No More Harry - Premier League 2020/21

[EIM]

Shush. I am quite enjoying this Manchester United V Liverpool title race while another team (or two) are being very much ignored.

I think Manchester City will win it. They're the side that looks best equipped to go on a long run, and that'll win it this season.

Enjoying the "oh well, that's that"ing from Liverpool fans. Three points behind a team that they finished 30 points ahead of last season with more than half the games to go. I'm delighted we're where we are at this stage, but third will still be an achievement, imho.

[caja-dglh]

It is a very different sport this season - the short break, COVID, general fitness challenges. Manchester City looked lost in the second quarter of the season but have turned it around. Liverpool just seem to be having a few cogs start to grind when they ran like a dream the last two years.

I said to a United fan friend that *if* they won it this year it would be amazing and (likely) hugely due to Fernandes. I wanted United to win today as they look like a team that just have to fall apart for a spell this season; Liverpool have proven they can avoid that (past performance etc).

I wouldn't mind if Manchester United won the league this year. It would be a hugely impressive achievement given the squad they have and the competition they are up against.

That all goes to shit if they get rid of Jesse "SQUAD" Lingard though.

[Third rate Leszno]

I wonder how much things will change when the European competitions restart. In normal times, you'd expect Man U, Leicester and Spurs to be impacted more than Man City and Liverpool because of the whole Thursday/Sunday thing, but league games are being played on such random days now that I'm not sure that'll be the case. There's also the question of how long those teams stay in the European tournaments, which is bound to add to the fatigue and possibly the injury/Covid list.

I reckon City are marginal favourites at the moment but wouldn't be surprised if there were 3 or 4 clubs still in with a chance of winning the league with a couple of games to go.

[DCI Harry Batt]

https://twitter.com/WeDoingAVilla/status/1350555207466438656

[Satchmo Distel]

I wonder how much things will change when the European competitions restart. In normal times, you'd expect Man U, Leicester and Spurs to be impacted more than Man City and Liverpool because of the whole Thursday/Sunday thing, but league games are being played on such random days now that I'm not sure that'll be the case. There's also the question of how long those teams stay in the European tournaments, which is bound to add to the fatigue and possibly the injury/Covid list.

I reckon City are marginal favourites at the moment but wouldn't be surprised if there were 3 or 4 clubs still in with a chance of winning the league with a couple of games to go.

Man U seem to have adapted to two games a week very well so far over the winter but in the Autumn they couldn't sustain their best in Europe. Personally I'd play the kids in the Europa to get rid of it but that strategy presumes Man U will finish Top 4 in what is currently a 7 horse race.

Man City's problem will be Pep's caution if/when they become frontrunners, and they are not good enough at this point to beat Bayern over two legs, so that possibly heavy defeat might derail them in the league (plus a very late League Cup final).

[Satchmo Distel]

Spurs visit Wycombe in the Cup on Monday only 3 days before they host Liverpool in the league, then another 3 day gap to Brighton on the Sunday, then Chelsea on the Wednesday. It's a tough ask and this is before the Europa kicks back in. Obviously they are getting well-paid for the exertion but eventually injuries will occur.

[Sporting]

garcia's column in The Irish Times today

Sorry but what is his journalism name?

[EIM]

Sorry but what is his journalism name?

Rod Liddle

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Leicester fans must secretly glow inside nowadays being called "...Leicester etc".

[ursus arctos]

Sporting, the headline on the article in question is " Liverpool have crumbled without Virgil van Dijk"

[NHH]

It's the standard way of taking clubs over. Millionaires don't become millionaires by spending their own money.

Kind of surprised as the reaction around the place - who is stupid enough to put at least 200m of their own money into Burnley?

(Doesn't mean I'm happy about it, by the way. But I am being realistic.)

Most deals of late haven't been leverage buyouts because in the main, the revenues can only really be justified if you're a club that impervious to relegation. That knocks out ⅔ of the PL. Of those ⅓ remaining, the majority haven't changed hands in over a decade.

I'm intrigued as to whether the 150M sale is paid for upfront, or has staged payments. I bet they've emptied out the piggy bank to themselves though, which I thought there'd have been more comment on - not 'they've borrowed 100M to buy the club'. Nice work if you can get it, almost increasing his net wealth by 66%. They've done an Oyston, but had a better manager to enable the massive asset strip.

[Janik]

Well, it's Manchester United's to lose, now. In their hands. Squeaky Bum time.

It's Man City's if they win their games in hand.

Or Aston Villa's if they win theirs.

['Win their games' in hand is a shorthand that means winning the games in hand, and then go on to win all the other matches as well. 'cos if Man City win on Wednesday night but don't do so again this season, they will have won their game in hand but won't win the league.]

Why Aston Villa? Because just like every team at the top they have at least one fixture against every other side up there. Plus Villa have to play Man City twice.

It is still in lots of sides own hands, therefore. Whatever laughable desperate things Rogin may write...


