Meet me here for the Liverpool-Norwich match. It starts at 930 AM PST, but I’ll be in the thread around 915. We can talk about the game, but also about whatever else you guys want. There, of course, was some pretty big news yesterday: I finally saw Little Women.
Great article! Neymar always being injured reminded me of Ousmane Demebele (every Pool fan‘s fav non Pool player) If he gets healthy, do you think he can be a top 5 player? If Barcelona ever play him?
I love this idea of international managers watching games live. To me, it seems more of a management technique -- go see your players play because you wanna show them that you care about them -- but on TV they always talk about it as if the players have to prove themselves. Ronald Koeman sees that Tim Krul save even if he's not at the game!
It's like the difference between an in-person meeting or webex in an office job. Less temptation for Koeman to check out his twitter feed while watching the game if he's in the stadium.
All right! Thanks to everyone who stopped by today; this was one of the liveliest chats yet. Maybe the late-Saturday PL game is the best time to do these, no matter who's playing. Liverpool have a 25-point lead atop the Premier League table. No team has ever had a 25-point lead atop the Premier League table. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
A thing that is real: Manchester City's financial director is a guy named Martyn Hawkins. That guy named Martyn Hawkins used to work at Deloitte. While he worked at Deloitte, Martyn Hawkins helped UEFA craft the Financial Fair Play rules.
Norwich have a 91-percent chance of being relegated, per 538. They also have a better expected-goal differential than seven teams in the league. Poor guys.
I'll answer my own question: Salah has 61 non-penalty goals and 24 assists over the past two-plus PL seasons. Mane has 43 goals and 14 assists. On top of that, Salah does a lot more in terms of attracting defenders and getting on the ball in the penalty area. Weirdly, I think Salah has become incredibly underrated over the past 18 months.
At what point do you look back and think...maybe that was the beginning of the decline? Not suggesting either are in that stage (or maybe I am), but is the question based off of current form, or historical performance?
Mane. Same age but about 3000 fewer minutes played for his career. Not a prediction but one would think that would make a difference in terms of longevity of peak performance.
Mane - assists, speed, and creativity. Though it would be interesting to see how effective he would be without Salah causing massive concern for defenders on the side and his great hold-up play.
What did you think of the very clever way Gerwig intercuts the two timelines? And also, if every person in charge of Barcelona disappeared in a Leftovers-type situation, how long would it take smart people to rebuild the club to best in the world status?
Is there a sort of athleticism often underrated or underappreciated at certain positions, an elite attribute someone like Henderson or James Milner has that's not given enough credit?
What do you mean, exactly? I think Milner's athleticism -- the guy is made of granite, and he still wins the club fitness test every year despite being 95 years old -- is pretty well appreciated.
I don't know precisely. Like something like Mane's speed or Salah's quick bursts (or Traore's stature speed etc. as you have pointed out) stand out immediately to fans and pundits alike. In basketball, people like Harden and Luka have shined a light on the art of deccelaration and the merits of developing that and using that to get shots off. Is there something like that that doesn't pop off the screen?
Did the Marquinhos and Veratti substitutions change something tactically with PSG's set up or was it just fresh legs coupled with potent PSG battering the doors down?
Now that the Premier League’s #5 finisher could be Champions League-bound, who do you think will finish fourth and fifth, assuming no collapses by the top three?
Hard to tell if it's improved or if they're just relying on him to do it more, especially after the rest of the league adjusted to him lighting them on fire in 17-18.
I could see the pace on the left side from Jamal Lewis & Cantwell give Liverpool a few problems. What do you think is Liverpool’s biggest weakness, if they even have one?
It's still the midfield, I think. The handful of games they've struggled in -- i.e. every time they played Napoli -- were against teams with, well, frankly world-class, athletic midfield. The space behind the FBs is obviously always there to exploit. But that's also by design.
Is there any current Championship side that you think can have a Sheffield or Wolves type first season? If not, who is most likely among them? And does the success of these promoted sides right out of the gate indicate some sort of new trend?
Leeds and Brentford, both. The best defensive teams are typically the ones that do well the next season. Sheffield allowed 16 fewer goals than either Norwich or Villa in the Championship last season. Wolves allowed the joint-fewest the year before. Leeds and B'ford have the two stingiest Ds in the league now. Not sure I'd read too much into the recent successes, though. Wolves are essentially run by a super-agent and are unlike any team in the history of English soccer.
I know you talked about it a little on the podcast but what the hell is going to happen with Paul Pogba? I'm a fairly new soccer fan and that guy was absolutely electric to watch during the WC and the year since then has been...unsatisfying to say the least.
