Vesper

Oblak only signed his new giant contract 15 months ago, April 2019 Oblak signs new Atletico Madrid deal LaLiga Santander Release clause now 120 million euros 17/04/2019 14:02 CEST https://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2019/04/17/5cb714f922601d07088b4601.html the Chinese sold out 14 months before Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin sells Atletico Madrid stake as Wanda continues to trim debt Dalian Wanda Group had bought a 20pc stake in the Spanish soccer club for US$52m in 2015 Published: 9:16pm, 14 Feb, 2018 https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2133407/chinese-billionaire-wang-jianlin-sells-atletico-madrid-stake

Tweaks to Lampard’s game plan could help Chelsea escape United’s stranglehold https://theathletic.com/1932023/2020/07/17/chelsea-manchester-united-frank-lampard-gameplan/ The good news for Chelsea is they are one win away from capping Frank Lampard’s first season in charge with an FA Cup final appearance. The bad news is that win will have to come against Manchester United, the team who have firmly established themselves as his nightmare opponents this season. United beat Chelsea home and away in the Premier League, as well as knocking Lampard’s team out of the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge in October. All three matches played out differently, but the common themes of the defeats are what Lampard can focus on to try to ensure a more positive outcome at Wembley on Sunday. The Athletic takes a look at some potential tweaks to Chelsea’s game plan that could ask different questions of United at both ends of the pitch. Have less of the ball? Chelsea have dominated possession in all of their meetings, enjoying 53.3 per cent of the ball at Old Trafford on the opening day of the Premier League season and more than 60 per cent in both games at Stamford Bridge. In the Carabao Cup they attempted 672 passes, almost twice as many as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team (358). That dynamic broadly fits the way Lampard always wants his team to play; they have had a minority of the possession in only three matches across all competitions this season, and even forced Pep Guardiola’s possession-hungry Manchester City side to go long spells without the ball during their Premier League visit to the Etihad Stadium in November. City won that game 2-1, with their goals underlining the central risk in Lampard’s plan; having the ball puts Chelsea on the front foot, but it also makes them vulnerable to being pressed into losing it in dangerous positions. United, with their plethora of lightning-fast, direct-running forwards, are better equipped than just about any other team in the country to exploit those opportunities when they occur. All four United goals at Old Trafford in August were the direct result of transition attacks, including the penalty that Marcus Rashford converted after being brought down by a panicked, backpedalling Kurt Zouma as he raced towards the Chelsea goal. The spot kick that allowed Rashford to open the scoring in the Carabao Cup tie at Stamford Bridge was won in similar circumstances — Daniel James being felled by Marcos Alonso in the box after the Spaniard’s loose pass gifted United the ball on the halfway line. Lessening the focus on ball possession might force United to be a little more proactive, challenging them to play more against a fully-set Chelsea defence. There is, however, a risk to this approach too. United have evolved as a team since the last meeting with Chelsea in February. Bruno Fernandes has made a transformative impact, but the Portugal midfielder’s burgeoning partnership with a fit-again Paul Pogba has given Solskjaer’s midfield the creative firepower to control and create on the front foot in matches, rather than simply relying on counter-attacks. Four of the six Premier League matches that Pogba and Fernandes have started together – albeit against quite a favourable run of opponents – have yielded more than 60 per cent possession for United, while they have scored at least twice in each. Their number of big chances created per game has also risen, from 2.1 in the first 30 league matches of the season to 3.0 in the last five with Pogba and Fernandes, while their expected goals (xG) rating has gone up from 1.71 per game to 1.93. It’s possible that Chelsea ceding possession on Sunday might not be as effective against United’s new, enhanced midfield, but their transition threat should loom large in Lampard’s thinking. Play Kante at the base of midfield (if he’s fit) The time Lampard spent reviewing Chelsea’s match footage during the shutdown appeared to convince him that N’Golo Kante could offer the most value to his team as the deepest midfielder, using his peerless destructive instincts to shield a fragile defence. It worked spectacularly well against City at Stamford Bridge last month, and only the Frenchman’s hamstring injury forced the shift back to a different type of midfield. Kante is not as progressive a passer as Jorginho or Billy Gilmour and against teams who set up to frustrate Chelsea his shortcomings as a playmaker can outweigh the defensive value he offers. But against a team with United’s attacking firepower and a midfield that could be more expansive than in previous meetings, his presence in front of the defence is vital. United have not been required to deal with Kante this season. He has played a grand total of 29 minutes in two of the three matches, making a late substitute appearance at Old Trafford back in August and limping out of the Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge in February early in the first half. Nor have they faced him deployed in the Makelele-type role that helped limit City to just two shots on target in the game that confirmed Liverpool as champions. It would be a huge blow