2022-23 English Premier League Discussion Thread

[HIF]

Has Baph jumped?

[MaliBrah]

those last 20 minutes were box office stuff. Game breakers

See this out and Arteta tell us Saliba is fine after the game hopefully

[Baphomet]

Has Baph jumped?

Currently recovering from Covid so I'm just trying not to pay it any mind. He needed to be sacked and this expedites that, but some of his comments about the club and some players are correct.

[Baphomet]

Legendary meltdown by Fulham in their FA cup quarter final against Man United. They were bossing the game and looking to comfortably qualify at 1-0, then Willian uses his hand to block a Sancho shot that was going in to give away a penalty and get sent off, then Mitrovic pushes the ref and also gets sent off. Then Marco Silva gets sent off too within the space of 2 minutes.

[Shaazzam]

Mitrovic is so dumb. It was an easy, easy pen and red for William.

[MaliBrah]

Fulham were bossing the game man I dont get it , Willian should have just let it go in if he couldn't block it legally LOL. You'll never see capitulation like that again.

Annoyed City can cruise that cup semi final on the 22nd/23rd now before we face them on the 26th. Pretty sure it would have been the 23rd too if it was United due to United's EL obligations. We would've had southampton on friday and they'd have a battle against united on sunday , I just need one slip up before we face them again man!

[Young Stapler]

Feels good to have such an easy 3 points Wonderful football from the Gunners!!

[HIF]

those last 20 minutes were box office stuff. Game breakers

See this out and Arteta tell us Saliba is fine after the game hopefully

8 points clear with 10 to play. The title is in the bag. It would be the biggest bottle job of all time to not win, now.

[SgtPepper]

It's still pretty close. City have a game in hand, an easier domestic fixture list remaining, and the home tie against Arsenal left. Odds are that City will drop points, but if they don't Arsenal won't even be able to afford 1 draw in the league leading up to the City tie.

[LDNMagic90]

Has Baph jumped?

Currently recovering from Covid so I'm just trying not to pay it any mind. He needed to be sacked and this expedites that, but some of his comments about the club and some players are correct.

Rumour has it that the spurs players want him gone, could get sacked during this international break

[MaliBrah]

those last 20 minutes were box office stuff. Game breakers

See this out and Arteta tell us Saliba is fine after the game hopefully

8 points clear with 10 to play. The title is in the bag. It would be the biggest bottle job of all time to not win, now.

I've seen other teams with 8 point leads with 4 games left and lose it ! It's essentially 5 if they win their game in hand and we still have to go there. Long way to go! I'll be hurt if we led from August till now only to lose it in the last month. 10 weeks to deliver

[Baphomet]

Has Baph jumped?

Currently recovering from Covid so I'm just trying not to pay it any mind. He needed to be sacked and this expedites that, but some of his comments about the club and some players are correct.

Rumour has it that the spurs players want him gone, could get sacked during this international break

Not surprised the players dislike him, we play an utterly joyless brand of football. Conte may be correct in some of his criticisms of the club and players, but I think some Spurs fans are letting their feelings about Daniel Levy override just how bad of a job Conte's done. We've played good football for about 2 months total of his 16 months in charge. While the results on paper look decent, we've benefitted from Arsenal going to pieces at the end of last season, and Liverpool and Chelsea being shocking for most of this season, during any normal season we'd be easily 7th or 8th. There have also been some serious get out of jail moments where we've been awful but scraped a win. I don't even think it's an exaggeration to say that without Harry Kane being Harry Kane, we'd barely be a mid table team.

He's married to this **** shape and refuses to adapt it despite it clearly not working. He shows no contrition or responsibility for any of the team's failings despite a catalogue of tactical blunders this season. His only interest is protecting his own reputation, which is hilarious when you consider he lambasted the squad for being selfish. Of course, when he makes those comments all of the media buys it, because Spurs are losers and Conte is a winner - that's an incontrovertible axiom, that's just how people think about us in the public and media. But there's more to it. He's done a **** job, the number of players that have regressed under his stewardship is actually crazy. Levy has made mistakes, but his biggest mistake was hiring him in the first place. Some will say we haven't backed Conte but that's absolute rubbish.

