2018-2019 (Soccer) Football Thread

Myzozoa

to find better ways to say what nobody says
is a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
EDIT:
smogon football discord invite: https://discord.gg/XhNUyrC

Time for a new thread.

The code for smogon's epl fantasy group this season is: 689763-306520

we'll see if i remember to update my team after week 1.

this year's op is wondering:

1. Who will finish top 4 in the EPL
2. opinions on new extended CL format
3. Who will win the CL? (it won't be monaco or psg)
4. Who will be the starting 3 midfielders in chelsea's new 4-3-3? Will Jurginho and Kante both start?

thats it. if you have more questions post 'em.
 
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So, Crystal Palace signs Max Meyer. From a promising young talent at Schalke to clubless and eventually joining Palace. Probably chasing money at this point.
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
1. City and Liverpool are a cut above the rest and it's hard to imagine a situation in which they don't make top 4. Not much to say about them, City are clearly the favorites, but it's unlikely that they'll take the league by storm like last season, and a much improved Liverpool could give them a run for their money.

Below them, Tottenham seems like a safe bet although as always there will be questions about the lack of improvements to the squad, particularly in midfield. What's Spurs midfield duo supposed to look like this season? A selection of Dier, Sissoko, injury prone Wanyama and Winks, and an aging Dembelé doesn't inspire much confidence. Some reports suggest Alli will play a deeper role this season, so his ability to perform there will be key.

Finally there's Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, which all seem hard to evaluate from a pre-season standpoint. Arsenal and Chelsea might take time to adjust to their new coaches, while Manchester United are coming off a poor season in which they owed much to De Gea's magic, and with Mourinho's track record in 3rd seasons, a disaster might be in the cards. My gut says it will be Chelsea (if they don't end up losing Courtois or another important player before the window closes) the one to make top4 this season. They have a talented squad with few (if any) worrying spots, and there's serious concerns about both Arsenal and Manchester United.

2. New format is a bit unfair to France, with Ligue 1 having improved a lot the last few seasons and their new TV deal putting them at the same level as the other top european leagues in terms of revenue. Not much to say other than that, the top leagues are so dominant that UEFA is forced to cater to them.

3. Predicting the Champions League winner is a crapshoot, and with the uncertainty around teams like Bayern and Madrid it's even harder to predict. I feel like this might finally be the year for English teams.

4. There's no doubt Kanté and Jorginho will start. The third midfielder will likely be Fabregas, though given his age and the emergence of Loftus-Cheek they'll probably end up sharing minutes depending on their performance.

I still think anything from 30m to 40m is overpaying for Richarlison. At the end, he's still Silva pet player and he only performed under him. Everton is still a bad managed club when they are still trying to sell Lookman for less than 25M.

Liverpool is out there trying to sell Ings for 20M and Origi for 27M. Hyped for the season. Hope this can be a better season for us, Liverpool fans.
30m for Richarlison is a really good price, if you think otherwise then you have no clue how transfers work I'm sorry. Young players are always more expensive, and you need to consider a club like Everton has a harder time attracting players than other clubs. If they'd waited a year to sign Richarlison it's likely that stronger teams would have been in competition for him. They need to take these risks. That being said, yes, 40m (how much was it in the end?? each source says a different thing) is a bit of an overpay.

In any case, every time you see a transfer you shouldn't just look at the transfer fee. Wages are usually a bigger factor, and the age of a player is too. If Richarlison ends up staying 7 years at Everton (or they sell him for more) then his transfer fee will look like a bargain.

And I have no idea where this narrative that ''Everton is trying to sell Lookman'' comes from. They are NOT trying to sell Lookman, its clearly the opposite, they're trying to keep him, but he's trying to force his way out. In any case, even if he ends up leaving, don't forget that Everton signed him just 1 year ago for a low fee, so they'll still profit a lot from the operation.
 
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1. Like destinyunknown said above, City and Liverpool are clearly the two strongest teams in the league this year, and I have no doubts about both of them finishing in the top 4 spots this year, if not top 2.