to Lampard if injury once again prevents him from picking Kante against United. Having him at the base of midfield allows Chelsea to deploy more expansive passers and runners in front of him. It also offers some reassurance to a defence that looked comically hapless with Jorginho labouring in front of them against Sheffield United. As long as he is fit, Kante simply has to play. How about wing-backs? United lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation for their 4-0 win over Chelsea on the opening day of the season, and Solskjaer has returned to the same system as the best way of accommodating Pogba and Fernandes together. But in both of their victories at Stamford Bridge, United set up in a conservative 3-4-1-2 formation that reverted to a five-man defence without the ball. Man Utd’s starting formation vs Chelsea in Premier League at Stamford Bridge The system gave United the defensive solidity they needed, restricting Chelsea to just three shots on target from 29 attempts across the two games, while still allowing them to get just enough men forward in key moments to score. Lampard was equally consistent with his tactics, lining his team up in an expansive 4-3-3 for both games. Chelsea’s starting formation vs Man Utd in Premier League at Stamford Bridge Most of the numbers very much support Lampard’s decision to make 4-3-3 Chelsea’s default formation, and his forays into using wing-backs have yielded decidedly mixed results. But for specific matches, against specific opponents, and with the benefit of the element of tactical surprise, there is a case for going back to the 3-4-2-1 system he has used at times this season. Firstly, if United decide to revert to the blueprint that worked so well for them on both visits to Stamford Bridge, shifting to three at the back would allow Chelsea to match up much more easily across the pitch. It would be harder for Solskjaer’s team to work the ball into the kind of crossing position from which Aaron Wan-Bissaka supplied Anthony Martial in February. There is also the fact that Chelsea know how to play a wing-back system well. Some of the older faces in the squad can still count on the muscle memory of the Antonio Conte era, while Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori all shone in their roles in a comprehensive 2-0 away win over Tottenham in December — a performance that still stands as one of the best of the season. Shifting to three at the back could bring other, more marginal benefits; moving Alonso forward into a wing-back role seems to transform him into the most dangerous goalscoring defender in Europe, while exchanging a small, technical midfielder for another centre-back should, in theory, make Chelsea marginally more solid defending set-pieces. And on that subject… Is there a case for double-marking Maguire at corners? Chelsea are startlingly bad at defending set pieces, and corners in particular. Lampard has overhauled his defensive system once this season but regardless of how he arranges his players, many simply don’t have the height, timing or aggression to make sure they consistently get to the ball first in the air. United are a substantially bigger and more physical team across the pitch, but Maguire is their key set-piece threat. James Tarkowski (5.2) and Virgil van Dijk (5) are the only centre-backs in the Premier League to average more headed duels won than United’s captain (4.6) per 90 minutes this season, and his aerial duel success rate is 71.1 per cent. His header from Fernandes’ corner to seal United’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in February didn’t even exploit any systemic weaknesses; he simply shook off Antonio Rudiger, got to the ball first and powered a header beyond Willy Caballero — a goal that particularly stung those who felt he should have been sent off for catching Michy Batshuayi in the groin with his studs in the first half. Chelsea have one aerially dominant defender of their own in Zouma. Lampard’s default set-piece plan is to have him and Olivier Giroud — another man who has played very little of the three matches against United this season — zonally marking the six-yard box, free to attack the ball as it comes in while their team-mates attempt to block and disrupt opposition runners. But given Maguire’s overwhelming physicality and aerial prowess, does the threat he poses call for a more tailored approach? At the very least it would be logical for Lampard to detail Zouma to man-mark him, but there might even be a case for sending two men to ensure he doesn’t connect with any set-piece deliveries. Chelsea opponents often employed similar strategies in John Terry’s prime. The nature of United’s team makes them a difficult style match-up for Chelsea. They are fast and clinical enough to turn any loose touches or misplaced passes into dangerous counter-attacks, while also being big and powerful enough to exploit any passivity or misjudgement in set-piece situations. The added creation of the Fernandes-Pogba axis gives Lampard another headache and one that might make this meeting between the two teams look very different from the previous three. But their three defeats have also yielded moments that should give Chelsea cause for encouragement. They struck the post and bar at Old Trafford before United went 2-0 up and their expected goals on target (xGOT) rating — the metric that accounts for quality of finishing — was substantially lower than their expected goals (xG) value for both matches at Stamford Bridge, indicating that their wastefulness in front of goal was a key reason for both losses. More clinical finishing at Wembley might be enough for Chelsea to end their recent barren run against United, but the above considerations will also feature prominently in Lampard’s thinking as he plots how to get the better of Solskjaer this time around.

