Premier League Festive Season

Paul_Scholes18

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No I'm expecting a tough end to the month, United (H) Wolves (a) Moyesy West Ham (a) Even Mourinho next week could (and would love) to do a number on us.
Let us hope for 4 defeats with 3 managers that has failed for us doing the job against you.
 

El Zoido

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No I'm expecting a tough end to the month, United (H) Wolves (a) Moyesy West Ham (a) Even Mourinho next week could (and would love) to do a number on us.
Wolves is the only one of those that isn’t a guaranteed steamrolling.
 

Blackwidow

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https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...eam-have-completed-the-most-passes-in-a-match

Top four in the Europe.

1,033
BAYERN MUNICH v Hertha Berlin (Bundesliga, 25 March 2014)

988
BARCELONA v Levante (La Liga, 11 May 2011)

979
MANCHESTER CITY v Basel (Champions League, 7 March 2018)

942
MANCHESTER CITY v Swansea City (Premier League, 22 April 2018)
I remember that first match that sealed the Bundesliga Championship in 2014. Tactically very interesting match in which Robben, Müller and Götze interchanged as 9, 10 and right winger, Alaba played an advanced fullback and the midfield was built of Lahm, Schweinsteiger and Kroos.

Whoscored actually says it was 1098 passes.
 

Blades1889

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Not at it tonight. Could have thrown the tv away when McBurnie missed that sitter. At least those away games are done now, only 2 points off 5th too ;)
 

Dumbstar

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Not at it tonight. Could have thrown the tv away when McBurnie missed that sitter. At least those away games are done now, only 2 points off 5th too ;)
I thought you were bloody resolute and kept your concentration at the back brilliantly, apart from the slip. Make no mistake Salah and Mane have got the goal scent again and you should have conceded more. Your lot nipped a lot of our attacks in the bud well. Definitely strong outsiders for that fourth position now your toughest games are done.
 

Blades1889

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I thought you were bloody resolute and kept your concentration at the back brilliantly, apart from the slip. Make no mistake Salah and Mane have got the goal scent again and you should have conceded more. Your lot nipped a lot of our attacks in the bud well. Definitely strong outsiders for that fourth position now your toughest games are done.
Just didn’t click for us and we couldn’t get a sniff of the ball. The only real chance we had fell to our number 9 who somehow fluffed it. Hopefully we get a winning run going again, don’t like this back to back losses thing :lol:
 

Dumbstar

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Just didn’t click for us and we couldn’t get a sniff of the ball. The only real chance we had fell to our number 9 who somehow fluffed it. Hopefully we get a winning run going again, don’t like this back to back losses thing :lol:
I wouldn't read too much into your game tonight, Liverpool were just another level and I don't mean that in a condescending way. I guess your manager covered it best in the after match interview. Sheff Utd will be getting back to winning ways from what I saw.
 

Klopper76

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Just didn’t click for us and we couldn’t get a sniff of the ball. The only real chance we had fell to our number 9 who somehow fluffed it. Hopefully we get a winning run going again, don’t like this back to back losses thing :lol:
You’ve just played City & Liverpool away back to back within 72 hours. You’ll be fine. Hope you make the top six.
 

Borussin

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We

we couldnt care less mate. Playing pretty football doesnt always win you titles. We were better performers last year and all we did was leave with a sour taste in our mouths.
Ferguson didnt always win it by playing pretty too. All we care is bringing it home.
why you raising to the bait? And agreeing with him too? Have a word with yourself. Liverpool fans on this forum are just so strange, a bad advert for their club.
Your team plays fantastic football, they where so composed tonight, and so in control, doing what they needed to do, and played some very good football in the process, but still saving some energy as best they could after a long run of games. No need to be agreeing with somone trying to wind you up.
 

Blades1889

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I wouldn't read too much into your game tonight, Liverpool were just another level and I don't mean that in a condescending way. I guess your manager covered it best in the after match interview. Sheff Utd will be getting back to winning ways from what I saw.
Yeah I refuse to get upset about us losing away to the holding CL winners, just a shame that we didn’t get that goal.
You’ve just played City & Liverpool away back to back within 72 hours. You’ll be fine. Hope you make the top six.
yep and I couldn’t be prouder. Top 6 is the dream but we’re just happy to stay on this division
 

_00_deathscar

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Liverpool do like a moan about their injuries, but their first 11 is basically untouched isn’t it? Fabinho is maybe the only nailed on starter they’re missing?
Alisson was injured for about half the games but carry on...
 