I believe that Tottenham will take 3rd; Kane, Eriksen, and Son are just such a deadly attack and with wing backs like Rose and Trippier I think their attack is better than any other team not named Man City or Liverpool. Their midfield is definitely lackluster compared to someone like City, and that's why I don't think Spurs will be able to top Liverpool this season.

I have to say Man U are gonna take 4th, and not Chelsea. The latter have Hazard, Kante, and Courtois, but what else? I did not like Willian's performance at the World Cup this year, Giroud went 546 minutes without a goal, and Morata has been getting heat for his recent performances. If Chelsea really want to take 4th they are going to need Batshuayi to do big things in tandem with Hazard. I would also like to see Cheek get some playing time, because in the little time he played at the World Cup, I honestly think he did a good job.. Man U on the other hand have Lukaku, Lingard, Rashford, and Sanchez (who I hope does better). They are even better off if Pogba actually does anything and Mourinho is not a complete dope. In head to head matches I would expect Man U to win vs. Chelsea as well.

2. I do not mind the changes at all, considering I've always seen France's only hope being PSG anyways.

3. Oh baby this year is gonna be quite interesting. Real Madrid losing Ronaldo is a BIG blow considering he was a goal machine in that tournament, so I am going to say that they definitely will not win. That being said, it opens up the door for Barca and Bayern. I really think Juve have a chance this year with Ronaldo being on their team and they already had Dybala, Douglas Costa, and Cuadrado. The only issue I see with Juve is the goalkeeper problem (why did Buffon have to "retire" and then go to PSG ;_;). Honestly all the teams are great, and the semis are going to be a toss up between Liverpool, Barca, Bayern, and Juve.
 
Chelsea paying €80m for Kepa? Yeah don't give me that BS about how we "had" to sell Alisson for €62.5m plus €10m in bonuses lmao.
 
I mean he didn't have the best of seasons at club level, but how is 35 million and a loan without a buying clause the best Chelsea could get for Courtois, really don't get it.

Then to spend 70m on a good but not great keeper. Go get Butland for half the price, add another 30m and push for Oblak. Even Rui Patricio is probably a safer bet and he just cost Watford 18m.

There best forward is Giroud and they couldn't even get Benzema thrown in a deal.
 
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charizard8888

Catch The Wave
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
1 I think it's time Liverpool win the Premier League, they have a good squad though its gonna be tough. Man City also have a good chance of retaining, lets see what Mahrez can add into the star-studded side. Arsenal without Wenger is going to be interesting to see.
1 Liverpool
2 Manchester City
3 Arsenal
4 Spurs
2 Same as SaDiSTiCNarwhal

3 Barcelona seem to be the favourites for Europe with Messi and Suarez. Madrid without Ronaldo sounds a bit tough but who knows Bale might inspire them now. Juventus still look beatable but don't rule them out with Ronaldo and Douglas Costa. Liverpool and Man City are the best options for England. PSG are still a bit away despite having Neymar and Mbappe.
Predicted winners in order:
Barcelona
Liverpool
Real Madrid
Bayern Munich
Juventus
Manchester City
More questions:
1 Best signing of the transfer window on paper till now?
2 Mohammed Salah or Kane for the EPL top-scorer?
3 Thoughts on Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge? Can they get back to their brilliant best with more minutes to play and if no injuries this time?
 

Rowan

The professor?
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Whole Table Predictions!