I would say two things: it's easier for a midfielder to dominate international soccer because ... the teams aren't as good. I think the huge fee tied to his move to United probably created some unrealistic expectations for how good and how influential any midfielder could be, too. My default is to expect any player to remain with his current club, but I have a hard time seeing Pogba at Untied next season. Altough, maybe they'll be in the CL next season, so who the hell knows.
Let's see how the CL goes -- no real way to know what the team needs until they play the only games they care about. The Verratti-Gueye midfield is pretty damn good as is, though.
Do you think Arsenal or Man U. is "fixable" with top manager; Klopp, Pep, Poch, etc? Or are their management teams that incompetent (Or, as your newsletter highlighted, they print money either way)?
Personally think it comes down more to management. The best managers get the most out of what they have, but each of United/AFC are lack somewhere (or more than one place). Ryan's written about how soccer is a weak link sport, and each of those teams have areas that are simply not good enough to compete in the top 4 atm, and that'll hinder any manager.
I think Arsenal has a really tricky road ahead, given the make-up of the team. Three of their main attackers are either old or declining or both. The other one ... is a strange player who might just not be very good. I don't really know how much a manager can fix that, and I'm skeptical of how much one guy can change. Liverpool aren't only great now because of Klopp. Same, er, goes to City and Pep ...
Different story with United maybe. They don't have a hard-to-change roster situation. Their signings pretty much always fail, but they have so much money a great manager could probably mold something out of all the shit they throw against the wall. (Sorry.)
The cynic in me says "City plays in the CL next year", but we're really in uncharted territory here. If the ban gets overturned, then FFP would be in complete disarray; why would anyone stick by the rules? And if you did, you're a fool, right? So, I'm sorry I don't have a better answer, but it feels like a bunch of chaotic futures are on the table. The least chaotic one, shockingly, is the one where City don't play in the CL next season.
Those reports of City scrutinizing others teams's activity over transfers and sponsorship revenue is fascinating. Will be interested to see if anything comes of that.
Hey Ryan! Just saw your 538 chat about who comes fourth in the Prem this year; any idea whether you'll be able to do something like that more often this year? I love 538 and I love NGITC. It's a match made in heaven
Hey everyone! A piece I wrote for ESPN just went up. I kind of make the case for PSG to win the Champions League. PSG are currently losing 3-0. Good stuff! https://www.espn.com/soccer/uefa-champions-league/story/4052884/psg-to-win-the-champions-league-neymarmbappe-and-co-compare-closest-to-past-10-winners
PSG have come back on goals by two players in the Friday newsletter; Herrera and Kouassi.
Great article! Neymar always being injured reminded me of Ousmane Demebele (every Pool fan‘s fav non Pool player) If he gets healthy, do you think he can be a top 5 player? If Barcelona ever play him?
Thanks. And sure, why not! But he basically only has one full season as a pro under his belt. Hard to be too confident in that.
Ah yes, a halftime commercial from Michael Bloomberg.
Mane coming off the bench against the last-place team who have defending for 70 straight minutes -- just cruel.
And so the machine churns, beautifully eviscerating those who dare step in its path.
He was getting pissed watching Salah pass his goal total
I love this idea of international managers watching games live. To me, it seems more of a management technique -- go see your players play because you wanna show them that you care about them -- but on TV they always talk about it as if the players have to prove themselves. Ronald Koeman sees that Tim Krul save even if he's not at the game!
It's like the difference between an in-person meeting or webex in an office job. Less temptation for Koeman to check out his twitter feed while watching the game if he's in the stadium.
I'm into this. It's all just a digital detox.
Also, what else are they going to spend their time doing
Angry birds
All right! Thanks to everyone who stopped by today; this was one of the liveliest chats yet. Maybe the late-Saturday PL game is the best time to do these, no matter who's playing. Liverpool have a 25-point lead atop the Premier League table. No team has ever had a 25-point lead atop the Premier League table. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Thank you once again, Have a lovely weekend! All Hail the FFP
I really enjoy these. Thanks again. Enjoy the weekend!
A thing that is real: Manchester City's financial director is a guy named Martyn Hawkins. That guy named Martyn Hawkins used to work at Deloitte. While he worked at Deloitte, Martyn Hawkins helped UEFA craft the Financial Fair Play rules.
Done in by his own creation, must be how Gijon felt when Villa scored in a 1-0 win for Barca in the Pep era.
Anyone ever watch these "Consumer 101" shows that always seem to be airing before NBC's Saturday Premier League game?
I feel like this should be the topic on the next pod
You're supposed to try to get people to LISTEN to the podcast.
It would be the pod equivalent of wolves/united
Counting last weekend, we've exceeded 150 minutes of chat time without a goal.
You may have to stop these chats.
