robsblubot

Think our starting XI is better than theirs? Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Salah, Diaz, Jota If you say "yes" congrats, this was a test and you've won. 😅

I disagree about the level of uncertainty, but hope you are right. I think Liverpool just need to "click" again to regain competitiveness. We need a hell lot more than that. When Kante joined, we had an established team, which I cannot say right now. What a rookie move tho: you can only hardball a deal if it's not a fucking auction. If the deal is public and there are others interested, then you will have to pay up. What have we been doing all summer?!

nah it was the same with Sancho and even our own Odoi. 😃 Latter does even look like a PL level footballer these days.

makes sense: premiere league 21yo kid 100m so championship 19yo kid goes for half of that. It's just the world we live in. 😅

His finishing is indeed fantastic. Get the ball to him and he can apply the finish from any position and condition. Inter understood that and did well preventing him from getting the ball often. Burnley evidently have been unable to do that. Second goal was a sweet shot, but the 3 Bunrley players were nowhere near Haaland. The difference in quality between these two sides is really something.

KDB has been looking heavier and heavier (not necessarily unfit btw). Wonder whether they should focus on body fat reduction or whatnot. Seen that work wonders for players at a certain age.

Why would Caicedo join a team with a bunch of kids and nobodies vs joining a much more established team with senior players who would help him play at a much better level right off the bat? Why would he choose Chelsea over Liverpool if the money is the same/similar? Don't think I have to compare Poch with Klopp either eh.

Finally a chance to discuss something related to my realm of expertise (networking/internet backbone); All jobs can be replaced by AI, and that will be the big negative impact AI will have short/med-term: never yet seen job loss (order of magnitude larger than of the indust. rev). All jobs are replaceable, but some are MUCH easier and imminent than others (commercial drivers will be hit hard). AI "readyness' is IMHO exaggerated at this time. Detecting whether AI is working correctly will remain a challenge for quite some time. There will be cases where the simple question would be, "do we want to have AI here?" and the answer may very well be no from social/humane reasons. Watching the media talk about Terminator-like doomsday scenarios is honestly laughable, esp coming from "serious" folks.

Haaland is the typical natural goal scorer... he will be scoring goals until he retires. He's not the most skillful strikers I've seen play the game (not even close), so the way to stop him is to kill service--evidently easier said than done with a team like City.

Lavia would be the 19yo kid who plays for the Championship side? 🙄

not to mention the potentially mediocre. That's the funny think about the word "potential:" it's implicit "potential to be great", but there is the other side of the coin, which is the potential to be mediocre, or "not great."

oh my bad I thought he was going to retire there. 😅 So, suppose that makes the left wing a likely position for Lewis at Palace.

I don't rate Verrati. Yes, he's got excellent performances under his belt, but also pretty poor showings. I've seen him go missing way too many times in CL matches to want him. He's also not exactly what we need to complement Enzo in midfield. I also think he's not much of a team player, so I'd trust PSG on this one. They seem to have finally figure out why they aren't competitive, and do seem to be on the right track; prob a little too late to keep Mbappe tho.

ah got you. 👍 he did get a very good CM tho and a cheap one at that. Liverpool will field a strong team regardless and IMO they've got more ready players than we do. I hope for a tight game... like we show competitiveness, that we can handle big teams, from the get go. I'm fairly insecure about this first showing because of the number of unknowns.

Yes, he's going to be shaking in his boots for having to face such a start-studded squad...

The initial picture from the video looks like he's got an IV attached to his arm, which given his injury record, would be highly suggestive. 😆

That's the best case for us, agreed. However, from what I've seen from him, it wouldn't surprise me if he plays more of an attacking role (winger perhaps?) at palace. heh maybe Zaha will force Lewis in the LB position.

That's true, but it's usually play. Neymar rarely gets injured on his own, but it seems to happen a lot with him. Players can be more or less susceptible to injuries due a number of factors, build fitness, physical strength (muscle mass), technique, mentality, etc. Tbf, Nkunku looks like a fit footballer, so maybe something with his build or perhaps he exposes himself too much in tackles... difficult to say. Fact is that he has had knee issues as well as muscle issues in the past. Not sure it's fair to compare him with Fofana, but we hope he recovers and put this all behind.

@Pizy suggests and I agree that while they may have tried at some point, it did not work that well for them. It is difficult to compare: where it's option in a smaller club, keeping the ball is mandatory at a bigger club. That's why some players, like our own Cuccurella struggle as his skillset isn't really a great fit for our game plan. His best showings last season were "azpi on the left" more like a defender, which is what he is. With that out of the way, it's always nice to have options and that includes players with different characteristics.

Big teams need good midfield players who are excellent on the ball. "Destroyers" work better in smaller clubs where the team does not have the ball as much. The first thing that happens when a destroyer joins a big club is his tackle % goes way down.

Talented youngster. He's a bit too raw/young to provide backup for Chilwell esp considering Chilwell's aforementioned injury record. I'm not even sure what his best position may be, so it's something he will figure out playing, which I hope happens at palace.

Saudi Pro League seems to be providing a much needed football purge. It will be complete once Neymar leaves competitive football... I mean officially that is.

hehe skill wise, Voller >> Klinsmann >>>>> Klose 😉 To your point, all excellent strikers.

Agreed. Heh, Makele for sure. Matic to a lesser degree. Mikel, nope never a leader I think. Very passive "do a job" player. Wouldn't mind a Lampard type one bit tho. 😁 Yeah Casemiro was underrated even after all that he had accomplished at real... weird. BTW, I really think the senior players were the reason Arsenal did not win the league. So, you can develop youth and they can help with squad quality as well as roster if you do it right. With all that said and done, you will still need to get those few players who will make everything connect; the ones you are missing. Arsenal just did not have the right ones--they weren't good enough. Jesus injury did not help them either. They are stronger now tho, esp with Rice in midfield.

BTW, speaking of young players, ☝️ this one looks really promising! Lots of pace, quick feet, and not afraid to make plays. Yes, he's still a bit raw, so the loan might do him good.