Some of the teams that have eliminated us in cup competitions under Conte:

NS Mura
Middlesbrough
Sheffield United

He can blame the players and club as much as he wants, criticise "club signings", but whether he wanted some of the players we signed or not, with the squad at his disposal he should be able to set up a team to run rings around these clubs. But of course he sets up to counter them like a National League team hoping for a miracle.

He's had a difficult year on a personal level and I sympathise with him on that. It has to be tough to lose two close friends, and have to undergo surgery for a physical malady so soon after. To be honest, though, the team looked bereft of ideas long before any of the above transpired. That's not to say it hasn't affected things, it clearly has, he seems stressed out even beyond the team performance and club issues.

I think there's some merit to the idea that Spurs fans are tetchier than usual because of Arsenal's success and the quality of their football this season, but it's definitely not the whole story. We don't have unrealistic expectations, nobody thinks we're going to win the league or sweep the cups or go deep in the CL. A team that's enjoyable to watch, qualifies for European competitions and can make a cup run or two, that's all I ask for, personally.

Sacking a manager is rarely the solution and Spurs have deeper problems that will need to be resolved, but he simply needs to go before any healing can begin. Sorry for the rant.

[SgtPepper]

Eh, sounds like the club & fans are upset by business as usual. Also Conte has leverage over the club and is trying to get a paid sack currently, perhaps similarly to Mou. Regardless of whether Conte is sacked I don't see huge growth potential with this side. Lots of starters are past-peak.

[HIF]

those last 20 minutes were box office stuff. Game breakers

See this out and Arteta tell us Saliba is fine after the game hopefully

8 points clear with 10 to play. The title is in the bag. It would be the biggest bottle job of all time to not win, now.

I've seen other teams with 8 point leads with 4 games left and lose it ! It's essentially 5 if they win their game in hand and we still have to go there. Long way to go! I'll be hurt if we led from August till now only to lose it in the last month. 10 weeks to deliver

Or looking at it as the "best" team in the country. They have to win their game in hand to be 2 victories behind you and then they have to beat you and that still wouldn't be enough for them to take first place. If you beat them, it won't even matter if they win EVERY other match they play.

If Arsenal don't win the title now, they'll be rivalling their North London friends as bottlers of the decade.

Arsenal are champions and deservedly so. Man city will now focus on the CL and FA cup.

[HIF]

Currently recovering from Covid so I'm just trying not to pay it any mind. He needed to be sacked and this expedites that, but some of his comments about the club and some players are correct.

Rumour has it that the spurs players want him gone, could get sacked during this international break

We've played good football for about 2 months total of his 16 months in charge.

He's married to this **** shape and refuses to adapt it despite it clearly not working. He shows no contrition or responsibility for any of the team's failings despite a catalogue of tactical blunders this season. His only interest is protecting his own reputation, which is hilarious when you consider he lambasted the squad for being selfish. Of course, when he makes those comments all of the media buys it, because Spurs are losers and Conte is a winner - that's an incontrovertible axiom, that's just how people think about us in the public and media. But there's more to it. He's done a **** job, the number of players that have regressed under his stewardship is actually crazy. Levy has made mistakes, but his biggest mistake was hiring him in the first place. Some will say we haven't backed Conte but that's absolute rubbish.

He can blame the players and club as much as he wants, criticise "club signings", but whether he wanted some of the players we signed or not, with the squad at his disposal he should be able to set up a team to run rings around these clubs. But of course he sets up to counter them like a National League team hoping for a miracle.

For these quotes you could be talking about Brendan Rodgers and Leicester. It is amazing that a few managers have this "untouchable" aura, whilst others are sacked within months of being hired.

[Baphomet]

Or looking at it as the "best" team in the country. They have to win their game in hand to be 2 victories behind you and then they have to beat you and that still wouldn't be enough for them to take first place. If you beat them, it won't even matter if they win EVERY other match they play.

If Arsenal don't win the title now, they'll be rivalling their North London friends as bottlers of the decade.

Arsenal are champions and deservedly so. Man city will now focus on the CL and FA cup.