DAK222

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That’s one player. Any more?
Other than Alisson and Fabinho? Matip got injured when he was starting games. He's still not back. Same for Lovren. What about Ox? He was on a hot scoring streak when he had his injury. It so happens that for each injury the replacements have slotted in quite well. That doesn't mean that the injuries don't exist!

Also, Naby Keita, who was literally in the first 11 today gets injured and is replaced by 33 year old James Milner. The Cafe response is - "well their first 11 is basically untouched".
 

2 man midfield

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Other than Alisson and Fabinho? Matip got injured when he was starting games. He's still not back. Same for Lovren. What about Ox? He was on a hot scoring streak when he had his injury. It so happens that for each injury the replacements have slotted in quite well. That doesn't mean that the injuries don't exist!

Also, Naby Keita, who was literally in the first 11 today gets injured and is replaced by 33 year old James Milner. The Cafe response is - "well their first 11 is basically untouched".
All teams get injuries, and I bet if you had to choose some players to lose, you’d probably choose Lovren, Chamberlain, Matip...

I dunno, complaining about an injury crisis when your best players are still playing just seems a bit weird really. Ok you can’t rotate as much, but it’s like United losing Lingard, Young, Mata and Jones and moaning because we’re having to play Martial, Wan Bissaka, Pogba and Maguire.
 
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_00_deathscar

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All teams get injuries, and I bet if you had to choose some players to lose, you’d probably choose Lovren, Chamberlain, Matip...

I dunno, complaining about an injury crisis when your best players are still playing just seems a bit weird really. Ok you can’t rotate as much, but it’s like United losing Lingard, Young, Mata and Jones and moaning because we’re having to play Martial, Wan Bissaka, Pogba and Maguire.
Laporte absolutely dicked Man City over - that's one player. We've had Fabinho out for a month and a bit and hardly conceded and won all our games (save for the Aston Villa game which the kids played in).

Excuses can be found if you really want them to be.

Sure, Mane/Salah/Firmino/VVD etc have generally been available (the front 3 haven't always - there's always little niggles etc) - but then Origi and Shaq step in when needed or when we need to rest them. We've just been able to handle the injuries much better than Man City, who spent the best part of half a billion pounds on fecking full backs. We spent about 7.5m on ours, and that includes our utility man/back-up full back, James Milner.
 

Josh 76

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Other than Alisson and Fabinho? Matip got injured when he was starting games. He's still not back. Same for Lovren. What about Ox? He was on a hot scoring streak when he had his injury. It so happens that for each injury the replacements have slotted in quite well. That doesn't mean that the injuries don't exist!

Also, Naby Keita, who was literally in the first 11 today gets injured and is replaced by 33 year old James Milner. The Cafe response is - "well their first 11 is basically untouched".
VVD
TAA
Robertson
Mane
Salah
Frimino

These are the untouchables. Lose any 3 of them for 3-6 months, then you can have this argument.
The rest are rotated without any effect on the team.
 

DAK222

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All teams get injuries, and I bet if you had to choose some players to lose, you’d probably choose Lovren, Chamberlain, Matip...
Sure, if I *had* to choose. But I see how you neatly sidestepped injuries to the two big signings that took us from CL runners up to CL winners. :smirk:

I dunno, complaining about an injury crisis when your best players are still playing just seems a bit weird really. Ok you can’t rotate as much, but it’s like United losing Lingard, Young, Mata and Jones and moaning because we’re having to play Martial, Wan Bissaka, Pogba and Maguire.
That increases the injury risk to the first 11. We're still in 3 competitions. That's the whole point of needing a squad in the first place.


VVD
TAA
Robertson
Mane
Salah
Frimino

These are the untouchables. Lose any 3 of them for 3-6 months, then you can have this argument.
The rest are rotated without any effect on the team.
And now you have people saying out of our top 6 players we need to lose 3 for 3-6 months for it to have any effect on our performance. I think that's the highest compliment towards this Liverpool team that I've seen on here till now. :D
 

RobinLFC

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All teams get injuries, and I bet if you had to choose some players to lose, you’d probably choose Lovren, Chamberlain, Matip...

I dunno, complaining about an injury crisis when your best players are still playing just seems a bit weird really. Ok you can’t rotate as much, but it’s like United losing Lingard, Young, Mata and Jones and moaning because we’re having to play Martial, Wan Bissaka, Pogba and Maguire.
Did this actually happen though? From what I've seen it's mostly us replying that we have had our share of injuries as well to people saying that we've been ridiculously lucky with injuries. And yes, our injuries have happened to less important players in the grand scheme of things, but it's not just lucky anymore. We just have a good combination of non-injury prone players as key parts of our first XI and seem to have a great fitness program and good trainers in place, that's not luck.
 

