Football: International Break-Up

[Philokles]

Neymar sent off in Le Classique with PSG 2-1 down with 5 to go.

[Philokles]

14 minutes ago, Mme Erzulie said:

I'm sad to say I don't think Karius is much better than Migs

One shit game after the fans and press have needlessly got on your back and you are written off. Good luck Danny, you're gonna need it.

[Mark Antony]

Tottenham had a really good defensive record last year compared to Liverpool and they go and buy Davinson Sanchez who has been solid as hell. Klopp couldn’t get VVD and then said he couldn’t find anyone better than Lovren. 

Klopp is stubborn about changing up his tactics when things aren’t going well but his stubbornness in the transfer window is way more frustrating for me. 

[Mme Erzulie]

1 hour ago, Horse of Kent said:

One shit game after the fans and press have needlessly got on your back and you are written off. Good luck Danny, you're gonna need it.

He's played more than one game. With the way Mignolet has been playing, Klopp must have a pretty good reason for not putting in Karius, the keeper he brought to the club. I have a sneaking suspicion I know what that reason is. 

[Philokles]

4 minutes ago, Mme Erzulie said:

He's played more than one game. With the way Mignolet has been playing, Klopp must have a pretty good reason for not putting in Karius, the keeper he brought to the club. I have a sneaking suspicion I know what that reason is. 

God knows how bad Ward must be if he can't make the bench over those two then.

[baxus]

Honestly, as much as I like Klopp, if he doesn't sort out this crapfest that is Liverpool defending he should be sacked. No two ways about it.

I couldn't make myself watch the second half yesterday. What I saw in the first was more than enough.

There is no system to Liverpool's defending that I can see, they play as if they'd never trained together, they have no idea where their teammates are, where it's safe to clear the ball and where it's not (Matip's poor attempt of a clearance that resulted in Spurs' third goal is one of the worst defensive moves I've seen recently)... it's just not up to the level of Premier League and that's it.

Someone mentioned a week or two ago that Lovren is rumoured to be injured to the point of not even being able to train. If that's true, why is he anywhere near the pitch? It's not as if he's some exceptional defender whose 70% is better than other defenders' 100%. Let him rest and heal, then put him back in the squad. Until then, try some youngsters. As someone mentioned already, they'll at least learn from their mistakes and get some much needed experience.

[MercenaryChef]

 last night was our final match at rfk. as we expected after missing chance after chance in a first half that ended only 1 up when it should have been 5 red bulls found two goals in the second half and won.

a bullshit red card for our playmaker Acosta should have been overturned by video review but wasn't. 

I will miss the shithole stadium, the partying by the river before the games and jumping and singing with friends. 

this was our final offering to the stadium and team.

 

[Rorshach]

Everton part ways with Koeman.

Not surprising, given the absolutely awful start we’ve had to the season. Will Unsy take over as caretaker? I think that would make sense short term, but I don’t see him as a long term answer. 

Is Pulis available? No? What about Pardew or Allardici? Anyone I’m forgetting?

[The Winged Shadow]

That Pool match wasn't nearly as bad a match as I thought it would be after reading the reaction in this forum. Jesus Christ some of you are over dramatic.

That was probably the second game (after the City one) where Pool was totally outplayed. Over the last couple of months, lots of results went against Pool, despite being the better side and creating lots of chances. But this wasn't one of them. Only a couple of clear chances and a handful of half chances. While Spurs were super clinical with the few chances they created in the first half. I think at the end of the first half it was 3 goal from 5 shots or something. Every fucking team is clinical as hell against us

Not a lot of positive displays. Mo played well. Ox was pretty good when he came on. Liverpool looked a lot better with pace on both wings. I don't think Winks/Alli/Trippier were particularly phased by Coutinho, who kept the ball well most of the time but couldn't do a whole lot with it.

Firmino was horrid. Even when shit he usually presses and runs around well, but not this game. And quite a few times the Pool wide players crossed the ball with no Firmino in the box to attack it. Sturridge is usually better at sticking around the box. I was hoping he would come on a lot earlier than 75th min. Solanki would've made a good target man as well. But I think playing too many aerial crosses would've played into Spur's counter attacking setup (which they executed with great efficiency whole game).

Can didn't have a good game either. Losing the ball a lot and making some awful passes. Hendo and Milner had middling game.

Lovren had his shot and he hasn't improved over the last 2 years. I think it's time to give Gomez a go at CB while Lovren gets his shit together. Gomez will no doubt make mistakes as well (as he already did this game!) but at least he looks like someone who will learn and get better and is worth the punt (IMO). Lovren and Klavan are too old to expect any big improvements. With Gomez, at least you have hope that he will get better with experience and age.

Only positive I can find is that they still kept playing and trying to score even after being 4-1 down. They had some nice moments and some nice chances but not clear cut enough to get back against Spurs. And Spurs always looked comfortable even when seemingly under pressure for short periods.

Obviously the result didn't go for us over the last few games, so this result feels like a bigger problem than it actually is. I am not too fussed about the table. I never expected us to be challenging for the title this season, specially considering the recruitment, so I am not too fussed about where we are in the table. The bulk of the season is still ahead and top four is still within reach.

