English Premier League

[JustaPerson]

We don't have a Bundesliga topic, so I'll just put this here. What did you guys of the Bayern Munich MLS All Star game tonight? As a Bayern fan, I was a bit disappointed but I know that it's still preseason for BM and their starting lineup was made up of subs and reserves with a couple of starters. Plus the WC guys just got back from vacation TODAY (though I think it's a good sign that the All Stars still had a hard time against BM's subs/reserves.) I still think Pep should've shook Porter's hand regardless of the rough tackles in the game, especially the one that has potentially injured Schwinesteiger. At least he shook hands with the MLS players, though they are arguably the ones he should be turning his anger on (at least the ones who did the tackles.) 

 

http://www.espnfc.com/video/highlights/114/video/1975740/highlights-mls-all-stars-2-1-bayern-munich

 

The snub:

http://www.espnfc.com/video/highlights/114/video/1975793/pep-refuses-to-shake-hands-with-porter

http://www.espnfc.com.sg/video/highlights/114/video/1975796/reckless-tackles-sour-peps-attitude

Edited August 7, 2014 by JustaPerson

[wanderingstar]

Pep should have just yelled at Ozzie Alonso and Will Johnson and shaken Caleb Porter's hand. His coaching staff also freezing out Porter was immature.

 

Re the game - I enjoyed it - and not just because my all stars won. I thought it was a pretty exciting game with many chances for both teams. All the goals were great. And of course, it was nice to see Thomas Mueller doing his here-there-and-everywhere thing. He's a fun player to watch. The All-Star game is a weird thing because the team is only together for a few days, so it's rare that they play like an actual team. But I thought they did last night.  

 

As for Bayern, they looked at bit rusty last night (Not Lewandowski, though. He is just...wow!) I'm not going to take too much from this game; however, I'll be interested to see how they do against Dortmund in the German Super Cup next week.

[Athena]

Is anyone doing the Fantasy Premier League? Someone I know from my running group invited me onto his league and I've never done any fantasy leagues before. I've been out of touch with the EPL since moving back from the UK five years ago. I thought this would be a good way to keep up with the league and have fun. Took me a couple of hours just make sure I could enough money for my team though. I'm not sure how I can keep this up most of the season, but it's fun so far.

[Elsydeon]

The only Fantasy Leagues I've done are for US leagues, as they usually don't require money or have salary caps for your team.

 

I might be a Villa fan, but matches against Stoke are generally awful to sit through. At least we got the 3 points at the Britannia. That's normally easier said than done.

[wanderingstar]

So, the EPL returns, and Man United stays losing. Hee. Of course, my Everton drawing at Leicester was disappointing, but I console myself with the "it's only the first game" mantra.

[Athena]

Poor Man Utd. 

 

The first day is over and my fantasy team is doing alright actually. @Elsydeon there is a salary cap on the team, but you can still do trades. No money is required to play in the basic fantasy league. It's gotten me at least interested in results. Time will tell how long I can keep this up. I want to watch more Champions League stuff though.

[AimingforYoko]

Ashley Young could tell you how Man U's day went.

[ganesh]

Isn't that what Everton does though? It seems they were always dropping points late. 

 

I was impressed how the Twelfth Doctor was able to pull some timey-whimey, wibbley-wobbley hijinks so Arsenal was able to get the stoppage time winner. 

Edited August 17, 2014 by ganesh

[wanderingstar]

Isn't that what Everton does though? It seems they were always dropping points late.

 

 

Tell me something I don't know!

[proserpina65]

I was impressed how the Twelfth Doctor was able to pull some timey-whimey, wibbley-wobbley hijinks so Arsenal was able to get the stoppage time winner.

 

It is quite the trick, isn't it?  Of course, it helps that Aaron Ramsey is fricking magic.  And totes adorbs, even with the facial hair.

[ganesh]

I was confused whether I was watching the Everton Arsenal game or the new series of Doctor Who, what with all the endgame hijinks.

 

But come on, Everton, you have to close out a 2-0 lead at home.

[wanderingstar]

But come on, Everton, you have to close out a 2-0 lead at home.

