Barclays Premier League 13/14 Thread Part 'x'

[mystiroakey]

First topic message reminder :

Not sure what's going to happen in t his game..

More bothered about watching what Ox can do again..

Its not a forgone conclusion for me.

I do think Moyesball is pretty decent against possession teams..

[compelling and rich]

not sure why johnson is walking into every bodies team, he's missed large parts of the season through injury and even then i don't particularly rate him, while not perfect himself think id rather have walker at rb. at least he has the pace to cover for his mistakes and we wont need milner to play right mid just to cover for Johnson lack of ability to defend

[GSC]

Walker is garbage.

Johnson is slightly less garbage.

[compelling and rich]

Walker is garbage.

Johnson is slightly less garbage.

think i have it the other way round

surely there must be other options? chambers/clyne/Flanagan all been playing right back this season

against the big teams id even prefer jones at rb as he's a miles better defender than the two current picks for rb

[GSC]

Have you actually watched Kyle Walker play recently. He's rubbish going forwards and backwards

[Duty281]

Have you actually watched Kyle Walker play recently. He's rubbish going forwards and backwards

And sideways!

[The Special Juan]

Why not play Baines at RB and cAshley at LB? Would that work?

[compelling and rich]

Have you actually watched Kyle Walker play recently. He's rubbish going forwards and backwards

truth be told i havent seen loads of spurs recently, has he really regressed that much? he's still starting pretty much every game for spurs so he cant be doing that badly

[GSC]

Everton picked on him so much Mirallas wasn't in the game.

[compelling and rich]

Everton picked on him so much Mirallas wasn't in the game.

the everton game where spurs kept a clean sheet?

[Fernando]

Everton picked on him so much Mirallas wasn't in the game.

the everton game where spurs kept a clean sheet?

Yes but the clean sheet was down to the rest of the defence bailing out Walker a lot

[GSC]

More down to the fact Evertons central attack amounted to Naismith and Osman. It doesn't make Walkers performance impressive or even adequate to be honest

[Hammersmith harrier]

I'll throw Smallings name out there for the right back slot, not the best going forward but is probably the most defensively solid option.

Every man and his dog knows that the front three will be Rooney, Sturridge and Welbeck, it's Hodgsons preferred choice and I can't see him changing it now.

[compelling and rich]

Everton picked on him so much Mirallas wasn't in the game.

the everton game where spurs kept a clean sheet?

Yes but the clean sheet was down to the rest of the defence bailing out Walker a lot

i watched that game, don't particularly remember walker being caught out that much. it was a game of few chances

he also set up the winner in that game

[GSC]

He was positionally all over the place.

Stunningly enough, a player can play poorly in a good team performance

[Marky]

He was positionally all over the place.

Stunningly enough, a player can play poorly in a good team performance

Nonsense

[Duty281]

There is nothing wrong with Glen Johnson.

Had a very good Euro 2012 for England; far removed from what he was in South Africa.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

If Lampard starts I'm supporting Uruguay.

Hart
Johnson-Cahill-Jagielka-Baines
Gerrard-Carrick
Sturridge-Wilshere-Welbeck
Rooney

I see movement in the front three, probably should be Sturridge up top and Rooney drifting right

Id possibly pick Barkley over Wilshere. Oxlade should be close too. Lallana has chance to impress and earn a place, but I don't think hes got the grit needed.

[lfc91]

Speaking as someone who has watched almost every match he has played this season i can safely say, be it due to injury or otherwise, he has been nowhere near his best! Dont understand how he could be a guaranteed starter for england. Saying that he still has 12 games to rediscover his form.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

For what its worth, I dont rate Johnson too highly and would actually play Smalling or Jones there so we could be solid. And pick a proper attacking player in front of him rather than Milner having to play because Johnson is weak. But I think he'll pick Johnson and I prefer Johnson to Walker

[Marky]

I'd rather play Milner at RB thinking about it. If you're playing Milner to counter our rubbish over-attacking right back then why not play Milner there himself?

Alternatively, probably Smalling.

[GSC]

Call up Trippier

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Walker's pace can bail him out against rubbish players, against the top sides he's found out.

