Dom

I can’t look past picking Arsenal to lift the trophy again at the end of the upcoming Premier League season. 3 things they require to almost confirm the title is a ‘star’ signing, this means someone who can take a game by the scruff of the neck and carry their team to victory (Vini Jr). Man City had this under Pep with De Bruyne and Haaland, Klopp had this with Salah and Mane. They also need a backup to Saliba at RCB as the quality in squad depth isn’t as strong as it could be despite how well Mosquera finished last season. Finally, IF they are to keep Rice in the left 8 (I personally don’t think they will) but if they do then there are better DM’s out there than Zubimendi. Then if they have the luxury for 1 more signing it should be to sell Ben White and replace him with someone better to again continue to improve the quality in squad depth. ———————————- In regards to their opponents I just can’t see a certified challenger that will accumulate 85+ points, Man City have had gigantic off pitch developments this summer with Rodri, Bernardo and most importantly Pep all leaving. All 3 are practically irreplaceable. Not only that. but tactically they’re not as good as they were under Pep with the press against Milan being bypassed many times. Of course this could be down to it being early days in the Maresca era, but we can only go off what we’ve seen in pre season. Liverpool who I did an entire thread on don’t look prepared for this season whatsoever, a complete lack of signings to address the physicality problems which have gotten greater and greater season after season, they have a real lack of squad depth too. Combine that with how vulnerable they currently are in transition and I can’t see them challenging for the title at this moment in time. Manchester United have superb quality in the final 3rd and have improved out of possession throughout their pre season period in comparison to what we saw last season, in my opinion they are currently the closest team I see to challenging Arsenal. However they’re by no means perfect, they could also do with an elite touchline winger who excels at holding the width, the individual quality of their defence could also be improved. Chelsea I haven’t seen much of but going off what I’ve seen from accounts I trust on here, he seems to have started pretty positively. However even without watching them I notice they absolutely need to sell players. Far too many players on their books. Tottenham have been super impressive under Roberto De Zerbi and I personally think they’ll finish inside the top 4, clear identity and foundations already, 4-2-4 in deep build up looking to use the double pivot to utilise bounce passes to find their spare man. Wide triangles on both sides. Many tactical qualities combined with a what’s been a very successful transfer window, no doubt a positive culture too based off De Zerbi’s standards and personality. I think there’s a chance they could compete for the title, I just think it might be a little too soon. Overall Arsenal look the most equipped for the upcoming season, the other usual competitors have undergone many changes which might take time before we see success. 🔴

“You’re playing Como under Fabregas mate”

David Raum’s defensive work has been top, engaging into duels with intensity and covering Leipzig’s left channel well when running back towards his own goal, using his physicality advantage on Foden to get the better of almost every encounter.

Poor goals conceded for Liverpool, managers always talk about ‘moments’ and today was a prime example. All goals were preventable, yes Alisson should have came and claimed the cross for the winner but Jacquet’s defending was embarrassing.

United just ended up having the ball on both wings in the same period of ‘attacking’, not 1 single runner in behind within their wide triangle, not 1. Led to them slowing play down and playing backwards. Far too static, it’s insane.

No excuses, if you want to work in this industry bad enough it WILL happen. You just have to learn and never stop learning.

I don’t even know what to say about Manchester United anymore, I know he’s only just got the ship sailing at Spurs but I do honestly believe the only man who has the charisma needed to save Manchester United is Roberto De Zerbi. Over a long period of time he would have changed the environment of this club which is the biggest problem. I never want to call for a manager to lose his job as although people say snarky comments such as “he’ll get a big payout.” Yes that true, however he has still lost his job which affects the latter jobs available to him! However I do believe the time has come for ANOTHER fresh face in the dugout, the players aren’t interested in Carrick’s model anymore. Actions speak louder than words and the actions on display show they’ve almost surrendered.

Not a fan of this Stuttgart pressing structure, usually it’s one part of their game which all the small details are perfect. However, today the jumps have been mistimed and the attack hasn’t angled their press to block simple bounce passes allowing Gala to escape the first phase with ease.

Newcastle pressing zonal from Everton goal kicks, Everton’s spare man being Mykolenko however Newcastle look to stop this through Joelinton rapidly jumping from the Garner to the LB should he receive the ball, Gonzalez then shifts across to Garner with Barnes cushioning play by dropping onto Harrison Armstrong (far side pivot), this leaves Everton’s spare man practically inaccessible on the far side. 2v1 against Barry on the defensive line. I’ve always said Newcastle need more deep build up patterns under Jaissle, not watched them for a while so I’m very intrigued to see if anything has been developed in that area since I last saw them.

Compare the love of defending that we see from Arsenal’s players compared to the likes of Van Hecke and Van De Ven of Spurs. The togetherness of the Gunners group is unmatched.

Liverpool absolutely loading the box with crosses, they’re finding it hard to create separation for shots when the ball’s on the ground due to Arsenal shutting down the angles so well, this means they’re reliant on set pieces and crosses as their main source of chance creation. To get a win at Anfield you need to ride your luck sometimes, no team walks away from here with points without benefiting from a bit of luck, whether that’s a lucky goal themselves or missed opportunities from Liverpool. It’s part of the sport.

Declan Rice is so damn complete. Outrageous footballer.

Top thread from the best analyst on this app. I have always been impressed with Fulham under Arbeloa apart from the large distances between the CB’s in deep build up against Chelsea which was quickly resolved in the next game. Fulham have missed a ridiculous amount of big chances this season, they should be higher than 15th, I would bet money that Fulham survive this season. (I mean that as a figure of speech, don’t go and do it).

A prime example of United’s positional issues there, Cunha isn’t a touchline winger and likes to roam so he naturally comes inside, In a specific moment in play then (57th minute) Mbeumo was asking for support whilst holding off a Chelsea player with his body positioning facing towards the dugout side of the pitch, absolutely 0 width on the left meaning Mbeumo had no one to pass too.

That is truly tragic defending. 🤦

Wesley Fofana went for over £70M, do I think he’s worthy of that kind of money by any means?…no. However you can see he’s incredibly low on confidence right now, doesn’t back his own ability and is making mistake after mistake. Shame to see as during his Leicester days he showed high levels of athleticism while also being an arial beast.

United in possession have looked threatening in the final 3rd, nice relationism between the frontline, just lacking that final product. Even in deep build up they haven’t been poor, a CB passes to Lammens before spreading wider allowing himself to receive a bounce pass from either Santos or Baleba. Defensively I’m not impressed, exploitable in their high press and still vulnerable when defending deep.

There are moments the gap between Liverpool’s defensive and midfield lines are vertically too big, Nyoni drops into the defensive line followed by Gravenberch then dropping into a pivot position, however if he’s slow to do this or simply remains higher, it leads to Liverpool vacating the midfield.

The magic of the cup ay.

vm.tiktok.com/ZGdCTyFwX/ So damn good.