 

 

GAH! This drove me crazy! They seemed content to ride out that 2-goal lead, but with a team like Arsenal, that just won't cut it.

 

I just keep reminding myself that we started last season with 3 draws in a row before improving.

 

*breathe* *breathe*

[JustaPerson]

Haha I'm on the other side of this as a Arsenal fan. Though with the late game heroics with Crystal Palace and now Everton (Aaron Ramsey WELSH JESUS) I'm probably going to have a heart attack sometime soon.  

[wanderingstar]

JustaPerson, I know you understand :-) That was actually a good comeback from Arsenal. I just wish it had happened against another team - like, say Manchester United or Chelsea. Ha!

[Kip Hackman]

lol @ Man U.

[wanderingstar]

I know Man United probably weren't that pressed about the League Cup*, and I know that was a reserve side LvG put out, but damn. Losing 4-0 to a third division side? 

 

*smh*

 

*I refuse to call it the Capital One Cup.

[ganesh]

I don't think that Diego Costa signing is working out for Chelsea.

[ketchuplover]

They only scored 6 goals yesterday.  Pathetic.

[ganesh]

It's too bad Twelve was trapped inside a Dalek's head yesterday. Apparently, Arsenal couldn't take the three points. 

[Elsydeon]

I know it's not the most difficult thing beating the likes of Stoke and Hull, but I could not care less. Good start to the season for my Villa. And I am super pumped for Delph getting a callup for England. He's been ignored for far too long.

[JustaPerson]

Arsenal really needs to work on their set piece defending. That's the third goal in three games to come from a set piece. So close to a win...I had my "how do you like our community shield now, bitch?!" facebook status/triumphant scream all set.

[Elsydeon]

Arsenal really needs to work on their set piece defending.

 

They're not the only ones. Liverpool lost today because of shitty defending on set pieces. Not that Liverpool losing today was a bad thing, mind you.

[ganesh]

Everyone is dropping points and Costa looks like he's playing a video game out there. 

[JustaPerson]

Ugh, the win would have been SO satisfying if Arsenal had just been able hold on to the lead. Well, at least this result stuck it to the people who predicted a 0-3 loss for Arsenal.

Edited September 13, 2014 by JustaPerson

[wanderingstar]

Not that Liverpool losing today was a bad thing, mind you.

 

 

Amen!

[JustaPerson]

Wow, that Arsenal/Aston Villa game was great! After that disastrous game with Dortmund, Arsenal renews my faith in them. Not to mention Ozil with his goal and assist to Welbeck a minute and a half later. If only they could just play like this in every game, regardless of the team. Though own goals always make me feel a little sorry. 

Edited September 20, 2014 by JustaPerson

[wanderingstar]

Not to mention Ozil with his goal and assist to Welbeck a minute and a half later.

 

 

Pleased for Ozil. He's one of my favorite players, so I was a little irritated at all the criticism he was getting.

[JustaPerson]

Tell me about it. He's my almost absolute favorite player (it's neck and neck with Thomas Muller...and Manuel Neuer...and some others...) so I was shaking my head at the criticism. Have a little faith, people! Plus, Wenger finally put him in the position he prefers. That always helps.

 

ETA: Arsenal's set piece defending is still bad. This time they were lucky that Szczesny was there. 

Edited September 21, 2014 by JustaPerson

[wanderingstar]

Frank Lampard just had to score for Manchester City, didn't he? That was too perfect.

 

As for the other Manchester club - woof! What a way to lose! Leicester City are proving to be a tough out for any team that comes to their stadium

[JustaPerson]

He didn't seem very happy about it. Which, if I were in his position, I would feel mixed feelings about scoring against my former team too. It was a bit touching that he didn't celebrate. He knew the implications (and the irony, which was perfect.) I thought an ESPNFC article said it best: "his is a bond with the London club that will never be broken."

It was, however, exactly the score I was hoping for. I really didn't want Man City to win, but I didn't want to Chelsea to get those three points either. Though between the two, Chelsea's the lesser evil for me. 

 

Oh man, Man United. I have a soft spot for them, so I continue to have faith that they are simply in a transitional period. It gets worse before it gets better?

 

Looking forward to Arsenal vs Spurs on Saturday. Hopefully it'll be a successful North London Derby for us. 