With so much at stake, should Lampard rest players in the FA Cup? https://theathletic.com/1929813/2020/07/16/frank-lampard-chelsea-liverpool-premier-league-fa-cup-manchester-united/ Over the next few days, Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has to consider what, for him, may seem unthinkable: should he play a weakened team in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United? Lampard loves the FA Cup. He has four winners’ medals obtained during his playing career in his sizeable collection and therefore knows what it takes to succeed at this stage of the competition. The 42-year-old won five of the six semi-finals he started in midfield for Chelsea between 2001 and 2014, scoring key goals in victories against Blackburn, Aston Villa and Tottenham. No one should doubt how much he would relish adding another triumph to his resume as manager of the club — but that dream may have to be sacrificed or put at risk in order to achieve another. For just three days after Chelsea face Manchester United at Wembley, Lampard’s side have the sizeable task of taking on newly-crowned champions Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League. By the time that match kicks off, their rivals for a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League next season — Leicester City and Manchester United — will have played 37 league games to Chelsea’s 36 and either closed the gap or even gone above them in the table. Right now, it feels pre-ordained that everything will be decided when Leicester host Manchester United and Lampard’s men face Wolves at home on the final day. Wolves can no longer finish above Chelsea but are still fighting for their place in Europe. Lampard doesn’t own a crystal ball. He won’t know exactly where Chelsea will be in the standings before the Liverpool encounter but he has to prepare and think about selections for both Manchester United and Jurgen Klopp’s side now. What isn’t in doubt is which game matters more. A positive result at Liverpool could prove decisive in Chelsea’s pursuit of Champions League football. Qualifying for Europe’s premier club competition via the Premier League is vital for Lampard and his club’s plans going forward. It is worth tens of millions more in revenue compared with the Europa League. Chelsea earned €40 million from winning the latter in 2019, compared with Liverpool’s €107 million for their Champions League success. Chelsea will make more from their European exploits this season too, even if they are knocked out of the current Champions League tournament by Bayern Munich in the last 16 as expected next month. When they were beaten by Barcelona at the same stage in 2018, the club made €58 million. Then, there is the unquantifiable value that just comes from the prestige of being involved in the Champions League. In summary, both factors can make the difference between signing a talent like Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen or not. Lampard suggested as much when asked by The Athletic if being in the Europa League rather than Champions League would affect his transfer plans. “It’s not really a question just for me,” he replied. “It’s a hypothetical one for me to answer before the event. We have brought a couple of players into the club. That shows a real positivity of where we want to go. I know where I want to go with the squad but that has to be a fluid conversation with the club. Of course, economics will come into it, so we will cross that bridge when it comes.” Many with a Chelsea persuasion will feel Lampard should play his strongest team in both matches. There have been numerous examples of coaches over the years who have rested key personnel with another game in mind only to end up losing both and come under huge criticism as a result. Confidence is a precious thing and Chelsea’s chances of getting a priceless point or perhaps even a remarkable victory at Liverpool might be improved if they go into the contest off the back of a morale-boosting success over Manchester United. Conversely, a heavy loss on Sunday will lead to most people writing them off. However, Lampard will surely give genuine thought to leaving some of his most reliable assets out, given the short break between the high-profile fixtures. Four names, in particular, come to mind. Let’s begin with N’Golo Kante. The influential midfielder has sat out the last three Premier League games with a hamstring injury and Lampard didn’t speak with much confidence when he said the France international “has a chance” to play in the semi-final. Chelsea missed his protection in front of the back four against Crystal Palace and Sheffield United when they conceded five goals in total. It could have been a lot more. You can imagine what damage Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial could do in his absence. Yet if there is any doubt over his fitness at all, then he must be saved for the task of helping Chelsea’s back line keep Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Co quiet. There have also been signs that the intense schedule following the restart is taking a toll. Willian has started all eight games, which have been played in the space of just 24 days, and his performances in the last two outings didn’t match the standards set before that. Fatigue has to be a factor. Chelsea’s best players have been Christian Pulisic (three goals, three assists) and Olivier Giroud (four goals). These two provide their best hope of beating Manchester United — but also in getting the results they need against Liverpool and Wolves. What if either get injured or suffer burnout at the weekend? Lampard does have other options to choose from. Tammy Abraham will be desperate to prove he is good enough to lead the line, having struggled for most of 2020, while Pedro or Callum Hudson-Odoi could easily replace Willian. There are other decisions he could make in defence and midfield, too. For example, in the previous round, he named captain Cesar Azpilicueta as a substitute against Leicester, although brought him on for the second half when things were going awry. It should be pointed out that Manchester United will be in a worse position as they have less time to prepare or nurse aching limbs because they face Crystal Palace on Thursday night. Their next Premier League game versus West Ham also kicks off just three days after the Wembley showdown — over two hours before Chelsea’s match at Liverpool. This might influence Lampard’s thinking and encourage him to be bold. That is more like his modus operandi but he will know that his selections and results for both games will come under intense scrutiny. Get it wrong and a very positive first season in charge could have a very bitter ending.