Get what you're saying but I don't think I'd go that far, we don't need to set them up for extra failure, there have been bigger title bottlejobs in the Premier League. Liverpool were 9 points clear and lost it just a couple of years ago, and that's not really talked about anymore. Also Arsenal themselves blew an 8 point lead in March in 2003. I also think Arsenal will win it but I don't think it will be routine at all. City's title winning experience will help them a lot in the run-in, and some of these Arsenal players have shown nerves and inexperience in this part of the season before.

I'm praying that they go to pieces but every small wobble they've shown this season has been followed by a run of strong form and most times I watch them they look imperious. Then I see Haaland going absolutely ape **** on everyone and I get some hope again.

[SgtPepper]

I think Arsenal probably lose the title unless they get at least a draw in the City match, and that will be a difficult ask for them. There's over 10 games or >25% of the EPL games remaining apart of the mini-league fixture; that's plenty of time to change the points gap. Arsenal has the harder domestic fixture list, though City will have to rotate a little more to manage the cups. That rotation disadvantage will disappear if City are ko'ed by Bayern.

If the points are level it seems like City are more likely to win on goal difference. It's so tight that any points dropped outside the City home game vs Ars feels like it would make the other team the favorite. This moment is the closest to 50/50 it's been over the season. That fact makes it definitionally unlikely either side bottles it.

If Arsenal do win this, it will be more akin to the 2015 Mourinho Chelsea side that did the same by conceding all other titles and signing well in recent windows.

[HIF]

Or looking at it as the "best" team in the country. They have to win their game in hand to be 2 victories behind you and then they have to beat you and that still wouldn't be enough for them to take first place. If you beat them, it won't even matter if they win EVERY other match they play.

If Arsenal don't win the title now, they'll be rivalling their North London friends as bottlers of the decade.

Arsenal are champions and deservedly so. Man city will now focus on the CL and FA cup.

Get what you're saying but I don't think I'd go that far, we don't need to set them up for extra failure, there have been bigger title bottlejobs in the Premier League. Liverpool were 9 points clear and lost it just a couple of years ago, and that's not really talked about anymore. Also Arsenal themselves blew an 8 point lead in March in 2003. I also think Arsenal will win it but I don't think it will be routine at all. City's title winning experience will help them a lot in the run-in, and some of these Arsenal players have shown nerves and inexperience in this part of the season before.

I'm praying that they go to pieces but every small wobble they've shown this season has been followed by a run of strong form and most times I watch them they look imperious. Then I see Haaland going absolutely ape **** on everyone and I get some hope again.

I agree with everything you said. I just want to add a little pressure to these happy Arsenal fans, whilst my life is a misery.

[HIF]

I think Arsenal probably lose the title unless they get at least a draw in the City match, and that will be a difficult ask for them. There's over 10 games or >25% of the EPL games remaining apart of the mini-league fixture; that's plenty of time to change the points gap. Arsenal has the harder domestic fixture list, though City will have to rotate a little more to manage the cups. That rotation disadvantage will disappear if City are ko'ed by Bayern.

If the points are level it seems like City are more likely to win on goal difference. It's so tight that any points dropped outside the City home game vs Ars feels like it would make the other team the favorite. This moment is the closest to 50/50 it's been over the season. That fact makes it definitionally unlikely either side bottles it.

If Arsenal do win this, it will be more akin to the 2015 Mourinho Chelsea side that did the same by conceding all other titles and signing well in recent windows.

For me that's simply bollocks. They've proven after 75% of the season, that they are clearly the best team in the league. They can drop from their level significantly and still win the title. A title loss now would be a surprise.

[Baphomet]

I think Arsenal probably lose the title unless they get at least a draw in the City match, and that will be a difficult ask for them. There's over 10 games or >25% of the EPL games remaining apart of the mini-league fixture; that's plenty of time to change the points gap. Arsenal has the harder domestic fixture list, though City will have to rotate a little more to manage the cups. That rotation disadvantage will disappear if City are ko'ed by Bayern.

If the points are level it seems like City are more likely to win on goal difference. It's so tight that any points dropped outside the City home game vs Ars feels like it would make the other team the favorite. This moment is the closest to 50/50 it's been over the season. That fact makes it definitionally unlikely either side bottles it.

If Arsenal do win this, it will be more akin to the 2015 Mourinho Chelsea side that did the same by conceding all other titles and signing well in recent windows.

I hope you're right, of course.

Just something about City this season that I don't trust.