Edited September 22, 2014 by JustaPerson

[Hasnaat]

i am a big fan of chelsea, they are my best team..........

 

http://forexpunch.com/

 

http://onlinesolutionproviders.com/

[wanderingstar]

but I didn't want to Chelsea to get those three points either. Though between the two, Chelsea's the lesser evil for me.

 

 

And I'm the opposite. I have no strong feelings to Manchester City, but Chelsea? I loathe them. It was a surreal moment a) seeing Lampard in a Man City shirt, and b) watching him score against Chelsea. His post-game interview was quite poignant. He didn't seem to know what to say.

[ganesh]

He said exactly the right thing. "I'm a professional and it's my job to go out and do my best." I liked that all the fans applauded him and he took a lap around celebrating the fans too. 

 

If you're up 1-0 with a man advantage, you really need to be able to close the game out. But, if there's any team that can score short, it's MC. I don't think Chelsea should be too disappointed. They split points on the road.

[JustaPerson]

Anyone listen to Men in Blazers? Their weekly podcast is hilarious with some great commentary and they sometimes have some surprising guests like John Green (of The Fault in Our Stars), who is a Liverpool fan. Their most recent one was their revue in NY featuring Kevin Love (who, as luck would have it, is an Arsenal fan!) as one of their guests.

Edited September 24, 2014 by JustaPerson

[Elsydeon]

Wow, that Arsenal/Aston Villa game was great! After that disastrous game with Dortmund, Arsenal renews my faith in them. Not to mention Ozil with his goal and assist to Welbeck a minute and a half later. If only they could just play like this in every game, regardless of the team. Though own goals always make me feel a little sorry. 

 

Ugh, I'm still not over that disastrous 3 minutes. It's like the entire Villa backline forgot how to defend. I've seen some bad defending this year, but that was AWFUL.

[JustaPerson]

When you say bad defending this year, you mean this season, right? Because we only need to look back at the World Cup to see some truly awful defending (you know which game I'm talking about.) At least it was that bad.

 

Villa, unlike Arsenal, also had that nasty stomach bug to deal with that put a lot of good players out of commission on saturday. Hopefully they'll all be back for the game against Chelsea. 

Edited September 25, 2014 by JustaPerson

[Elsydeon]

When you say bad defending this year, you mean this season, right? Because we only need to look back at the World Cup to see some truly awful defending (you know which game I'm talking about.) At least it was that bad.

 

Villa, unlike Arsenal, also had that nasty stomach bug to deal with that put a lot of good players out of commission on saturday. Hopefully they'll all be back for the game against Chelsea. 

 

After the WC. I'm talking about a player conceding 2 PK's in one match for the same dumbass infraction, and other heinous crimes against proper defending.

 

I'm not making any excuses for that performance. To blame a loss on sickness is poor form. Villa's backline sucks without Vlaar, and he probably won't be back for the Chelsea match.

[JustaPerson]

I wouldn't call Villa a weak team, so I'm sure their form on saturday will be much improved than last week.

 

I just hope Arsenal don't have the humiliation of losing to the Spurs at home on saturday. 

Edited September 26, 2014 by JustaPerson

[wanderingstar]

Merseyside Derby this weekend, and I'm just going ahead and write it off as an Everton loss. They've just been so bad in this early part of the season (not that Liverpool has been much better). But, playing them at Anfield? Yeah - just not seeing a win.

 

(you know which game I'm talking about.)

 

 

Also known as the only game people will remember from the 2014 World Cup.

[JustaPerson]

LOL. Also known as the only major (non-group stage) game I missed. Getting text updates about the sixth goal? Not as fun.

Edited September 27, 2014 by JustaPerson

[JustaPerson]

The Arsenal induced stress headache starting now...and we're playing Chelsea next week! Ugh.

 

ETA: Arteta, Ramsey, and Wilshere all set to miss next saturday's game? The headache gets worse.

Edited September 27, 2014 by JustaPerson

[wanderingstar]

So, both of the derbies finished 1-1. Interesting.

 

Jagielka's goal to equalize for Everton took my breath away.

