Football The 2009/2010 Season Thread

[Embattle]

Thing is, this season injuries can not really be used as an excuse. Look at Man Utd, they had massive amount of players (key players also) out injured and are still up there in the running.

All united need to do from now to the end of the season is to win every game and the league is theirs. . . . though i can still see arsenal being the ones to pip us at the post.

If we win all apart from the chelsea game, get a draw there. Then it could come down to goal difference between us and arsenal who got a pretty good run in to the end of the season.

I think our list is rather more extensive than Man Us ever was, even if you don't consider it that way then lets clear up the fact that it wasn't as if Man U fans didn't keep using it for a reason for the problems they had at the time. We aren't totally out of it either, if you take our game in hand as a win we would be one point behind.

The timing of it is working against Chelsea as it is towards the end of the season, but as I also said the other half of the problem with Chelsea is the players that remain seem to be playing rather badly which then makes the win of the game in hand rather unlikely.

 

[megadave]

Ancelotti's been very disappointing for me. Slow to adapt formation, picks players despite playing awful for long periods of time. Very slow to react to stuff, poor substitions.

We were begging for a midfielder to replace Kalou about 15 minutes before their goal, when Deco came on we looked a lot better.

Not to mention that his half time team talks seem to have a consistently negative impact.

 

[megadave]

Thing is, this season injuries can not really be used as an excuse. Look at Man Utd, they had massive amount of players (key players also) out injured and are still up there in the running.

All united need to do from now to the end of the season is to win every game and the league is theirs. . . . though i can still see arsenal being the ones to pip us at the post.

If we win all apart from the chelsea game, get a draw there. Then it could come down to goal difference between us and arsenal who got a pretty good run in to the end of the season.

The annoying thing is it's been all of our good players this season. Our best five player's this season had been Drogba, Essien, Ivanovic, Ashley Cole and Anelka for a time. Drogba is fine but Anelkas turned to shit

At this end of the season you need your best players :/

 

[Embattle]

I agree he does seem to bring players on rather late.

 

[soze]

Arsenal had 10 out at one point Man U and Chel$ki both need to stop bitching.

 

[Corran]

The annoying thing is it's been all of our good players this season. Our best five player's this season had been Drogba, Essien, Ivanovic, Ashley Cole and Anelka for a time. Drogba is fine but Anelkas turned to shit

At this end of the season you need your best players :/

I agree, you need your best players at season end. Lucky for man utd we have got that situation.

The thing is though, Man Utd managed to hold onto your coat tails even with missing pretty much the entire defense at one stage. This was key because you saw how shakey we were at times due to this, especially without VDS.

I think this season is probably one the first seasons where no support can argue that injuries cost them the title, because each of the top 3 teams can argue that case this year.
This truelly was the year for Liverpool to take the title, as i dont think we have another year were every team drops so many points

Any news on Cech btw? Im hoping he be out for another 2weeks but i bet that is wishful thinking. I reckon Cech would have dealt with the goal today whereas Turnball couldnt.

You should get an easy result midweek... it pompy afteral. Im hoping however that you are without your keepers for the Villa game. With luck the quality they got outfield they can give your players run for money.

 

[Vladamir]

He's due back next week, so whether he'll be fit for Villa or not remains to be seen.

 

[Corran]

He's due back next week, so whether he'll be fit for Villa or not remains to be seen.

Bah i hope not

 

[Marc]

Arsenal had 10 out at one point Man U and Chel$ki both need to stop bitching.

Like Wenger? Not as if he wasnt moaning about Arse's injury list round december time, or bitching about other teams trying to injure his players on purpose

 

[megadave]

Cech should play against Portsmouth, CA said he was deciding whether to play him today or not.

Incase you hadn't noticed we've also had injuries through out the entire season, it's just now they're starting to impact.

Also our only fit first team defender is Terry and he's been gash since his saga so it's not any different.

All that said our biggest problem has been bottling it. We had loads of opportunities to start a gap at the top but just ended up failing when we shouldnt have.

 

[Vladamir]

TBH had Essien not been broken by the Ghana FA we would be looking at a much different league table.

Not trying to make excuses, but frankly our midfield is utter shit without him.

 

[soze]

Like Wenger? Not as if he wasnt moaning about Arse's injury list round december time, or bitching about other teams trying to injure his players on purpose

Yes Wenger should stop moaning about Chel$ki and Man U's injury problems after all ours are much worse

TBH had Essien not been broken by the Ghana FA we would be looking at a much different league table.

Not trying to make excuses, but frankly our midfield is utter shit without him.

If the dutch had not broken RVP i think we would be a few points clear a few goals during the time we had no striker could have done wonders.

 

[megadave]

An injury free world would make an interesting season indeed

 

[Marc]

Yes Wenger should stop moaning about Chel$ki and Man U's injury problems after all ours are much worse

Well im not going to moan and I hope the Arse dont pick up any injuries before the big game against the current champions of europe.