1) Liverpool
2) Man City
3) Man Utd
4) Spurs
------------------------
5) Chelsea
6) Arsenal
-------------------------
Liverpool and Man City, as most people are saying are top 2 for me. I just have a feeling that this might finally be Liverpool's year, I think they're as good as City and have finally improved in much needed areas. Of course City are amazing, but they surely can't get 100 points again, and it will be much tighter. Man Utd have the squad to also challenge, and I think they'll do better than people are saying considering the negativity surrounding them, but again it could be a disaster season with Mourinho like Chelsea 15-16. Spurs I think will edge the top 4 again but I don't see their squad depth being big enough able to mount a title challenge. I have a feeling Spurs and Chelsea will be really close for 4th. No-one really knows how Arsenal are going to do without Wenger, but of course they could easily get into the top 4 as well.
------------------------
7) West Ham
8) Everton
9) Leicester
10) Wolves
11) Crystal Palace
12) Burnley
13) Bournemouth
---------------------------
Mid Table sides. West Ham have had an amazing window and brought in a title-winning manager so they're my pick for 7th. Everton have also done solid business, and even added a few last minute. Leicester are still a top 10 side and they have the advantage over the rest of the mid-table sides with having a top-class striker. Some good much needed defensive signings as well. Wolves, Palace, Burnley, Bournemouth I think will all comfortably survive as well, just have better squads than the teams below them. I think Burnley won't do as well as last season particularly if they qualify for the Europa League group stages.
--------------------------------
14) Fulham
15) Brighton
16) Southampton
17) Newcastle
--------------------------
18) Watford
19) Huddersfield
20) Cardiff

Relegation battle. I don't rate Cardiff's chances of staying up highly at all, and are definitely favourites for the drop. Huddersfield narrowly avoided the drop last season, and I don't reckon they'll stay up, I just don't think they're Premier League quality.
The rest, things are a bit closer. I have Watford down because they've been around the 40-point mark the past few seasons, and I think their time might be up. Newcastle (again) have had a bad window, and could easily go down too. Wonder if Benitez will eventually get frustrated with Ashley and leave? Southampton's decent players squad have just been constantly snapped up and I feel they don't really have anyone good left, but they should survive. Brighton and Fulham have a few star players to allow them to stay up.


if anyone's interested here's what I predicted last year in last year's thread compared to their actual standing: got a couple wildly wrong so take this year's with a big pinch of salt!
1) Manchester City (1)+0
2) Manchester United (2)+0
3) Arsenal (6) +3 (I did qualify this with if Sanchez leaves, I'll move them down to 6th so technically was right?:smogthink:)
4) Chelsea (5)+1
5) Spurs (3) -2
6) Liverpool (4)-2
7) Everton (8) +1
8) Leicester City (9) +1
9) West Ham (13) +4
10) Bournemouth (12) +2
11) West Brom (20) +9!
12) Southampton (17) +5
13) Crystal Palace (11) -2
14) Newcastle (10) -4
15) Stoke (19) +4
16) Brighton (15) +1
17) Watford (14) -3
18) Burnley (7) -11! oops
19) Huddersfield (16) -3
20) Swansea (18) -2
 
Auba or Lukaku for the golden boot. United to finish over Liverpool.

1. City
2. United
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool
5. Spurs
6. Arsenal

Southampton, Cardiff and Huddersfield down.
 
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Best of luck to Ings who didn't really get much chance to play at Liverpool.
Can anyone who watched the MU - Leicester game comment on the performances of players? From what I read, it was boring as Mourinho parked the bus after 3 minutes.
 

destinyunknown

Banned deucer.
I mean he didn't have the best of seasons at club level, but how is 35 million and a loan without a buying clause the best Chelsea could get for Courtois, really don't get it.

Then to spend 70m on a good but not great keeper. Go get Butland for half the price, add another 30m and push for Oblak. Even Rui Patricio is probably a safer bet and he just cost Watford 18m.

There best forward is Giroud and they couldn't even get Benzema thrown in a deal.
The reason Courtois was that cheap is simply that he only had 1 year left in his contract. If Chelsea hadn’t sold him he would have left for free next summer. Given the circumstances, they actually managed to get a good deal, though of course the questions are: Why didn’t they extend his contract last year? And why didn’t they have a replacement lined up? Clearly something went wrong in the process, but they salvaged the situation fine in the end.

As to why pick Kepa instead of Oblak, first of all Chelsea aren’t in the Champions League this season, so Oblak might have been wary about a move. Second, Chelsea is coached by Sarri, whose style requires a goalkeeper that can play from the back, which is the only thing Oblak is bad at, Kepa being adequate in that regard. Butland faces similar issues, and considering a goalkeeper is a long term investment I can see why they didn’t want to settle for a cheaper short term fix like Butland. That being said, Kepa was definitely overpriced, but Chelsea aren’t too worried about the money. Besides, as I have mentioned before, wages are usually a bigger concern than transfer fees, and Oblak’s wages would have been much higher than Kepa’s.