 

JustaPerson, I was at work, checking my Twitter feed during that semi-final. After goal, #5, I closed the feed because I didn't want to see how embarrassing it was going to get.

[JustaPerson]

I was a hardcore (and still am) Germany fan, so it was bad enough that I was missing a very important and entertaining game (Brazil and Germany had never played each other in the WC, despite both holding the records for playing the most games. How could I miss that?!) but hearing about each and every goal over text and my friend's pure excitement freaking drove me crazy. At least I was able to watch when they won the thing. Still disappointed it wasn't a German/Holland final (Holland were in my top 3.) 

Edited September 28, 2014 by JustaPerson

[JustaPerson]

Sigh. Well...I never thought Arsenal would win. Was hoping for a hard-won draw. They put up a good fight, did well considering their opponent. In general, I'm happy with their performance. Hull shouldn't shouldn't be too much trouble after the international break. Where do we post about that?

 

ETA: In spite of the loss, I'm still proud of the team. Chelsea only had three shots on target, side from Hazard's penalty. Well, I still have Bayern Munich and Real Madrid/Barca for stress free winning to balance it out. Gillian Rosh, how are you holding up after Man United/Everton?

Edited October 5, 2014 by JustaPerson

[Athena]

Where do we post about that?

 

We can use the UEFA Champions League topic which I've renamed to be international for now. Eventually we can get around to make a general international football/soccer topic.

[wanderingstar]

Gillian Rosh, how are you holding up after Man United/Everton?

 

 

JustaPerson, thanks for asking. I'm better than I was on Saturday-lol. I don't know what to say about Everton's performances this season. Our best game so far has been against Wolfsburg - the Bundesliga's last-place team.

 

As for Chelsea-Arsenal, of course I was rooting for the Gunners. The only team I loathe more than Manchester United is Chelsea.

[JustaPerson]

Glad to hear it, Gillian Rosh lol. I had to avoid ESPNFC and other sites for a while after the game. I thought they made out Arsenal to be worse than they were. "Boys against men," which I last heard after Germany crushed Brazil during the WC, was a bit much. Plus, Chelsea's fans on social media are some of the biggest assholes, much more so than the usual ones I see. And to help with the Everton/Wolfsburg win, Wolfsburg are currently 7th in the Bundesliga table, which reflects better on Everton for beating them so thoroughly. 

 

 

Yes, that Arsenal/Chelsea game definitely ended my tentative admiration for Chelsea (how could Eden Hazard betray me this way?! lol) It sucks that Man City and Chelsea, two teams I now dislike (City still takes the cake though), are likely going to top to league this season. I'm still faintly hoping that Arsenal can pull off a breakthrough and at least snag 2nd! And that Bayern Munich or some other team will take care of Chelsea in the CL. Though that's more than a faint hope, I definitely think BM, or even RM/Barca (still haven't figured where my allegiances lie there) can beat Chelsea. And it seems like City might not even make it out of their CL group

Edited October 8, 2014 by JustaPerson

[ganesh]

It's a long season but Arsenal is no way on the level of Chelsea and Man City yet. Man City didn't play well against Chelsea, but still managed to hang on for most of the match and take a point. 

 

You can't give up a game clinching goal in the last 15' on what was basically a home run ball. 

[proserpina65]

As for Chelsea-Arsenal, of course I was rooting for the Gunners. The only team I loathe more than Manchester United is Chelsea.

 

I used to like Chelsea, and my best friend actually supports them.  Imagine the awkward conversations twice a year.  We couldn't even discuss the weird pushing/tie pulling incident because I'm basically thinking "someone needs to punch Mou in his smug little face" and she's all "wasn't that funny?".

 

I had hopes for a hard-fought draw (with Fabretwat proving to be utterly useless) but the current state of Arsenal, with all the injuries in vital places, put end to that yet again.  At least it wasn't 6-0.

[Athena]

I'm ashamed to admit this because I hate Chelsea, but I have three of their players on my Fantasy Football team. I am at the bottom of my league and those players are the only ones giving me points because I have had bad luck with injuries on my team. I basically like every other team except Chelsea, but they have been consistent this year. Doesn't mean I'll support them. Once their players play badly, I will trade.