Or start them for city games
or just have one for PSG-Dortmund to ensure this streak does not continue
Norwich have a 91-percent chance of being relegated, per 538. They also have a better expected-goal differential than seven teams in the league. Poor guys.
Is that just bad luck?
I wouldn't say it's "just" bad luck, but luck/variance/randomness/whatever is the biggest factor in it.
Hard to feel like Norwich didn't just blow their only chance
SNAP POLL: You can have either Salah or Mane for the next two seasons -- only one. Who are you taking? And why?
I'll answer my own question: Salah has 61 non-penalty goals and 24 assists over the past two-plus PL seasons. Mane has 43 goals and 14 assists. On top of that, Salah does a lot more in terms of attracting defenders and getting on the ball in the penalty area. Weirdly, I think Salah has become incredibly underrated over the past 18 months.
😊
At what point do you look back and think...maybe that was the beginning of the decline? Not suggesting either are in that stage (or maybe I am), but is the question based off of current form, or historical performance?
Mane. Same age but about 3000 fewer minutes played for his career. Not a prediction but one would think that would make a difference in terms of longevity of peak performance.
Mane - assists, speed, and creativity. Though it would be interesting to see how effective he would be without Salah causing massive concern for defenders on the side and his great hold-up play.
I think it'd look a lot like this did: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/03/20/southampton-3-liverpool-2-mane-of-the-moment-inspires-revival/
Mane. I believe Salah does less damage in another team. Kind of like Salah at Roma. Or Salah at Chelsea.
Liverpool should be winning. But it's also crazy that Liverpool haven't really had a frustrating game like this before today.
Mane in a blink of a second. nice reverse jinx maneuver there
What was the Klopp-equivalent for "Fergie Time" ... didn't someone come up with a clever name for the late goals Liverpool were scoring?
Kloppage Time, baby.
Haha yes. Perfect!
Which Premier League manger is the spiritual equivalent of each of the Little Women?
Jesus. Jo: Klopp. Amy: Brendan Rodgers. Meg: Lampard. Beth: Eddie Howe. Aunt March: Roy Hodgson.
What did you think of the very clever way Gerwig intercuts the two timelines? And also, if every person in charge of Barcelona disappeared in a Leftovers-type situation, how long would it take smart people to rebuild the club to best in the world status?
The timeline threw me off a couple times, but I almost think that's the point. She's the best. Great podcast re: the movie and Louisa May Alcott, if anyone is interested: https://radioopensource.org/greta-gerwig-meets-louisa-may-alcott/
Which Man City players should Liverpool try to poach now that they are banned from UCL?
Maybe bring in Pep to coach the U-23s?
#poachPukki
There should be a picture-in-picture on this broadcast with that camera angle looking up at Alisson from the ground at all times.
When Keita plays, he seems to continually find himself on the ball in dangerous positions, he's just missing that final touch at the moment.
Yep -- just getting in those spots is, like, 90-percent of the battle, though.
Agreed. I think more (injury free) playing time would see more sharpness and cohesion with the other players.
You peasants counted PSG out! Amateurs!
I LOVE SOCCER
You sure about that? https://twitter.com/InfogolApp/status/1228745614546083841
Who comes in 5th for the Prem League and does this rejuvenate the season for mid table teams?
It's huge, in terms of mid-table excitement! I think United would be my favorite to grab it, but really: I trust none of these teams.
I think the Blades have it too!
Who, in your opinion, was the Littlest of the Women?
Chalamet?
Liverpool have broken my brain to the point that I have them in a parlay and I'm still annoyed to see them go a head
Is there a sort of athleticism often underrated or underappreciated at certain positions, an elite attribute someone like Henderson or James Milner has that's not given enough credit?
What do you mean, exactly? I think Milner's athleticism -- the guy is made of granite, and he still wins the club fitness test every year despite being 95 years old -- is pretty well appreciated.
I don't know precisely. Like something like Mane's speed or Salah's quick bursts (or Traore's stature speed etc. as you have pointed out) stand out immediately to fans and pundits alike. In basketball, people like Harden and Luka have shined a light on the art of deccelaration and the merits of developing that and using that to get shots off. Is there something like that that doesn't pop off the screen?
How many great balls in has Henderson delivered this year? More than the rest of his career combined?
Naby going to come good
What an entrance by Mane. Immediate liveliness
Wow
What changes are you making at this point? Is Mane fit?
Probably Origi for Ox? There's another theoretically-much-more-important game in three days.
I don't understand why Norwich don't play Buendia more
Same. I guess today they've finally decided to go to extreme damage-limitation mode, so maybe that's why, but doesn't explain all of the other times.
