midfield. 
 
You can watch Everton and not feel like you are selling out for ManU/City/Chelsea/Arsenal, and then also enjoy watching them play well and win more often than not. 

 

[CoachAF]

freaking West Ham cant do anything right. All i needed was for them to hold on in the last minutes. I don't know what surprises me more, the fact that they almost won a point against the Spurs, or that they scored twice on one of the stingiest backfields in the league. So close, and then one of the dumbest fouls I saw all day. Now Tottingham is 3 more points ahead of Everton. UGH