And come on, what do you think Benzema’s market value is? The press and fans may hate him but he’s still one of the best forwards in the world and any manager worth their salt knows that. There’s no way Madrid was letting Benzema go without finding a good replacement first, which is easier said than done. Chelsea don’t need to sign any strikers anyway, Morata played great last season before getting injured, and while it might be true that the negative comments are getting to his confidence, a new coach should be able to motivate him. Even then, Giroud is as good of a backup as it gets, while Batshuayi is a top tier striker as well and was loaned out, which underlines Chelsea’s depth in that position.

I really, really don’t understand why people think Morata was bad. His goalscoring return was good given it was his first season and that he suffered fitness issues. Just compare him with Drogba who’s celebrated by both Chelsea and opposing fans as one of the best ever, his goals by season were: 10, 12, 20, 8, 5, 29, 11, 5. Yet somehow people act like he scored 20+ every year.
Morata scored 11 last season, on top of being better than Drogba at pretty much every other part of the game.

Edit: yep, Oblak rejected Chelsea https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...atletico-madrids-jan-oblak-rejected-mzkk55tst
 
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Morata has had plenty of minutes in two very overpowered teams/unbalanced leagues and yet hasn't proven he can consistently hit a 15 goal season. All the other top 6 do and most of them have two. Chelsea scored the least out of the top 6 last season and Hazard is really their only other consistant goal threat if Morata plays. I do think they make a good run at 2nd this year though.

Drogba is loved because he is probably the best big game/finals striker the league has ever had. Lampard/Anelka made up for lack of goals.
 
Arsenal match was fine. It was 100000% as expected, and it's hilarious how twitter and social media idiots are acting like the club is a shitstorm..

Yet before today.. everyone was saying Arsenal is more likely a 6th place club.. fighting for 4th..

WELL THAT'S THE PERFORMANCE YOU SAW.

So the fuck are we even bitching about? Shit doesn't turn around overnight.

City is the best team in the league, and the 6th place finishers lost 2-0. Had some chances.. looked outmatched in all positions.. yawn.. next.
 
1. Squad wise I'd see it as a toss up between Pool and City. City had the strongest squad last season and there's really no reason to think they've gotten worse. Only think might be Silva and Fernandinho aging. Liverpool on the other side really has addressed its main weaknesses in GK, midfield and offensive depth. Especially Keita seems like a great buy, imo he has everything what it needs to become a world class CM. After that Chelsea (Kovacic, Kante and Jorginho midfield + Sarri as coach and Hazard staying could be amazing) and Spurs (continuity) for me, then United (weaknesses at LB and RW) and Arsenal (weaknesses at CB and LW).

2. good thing, give France four spots as well though

3. nice question, here are the obligatory viability rankings:
Sorry no time! Barca it'll be though. Simply look like the strongest squad remaining with Real lacking a proper goalscorer and us (Bayern) a second winger, who can potentially be world class, besides Coman. PSG, Juve and City are contenders as well.
4. Jorginho, Kante and Kovacic. Kante will play a bit higher up the pitch, like Allan did at Napoli, bringing in the physical component. Jorginho will play as 6. Will be nice.

Best signing: for me Keita or Jorginho, both are amazing CM. I also think Arthur will be a very interesting prospect. Also: Ronaldo will be a very poor signing long term because giving a 33 years old a 30m contract over 4 years is simply insane!
 
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lol how many times does Ronaldo have to prove he is a complete anomaly, normal rules don't apply to him. I don't personally think he is the 1st/2nd or even 5th best in the world anymore and hasn't been for a while, he will still tear up the Italian league and hit at least another 40 goals this season. It wouldn't shock me if he is still getting 30 when he is 37.

