@ COACH: Lets talk Tactics!

[Coach]

^”wad’yu mean, dey played four-ehen-ehennnn”.

[The YeyeMan]

Read that earlier.

The level of detail and efforts taken to prepare by some of these coaches is incredible.

Also highlights for me the lack of seriousness on the part of our ex-players who are involved in coaching...

Not sure about that....

How many coaches are as prepared and as considered and as intelligent as Bielsa - he's a one-off and it'd be arguably unfair to use him as a yardstick.

That said, perhaps our ex-players could do more.

Side note: Even the Arsenal executives who interviewed Emery were amazed by his highly-detailed knowledge of each of Arsenal's players. This level of knowledge has become the norm and is only acquired by putting in the effort.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/emerys-d ... ejqke0zm70

[Coach]

The Championship waits with bated breath. Bielsa, to many, represents Leeds’ last roll of the dice, a magic dust blown into the face of the sleeping giant. On paper, it’s brilliant, fascinating, a marvellous gamble. If anyones going to graft as hard as Bielsa, t’is a Yorkshireman, thickly cut farmhouse loaf sandwiches wrapped in “local paper”, flasks full of Yorkshire brew. Hard work is or rather, was their birth right. Can Bielsa’s gracing the throne restore the kings of the North or they banished to the nights watch for eternity, for crimes of their past?

Losing Ronaldo Viera for such a slender price in this ridiculous market was a blow. A big blow. Does he have the tools at his disposal? Does the Championship have the acuteness of mind to embrace and understand his intentions? Is El Loco still the weird scientist capable, adept in the arts of Galvanism, as demonstrated by th electric Chile of years past. Or is that mere water under the bridge? It will be interesting, that being said, one expects more pressing and positional changes than 3-3-1-3s and inverting wingbacks.

[txj]

Interesting Community Shield; mostly from the City and Guardiola perspective.

While Sarri and Chelsea will surprise people, it probably wont be enough, even without CL football...esp if they lose Courtois and esp Hazard.

But back to City. Game reminded me of the Spurs/City game at end of last season with Poch throwing his entire tactics book at City, with zero impact on the game...

City will be HARD to beat this season. Even without the additional new CM Guardiola seeks, they remain head and shoulders above everybody...

And with the addition of Mahrez, I see a new wrinkle on the attacking jigsaw: the breakaway from deep a la Leicester under Ranieri, with the vertical out ball to Mahrez high, wide and handsome.....

The Algerian brings a skills set that makes almost every tactical option possible in the last third, able to play in place of Silva, Bernardo, Sterling, Sane, KDB; even Aguero as a false nine...

I almost wish they got Jorginho, just to see how Pep would've used him...

Having said these, it remains to be seen how it will play out...

Welcome to the most hyped football league in the world:

Let the hype begin!!!!

[The YeyeMan]

[The YeyeMan]

Welcome to the most hyped football league in the world:

Let the hype begin!!!!

What Guardiola told Sarri during dinner with Arrigo Sacchi

Yet Guardiola appeared to frame it in a positive way. “He said that football is football everywhere and, sure, if I had the chance to come to England, I should take it,” Sarri said. “Every coach in this moment wants to work in England. The Premier League is the best in the world.”

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ity-shield

[Coach]

There’s a certain type of tunnel vision unique to media men/women. Still rolling with the questions, hilarious.

[txj]

Welcome to the most hyped football league in the world:

Let the hype begin!!!!

What Guardiola told Sarri during dinner with Arrigo Sacchi

Yet Guardiola appeared to frame it in a positive way. “He said that football is football everywhere and, sure, if I had the chance to come to England, I should take it,” Sarri said. “Every coach in this moment wants to work in England. The Premier League is the best in the world.”

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ity-shield

Best in the world at what?

Context bro; context is everything....

[Coach]

@BeniTx, granted the EPL lacks a Real or Barca, but that aside, its arguably the most competitive of the big leagues. League winners, domestic cup winners, relegation battles. Then theres the money, the marketing, the managers. La Liga is certainly the most successful, the more technical, but as a full package, the EPL is unparalleled. It just has more to offer.

[txj]

Interesting wrinkle from Klopp today.

Formation was basically 4-3-WTF

So much mobility, esp lateral mobility, with Gini as anchor, and the two CDs with fixed positions, movement wise...

