2024-25 English Premier League Discussion Thread

[Baseline81]

Thought it was a title-winning performance today from Liverpool. Massive 3 points and now 11 clear of Arsenal. Should Arteta's boys falter Wednesday at Nottingham Forest, it may be done and dusted.

[KG Leonard]

I was impressed by the tactical discipline, the will to defend the lead low and press hard when they got close in the middle. They made City look like a parody of inefficient possession, passing. The control that I expected in the recent away games.

[MetalFingaz]

Replacing Klopp with the best young manager in Europe is a stroke of genius.

[KG Leonard]

Replacing Klopp with the best young manager in Europe is a stroke of genius.

The stroke of genius is having a very smart sport director, analytical team that used numbers to the find the perfect replacement in a coach nobody knew of before 2023. Den Haag was more hyped in Netherlands!
If Arsenal had smart owners who put the right people on the sporting management part, they probably would won have a PL title last year. I mean the calibre of people who built Klopp teams and this new team without spending a lot of money.

[Baphomet]

Replacing Klopp with the best young manager in Europe is a stroke of genius.

I like Slot a lot and wish Spurs hadn't taken the cheap option and paid his release fee at Feyenoord, but I'd still give that title to Xabi Alonso.

[Pipp33]

Anyone want to bring up the penalty/overturn in the Everton-Manchester United match?

Was there a foul committed (shirt pull) by de Ligt? Yes. Does Young embellish (dive)? Yes.

What I don't understand is the inconsistency of when VAR intervenes. In this situation, was this a "clear and obvious" error by the referee? To me, a shirt pull is subjective, and as such, the on-field decision should stand.

Curious to read others' opinions.

Agree with your take completely...Absolutely no reason for VAR to overturn that.

[KG Leonard]

Replacing Klopp with the best young manager in Europe is a stroke of genius.

I like Slot a lot and wish Spurs hadn't taken the cheap option and paid his release fee at Feyenoord, but I'd still give that title to Xabi Alonso.

Xabi Alonso needs to have great season again in Bundesliga, he has many great young players and Bayern has a **** coach. Imo you can't be best young coach after one great season.

Imho the best young coach candidate clearly the last two years is Andoni Iraola. He is doing miracles like a young Klopp with great new style + almost championship level players in his squad with all the injuries to his best international level players. Slot, Alonso isn't doing better because they have Germany's next superstar, Spanish stars or the best ever PL first 11 like Salah, VVD + plus the best 3 midfielders Klopp bought 2 years ago etc

[Baphomet]

Replacing Klopp with the best young manager in Europe is a stroke of genius.

I like Slot a lot and wish Spurs hadn't taken the cheap option and paid his release fee at Feyenoord, but I'd still give that title to Xabi Alonso.

Xabi Alonso needs to have great season again in Bundesliga, he has many great young players and Bayern has a **** coach. Imo you can't be best young coach after one great season.

Imho the best young coach candidate clearly the last two years is Andoni Iraola. He is doing miracles like a young Klopp with great new style + almost championship level players in his squad with all the injuries to his best international level players. Slot, Alonso isn't doing better because they have Germany's next superstar, Spanish stars or the best ever PL first 11 like Salah, VVD + plus the best 3 midfielders Klopp bought 2 years ago etc

Iraola is awesome but I think you're somewhat downplaying what Alonso has done and slightly overrating Leverkusen's squad. Wirtz is a beast, I'll grant you, but people weren't exactly queueing up to sign the likes of Boniface and Xhaka. He took perennial bottlers, the Spurs of Germany aka Neverkusen, from the relegation zone after the club's worst start since the 70s, to their first ever title in the space of a season and a half, ending a decade of Bayern dominance and going invincible in the process. That's a turnaround for the ages, one that won't be replicated any time soon. It's not like they're doing much worse this season either, they have only lost one game in the league and finished 6th in the CL table.

Iraola has done good work with Rayo, and excellent work with Bournemouth so far, but I don't think it outweighs that - at least not yet. Don't want to downplay how great he's doing, though. Getting Bournemouth to the CL would be absolutely incredible if he could manage that.

[KG Leonard]

I like Slot a lot and wish Spurs hadn't taken the cheap option and paid his release fee at Feyenoord, but I'd still give that title to Xabi Alonso.

Xabi Alonso needs to have great season again in Bundesliga, he has many great young players and Bayern has a **** coach. Imo you can't be best young coach after one great season.

Imho the best young coach candidate clearly the last two years is Andoni Iraola. He is doing miracles like a young Klopp with great new style + almost championship level players in his squad with all the injuries to his best international level players. Slot, Alonso isn't doing better because they have Germany's next superstar, Spanish stars or the best ever PL first 11 like Salah, VVD + plus the best 3 midfielders Klopp bought 2 years ago etc

Iraola is awesome but I think you're somewhat downplaying what Alonso has done and slightly overrating Leverkusen's squad. Wirtz is a beast, I'll grant you, but people weren't exactly queueing up to sign the likes of Boniface and Xhaka. He took perennial bottlers, the Spurs of Germany aka Neverkusen, from the relegation zone after the club's worst start since the 70s, to their first ever title in the space of a season and a half, ending a decade of Bayern dominance and going invincible in the process. That's a turnaround for the ages, one that won't be replicated any time soon. It's not like they're doing much worse this season either, they have only lost one game in the league and finished 6th in the CL table.