they still really need to get 2, not just one CB's and I so wonder if Arteta wants to actually play 3 at the back anyway Luiz can ONLY function as the middle CB in a back 3, so as log as he is the main option, they are stuck Dayot is damn expensive, I listed many others up above that could come in for less cash (most, not all) that said, of course they would LOVE Dayot to be one of the two, he slots in so well and they need a CMF too, that rat fucker thug Mattéo Guendouzi is gone I think, Arteta hates him (he is one of the seven I listed to sell, and he will be in huge demand) the bloke is poison, and it is a damn shame as he has massive talent, but is horrid person and burnt bridges that are even worse than the now redeemed Xhaka, but who knows, maybe they can all sort him out Aouar there, under Arteta, worries me a shedload they have 7 players to sell who would garner at least £150m or so they are getting there, they have a lot to work with with Tierney looks a baller far easier to diagnose and fix Arse than Spuds, at least for me Arsenal flop Matteo Guendouzi heading for exit door after FA Cup semi-final snub and could be lined up for sensational Barcelona swap deal with Philippe Coutinho https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8537327/Arsenal-flop-Matteo-Guendouzi-heading-Barcelona-swap-Coutinho.html

that leaves 2 CB's and a CMF to go (after selling the 7 trash I listed) 2 out of these CB's (so many to chose from, Arteta needs to sort out what he wants) bold are ones I think would be good for him Lukas Klostermann Dan-Axel Zagadou Rúben Dias Ozan Kabak Nico Elvedi Matthias Ginter Boubacar Kamara Merih Demiral Iñigo Martínez Stefan Savic Nikola Milenkovic Yeray Álvarez Jules Koundé Marash Kumbulla Evan N'Dicka Tyrone Mings Edmond Tapsoba Manuel Akanji Mario Hermoso Diego Llorente Duje Caleta-Car Gabriel Magalhães Luiz Felipe Pau Torres Malang Sarr Unai Núñez Joachim Andersen Lewis Dunk Ferro Zinho Vanheusden Jan Bednarek Mohammed Salisu John Egan CMF (one of these) Houssem Aouar Fabián Ruiz Nicolò Barella Bruno Guimarães Konrad Laimer Corentin Tolisso Adrien Rabiot Weston McKennie Franck Kessié Jeff Reine-Adélaïde Florian Neuhaus Mauro Arambarri Nemanja Maksimovic Bryan Cristante Remo Freuler Matías Vecino Maximilian Eggestein Roberto Gagliardini Manu Trigueros Eljif Elmas

no, I already said last week that he, AT this point (can change) is a better manager so far than Lamps look at the SHIT he has to work with in those CB's and some of his MF and he still has them far better at defence than we are atm 26 games, 15 wins, 6 draws, 5 losses, massively reduced goals against if that was a full season EPL rate, it means 75 points over 38 games

