Premiere League & World Soccer Thread

#6,702
#6,702
Nash_Vol97 said:
Out of all the teams at the top with a realistic chance of winning the league, I hope it’s Villa. Much better than the alternatives.
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You’ll have to define realistic but I wouldn’t be opposed to that. I’d be utterly shocked if it happened though.
 
#6,706
#6,706
Nash_Vol97 said:
Out of all the teams at the top with a realistic chance of winning the league, I hope it’s Villa. Much better than the alternatives.
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Honestly, Villa have played out of their minds for the first half of the season. We’ll have Arsenal and Man City away in the second half and couple that with a probable loss to Liverpool and a likely split between Man United and Spurs, I don’t think winning the league is very realistic, however, I would argue not finishing top 4 might be considered a disappointment at this stage.
 
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#6,707
#6,707
Charlie Kelly said:
You’ll have to define realistic but I wouldn’t be opposed to that. I’d be utterly shocked if it happened though.
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Realistic in terms of “they are in the race”. It’s a long season with the league top to bottom better than it maybe ever has been, so no one’s going to run away with it IMO. Agree that them winning it would be shocking though.
 
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#6,708
#6,708
WestTennesseeVol said:
Honestly, Villa have played out of their minds for the first half of the season. We’ll have Arsenal and Man City away in the second half and couple that with a probable loss to Liverpool and a likely split between Man United and Spurs, I don’t think winning the league is very realistic, however, I would argue not finishing top 4 might be considered a disappointment at this stage.
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It’ll be tough sledding no doubt. May have been at home for the two you listed but still, 3 wins out of 4 games against the top 5 so far. Depth going to be key for the 2nd half of the season.
 
#6,709
#6,709
Nash_Vol97 said:
Realistic in terms of “they are in the race”. It’s a long season with the league top to bottom better than it maybe ever has been, so no one’s going to run away with it IMO. Agree that them winning it would be shocking though.
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That’s fair but remember Spurs were top at Christmas with Mourinho and finished 7th. Still a lot of games left.

As far as the league goes, I see it as something like: City-40%; Liverpool-25%; Arsenal-25%; Newcastle-4%; Tottenham-4%; Villa-2%. Newcastle and Tottenham are decimated by injuries right now (City as well). I would expect them both to stand a great chance of catching Villa once they’re healthy. Plus, Villa play a counter-attacking style. That’s great for stealing points off the Liverpool’s and City’s of the world but it’s a double edged sword. I watched Tottenham struggle for years to find goals against the likes of Wolverhampton and West Ham when those teams are perfectly content to sit in a low block and play for a 0-0 draw.

Weirder things have happened though and I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Villa winning the league would certainly be more palatable than Arsenal winning it.
 
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#6,710
#6,710
Charlie Kelly said:
That’s fair but remember Spurs were top at Christmas with Mourinho and finished 7th. Still a lot of games left.

As far as the league goes, I see it as something like: City-40%; Liverpool-25%; Arsenal-25%; Newcastle-4%; Tottenham-4%; Villa-2%. Newcastle and Tottenham are decimated by injuries right now (City as well). I would expect them both to stand a great chance of catching Villa once they’re healthy. Plus, Villa play a counter-attacking style. That’s great for stealing points off the Liverpool’s and City’s of the world but it’s a double edged sword. I watched Tottenham struggle for years to find goals against the likes of Wolverhampton and West Ham when those teams are perfectly content to sit in a low block and play for a 0-0 draw.

Weirder things have happened though and I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Villa winning the league would certainly be more palatable than Arsenal winning it.
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Fair, but in terms of scoring goals only City has scored more goals than Villa this season so far. Top 6 scoring clubs after City all within 1-2 goals of each other though. Is it sustainable for Villa is certainly the question. I think I definitely agree with top 3 percentages, but I’d probably flip Newcastle and Villa. Maybe even bring down City some and split that percentage evenly between the last 3.
 
#6,711
#6,711
Nash_Vol97 said:
It’ll be tough sledding no doubt. May have been at home for the two you listed but still, 3 wins out of 4 games against the top 5 so far. Depth going to be key for the 2nd half of the season.
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Yup. Pretty much the same players have been playing in the PL and the Conference League. At the end of the Arsenal game, you could tell some of the players were on their last leg. Could come down to which one is more valued by the players.
 
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#6,712
#6,712
Nash_Vol97 said:
Fair, but in terms of scoring goals only City has scored more goals than Villa this season so far. Top 6 scoring clubs after City all within 1-2 goals of each other though. Is it sustainable for Villa is certainly the question. I think I definitely agree with top 3 percentages, but I’d probably flip Newcastle and Villa. Maybe even bring down City some and split that percentage evenly between the last 3.
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Yeah, I could agree with that; we basically see it the same way. 3 contenders and 3 dark horses. I just think that all 3 dark horses are particularly unlikely to win the league. Although it would be a fun shakeup if one of them did (especially if that white team won it).
 
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#6,713
#6,713
ESPN has an article claiming City and Madrid have favorable draws. While I agree with City, not so sure about Madrid. I am not sure some of these "experts" watch the games. Leipzig sits third and have a shot at winning their league. I would argue Bayern, PSG, and PSV have favorable draws. This isn't the Lazio or Dortmund teams of last year. PSV have been dominant this year with three American players playing very well.

I'm taking Arsenal, Napoli, PSG, Atletico Madrid, PSV, Bayern, City and Real Madrid.

