[Mikus LFC]

But pre season tours (which admittedley can involve a lot of travelling) are not intensive tournaments themselves – they are about players building up fitness and togetherness – unlike a world club cup which would be a hell for leather tournament that players would be expected to perform at their highest levels. So players could play a CL final in early June, then jet off a few weeks later for another intensive tournament in China, return in July for pre season games, then straight into a full season in early August. A year later they would have the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, albeit in the winter, though they’ll still obviously have to fit the domestic season in. Any African players would then have to compete in the 2023 African Cup of Nations between June and July 2023. Back to the Euros in Germany in the summer of 2024 (or Copa America for South American players in 2024). Back to the Club World Cup in the summer of 2025. Back to the World Cup in the summer of 2026 in USA/Canada.

That’s just getting utterly ridiculous…

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[Mikus LFC]

It’s a moot point whether the competition would be held every 4 years because it still wouldn’t change the already tightly packed football calendar we would have that particular year. And it would add further stresses to it that it doesn’t need. (Lets not forget the Euros and the World Cups in between too!). And I disagree with the argument that teams have big squads so can deal with it – squads are there primarily as back ups in case of injuries – but this idea of squads has been redefined in recent years in that they are now there to allow teams to complete in more and more competitions. Managers I suspect don’t really like having to rotate – they always want to field their stronger XI. And we all see how hard it is for even the big teams to keep their second string happy. What we’re actually seeing here is market forces redefining and dictating how clubs should be modelled. But such a competition as this may cross a line that will be the straw the breaks the camels back for the teams – unless something else gives – e.g. as has been mentioned, a reduction in the number of teams in a domestic league or the sacrificing of domestic cups. I accept the points made on the Amazon thread regarding teams having to endure the consequences of taking the money from the broadcasters, but we are clearly now getting to saturation point. And so something is going to have to give somewhere else. Players may be paid a fortune, but they’re still human beings prone to exhaustion and stresses and I think regardless of the money, this is still exploitation.

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[Mikus LFC]

The Arsenal job was always going to be a difficult one after Wenger because I just don’t think they have any real cohesive foundation with regards to long serving players who love the club and will fight for it. I mean Wilshere may have had his injuries and doubters but a player like that who was Arsenal through and through should never have been let go so easily. I think even Wenger admitted it was wrong to let him go. So I think any new manager was always going to struggle to find some sergeants in the dressing room to carry out his orders and lift his side on the pitch. And then add to that, it seems that Emery isn’t terribly charismatic to lift the players that are in the dressing room and fire them up and get them to believe in something. He just appears a safe, tactical and pragmatic manager, and given the above, Arsenal need so much more than that.

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[Mikus LFC]

Why aren’t referees using the pitch side monitors?

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11841122/var-why-arent-premier-league-referees-using-monitors

The matter may be discussed at a meeting of Premier League clubs next month.

“The referee always has the ability to go and look at the monitor if that’s what they choose to do,” Mike Riley, PGMOL managing director, told Sky Sports News after a club meeting last month. “We have to balance not impacting on the speed and flow of the game.”

PGMOL bosses have not felt the need to review whether they should instruct officials to use the pitchside monitors more frequently and referees are understood to remain “pleased” with how VAR has been implemented.

Sounds like an authority patting themselves too much on the back for my liking. And even if there were some referees that want to criticise it, would they have the freedom to do so or be listened to?

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[Mikus LFC]

I said more “resolute” teams than those who sit back. I just think when opposing teams are determined to choke certain areas of our team be it the full backs or our front 3, they basically stifle us because we offer little down the middle. And we end up like we did vs Sheff Utd or yesterday just wafting balls up top and hoping for the best. With City it’s harder to stifle them because they are also so strong down the middle. In my mind City would have won that game yesterday (and quite convincingly at that).

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[Mikus LFC]

It’s disappointing that Klopp made such a song and dance about Origi. I mean, regardless of whether it was a foul or not, we were way up the field. To blame that losing possession in that area led to us conceding a goal is pretty desperate.

As for Utd getting their tactics right, I don’t doubt they did. But you’d only have to watch our recent away game with Sheffield Utd to see how much we can struggle to break resolute teams down and thus you can quickly attain the blue print in how to get a result against us. Yet Klopp perseveres with that system so stubbornly at times, he even frustrates himself.

I said it last season, and I’ll say it again this season. We need Keita up and running as possible. We are still missing a substantial piece of the jigsaw that only he, it seems, can fill.

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[Mikus LFC]

I think the Utd board may look at today and think they may now get away with damage limitation for the foreseeable future until they can perhaps at least bring in reinforcements in January. Had they got beaten heavily today and lost a few more games ahead, I think they’d have to have made a change. So, somewhat of a turning point today perhaps. But even if they do pick up a reinforcement or two, it’s still hard to see them putting a good run together. And Solksjaer before the game today actually conceded that they may have a better chance today as they tended to do better against more open sides and struggled vs more defensive ones. He was obviously proved right, but for a Man Utd manager to publicly admit that, is for me, an outstanding admittance of weakness – something that should never be admitted by such a manager (even if true). So I can still see him being removed at some point this season.