Luiz was, dare I say, world class amazing that he cannot screw his head on tight and do that all the time such a frustrating player

they have a great (potentially) young, huge, fast CB coming back from loan, Saliba, so need another CB badly (actually two IMHO) they now appear to have two solid keepers as long as they hold onto them , they are fucking loaded at striker these are the POSSIBLE dregs and/or troublemakers they can (not saying all will go at all) liquidate (no, I am not putting Luiz in here, they need to keep him, for all his faults, on this I have changed my mind,as they simply cannot buy 3 more CB's in one window) Sokratis Calum Chambers Shkodran Mustafi Rob Holding Lucas Torreira asshole Mattéo Guendouzi double asshole Mesut Özil triple asshole, biggest huge money waste in football, even Bale and Alexis (Conte has him laying well now) offer more to a team the need to keep Ceballos, he has become a vital player they are fine at fullback and at winger they need the 2 CB's already mentioned and then to replace that MF trash so a DMF, a CMF, and an AMF so 5 players to buy as that would leave them with 5 CB's (Saliba, the 2 new ones, Luiz and Mari) , even after selling all 4 of Sokratis, Calum Chambers, Shkodran Mustafi, and Rob Holding that is not at all undoable as long as they sell all those 7 dregs and trouble makers (it is only 7, and other than Özil (huge salary, insane salary) all are easy to sell, even in a COVID market)

Laporte is such a badass wrong foot and it was almost a worldie insane he is uncapped

because @Jason said Shitty simply losing means that the 7th place EPL team is out of the Europa so it got my mind whirring as I did not think that was the case

he looks streets ahead of Vicente Guaita

I think the only way that 7th in the EPL doesn't get Europa league is if Arse win the FA Cup and do not qualify any other way if we win it, or if manure win it, then 7th place goes to the EL tell me how I am wrong please as (from the BBC article) If the FA Cup winners finish in the top six, then seventh place in the Premier League would qualify for the Europa League. The team who qualify in the lowest league spot go into the second qualifying round.

wooooooooooot 2 nil

KDB time on this free kick, eeek

how did we lose BOTH games to the fucking shammer pikeys? ARRRRRRFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF shameful

Premier League: Who can qualify for Champions League and Europa League? https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53385467#:~:text=The teams who finish fifth,qualify for the Europa League. Leicester and Manchester United both won on Thursday to remain level on points in the battle for the fourth Champions League spot. Their final-day meeting is likely to be a shootout for the top four, although they could yet both finish above Chelsea. Manchester City's successful appeal against their European ban means the top four in the Premier League will (probably) qualify for next season's Champions League, with the next two (or possibly three) going into the Europa League. What do their run-ins look like, who is likely to qualify and who could meet in what would effectively be a Champions League play-off? With only two games to go, BBC Sport thought it was time we checked things out. Premier League champions Liverpool and Manchester City, who will definitely finish second, have already booked their place in next season's Champions League. Chelsea, Leicester and Manchester United are battling it out for the final two Champions League group stage spots - Wolves can no longer mathematically finish in the top four because Leicester play United on the final day. There is a possibility only the top three would qualify for the Champions League - if the two major European club trophies are both won by English teams who finish outside this season's top four. Why? Because there can be a maximum of five English teams in the Champions League. So if Chelsea win the Champions League and Wolves or Manchester United win the Europa League - and neither finish in the top four - then both sides would qualify for next season's Champions League and fourth place in the Premier League would only earn a Europa League spot. 3. Chelsea Liverpool (a, 22 July), Wolves (h, 26 July) Chelsea, who are one point clear of fifth place, need four points from their final two difficult games to be sure of a top-four spot. 4. Leicester City Spurs (a, 19 July), Man Utd (h, 26 July) Leicester City are in the fourth Champions League position, but only above Manchester United - their final-day opponents - on goal difference. That game could end up being winner-takes-all for the final Champions League spot. They need to win their final two games to be sure of finishing in the top four. 5. Manchester United West Ham (h, 22 July), Leicester (a, 26 July) Manchester United - the Premier League's form team - will guarantee a top-four finish if they win their final two games. Leicester are above Manchester United by +3 goal difference (with four more goals scored). If they finish level on points, goal difference and goals scored, and are fourth and fifth, then it goes down to head-to-head record (factoring in away goals). United won 1-0 at home in September. If the Foxes win 1-0 on the final day - and they are level on points, goal difference and goals scored, then they would need a play-off to decide who finishes fourth. Europa League The teams who finish fifth and sixth will qualify for next season's Europa League (unless they win one of next month's European tournaments). If the FA Cup winners finish in the top six, then seventh place in the Premier League would qualify for the Europa League. The team who qualify in the lowest league spot go into the second qualifying round. FA Cup semi-finalists Arsenal are currently 10th in the league. At least one of Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester United will end up in the Europa League spots but we will focus our permutations on the teams who will hope to qualify. 6. Wolves Crystal Palace (h, 20 July), Chelsea (a, 26 July) Wolves will qualify for the Europa League if they win their final two games. It is out of their hands if they drop any points. 7. Tottenham Hotspur Leicester (h, 19 July), Crystal Palace (a, 26 July) Spurs will be guaranteed seventh place at least if they win their final two games. But they need Wolves to drop points if they do not want to worry about who wins the FA Cup. 8. Sheffield United Everton (h, 20 July), Southampton (a, 26 July) Sheffield United's defeat by Leicester means their hopes of qualifying for Europe for the first time are out of their hands. They need Wolves and/or Spurs to slip up. 9. Burnley Brighton (h, 26 July) Burnley are one point behind seventh place - and two points off sixth - but they only have one game left. They need to beat Brighton and hope for a lot of results to go their way. 10. Arsenal Aston Villa (a, 21 July), Watford (h, 26 July) Arsenal will be guaranteed a Europa League group place if they win the FA Cup - they face Manchester City in the semi-finals on Saturday. Their win over Liverpool on Wednesday keeps their hopes of qualifying through the league alive - they are three points off sixth place and two below seventh. What happens if an English team win in Europe? Manchester City, Chelsea, Wolves and Manchester United all play in Europe next month. If any of them win their trophy, they will go into next season's Champions League group stages no matter where they finish in the league. If Manchester City (who lead Real Madrid 2-1 in the last 16) win the Champions League, it makes no difference to the European places in the Premier League - England would not get any extra places. But if Chelsea (who trail Bayern Munich 3-0) win the tournament and finish outside the top four, then five English teams would go into next year's Champions League with two in the Europa League. The same is true for Manchester United (leading LASK 5-0) and Wolves (1-1 v Olympiakos) in the Europe League last 16. If either win the tournament and finish in the top four, England does not get an extra space. If they win and finish outside the top four, then England gets five Champions League spots. If Chelsea win the Champions League AND Manchester United or Wolves win the Europa League - and neither finish in the top four - then only the top three in the Premier League qualify for the Champions League. Uefa regulations suggest England could have eight teams in Europe if that happened and one of them did not finish in the top six/seven - or nine if they both fail to.