 

[The Winged Shadow]

23 minutes ago, Rorshach said:

Everton part ways with Koeman.

Not surprising, given the absolutely awful start we’ve had to the season. Will Unsy take over as caretaker? I think that would make sense short term, but I don’t see him as a long term answer. 

Is Pulis available? No? What about Pardew or Allardici? Anyone I’m forgetting?

Ancellotti. Frank de Boer.

[Jordan La Cabra]

23 minutes ago, Rorshach said:

Is Pulis available? No? What about Pardew or Allardici? Anyone I’m forgetting?

Allardyce wouldn't be the worst choice in the world. After all, he specialises in relegation battles.

I've seen Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Marco Silva's names linked so far. Dyche and Silva are doing great jobs with their current clubs. Everton are a bigger club than Burnley and Watford, obviously, but if these two managers want to move to a bigger club, it would be better to do it in the close season, as opposed to moving to a bigger club that's in a worse state than their current clubs. As for Howe, I, personally, don't really rate him, especially not as highly as the other two. Everton players need a manager to come in and wake them up; Howe doesn't seem like that type.

Mancini? Pellegrini? Tuchel? Ancelotti???

[Teng Ai Hui]

This is a great opportunity for Koeman to revitalize the USMNT.

[Consigliere]

48 minutes ago, Rorshach said:

Is Pulis available? No? What about Pardew or Allardici? Anyone I’m forgetting?

David Moyes.

[Rorshach]

17 minutes ago, Consigliere said:

David Moyes.

That name rings a bell. We could probably give him a shot. See if he could reach the heights he scaled at his previous club .... drat, I forget the name.

37 minutes ago, JordanJH1993 said:

I've seen Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Marco Silva's names linked so far. 

Mancini? Pellegrini? Tuchel?

Of these, I don’t think I would want Dyche or Howe, bad as that is for British managers. Dyche seems more workmanlike (which is great at Burnley, but wouldn’t translate all that well, I think), and Howe can’t be relied upon to fix the defense. Which urgently needs fixing. 

Silva has done great work (over short time spans, mind) at both Hull and Watford, and I wouldn’t mind him being given a shot. I am uncertain whether he’d (or Watford would) agree atm. He has a functioning team there, he’d go back to dysfunctional again. Sure, we could throw more money at him, but we are a mess short term. 

Foreign based coaches.. don’t know too much about them. Mancini and Pellegrini have already tried Britain, don’t see them coming to fix this mess. Tuchel? Perhaps, but is he a mess-fixer? Isn’t he more of a mess-maker?

[Consigliere]

17 minutes ago, Rorshach said:

That name rings a bell. We could probably give him a shot. See if he could reach the heights he scaled at his previous club .... drat, I forget the name.

Heh, I was only joking there. Everton should definitely not be going for Moyes or Dyche or, god forbid, Sam Allardyce. Howe should not be considered either - while he's done a decent job at Bournemouth, his record shows that he is clueless when it comes to defensive organisation. I think the owner needs to be ambitious here: make a play for Tuchel or Ancelotti. Sure, the argument will be that they wouldn't join but you'll never know unless you make them an offer. Unfortunately, I think Everton will appoint one of these overrated British managers who may be able to stabilize the team in the short term only to stagnate in the medium to long term.

[polishgenius]

I don't see Silva moving already. He's in a good spot, has decent money, and is in a good enough position that if a vacancy comes up at one of the big clubs, in England or elsewhere, and he's still got them in form, he's in with a shot. He doesn't need the risk of Everton.


I think Dyche would do you good tbh. He's very much a pragmatist, but he's adaptable, and once he'd got the problems fixed I think he'd look to be more expansive than he is with Burnley. In any case he's surely earned a shot somewhere at some point, but his percieved old-schoolness probably counts against him...


Allardyce would keep you up. Not sure you can trust him to build long-term, though.

Could see Mark Hughes being offered it.

Of course, part of the problem is that you're now competing with Leicester for a new boss. And as much as y'all have got more money, the echo of the title and the fact that Leicester, for all their problems, look less of a mess, might give Leicester the advantages.

[MercenaryChef]

west ham has to be joining the search for a new manager at this point.  their team is dreadful and full of talent. 

 

[Jordan La Cabra]

2 minutes ago, MercurialCannibal said:

west ham has to be joining the search for a new manager at this point.  their team is dreadful and full of talent. 

 

Interestingly, Slaven Bilic also played for Everton during his career. If Everton still haven't appointed anyone in the next week and Bilic gets sacked, his name might be thrown into the Everton mix. Though, that would be jumping from one mess into another for Bilic, if it ever came to that.

[Rorshach]

Bilic has played for us. He is also mostly disliked by our fan base - he didn’t make himself popular with his stint in Royal Blue. 

By that token, however, Hughes is in, of course. And I think I’ve read somewhere that Howe is a fan from way back somewhere. 

But by then we could rather go for Unsy and see if we can’t get relegated. Unsy and Big Dunc - the team to end all PL teams!

[Raja]

Zero idea why anyone would appoint Bilic to Everton. Silva has improved every club he's worked at, including Estoril ( Pretty sure he got them to the Europa league the season they were promoted, but I could be wrong). He might not jump ship midway through the season, but maybe next season with someone coming in temporarily right now?