Teams guaranteed to win the Premier League if they win every remaining game:
Manchester United
Manchester City
Aston Villa

Teams whose points total from winning every remaining game couldn't be surpassed, but could be matched:
Leicester City
Everton


For reference, the points totals from winning every game, along with next highest possible total in each case, are as follows:

Manchester City - 98 [Manchester United - 94 (as would have lost to Man City on 6th Mar)]
Manchester United - 97 [Manchester City - 95 (as would have lost to Man Utd on 6th Mar)]
Aston Villa - 95 [Manchester United - 94 (as would have lost to Villa on 8th May)] [also Man City - 92, as Villa winning out means beating City twice, on Wednesday and again on 17th Apr]
Leicester City - 95 [Manchester City - 95 (as would have lost to Leicester on 3rd Apr)]
Everton - 95 [Manchester City - 95 (as would have lost to Everton on 23rd May)]

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Sporting, the headline on the article in question is " Liverpool have crumbled without Virgil van Dijk"

This is now clearly and demonstrably true. Like Brazil without Pele in 1966.

VVD was clearly the talisman, the jewel in the crown, the missing piece. Thank fuck no-one hobbled him two years ago. We had that, at least.

[Janik]

Leicester fans must secretly glow inside nowadays being called "...Leicester etc".

At least we get name-checked! Everton only get the strange abbreviation of 'etc' to identify them...

And, hey, Leicester fans can take being simultaneously being included and simultaneously essentially dismissed in a title challengers conversation with equanimity. For one, it reflects the massive step forward the club has taken to even be getting acknowledge in the "yes, they could in theory, but they really won't" sense. And for two, been there, done that, got the posters and memories to know those dismissing the potential because it's not one of the typical names are misleading themselves in doing so.

[Janik]

The irreplaceables, without whom their side is a fraction of it's usual effectiveness:

Liverpool - van Dijk
Manchester United - Fernandes
Leicester - Vardy
Spurs - Kane?

Less sure of the last one. Spurs would undoubtedly be harmed by his loss but not holed below the waterline in quite the same way.

[Jah Womble]

Twelve goals and eleven assists in eighteen PL appearances? I think we'd feel it.

[Sean of the Shed]

Last three seasons it would be the loss of Kane alone.
This season losing Son would be almost as crucial.

[Jah Womble]

The lockdown rather saved our asses last season, after both were out injured.

Son is a great attacking player on his day and puts the fear of God into the opposition - but Kane these days offers the complete package and would (IMO) represent the greater loss.

[Janik]

The thing is, I feel Spurs have more options up there. Not that Kane could be replaced, because no straight replacement exists. But with Bale and Son the team could be rejigged and still function at a very high level. Whereas covering for van Dijk has clearly harmed Liverpool in all of defence, midfield and attack, Manchester United's transformation from a laughable shambles to an irritatingly competent winning machine dates pretty well exactly to Fernandes' arrival, and Leicester's entire style of play is based on Vardy's particular assets.

Maybe that says I just don't watch Spurs enough to understand how critical Kane is to everything they do.

[Satchmo Distel]

Man City - De Bruyne. But I agree that Kane is a phenomenal player right now and perfect for how Spurs play. Son would have a huge, impossible workload if Kane wasn't there, whereas Kane seems able to function very well with or without Son.

[Mr Beast]

I’d like to have seen more of Leicester this season. An interesting exciting side. Instead for some reason I seem to be fated to see Newcastle more than every other club and I’ve seen enough Bruceball for several lifetimes.

Somehow the pundits swallow his shite excuses and the dreadful football is never his fault, despite the evidence of 25 years. Fraud.

[Mr Beast]

Obviously they’ll win tonight now.

[nmrfox]

And, hey, Leicester fans can take being simultaneously being included and simultaneously essentially dismissed in a title challengers conversation with equanimity. For one, it reflects the massive step forward the club has taken to even be getting acknowledge in the "yes, they could in theory, but they really won't" sense. And for two, been there, done that, got the posters and memories to know those dismissing the potential because it's not one of the typical names are misleading themselves in doing so.

Extremely well put Janik; you've nailed the way I and many of my mates feel about the club right now.

[Tony C]

Man City - De Bruyne. But I agree that Kane is a phenomenal player right now and perfect for how Spurs play. Son would have a huge, impossible workload if Kane wasn't there, whereas Kane seems able to function very well with or without Son.

De Bruyne missed exactly half of the 2018/19 PL season (19 games played) in which Man City last won the title.

[Janik]

Extremely well put Janik; you've nailed the way I and many of my mates feel about the club right now.

Leicester supporters are quite hard for opposition fans to taunt at the moment.

“You’ll never win it again!”
Well, as if that matters! It never even occurred to anyone that we would win it once (not even the ones who bet on it, which was more performative loyalty than anything else). We are already infinitely up so *shrug*

”It’s impossible for Leicester to win the league!”
You clearly don’t understand the word ‘impossible’. Because, you know, we did. You mean ‘highly improbable’. But...

”Leicester won’t win the league this time around, then!”
What, just like you said we wouldn’t five years ago? Then we did? Forgive me for pointing and laughing at you.

“You’ll f*ck up again, just like you f*cked up Champions League qualification last season“
Yeah, you are right, we blew that one. It was a real pity. We just had to make do with the third highest league finish in 135 years of trying. And runs to the FA Cup quarters and League Cup semis. It was a disaster.

”No one takes you seriously as title contenders”
No, but they can’t just dismiss us as not involved. Because, as the saying goes ‘fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me’


It’s all water off a ducks back at the moment.