they made STUPID buys and moves my number call out of all, even inclusive of comments on us last summer was that Shitty were INSANE to to NOT buy a WC CB (Pep said they had ZERO need), and instead shit away another £60m on another fullback my exact words were 'IF Laporte gets injured, they are well fucked' BOOM I also said Stones was SHIT, he was never going to further develop (I had always disliked him, but remained open-minded until the 2018-19 season)

those new shitty kits are oki not superb, but not shit Puma does decent work

we are utter dogshit at the CS and the Super Cup (and fucked up our one chance at the only major trophy still contested we do not have, the FIFA World Club championship curse Corinthians to hell for eternity)

Arsenal can beat manure if they can beat Shitty no team is perfect and although I was pro shitty (due to them denying the dipper scum league titles) I fucking hate them and them skating on the bans has cemented my hatred I hate the fact that those cheating cunts can still do a massive quadruple (CS, EFL Cup, FA Cup and CL and thus, IF they do that, can have yet another shot at the linear Septuple, ie, in order: FA Cup this season, CL this season, then in a few months CS, Super Cup, FIFA World Club Cup, EFL Cup, EPL title in 2020-21, plus quite possibly the FA Cup again and the CL (which would mean they not only won the Septuple linearly, BUT also did it in the SAME SEASON) I always look at the big picture and how true history can unfold Liverpool could have won the Septuple this year, but packed it in instantly when Shitty beat them in the CS, plus Klopp is a twat, and dismisses the EFL Cup, which Pep chases so hard, same as all other trophies plus they now are in CL next despite illegally cooking the books for hundreds of millions, and that could likely fuck us up, as if even one year was upheld, we would already have clinched CL, and SO aids them in vastly need transfer upgrades

Pep's one weakness is semifinals

erm, do you really want to face Shitty instead of Arse if we beat Manure?

wooooooooooot 1 nil Arse

Steve Bruce predicts a 'big summer' at Newcastle United as Saudi takeover talk rumbles on Steve Bruce is predicting a ‘big summer’ at Newcastle United despite the fact uncertainty reigns supreme on Tyneside.' https://www.shieldsgazette.com/sport/football/newcastle-united/steve-bruce-predicts-big-summer-newcastle-united-saudi-takeover-talk-rumbles-2917575

Mustafi and Luiz make more mental errors than any other CB's on a top 25 team it is staggering they physically are oki (even old ass Luiz, he has those slow ageing genes) but they are just daft