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2024-25 Premier League Thread

Villa put the boot in Newcastle today ... 4-1 beat down that easily could have been worse. Looks like the boys are ready to make a run at a Champions League slot after all. Really big result, especially since Newcastle had been maybe the hottest team in the Prem coming in.

Oh, and VDC's guy Maatsen had a lovely goal on about as aggressive an overlap as you'll ever see. That kid is coming into his own at just the right time.
 
The ground he covered on that overlap was unreal. At the start of his run he had a Newcastle player tracking his run. When he got the ball, he had nobody within a mile of him and that finish was sublime. I'm really happy to see my early enthusiasm for him being rewarded with some truly spectacular play now.

It's kind of a reason I'm a little sad that Emery seems to have decided that Nedeljkovic doesn't work for him, because the thought of having the fastest fullback pair on earth kind of makes me excited.
 
Leicester’s loss to Liverpool confirmed their relegation. Ipswich will make it 3 for 3 unless they can win out and overcome a 20 goal deficit to West Ham after losing to Arsenal today.
 
VinatieriDefinesClutch said:
The ground he covered on that overlap was unreal. At the start of his run he had a Newcastle player tracking his run. When he got the ball, he had nobody within a mile of him and that finish was sublime. I'm really happy to see my early enthusiasm for him being rewarded with some truly spectacular play now.

It's kind of a reason I'm a little sad that Emery seems to have decided that Nedeljkovic doesn't work for him, because the thought of having the fastest fullback pair on earth kind of makes me excited.
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I think Emery has decided that you can only get by with one of those guys at a time in England. In Spain you can afford to have to wild men bombing up and down both wings from the fullback slot and just covering the D with 2 CBs and a defensive mid. Try that in England and you'll get torched by basically everybody except the bottom 5
 
jeffbear said:
I think Emery has decided that you can only get by with one of those guys at a time in England. In Spain you can afford to have to wild men bombing up and down both wings from the fullback slot and just covering the D with 2 CBs and a defensive mid. Try that in England and you'll get torched by basically everybody except the bottom 5
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I think Cash right now is by far the best option at RB. I found Ned to be a lot more defensively responsible and able than Garcia who is a winger we have lining up at fullback sometimes. I wonder if there were communication issues as I have no idea what languages Kosta speaks.
 
Yeah, I liked Ned but found him a bit on the raw side. I think he's a guy who needs a few seasons at a lower level, which is why I wasn't that upset to see him go. Garcia is, as noted, a wing ... let's be honest. Konsa and Dasasi are CBs who "can" play fullback. I'm still not sure what exactly Bogarde is. Cash is the only one left and he's ... ok. At least you know what you're getting.
 
With 2 matches to go, Leeds and Burnley have clinched the automatic promotion spots in the Championship. They’re tied on 94 points, 8 more than 3rd place Sheffield United. Both the Blades and Sunderland have clinched spots in the playoff. Thr last 2 spots are still up for grabs. Bristol City is 5th with 67 points, Coventry is 6th with 66. Middlesbrough and Millwall have 63, Blackburn has 62. The foot of the table has a logjam too, with 7 teams between 43-49 points. Luton, Cardiff and Plymouth are the bottom 3 but Derby and Hull could still fall in. Oxford and Preston are probably safe, they have a better goal differential than any of the bottom 3.
 
jeffbear said:
Yeah, I liked Ned but found him a bit on the raw side. I think he's a guy who needs a few seasons at a lower level, which is why I wasn't that upset to see him go. Garcia is, as noted, a wing ... let's be honest. Konsa and Dasasi are CBs who "can" play fullback. I'm still not sure what exactly Bogarde is. Cash is the only one left and he's ... ok. At least you know what you're getting.
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I think I have a different opinion of Cash than you. I honestly think he's a pretty good all around fullback. I feel like he's made a huge step up offensively this year while still being a very good defensive fullback and has possibly improved on that aspect this season too. My biggest issue with Cash is that he can't stay healthy.

Bogarde actually looked pretty good during the very brief time he was played as a defensive mid which is what I would absolutely say is his true position. I'd say he's probably capable to decent as a DM, passable as a CB in a pinch, and horrible as a RB which is unfortunately where he's been used the most. Konsa and Disasi are most certainly CBs who become below average players when they play as fullbacks. If we played a back three, both would be more than capable as wide CBs, but we don't play a back three.