I think Atletico Madrid have a very good Champions League run in them. I don't see Real Madrid or Barca being able to stop Man City this time around either. Barcelona shouldn't be favourites they look very slow at times and Messi is starting to struggle in bigger games outside of El Clasico, City and Liverpool could probably run them off the pitch.
 
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lol how many times does Ronaldo have to prove he is a complete anomaly, normal rules don't apply to him. I don't personally think he is the 1st/2nd or even 5th best in the world anymore and hasn't been for a while, he will still tear up the Italian league and hit at least another 40 goals this season. It wouldn't shock me if he is still getting 30 when he is 37.

I think Atletico Madrid have a very good Champions League run in them. I don't see Real Madrid or Barca being able to stop Man City this time around either. Barcelona shouldn't be favourites they look very slow at times and Messi is starting to struggle in bigger games outside of El Clasico, City and Liverpool could probably run them off the pitch.
He scored "only" 26 last season and 25 the season before in LaLiga. Might be he scores a bit more this season because of Juve's dominance but "at least 40" seems like a stretch. I personally think there's clearly a decline. He still is outstanding on many occasions but he simply doesn't do it with such a consistency anymore. I think many people don't really understand the huge risk Juve took by signing him. With 60m salary over a 4 year contract + the 120m fee that's a package of around 360m overall. It really seems like an all-in for the CL considering they would probably win the league without him as well.
 

Soul Fly

IMMA TEACH YOU WHAT SPLASHIN' MEANS
is a Contributor Alumnus
He scored "only" 26 last season and 25 the season before in LaLiga. Might be he scores a bit more this season because of Juve's dominance but "at least 40" seems like a stretch. I personally think there's clearly a decline. He still is outstanding on many occasions but he simply doesn't do it with such a consistency anymore. I think many people don't really understand the huge risk Juve took by signing him. With 60m salary over a 4 year contract + the 120m fee that's a package of around 360m overall. It really seems like an all-in for the CL considering they would probably win the league without him as well.
he pays for himself even if he carries them to the win just once.
 
Atletico
Dortmund

Monaco
Brugge

Barcelona
Spurs

Inter
PSV

PSG
Pool
Napoli
Belgrade

Porto
Schalke

Galatasaray
Spartak

Bayern
Benfica

Ajax
Athens

City
Lyon

Hoffenheim
Donetsk

Real
Roma

CSKA
Plzen

Juventus
Valencia

United
Young Boys
 
Atletico
Dortmund

Monaco
Brugge

Barcelona
Spurs

Inter
PSV

PSG
Pool

Napoli
Belgrade

Porto
Schalke

Galatasaray
Spartak

Bayern
Benfica

Ajax
Athens

City
Lyon

Hoffenheim
Donetsk

Real
Roma

CSKA
Plzen

Juventus
Valencia

United
Young Boys
I think this looks spot on. Except United over Valencia. I mean, sure, Mourinho is on a meltdown but I don't believe Valencia is better than them yet.
 
Atletico
Dortmund

Monaco
Brugge

Barcelona
Spurs

Inter
PSV

PSG
Pool

Napoli
Belgrade

Porto
Schalke

Galatasaray
Spartak

Bayern
Benfica

Ajax
Athens

City
Lyon

Hoffenheim
Donetsk

Real
Roma

CSKA
Plzen

Juventus
Valencia

United
Young Boys
You have a lot of faith in Roma, what a shitshow in the opening 3 league matches.
 
A: Atlético, Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge. Not sure about this though, I feel like Monaco can either be 1st or 4th.
B: Barcelona, Tottenham, Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven. Inter can progress if they show up which seems challenging for them when it matters.
C: Liverpool, Paris, Napoli, Crvena Zvezda. tough to call but I believe Liverpool has the strongest squad of the four. Crvena Zvezda will win a match at least.
D: No clue. Just roll some dice for this group.
E: Bayern, Ajax, AEK Athens, Benfica. Ajax, aside from their Europa League final run, seem to not reach their full potential. But I think they can do better this time around.
F: Man City, anyone. I don't know.
G: Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Plzen. Should be straightforward enough.
H: Juventus, Man United, Valencia, Young Boys. Man United should do enough to get out of the group.
 

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