You can only put the same 11 players out there every match so many times before they end up "running on empty." Newcastle found that out in the 4-1 loss away to Spurs. The line-up wasn't bad, it was just gassed. That's all we'll say about Saturday. Well, except maybe that Spurs played pretty well so it wasn't just we were tired. But did Richarlison have to get two?
All For the Best
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| Tired and dejected; I think this is at the end of the Milan match but they are starting to look the same |
I believe this is for the best. They were very competitive and arguably deserved a draw. This was nothing like the moribund squad we saw in losses to Everton and Tottenham, even though there was only one change in the starting XI (Wilson for Isak). But, even recognizing that the knockout phases of these competitions don't start until January when a few more of the injured players might return, I think we've seen enough to know that this team isn't quite good or deep enough to be able to compete in multple competitions that include mid-week contests. I will be happy to see them with a few fewer fixtures and the energy to focus on the league. Thus far the club has been mostly measured in building a better squad and additional pressure of Champions League or Europa League might have caused them to abandon that patience. Yeah, I can rationalize anything.
Spin Doctor Please
What does it say about Aston Villa that they come up with less than their best effort against second place Arsenal yet still walked away with a 1-0 win? The xG (.67 - 1.47 favor the Gunners) suggests maybe some luck or maybe that Martinez is worth every penny in goal for Villa. Or what if this team might just be good enough to contend? As Dennis noted:
If Villa were City, the analysis would be that these are the tough wins you need to win a title
He might be right.
Double Jeopardy?
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| Dyche has Everton out of the relegation zone for the moment; also maybe the shiniest shoes of any manager in the league |
That's the good news. The bad news is that they could be headed for a second docking of nine points. The problem is they have been depending on loans from a potential purchaser to keep going. Absent those funds, the club would likely be at risk of administration (bankruptcy on this side of the pond) and would face another nine point deduction. Delays in approving the sale are putting those funds in jeopardy, though based on this article, it sounds like maybe they'll be okay.
You Can't Play Chelsea Every Week
Erik ten Hag didn't have a good week. Though the 3-0 final may be a bit misleading, Man United did not distinguish themselves at home against Bournemouth (another side I'd rather not play right now). They did have much of the possession and got off 20 shots, but only three were on target; xG was 1.26 - 1.57. Fast forward to Tuesday at home against Bayern for the Champions League group stage match they had to win to have a shot at making the knockout phase. The Red Devils came up very flat. Though the final was just 0-1 for Bayern, they were clearly outplayed. Paraphrasing Paramount commentator Peter Schmeichel here "it looked they had no chance of scoring." Well, they did manage one shot on target. So ten Hag finds himself neck-and-neck with Nottingham Forest's Steve Cooper as the manager most likely to be sacked right now.
Better Late Than Never
Liverpool have six second half stoppage time goals in their 15 matches that have netted them an extra seven points. If we extend it to the 80 minute mark, we add three more goals and another four points. Looking at it from the other side, they've only dropped one point from the 80th minute on.
What She Said
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| Welch has done Championship and FA Cup matches PA Wire/Adam Davy |
MLS Cup (ertino)
The MLS season came to an end with an okay if not thrilling 2-1 win for Columbus over LAFC. Certainly no LAFC - Union match like last year's final.
This may go down as the year that Apple did massive damage to the MLS brand. In the admittedly small sphere of fans here in Northwest Philly, that is the consensus. I recognize that the Union's dropoff in performance from the last few years could be a factor in our assessment. However, many of us went through the lean years with the Union without our overall interest in the league flagging this much.
Apple took away our excellent home team broadcasting crew, required us to pay extra to see our own team's matches on TV, was likely responsible for the six-week interruption in league play to have the Leagues Cup (more product for the Cupertino Broadcasting Company), and was also likely the reason for an interminable playoff period. I'm sure I'm forgetting something in that list. What do we think of a league that could only generate serious interest by importing Lionel Messi? He had a great run in the Leagues Cup but then got injured and Miami never made it to the playoffs. How his presence plays out next year remains to be seen. The league currently has 29 teams, will be adding San Diego in 2025 and may be heading to 32 in the near future. I don't see how that helps the situation. I think it just makes the league even harder to follow.
This article in Forbes suggests maybe I am an outlier as the MLS is doing better as business. Attendance is up, social media traffic is up, and merchandising is up. Maybe I'm just the wrong demographic. On the other hand, I haven't seen any data on viewership for MLS Season Pass. So maybe we really don't know how things are going. Color me skeptical.
On the Road Again
Family trip this weekend means limited viewing. I will not be the guy who yells "GOOOAAAAALLLL" in the middle of the wedding ceremony.
The weekend gets an early start with Nottingham Forest hosting Spurs at 3 pm Friday on USA. That does sound like a match for Spurs to build on their win over Newcastle. No 7:30 fixtures Saturday morning but four to choose from at 10. TV has Man City - Crystal Palace, which doesn't look all that competitive even given City's recent un-City form. Newcastle have Fulham; we would normally be optimistic about this match but the Cottagers come to town off consecutive 5-0 wins over West Ham and Nottingham Forest. Other choices are hot Bournemouth hosting Luton Town or Chelsea vs Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge. The NBC "feature" match at 12:30 is Burnley - Everton; Dyche can't match Kompany's sartorial splendor (except for maybe the shoes) but you wonder if Eveton's recent form will be too much for Burnley. Opta does have this as the closest match of the weekend at 35/30/35.
Four more games on Sunday. We would go with Brentford - Aston Villa as the 9 am choice but others might be drawn to Arsenal - Brighton (the TV game) or West Ham - Wolves. The 11:30 match - a good one between Liverpool and Man United - is on NBC for some reason.
The Carabao Cup quarters are this Tuesday and Wednesday. Since Newcastle are still in it, we still care about it, a little anyway. Tuesday is Everton - Fulham and Port Vale - Middlesborough. Wednesday is Chelsea - Newcastle and Liverpool - West Ham. Hmm, one of these is not like the others.
Also, there's a random Thursday EPL match at 3 pm between Crystal Palace and Brighton.
Plenty to watch as you wrap presents.
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