More chaos, IMO
I'm shocked Suarez doesn't have a hat trick for LFC already today. I recognize he plays for Barca. My statement stands.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Did the Marquinhos and Veratti substitutions change something tactically with PSG's set up or was it just fresh legs coupled with potent PSG battering the doors down?
Now that the Premier League’s #5 finisher could be Champions League-bound, who do you think will finish fourth and fifth, assuming no collapses by the top three?
I think Chelsea grab fourth -- not at all confident in what happens after that. As I said somewhere else in the chat, I'll unconfidently pick United.
Salah’s hold up play has improved so much.
Hard to tell if it's improved or if they're just relying on him to do it more, especially after the rest of the league adjusted to him lighting them on fire in 17-18.
Good point. It is nice to watch him hold on to throw ins right in the corner of the box. It seems like one of those will result in something good.
I could see the pace on the left side from Jamal Lewis & Cantwell give Liverpool a few problems. What do you think is Liverpool’s biggest weakness, if they even have one?
It's still the midfield, I think. The handful of games they've struggled in -- i.e. every time they played Napoli -- were against teams with, well, frankly world-class, athletic midfield. The space behind the FBs is obviously always there to exploit. But that's also by design.
Has there ever been a player with more confidence than Bobby has right now?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fygu4KrxJqc
Only right that it's his idol
Is there any current Championship side that you think can have a Sheffield or Wolves type first season? If not, who is most likely among them? And does the success of these promoted sides right out of the gate indicate some sort of new trend?
Leeds and Brentford, both. The best defensive teams are typically the ones that do well the next season. Sheffield allowed 16 fewer goals than either Norwich or Villa in the Championship last season. Wolves allowed the joint-fewest the year before. Leeds and B'ford have the two stingiest Ds in the league now. Not sure I'd read too much into the recent successes, though. Wolves are essentially run by a super-agent and are unlike any team in the history of English soccer.
I know you talked about it a little on the podcast but what the hell is going to happen with Paul Pogba? I'm a fairly new soccer fan and that guy was absolutely electric to watch during the WC and the year since then has been...unsatisfying to say the least.
I would say two things: it's easier for a midfielder to dominate international soccer because ... the teams aren't as good. I think the huge fee tied to his move to United probably created some unrealistic expectations for how good and how influential any midfielder could be, too. My default is to expect any player to remain with his current club, but I have a hard time seeing Pogba at Untied next season. Altough, maybe they'll be in the CL next season, so who the hell knows.
Am I the only one who thinks PSG should sell Neymar and buy Pogba? Feels like he could be the missing piece in their midfield
Let's see how the CL goes -- no real way to know what the team needs until they play the only games they care about. The Verratti-Gueye midfield is pretty damn good as is, though.
Pogba to Kansas City Wizards. Heard it here first.
Do you think Arsenal or Man U. is "fixable" with top manager; Klopp, Pep, Poch, etc? Or are their management teams that incompetent (Or, as your newsletter highlighted, they print money either way)?
Personally think it comes down more to management. The best managers get the most out of what they have, but each of United/AFC are lack somewhere (or more than one place). Ryan's written about how soccer is a weak link sport, and each of those teams have areas that are simply not good enough to compete in the top 4 atm, and that'll hinder any manager.
I think Arsenal has a really tricky road ahead, given the make-up of the team. Three of their main attackers are either old or declining or both. The other one ... is a strange player who might just not be very good. I don't really know how much a manager can fix that, and I'm skeptical of how much one guy can change. Liverpool aren't only great now because of Klopp. Same, er, goes to City and Pep ...
Different story with United maybe. They don't have a hard-to-change roster situation. Their signings pretty much always fail, but they have so much money a great manager could probably mold something out of all the shit they throw against the wall. (Sorry.)
I am an Arsenal fan because when I got into football after the 14' World Cup my fellow Chicago Sports fan was a huge Arsenal fan. I hate him.
What do you think is the likelihood of the two year ban being upheld?
The cynic in me says "City plays in the CL next year", but we're really in uncharted territory here. If the ban gets overturned, then FFP would be in complete disarray; why would anyone stick by the rules? And if you did, you're a fool, right? So, I'm sorry I don't have a better answer, but it feels like a bunch of chaotic futures are on the table. The least chaotic one, shockingly, is the one where City don't play in the CL next season.
Those reports of City scrutinizing others teams's activity over transfers and sponsorship revenue is fascinating. Will be interested to see if anything comes of that.
Hello Ryan! Hope you are well. Happy to see you doing well about the place
Buddy! Same to you, set-piece wizard.
Hey Ryan! Just saw your 538 chat about who comes fourth in the Prem this year; any idea whether you'll be able to do something like that more often this year? I love 538 and I love NGITC. It's a match made in heaven
Ah, thanks! The plan is for us to do them every other week.