Iraola has done good work with Rayo, and excellent work with Bournemouth so far, but I don't think it outweighs that - at least not yet. Don't want to downplay how great he's doing, though. Getting Bournemouth to the CL would be absolutely incredible if he could manage that.

I agree mostly, Xabi had a brilliant season last year but i need to see it wasnt one wonder season/surprising high level. Still there is a gulf of quality between Wirtz, Xhaka and Boniface and rejects from Roma like Justin Kluivert. They have striker who scored 5 goals in the Euro on the bench. Also this isn't the Xhaka that was a captain of Arsenal who the fans booed. He was among their best players the season he left and he carried the Swiss in Euro 2024 and Leverkusen.
I'm hardcore PL fan who like to watch even Burley, Brentford games and I can't understand how changed players like Kluivert, Christie and Lewis Cook look under Iraola.
Both can be brilliant coaches and I just mean being top 5 in PL and going to CL with Bournemouth is a bigger miracle if it happens.

[Baphomet]

I agree mostly, Xabi had a brilliant season last year but i need to see it wasnt one wonder season/surprising high level. Still there is a gulf of quality between Wirtz, Xhaka and Boniface and rejects from Roma like Justin Kluivert. They have striker who scored 5 goals in the Euro on the bench. Also this isn't the Xhaka that was a captain of Arsenal who the fans booed. He was among their best players the season he left and he carried the Swiss in Euro 2024 and Leverkusen.
I'm hardcore PL fan who like to watch even Burley, Brentford games and I can't understand how changed players like Kluivert, Christie and Lewis Cook look under Iraola.
Both can be brilliant coaches and I just mean being top 5 in PL and going to CL with Bournemouth is a bigger miracle if it happens.

Iraola is definitely doing some amazing things. He's actually the favourite to take over at Spurs if Ange gets the sack. Not sure why he'd take this cursed job, but suffice to say I'd be delighted if he ended up here based on the quality of football we've seen from Bournemouth this season. Will be watching his progress with great interest.

[KG Leonard]

I don't want show disrespect to Spurs fan like you but that job would be the worst possible for Iraola, for his career. Sadly I think there is no growth and change for Spurs before they get rid of Levy. No coach can change the mess he has created. Spurs, Chelsea, Man Utd are the worst jobs of the top teams in PL. The owners, lack of leadership is.....

[LDNMagic90]

I think I’m losing count on the amount of dodgy refs villa get, a goal for palace from a corner they shouldn’t have (ball came off a palace player) and now a goal disallowed because Watkins supposedly was offside. I know every team feels hard done by officials, but this is a joke. It’s been non stop for a good portion of this season. Ever since Duran got sent off and we complained, it’s ramped up. The best refs for us have been in the champions league which says a lot. It’s time to start outsourcing officials, enough is enough.

[LDNMagic90]

Shambles of a performance, Emery lost his head before the whistle by going with a 5 at the back. I’m losing faith with certain players in the team (McGinn and Konsa). We are just so inconsistent and it normally lies with them two in the side.

[Baphomet]

I don't want show disrespect to Spurs fan like you but that job would be the worst possible for Iraola, for his career. Sadly I think there is no growth and change for Spurs before they get rid of Levy. No coach can change the mess he has created. Spurs, Chelsea, Man Utd are the worst jobs of the top teams in PL. The owners, lack of leadership is.....

Nah, no disrespect taken. It's a very difficult job but I still believe eventually that the right person can right the ship, Levy or not.

[KG Leonard]

I don't want show disrespect to Spurs fan like you but that job would be the worst possible for Iraola, for his career. Sadly I think there is no growth and change for Spurs before they get rid of Levy. No coach can change the mess he has created. Spurs, Chelsea, Man Utd are the worst jobs of the top teams in PL. The owners, lack of leadership is.....

Nah, no disrespect taken. It's a very difficult job but I still believe eventually that the right person can right the ship, Levy or not.

I hope so because i think the loyal Spurs fans who keep showing up during this tough period deserve better. Also my first memory of PL as a kid was post 1997 Ginola, Les Ferdinand era av Spurs. Spurs was always Ginola elegant in my eyes.

[Foye]

I know ManUnited have been forced to cut costs for their employees cantine but don't they have a mere $50 mil. dollar lounging around to buy Mateta?

Mainz could use some of the resale clause money.

[AK47MVP]

What a howler to start the game by Onana and Dorgu. I feel Onana is more to blame, why the heck he is coming out when defender clearly getting to the ball first?

[AK47MVP]

lol and Ipswich repays by beautiful header to their own goal. Circus.

[AK47MVP]

Another howler by Onana OMG.....

[The_Brecht]

At least they're trying today.
Against West Ham, it was really bad.

Today's much much better against a very solid Forrest.

But, not replacing Edu is the biggest mistake of the last couple of years.