The 6th Place Trophy - The 2017/18 Premier League Thread

[Dolphin Ziggler]

First topic message reminder :

The fixtures have been released, players have been signed and summer is already a bit boring, so here's the Premier League 2017/18 season thread.

Opening fixtures:

Arsenal v Leicester City
Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City
Chelsea v Burnley
Crystal Palace v Huddersfield Town
Everton v Stoke City
Manchester United v West Ham United
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Swansea City
Watford v Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Bournemouth

[NickisBHAFC]

Was always going to be an extremely difficult game, ill be suprised if City don't win the league.

Great day for the club, however the performance was a bit sloppy, very poor on the ball. 2-0 before kick off I think we would of taken that though!

[GSC]

Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea stuttered out the gate to varying to degrees, City eased out without too many dramas. See what United and Spurs have

[Ent]

PL as unpredictable as ever - that is why we love it.

From a purist point of view though we could probably have seen the goals scored in the opening fixtures reduced by 25-50% with some basic work on defending corners - hard to believe professional teams are so bad at defending set pieces.

[Guest]

Newcastle - Elliot, Manquillo, Dummett, Lejeune, Clark, Hayden, Shelvey, Ritchie, Perez, Atsu, Gayle

Spurs - Lloris, Walker-Peters, Alderweireld, Vertonghan, Davies, Dier, Dembele, Sissoko, Alli, Eriksen, Kane

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I'll give Cahill credit, it's not horrible, it's just no longer within the rules. Player makes a meal out of it which doesn't help.

Cesc one was miles worse.

Well done Liverpool, good display at the back to get a tricky point there.

[Guest]

Dummett & Lejeune injured. Spurs look laboured

[Duty281]

Both teams look like they'll be happy with the 0-0.

Best shake hands now.

[Guest]

Shelvey is definitely mentally challenged.

I'd get rid. Liability.

[GSC]

Shelvey is still a ****ing moron. Who knew

[Guest]

Alli invites it non stop, but no defence for Jonjo. Have to question his future under Rafa, we had it at Forest last year too. Can't afford that behaviour anymore

[Ent]

Should probably just sack him and be done with it.

[Ent]

Teams:

De Gea, Valencia, Bailly, Jones, Blind, Matic, Pogba, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Rashford Lukaku

Hart, Zabaleta, Reid, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Noble, Obiang, Fernandes, Arnautovic, Ayew, Hernandez

West ham can definitely get at that left hand side today.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Without Antonio and Lanzini (especially the latter), I can't see us bothering you today.

Also, our height is gonna be a major issue. Very short side

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Big fan of our bench though. Keeper, 5 defenders, Sakho

[Dolphin Ziggler]

We've been alright, they've been a bit better and they have the Lukaku handicap goal we always concede

[NickisBHAFC]

WERE OUT THE BOTTOM 3!!!!!!

WE ARE STAYING UP SING WE ARE STAYING UP!

[Guest]

rout

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Effort level has been embarrassing bar Zabaleta and Hernandez

Can't wait for Lanzini back. We just stopped trying at 2-0.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Us aside, Manchester United looked very good. Powerful but with pace, options to play neat players with bruisers, dirty when they needed to be.

Matic and Lukaku are title-charge-worthy signings. Granted, a lot of teams won't get bored like we did, but if you were looking at trends from last year that could change this year, I think those Home draws will dissipate and that secures top four at least

[Hero]

Effort level has been embarrassing bar Zabaleta and Hernandez

Can't wait for Lanzini back. We just stopped trying at 2-0.

Got to hope though that if Liverpool cave in on Coutinho that they don't come sniffing for Lanzini.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Zaha out for four weeks

[NickisBHAFC]

Means I can't bin Cech from my fantasy team

[Guest]

Don't know if anybody will find interesting. The BBC are doing a sportsday to celebrate 25 years to the day that the premier league started. Like they follow the action on a Saturday, they're doing one as if today was the first day of the 92 season

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/40780204

[GSC]

Someone needs to calm Pogba down

[Guest]

Swansea 0-4 Man U - Bailly, Lukaku, Pogba, Martial

[GSC]

Slaven might be under early pressure

[Guest]

Arnautovic has that in the locker, along with going missing months on end. I wasn't in the camp of this being a great summer for them

[GSC]

Jeses been really good for Stoke and he makes it 1-0

[GSC]

Lacazette has a goal disallowed for offside, looked on

[Duty281]

Wenger loses at Stoke. Surprise, surprise!

[Crimey]

Decent performance, slightly unlucky to only win 1-0. Andy Robertson looked very good, big upgrade on Moreno.

[Duty281]

Mooy looks a class player; and he hits a wonderful finish.

Fully deserved.

[Guest]

Simply put, we're sh*t. Relegation six-pointer with WHU next week, Dolph.

Tottenham 1-2 Chelsea

[Duty281]

A fun second game. Fair play to the Spurs fans for generating an atmosphere at that dismal Wembley venue.

Chelsea: very clinical and highly clever (with the exception of Bakayako who is the clumsiest footballer I've seen in a good while).

As for tidy Huddersfield, maybe they'll soon start getting the respect they deserve; they're here to stay in the Premier League.

[Holymiky]

Wow some actual praise on here for Chelsea, i'm surprised to say the least.

[Guest]

God, Theirry Henry grinds on me as a pundit.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Slav was already under pressure! They don't like him.

However, having finally got around to watching it (frak off, Sydney karaoke bars and time differences), we were very unlucky and I'm chuffed to see we had the fight to get the two goals too. 

On top of that, Hernandez has still got it. Wonderful goals.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Simply put, we're sh*t. Relegation six-pointer with WHU next week, Dolph.

You'll win if we dont have Kouyate and Lanzini. Reid being out is a big blow too. Fonte looks shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit still.

[Hero]

Hernandez showed a great predatory instinct with those goals, the 2nd especially as that was not an easy shot at all to hit on the outside of the foot at such a quick reaction speed.

[Guest]

Man C 0-1 Everton - Rooney

Walker sent off

[Fernando]

Bobby Madley showing his quality refereeing by sending Walker off for backing into Calvert Lewin.

It's hilarious & a terrible decision.

[Duty281]

City look wild, angry and out of control. Far too desperate to thread through the final ball. Not a lot of team spirit on show.

Everton's direct approach is causing them a few problems, though I suppose they'll just need to be organised now to see it through. Old Wazza has done little of note, but he was in the right place for the goal.

Dismal decision to send off Walker.

[Duty281]

Wow some actual praise on here for Chelsea, i'm surprised to say the least.

They should be retaining the title this season.

[Guest]

Sterling needs to do a lot more of that. He should be looking at 15+ goals a season.

[Guest]

Bobby Madley

[Fernando]

That was some great Poopie from Aguero. He's a snide on the quiet.

Also what's with the Hurlock pic Freeky?

[Guest]

Ref's having a shocker.

[Guest]

That was some great Poopie from Aguero. He's a snide on the quiet.

Also what's with the Hurlock pic Freeky?

Just paying homage to the great man, Nando!

[Duty281]

Sterling injected some good impetus for City.

The second red card was a good call by the referee. Despite the 'got the ball' mantra that is preached by the Sky commentators, the Laws of the Game are quite clear that a reckless challenge (as the Everton defender's sliding tackle was) equals a yellow card.

Decent game on the whole. Everton should have backed themselves a little more.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

AGree with Morgan's red.

Thought Everton may have just shown the greatest sh*thouse performance of the season already (bar any West Brom game as they are transcendent). They were direct, dirty, snide and played mainly to defend. Nearly got away with it too

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