Zlatan 7

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All teams get injuries, and I bet if you had to choose some players to lose, you’d probably choose Lovren, Chamberlain, Matip...

I dunno, complaining about an injury crisis when your best players are still playing just seems a bit weird really. Ok you can’t rotate as much, but it’s like United losing Lingard, Young, Mata and Jones and moaning because we’re having to play Martial, Wan Bissaka, Pogba and Maguire.
That’s my thoughts too, commentery during the game yesterday we’re going on about Liverpool’s injury crisis and I didn’t know wtf he was on about. Then started mentioning players like shaqiri
 

RobinLFC

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That’s my thoughts too, commentery during the game yesterday we’re going on about Liverpool’s injury crisis and I didn’t know wtf he was on about. Then started mentioning players like shaqiri
You won't notice it if you just look at our games because 8-9 players in the starting XI are the same ones most of the times. But, for example, Matip, Lovren, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita and Shaqiri are 5 players which would have started the game against Everton on Sunday so we could rest our first XI a bit, but that's not possible now. We have very few outfield players left outside our regular first XI ones, which is also one of the reasons that we recalled Nat Phillips from his Stuttgart loan, I suppose.

So, we have quite a few injuries to fringe players which might affect our first XI if it keeps that way, but no, definitely not an injury crisis in the traditional sense and not something we should be complaining about.
 

Zlatan 7

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You won't notice it if you just look at our games because 8-9 players in the starting XI are the same ones most of the times. But, for example, Matip, Lovren, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita and Shaqiri are 5 players which would have started the game against Everton on Sunday so we could rest our first XI a bit, but that's not possible now. We have very few outfield players left outside our regular first XI ones, which is also one of the reasons that we recalled Nat Phillips from his Stuttgart loan, I suppose.

So, we have quite a few injuries to fringe players which might affect our first XI if it keeps that way, but no, definitely not an injury crisis in the traditional sense and not something we should be complaining about.
that’s kind of my point, I took a crisis to mean losingVVD, Salah and your 2 fullbacks. Not a midfielder and some fringe player subs. As you said you play the same team almost everyweek anyway so it hasn’t affected anything to be a crisis.

but I agree with the rest of your post
 

RedStarUnited

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They are in a groove now so much that even injuries dont really matter. When we set that record for games without conceding in 09, as a team we were so strong no matter who came in clean sheets kept happening.
 

B20

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Fabinho is the best midfielder in the league bar De Bruyne. Big credit to our other guys that we've barely felt his absence (hendo especially who has really stepped up). Similar to City losing De Bruyne last season I suppose.

The injuries to Chamberlain and Keita (and Lallana, who is only now looking like returning somewhat to the level he was three years ago) have hampered our efforts to evolve a bit more as a team and add more attacking threat to our midfield, but hampering a step forward is not as bad as taking a step back I suppose.

Losing Matip was a blow, as that meant playing Lovren, since Gomez was not back up top speed from his injury. Lovren .'s injury was probably a stroke of luck though, since Gomez is now back to his best and that makes him better than Matip and Lovren. In world class form (need to do it longer to be considered world class though).

Big credit to Adrian that he was able to step up the way he did in Alisson's absence, who was one of our top three performers last season.

You can see the difference now though - Our back five is probably the best in the world and they are playing like it.

Salah's injury and niggles since then have probably been our biggest issue. Would have been nice if he could have recovered properly, but we didn't dare rely too much on Origi and Shaqiri. Minamino hopefully adds some proper depth to our forward line.

City simply have exceptionally poor cover for their centrebacks, which is scandalous given their resources. I wouldn't want to be without Van Dijk, but seriously - outside of Laporte, I don't think any of their centrebacks are as as good as any of our worst centreback (and I don't really rate Lovren).

We've had injuries, nothing extraordinary in either direction, and coped really well with it. City have coped absolutely pathetically to losing one player.
 

redman5

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I expected a much tougher game from Sheffield United last night. In parts it was like a training session for us. Not too sure what team I'd like to see out there against Everton on Sunday. Part of me wants to see us go all out with our strongest side, but the cautious part of me would like us to play the kids with a small sprinkling of first team regulars on the bench.
 

B20

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I expected a much tougher game from Sheffield United last night. In parts it was like a training session for us.
See lots of comments about how teams don't turn up against us. With this midfield and back five playing the way they are, we must be the hardest team to play against bar none. Sheffield looked well organised to me and yet they just couldn't get out of their own half for more than a quick breath before we turned the screw on them again. Same as Leicester when we played them. We don't let teams play.

It's a meat grinder of a team.