WH were poor though...and Liverpool never let them get a foot in...

[The YeyeMan]

Do you think Pool will go back in for Fekir in January? Is he needed?

[txj]

Do you think Pool will go back in for Fekir in January? Is he needed?

Still need a top creative MF to replace Coutinho. As for Fekir, doubt it...

[Coach]

Venit, vidit, et mortuus est. Requiem for Sarriball. The dye has indeed been cast and one would be at loss to find fair reason for the retention of this sorry/Sarri misfit. After a swashbuckling beginning, there came the plateau and then the spectacular plummet. Can the Carabao save Sarri for another week? For all ills and infantile technicality of the Premiership, a charge levied by many of its naysayers, how easily the overburdening physicality of the up and at ‘em English game, has humbled, hogtied and how’s your father’d the conductor and his choir boy. No more than a salvage job at the Stamford now.

[txj]

Two years ago it was Fraudiola. Remember?

Today it is SorryBall...

Tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil...

[danfo driver]

Two years ago it was Fraudiola. Remember?

Today it is SorryBall...

Tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil...

What has Guardiola won at Man City?

[danfo driver]

Interesting Community Shield; mostly from the City and Guardiola perspective.

While Sarri and Chelsea will surprise people, it probably wont be enough, even without CL football...esp if they lose Courtois and esp Hazard.

But back to City. Game reminded me of the Spurs/City game at end of last season with Poch throwing his entire tactics book at City, with zero impact on the game...

City will be HARD to beat this season. Even without the additional new CM Guardiola seeks, they remain head and shoulders above everybody...

And with the addition of Mahrez, I see a new wrinkle on the attacking jigsaw: the breakaway from deep a la Leicester under Ranieri, with the vertical out ball to Mahrez high, wide and handsome.....

The Algerian brings a skills set that makes almost every tactical option possible in the last third, able to play in place of Silva, Bernardo, Sterling, Sane, KDB; even Aguero as a false nine...

I almost wish they got Jorginho, just to see how Pep would've used him...

Having said these, it remains to be seen how it will play out...

Welcome to the most hyped football league in the world:

Let the hype begin!!!!

People are certainly surprised!

[txj]

Gonna be a tough game for LFC today, with all the absences...

[Coach]

@Tx, objectivity, must every utterance wreak of the disdain for all things Anglais? Sarri has proven as predictable as the circus leading upto an election in Nigeria. Yes We Yam, the campaign slogan, as tubers are handed out to the gathering dimwits, who in turn wash the feet of this samaritanic clown. “May God bless you with all the riches of the soil”. I digress. How easy has it been for Jorginho to be crowded out, bullied into submission. First Bournemouth, then City and now ordinary Ole Solksjaer. This is a far cry from Guardiola’s first season, this in arguably Wenger’s last, stoic adherence to failed principles, disgrace aplenty.

[txj]

@ coach,

Leicester vs Norwich...some thoughts...

Really enjoyable tactical contest between two progressive managers.

The setup by Farke at Norwich was simply brilliant...

Shifting the line of press towards Maddison and matching Leicester 3v3, or taking advantage of lack of discipline by Ndidi in vacating the "1" ahead of the back four; they would slide Buendia into the position the Nigerian vacated and then release Pukki...

Multiple variations of this theme; forcing "the walrus" into multiple change of shape and ultimately sacrificing Kele, to limited success...

[txj]

MODS please move this accordingly. Thnx

[txj]

On the aforementioned Ndidi:

Interesting to hear Rogers in an interview speak of switching to a 4-1-4-1 to afford him "space" to control things.

But methinks, some of his technical weaknesses are revealed herein...even as he grows in leaps...

What about Nigeria adopting a similar approach?

[txj]

@coach,
Looking at the conundrum that is Adama Traore and Nuno’s use of him.

Wide right and stuck wide. As in aradilte glue stickiness.....

Used almost exclusively for the 1v1 run to unbalance defenses, even with five opponents around him...

No attempt to create space and then unleash him.
No requirement for him, having attracted a posse of players, to find the man in the space so vacated.

Just the bull running through obstacles in the alley delivering crosses...

[kalani JR]

Arteta's decision to spread the Tierney/Saka threat instead of playing them both on the same flank.