Honestly, I think Garcia is the best option if Cash is out in general, because at least he offers a threat going forward which forces the opponent to stay honest defensively. When we took Garcia off at half against Forest and in the second half, they just targeted Disasi cause he doesn't defend well out wide and he posed no threat going forward.
 
My issue with Cash is entirely the area between his ears. He's a quality all arounder and can run for days, but he's prone to some pretty weird decisions and always has been.

And if they HAVE to play a CB out on the right, I vastly prefer Konsa. He's not a threat going forward if he has to carry it himself, but he's pretty good out wide when others get him the ball and he defends in space a bit better than the other ducks out of water.
 
I agree on Cash in the past, this year I've found his decision making to be excellent and you can tell he is a player who is constantly working to get better. He's developed that left foot curler toward the back post which is an absolute weapon and has directly lead to two goals and a bunch of other solid chances. He just seems to have a much better understanding in general. He was barely involved offensively against Newcastle by design, but he still made a couple of really well timed runs when he saw the opportunity when Newcastle had switched off on that side.

I agree that while I don't like either there, I definitely prefer Konsa at RB to Disasi since he defends the position a little more naturally.
 
Yeah, I just think Emery FINALLY got through to him a bit. He has been better this season, when he's been healthy. Again, he's not a player I had a problem with. I have a problem with the fact that they've run like 5 guys in there and can't yet find a suitable backup plan for when Cash inevitably gets hurt again ... other than Konsa playing out of position. Which was an option from day one.
 
If Disasi ever plays at RB again, it will be far too soon. Emery single-handedly lost the match by bringing him on for Cash. That was almost predictable in how horrible it was.
 
Again ... my biggest complaint about the roster management over the last two years is the lack of a legit backup plan at RB. Find some kid or old guy who can give you 20-30 minutes and the odd start. It's not difficult, expensive or complicated.
 
So,with everything wrapping up in the next few weeks, let’s recap, including the lower levels of the EFL.

Premier League - Liverpool champions. Ipswich, Leicester, Southampton relegated. But the European spots are up for grabs, and with their spot in the FA Cup Final, Crystal Palace has entered the chat. Spurs and Man U are also still alive with their spots in the Europa League semifinals.

Championship - Burnley and Leeds clinched the automatic promotion spots. Sheffield United and Sunderland have clinched 3rd and 4th. Bristol City and Coventry have a tenuous grip on 5th and 6th. Millwall, Blackburn and Middlesbrough are all still alive and the top 9 pretty much play each other in the closing weekend. Boro is at Coventry, Blackburn is at Sheffield, Bristol City is at Leeds today, then hosts relegation threatened Preston on Saturday. At the foot, Plymouth and Cardiff have been relegated. Hull is 22nd but Stoke, Derby, Preston and Luton are still in the mix. Hull visits Portsmouth, Luton is at West Brom, Preston is at Bristol City and, in a relegation derby, Derby hosts Stoke, where the winner is safe.

League One - Birmingham and Wrexham (their 3rd consecutive promotion) have clinched the automatic promotion spots. Stockport County, Wycombe and Charlton have clinched playoff spots but are playing for position. Leyton Orient and Reading are timed for 6th but Leyton is ahead on goal differential. They visit Huddersfield, Reading hosts Barnsley. A thThe foot, Cambridge and Shrewsbury have already been relegated. Bristol Rovers and Crawley are all but doomed, either could theoretically tie Burton on points but they'd have to win big and Burton to lose big, Burton holds a 12 goal advantage on Crawly and a 14 goal advantage on Bristol.

League Two - Doncaster and Port Vale have clinched a of the 3 automatic promotion spots. Bradford is 3rd but onky 1 point ahead of Walsall and 3 ahead of Notts Coutny with an inferior goal differential to either. Bradford hosts Fleetood, Walsall visits Crewe and Notts County host ts Doncaster, which is playing to win the league. Wimbledon is 6th, Salford City is 7th but Grimsby and a chesterfield are still in the mix. At the foot, Morecambe and Carlisle have been relegated.

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