I remember Pilks tying him in knots the past two years

[GSC]

Bit of a contradiction there Olly. His pace bails him out against rubbish players yet Pilkington turned him inside out

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Bit of a contradiction there Olly. His pace bails him out against rubbish players yet Pilkington turned him inside out

Cos Pills has bare tekkerz innit

[Marky]

Pilkington taught Ronaldo how to beat a man. And taught Chuck Norris how to make love to a woman.

[NickisBHAFC]

If Johnson isn't fit, then it simply has to be Walker, Smalling or Jones at RB. Anyone else isn't good enough and or isn't ready yet. For what its worth i don't think Walker is as bad as people are making out, that Everton game he was fine and contributed to his side keeping a clean sheet.

[GSC]

He couldn't replicate that success with RVW it seems, who still can't score

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

He couldn't replicate that success with RVW it seems, who still can't score

Probably cos Pilks is injured pretty much all the time haha. Elly Benny is back soon anyways, he's hulluvaplaar buh

[GSC]

Poor mans Gareth McCleary

[NickisBHAFC]

RVW biggest disappointment of the season? Benno will be a big boost to Norwich tbf. Great great great player!!!

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I know RVW's hardly been Ronaldo, but he's been injured half the season and hardly plays in a team that's creating bucket loads if chances each game. A disappointment so far yes, but the way we play most strikers would struggle to score as we simply don't give them the supply.

Soldado easily for me.

Elly Benny love that fella. Lives like 5 mins away from me as well

[GSC]

Keep it in the family Olly.

[NickisBHAFC]

Soldado agreed. RVW up there. Ozil hasn't been as good as i thought he would be. Just looks like a standard player like Couthino. Paulhino has also been slightly dissapointing.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Soldado as a singular, RVW as a context of the team. 3rd of the price, but the budgets and options are so different. But no, its all reserved for...

Fellaini.

Not sure its entirely his fault, but hes come to sum up a team this season. Slow, not as good as you thought and distinctly Moyes.

Helenius, Demichelis, Osvaldo and, if it counts, Kinnear. They all come up there

[socal1976]

Soldado agreed. RVW up there. Ozil hasn't been as good as i thought he would be. Just looks like a standard player like Couthino. Paulhino has also been slightly dissapointing.

Ozil, I think he was brilliant early on but has tailed off for sure recently, I think the reasons Madrid sold him are being amplified by the intense EPL schedule and physicality. That being said it is never easy to adjust to a new team and a new league even for class players. I think Wenger has not managed him particularly well either. He needed a rest earlier in the year and in a lot of matches that Arsenal were up a goal or two he should have been subbed out. At madrid he was the most substituted player in their roster because he really is not a physical presence. But he does deliver that killer ball like no other player I have seen playing today. But I think Arsene figured out that he is a quarter horse and not a long distance runner. I still think he has been a good buy, he needs to be the second or third guy you rely on though and not your main horse. That is why he was playing so much better with Ramsey in the line up. Ramsey has the engine, and he has a football mind like Ozil where they can play off each other. If he gets a rest and Aaron comes back near the form he was earlier in the year I think he will be a major factor again.

I disagree about Paulinho, I think he has been great. After Adebayor he has the most goals on Spurs team and is their best box to box midfielder. He is also very physical in the challenge. For 17 million pounds I think he has performed above expectation. He was maybe Brazil's best player in the confed cup a real talent and still pretty young. For a new player in the league he has been pretty good. I think Soldado has been flat awful, he has been so bad that even though he is a Spurs player I feel bad for him.

[socal1976]

Walker's pace can bail him out against rubbish players, against the top sides he's found out.

I remember Pilks tying him in knots the past two years

Kyle Walker is awful I would rather have my granny in the lineup than Walker. He looks like a meathead and plays like one, simply has no football mind and no end product for all his pace.

[westisbest]

Have you actually watched Kyle Walker play recently. He's rubbish going forwards and backwards

 
See. Thats what happens when you leave Villa.
 
Your career goes down hill 

[GSC]

Should've kept Lichaj :P

[westisbest]

Lichaj is decent.

Am happy with Lowton, just a shame that Lambert does'nt play him enough.

[mystiroakey]

Gayle was a pretty pointless signing also..

poor lad would still be starting every game at Preston..

Too luxury for palace.. I think we should have loaned him in the window

[westisbest]

Is he the guy that scored at Vp Mysti?