 

[Ch3tan]

This next week will be very interesting, Pompey should not be taken lightly. Chelsea have probably the hardest fixture in Villa, but Arsenal have no easy ride with Birmingham. I see us being top next saturday evening, Bolton should not be a problem. Not sure who will be 2nd and 3rd though.

 

[Embattle]

In terms of remaining games that might be hard:

Arsenal - Tottenham, Man City
Chelsea - Aston Villa, Man U, Tottenham, Liverpool
Man U - Chelsea, Man City, Tottenham

 

[Ch3tan]

So you don't believe Birmingham are a threat? Seems a lot of teams have made that mistake this season.

 

[Turamber]

Chelsea have probably the hardest fixture in Villa

Err, I wish ... but I think we'll get a royal rodgering. Will be our fifth game in two weeks, with O'Neil unlikely to change any of the first team personell.

 

[cHodAX]

If our win over Liverpool today causes them to miss out on a european pleace I will be delighted, nothing will save Rafa then.

 

[CorNokZ]

If our win over Liverpool today causes them to miss out on a european pleace I will be delighted, nothing will save Rafa then.

And Torres will be gone like the wind

 

[megadave]

and with man city spending, liverpool will probably never regain top 4 status

 

[megadave]

wtf messi scored another hat trick today including some very nice defence raping

 

[Marc]

All the talk at the moment is of Rooney and Ronaldo, but Messi is playing as good, if not better. What was it the commentator said? Rooney is different class, Ronaldo is something special but neither of them are Lionel Messi

However, what I dont like is that he gets all the plaudits, whilst the work done by Iniesta, Xavi, Pedro and Alves goes unoticed.

ITV claimed midweek that Messi has been creating all his goals by himself whilst Rooney has had to rely on team mates. This is a downright lie.

 

[Ch3tan]

If anything, Messi would struggle more at Utd and Real because he would have to do more himself. He is a brilliant footballer, but he gets a lot of help from his team-mates.

 

[Ch3tan]

TheGame - Times Online - WBLG: Cole first out as Abramovich sees error of his ways

 

[Vladamir]

For want or worse he has been a shadow of his former self since coming back from injury. That said his heart is in the right place and he actually comes across as actually wanting to play, whereas the likes of Deco, Ballack, Mikel are quite happily coasting along at the moment and pick up their paypacket.

 

[Ch3tan]

So do you agree with the article that there will be a massive clear-out this summer? Which players will be bought in?

 

[Vladamir]

I think we've needed a clear out for a while, but Abramovich has opted to chop and change managers instead who haven't had time to put together a squad they want. At the moment we have a squad with the influence predominantly influenced by Ranieri, Mourinho, Grant, Scolari and Hiddink - Carlo's not really been able to bring any of his own players in.

Those i think need replacing;

Deco
Ballack - Though his contract extension is at half the current wages, so not as much an issue on the bill if he actually starts playing.
Beletti
Kalou
Carvalho - He's getting on now and Alex/Ivanovic are the future of our backline so they should be playing there more.

We're not going to make more than 10m from those players but thats what happens when your squad has an average age of 28. Our backline is pretty well covered with a fit squad and i'd like to see Bruma start getting more opportunities rather than buy another CB.

Midfield is in the biggest need of a revamp. Essien and Lampard should be the consistent starters (although Lampard has been well off colour this year), with Mikel/Ballack (if he stays) and a new centre mid playing for the third spot.

Wide left isn't a problem area as Malouda has settled in nicely and is a lot more consistent than when he joined, whilst wide right just hasn't been the same for years. Kalou, Cole and Anelka all have tried and failed to make this their own, either give Kakuta a shot or bring someone big in, not another Kalou.

Aguero's been mentioned a few times and with Drogba getting on now we need something fresh up top, you'd hope he could adapt to the english game but who knows.

Basically i think we need to get rid of the deadwood that are playing for themselves and not the club, and we need to bring in some players in the mould of Aguero, Di Maria etc to freshen things up with some pace, which we've severely lacked since Robben & Duff left.

But unfortunately that all depends on whether Roman can swallow his pride and admit he's actually got it wrong. Nothing wrong with wanting to be self-sufficient by this year, but the fact we've spent 110m on duff talent in years gone by which could've been invested in younger players will show him up if he lets it.

 

[Calaen]

While I admit the spanish league is by far better on a technical level, this also means that non of them know how to tackle or don't want to. During yesterdays match I felt like I was watching a Roy of the rovers comic on TV, the defenders were taking turn at sliding the opposite direction before Messi was anywhere near them.

So while Messi is great and the current world player of the year, I can't see him scoring 30+ goals in the premier league, where he won't be allowed to run around with the ball all match. So ronney gets my vote, although I suspect it boils down to whoever wins the champions league and makes an imperssion in the WC.

 

[Vladamir]

Will be interesting to see if either of them actually make an impression. Their domestic clubs are basically built around them, but put them on an international stage and recently neither of them have looked particularly inspiring.