This is why you shouldn't trust pundits https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65735559 Aside from picking a number picking Citeh to win the title (which is like predicting an Audi driver will try to over-take you on a narrow country road) The amount of wrong predictions for the top4 this season is pretty impressive.
Pundits are exactly like fund managers advising you on which shares will do well and therefore to buy. Both know as much as the next person and their predictions as **** as anyone else. What is striking though is how far we fell below expectations. Every pundit put us in the top 2 and half put us as champions. We were only surpassed by Chelsea in having an awful season. IMO we prioritised the wrong positions in our recruitment and I also admit that the player I was most disappointed with was Darwin with the number of clear goal chances he missed. These would/should have turned draws into wins and I recall at least 3 matches and therefore 6 points, which would have given us a better chance at top 4.
He def missed a number. But then at the same time Mo’s overral performances at start of season were way below expectations and you’d expect your star player to step up when going gets tough. You can pinpoint any area though. Other than Ali, think every department let the team down and we didn’t miss out on top 4 based on 1 particular thing. Defence was much too open. midfield legs disappeared and offered no protection forward scored goals, but the numbers are exaggerated by 3 huge wins over Bournemouth, United and leeds. klopp was too stubborn to change anything until it was too late when it almost became a free hit. Just shows that you need all parts to be working effectively for a successful season
It's a funny old game - saint. Suarez and Salah made huge improvements to their respective teams. Haaland has been a phenomenal success, but for all his personal achievements, he's made no significant improvement to City as a team. They've beaten this year's goal tally, and had a better GD, 4 out of the previous 5 seasons. They've finished with fewer points twice over that period, one of them being when they came second and they'd thrown in the towel by the end of March. I pointed out this trend months ago, @Diego said I was talking rubbish (totally unlike him), but it was clear at the time. Even if defences get the hang of Haaland, City will still be a juggernaut, just without the battering ram. We really need to get our **** together and come back strong next year, as we're the only ones to give them a run for their money so far.
IMO The business of football is all about decisions. Footballers need to make the right decisions on the pitch. (e.g trent not arsed to run back or turning his back on an easy shot block etc etc etc, just one footballer example we have many) Coaches need to make the right decisions on training and fitness. Managers need to make the right tactical and strategic decisions Directors need to make the right funding and commerical decisions. We have got too many decisions WRONG over the past 3 years that have added up to this poor season. 1. Doctors. We have seen far too many bad decisions on player welfare, too many muscular injuries yes but look at thaigo knee and diaz knee, jota fitness. Serious errors of judgment. 2. Fitness. It is pretty clear to me that as a collective we made a complete mess of this season in terms of fitness that didn't simply boil down to last season and a quad effort. we were badly undercooked over preseason. We made it worse by out preseason tour as it in effect ruined 2 of a 4 week preseason. ( it was already 2 weeks short) 3. Player signings. FSG have really hurt in this regard in funding but we have made really odd calls over several windows. The one we got right was diaz and the instant impact really propelled us to that quad run. But look at whats gone on. Oxlade injured in preseason in injury time sprinting for a nothing ball in a nothing preseason game at 46mins. Result is off on a free. He should have been told he was getting zero time and get a new club 12 months ago min. Origi free. YEs is helped the quad run having cover. no it wasn't great vlue for us. Minamino. pointless signing and we were beneficiaries in the cups and made a profit. Another few mil and maybe we'd have got a real player then and not waited til last january to buy gakpo. Arthur. pointless waste of time and money in a panic. Keita should again have been told to go, not held and not played and if he wanted to fit there and waste (he has anyway) then fine but we would know. Thiago, could never run. What did we expect? gues swhat happens when you pay 200k a week to a guy who can pass all day but can't run. others blow up round him Wijnaldum. they knew full well what was going on with contract. Again no real decision was made and he was let go without replacement. Salah and mane. Playing the game with both TBH. One or other could have been sorted a year earlier and then move on the rest. 4. Systems and tactics It was obvious we had issues and persisted for months if not 2 seasons knowing people were specifically targeting our weaknesses without addressing them
Brooks back in wales squad after playing few games for Bournemouth since he returned from cancer. Brilliant for him
Good post. Tbf every business is about decisions; life is about decisions. Every decision has a consequence. The consequences can't always be foreseen and don't always present themselves immediately. It's only when you see the end result that you know whether or not you made the right decision. With regard to Liverpool this season, most of us knew that not strengthening was a poor decision but nobody could have foreseen the drop off in quality of several players compounded by lots of injuries. Without the drop in form and the injuries, we would likely have finished 3rd which wouldn't have been a bad return on the initial poor decision and could even have made it seem like not such the poor decision it turned out to be.
Well wanting the best is no sin. I think a lot of the time folk try very hard to make what they know are bad decisions or at least sub optimal look good just to defend the club at all times. nothing wrong with defending your club but fooling ourselves doesn't improve anything does it.
nah that's Spurs and the toilet bowl This is more like the current state of Goodison please log in to view this image