[mystiroakey]

YEP

He is a great little player- but from an english youngster playing over bench warming perspective he should be playing in the championship..

he will never get enough touches in the pl for a defence unit like palace. Ince is a much better youngster for us- as he really gets stuck in deeper..

And chamak and Thomas are so much better at holding the ball up. and now that we have murray back- I cant see gayle playing another minute.

5 million is our record ever signing and he ONLY COMES ON LAST 10 mins every game or stays on the bench.. he did score one class goal against you lot though.

[Guest]

Soldado agreed. RVW up there. Ozil hasn't been as good as i thought he would be. Just looks like a standard player like Couthino. Paulhino has also been slightly dissapointing.

Ozil, I think he was brilliant early on but has tailed off for sure recently, I think the reasons Madrid sold him are being amplified by the intense EPL schedule and physicality. That being said it is never easy to adjust to a new team and a new league even for class players. I think Wenger has not managed him particularly well either. He needed a rest earlier in the year and in a lot of matches that Arsenal were up a goal or two he should have been subbed out. At madrid he was the most substituted player in their roster because he really is not a physical presence. But he does deliver that killer ball like no other player I have seen playing today. But I think Arsene figured out that he is a quarter horse and not a long distance runner. I still think he has been a good buy, he needs to be the second or third guy you rely on though and not your main horse. That is why he was playing so much better with Ramsey in the line up. Ramsey has the engine, and he has a football mind like Ozil where they can play off each other. If he gets a rest and Aaron comes back near the form he was earlier in the year I think he will be a major factor again.

I disagree about Paulinho, I think he has been great. After Adebayor he has the most goals on Spurs team and is their best box to box midfielder. He is also very physical in the challenge. For 17 million pounds I think he has performed above expectation. He was maybe Brazil's best player in the confed cup a real talent and still pretty young. For a new player in the league he has been pretty good. I think Soldado has been flat awful, he has been so bad that even though he is a Spurs player I feel bad for him.

Agree. Ozil will come good after his strength & conditioning programme is finished & he starts to become accustomed to this leagues demands. We will most likely see the best of him, on a more consistent basis, next year. His final ball is outstanding, problem is, he's not feeding a Ronaldo or Benzema anymore, he's feeding a stationery Olivier Giroud, who likes the ball to feet or his chest. Number of times I've seen Ozil look for the ball & Giroud is standing there offering no movement or option of running in behind. Ozil, in my opinion, has become tired & annoyed at not being able to fully utilise his skills in behind a player like Giroud, especially against the top teams.

As for Paulinho, I think he's been very good. Hard working, box-to-box midfielder at £17m, which is relatively cheap nowadays. He's scored a bagful of goals, important ones too @ Cardiff & Hull. If he's looking this good this year, things will only improve with him as he develops as a player.

[compelling and rich]

no matter what the problem is its nearly is always girouds fault with john!!

[Guest]

no matter what the problem is its nearly is always girouds fault with john!!

   

It is though. Ozil just can't produce his assists or perfectly weighted killer balls, if stationery Giroud is offering nothing in behind. He's become frustrated has Ozil. Throw in the physical demands of the league & it's all just been too much for the lad.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

The other players seem to play well with him John, hes got goals all season and has a vision of a front man that not a lot have when its come to his link play.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Wait a second, am I arguing with John over Giroud?

Jeus christ, why not make this really difficult and take a dig at Zaha too.

[mystiroakey]

???

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Just saying, having a discussion with John over the benefits of Giroud is like having a discussion with you over the negatives of Zaha; ie you're both rather entrenched and passionate in your view and it wouldnt be an argument I could win!   

[Pierce Quincy]

I don't understand everyone's obsession with England playing pretty football. We always lose when we try. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't care what it looks like on the field, just so long as we (Chelsea and England) have more goals than the other team.

My team would be

Hart

Johnson (wish we could do what the ECB do and steal Coleman from Ireland)
Cahill
Terry
Baines

Lampard (has become solid in that role. Not afraid to tackle faster players either)
Gerrard

(Now that they both play less advanced roles at club level the Lamps/Stevie combo will work now)

Oxlade
Wilshere
Sturridge

Rooney

Sad to see an exceptional defender, one of England's best ever, to be overshadowed by his off-field incidents rather than how he's been playing. Chelsea have conceded the least no. of goals and JT played a major part in it. Dare I say it, but at the moment he's the best centre back in the country IMO.

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