1702903042062.png
 
#6,714
#6,714
Outofmyvolcanmind said:
ESPN has an article claiming City and Madrid have favorable draws. While I agree with City, not so sure about Madrid. I am not sure some of these "experts" watch the games. Leipzig sits third and have a shot at winning their league. I would argue Bayern, PSG, and PSV have favorable draws. This isn't the Lazio or Dortmund teams of last year. PSV have been dominant this year with three American players playing very well.

I'm taking Arsenal, Napoli, PSG, Atletico Madrid, PSV, Bayern, City and Real Madrid.

View attachment 603057
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Not a great draw in terms of exciting matchups. Barca vs Napoli is probably the one that interests me the most. Agree that Leipzig vs Madrid could be better than some expect too. Pretty favorable draws for both City and Arsenal. PSG though.. snuck in on point differential and then get the only group stage winner that’s not a European champions league mainstay.
 
#6,716
#6,716
05_never_again said:
How big of an advantage is it for a team to not have UCL duty (Aston Villa) while trying to win a domestic trophy?
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Huge, especially if the team in question lacks squad depth.

But…Aston Villa are playing in Europe this season in the Conference League, which IMO is a far bigger impediment to league play than CL. In addition to the games being played on Thursday nights which leads to quick turnarounds for the following weekend, the opponents are often from leagues in Central and Eastern Europe which means traveling much greater distances than to Spain/Germany/Portugal/Italy where the knockout rounds of CL typically end up being.

At some point I think Villa will be forced to choose a lane. Chase a European trophy or chase a PL title. They don’t have the squad to do both.
 
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#6,717
#6,717
bleedorange0037 said:
Huge, especially if the team in question lacks squad depth.

But…Aston Villa are playing in Europe this season in the Conference League, which IMO is a far bigger impediment to league play than CL. In addition to the games being played on Thursday nights which leads to quick turnarounds for the following weekend, the opponents are often from leagues in Central and Eastern Europe which means traveling much greater distances than to Spain/Germany/Portugal/Italy where the knockout rounds of CL typically end up being.

At some point I think Villa will be forced to choose a lane. Chase a European trophy or chase a PL title. They don’t have the squad to do both.
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I didn't even know such a thing existed. There's a pan-European tournament that is a rung below Europa?

F that...they need to try and win the PL, and at the very worst set themselves up for UCL play next year.
 
#6,719
#6,719
MAD said:
Unai Emery is the king of European tournament's.
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The Conference League is a very realistic trophy for Villa this year. Emery does well in that type of setup. If I remember correctly, he won the Europa League at Arsenal.

Winning the league, however, is probably a bit of a pipe dream. Top 4 is definitely achievable though.
 
#6,720
#6,720
Charlie Kelly said:
The Conference League is a very realistic trophy for Villa this year. Emery does well in that type of setup. If I remember correctly, he won the Europa League at Arsenal.

Winning the league, however, is probably a bit of a pipe dream. Top 4 is definitely achievable though.
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They are clearly the best team in the Conference League.

The year he was at Arsenal they lost in the final.

IMG_5270.jpeg
 
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#6,722
#6,722
Charlie Kelly said:
The Conference League is a very realistic trophy for Villa this year. Emery does well in that type of setup. If I remember correctly, he won the Europa League at Arsenal.

Winning the league, however, is probably a bit of a pipe dream. Top 4 is definitely achievable though.
Click to expand...
I have no particular affinity for AV or any PL team, but that would be cool to see another team outside the Big 6 make Europe.

When you look at the current table you've got to think City is going to pass them at some point, and they'll have to fend off some mix of Newcastle, Spurs, and Man United to hang on for the 4th spot.
 
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#6,723
#6,723
05_never_again said:
I have no particular affinity for AV or any PL team, but that would be cool to see another team outside the Big 6 make Europe.

When you look at the current table you've got to think City is going to pass them at some point, and they'll have to fend off some mix of Newcastle, Spurs, and Man United to hang on for the 4th spot.
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Actually, West Ham won the Conference League last year. Clubs outside the so called “Big 6” win trophies every now and then just usually never the “big trophies”. And to be fair, Tottenham are technically considered part of that 6 and haven’t won anything since 2008. Spending a lot of money is no guarantee of success, just ask Chelsea.

As far as the top 4 goes, a lot of it will depend on who stays healthy. Yeah, City will almost certainly catch them at some point. And at full strength, I think both Tottenham and Newcastle field stronger sides than Villa but who knows when (or if) they’ll get back to that. Villa may have opened a 12 point gap by then which may be insurmountable. The transfer window is another consideration. Villa won’t be able to outspend against the Big 6 or Newcastle. They do have money to spend but not on a level with City or Newcastle (or even Tottenham). Incoming talent in January sometimes changes the complexion of a title race.

And yeah, it’s also conceivable that United or Chelsea will finally figure out how to play as a team and make a run. They certainly have the talent.

Villa are playing excellent football right now and a Conference League title plus a top 4 finish domestically should put most Villa fans over the moon. It’s achievable with where they sit but the season is barely half over. Still a long way to go.
 
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#6,724
#6,724
Villa are favorites for the Conference League, which automatically qualifies them for Europa League…which might be moot point if they place top 4. Villa doesn’t have the depth to field a B team capable of being competitive in the Conference League on its own, only players capable of giving other players a break at certain positions. I’d expect some early substitutions against Sheffield if we can get an early two goal lead.
 
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#6,725
#6,725
Charlie Kelly said:
The Conference League is a very realistic trophy for Villa this year. Emery does well in that type of setup. If I remember correctly, he won the Europa League at Arsenal.

Winning the league, however, is probably a bit of a pipe dream. Top 4 is definitely achievable though.
Click to expand...
Arsenal were runners up with Emery.

1702944719917.jpeg
 
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