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[Mikus LFC]

We were never going to win with that starting line up. If one of our front 3 is out, throwing in Origi just isn’t enough. He has to also make an adjustment in midfield – as he ultimately realised as the game went on. Hopefully Klopp will learn from this.

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[Mikus LFC]

To be fair to Klopp, he doesn’t waste time changing it now. No doubt given him food for thought in the next game.

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[Mikus LFC]

Keita coming on now – Klopp has now brought on 3 midfielders, replacing 2.

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[Mikus LFC]

The fact that Klopp has had to bring on 2 midfielders in this game speaks volumes.

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[Mikus LFC]

Mak, you beat me to it. Another nothing performance.

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[Mikus LFC]

Whenever we lose one of our front 3 (and yes Salah has generally been poor away), it just feels we lose a big chunk of our attacking prowess. Which is why I bang on about our midfield creativity, or lack of it. We’ve just been wafting balls up top and hoping for the best. Man Utd were there for the taking, we’re just making them look good. If this was City, they’d be at least a goal to the good now.

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[Mikus LFC]

I think VAR is catching up with us today. Also we have been dire, at OT, again…

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[Mikus LFC]

The broadcasters have the fans over a barrel. They know they have what the fans want and that they’ll pay for it. But if a 4th or even 5th corporation came in to grab a slice of the pie, I do think fans, even the most tribal ones, would think that would really be starting to take the pee.

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[Mikus LFC]

Timing couldn’t be better…

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/tottenham/tottenham-confirm-amazon-deal-to-take-part-in-all-or-nothing-documentary-series-a4265346.html

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[Mikus LFC]

Ajax has a pretty strict wage structure and I don’t see many egos in that Ajax dressing room. You’d have to set up similar at Utd for Ten Hag to work well for me. I think Allegri looks the favourite candidate but as I said on the other thread, being more conservative clashes with the Man Utd philosophy. Poch in that sense looks a more suitable candidate but like Ed, I have my reservations about him. Just looking down the list, would Ancelotti not be a bad shout? He’s got another big job in him, is highly experienced throughout Europe and would suit Man Utd. At 60, he’s still got some good years ahead of him.

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[Mikus LFC]

Personally I’d take Woodward taking charge as manager, with Usain Bolt as assistant to learn on the job and eventually take over.

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[Mikus LFC]

Runners and riders via paddy power. Think they’re having a giraffe with a few of these…

Massimiliano Allegri
7/4

Mauricio Pochettino
3/1

Laurent Blanc
9/1

Brendan Rodgers
9/1

Erik ten Hag
18/1

Julian Nagelsmann
20/1

Michael Carrick
20/1

Gareth Southgate
20/1

Luis Enrique
33/1

Rafa Benitez
33/1

Arsene Wenger
33/1

Zinedine Zidane
33/1

Nuno Espirito Santo
40/1

Eddie Howe
40/1

Carlo Ancelotti
40/1

Antonio Conte
50/1

Joachim Low
50/1

Jose Mourinho
50/1

Diego Simeone
50/1

Didier Deschamps
50/1

Daniel Farke
66/1

Ernesto Valverde
66/1

Paulo Fonseca
66/1

Thomas Tuchel
66/1

Roy Keane
66/1

Marcelo Bielsa
80/1

Marco Rose
100/1

Mikel Arteta
100/1

Marco Silva
100/1

Carlos Queiroz
100/1

Jurgen Klopp
100/1

Ryan Giggs
100/1

Gary Neville
100/1

Ralph Hasenhuttl
100/1

Pep Guardiola
100/1

Sean Dyche
100/1

Roberto Martinez
100/1

Ed Woodward
200/1

Paul Scholes
200/1

David Moyes
200/1

Steve Bruce
250/1

Mark Hughes
250/1

Steven Gerrard
250/1

Sam Allardyce
250/1

David Beckham
275/1

Nicky Butt
275/1

Eric Cantona
275/1

Usain Bolt
500/1

Andy Tait
500/1

John Terry
500/1

Neil Warnock
500/1

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[Mikus LFC]

A bit like early on with FSG, I don’t think Man Utd have ever had a manager they could completely trust with regards to their philosophy since Fergie left, and thus they’ve pretty much gone over the head of the manager when it came to transfer policy and either panic bought big name players, or more recently played safe on younger or more tried and tested players. The thing about Allegri is, is isn’t he quite conservative? In which case, wouldn’t Man Utd again try and make up for such things by going over his head and make more exciting and attacking signings? This requirement that the manager has to adapt to the club philosophy does need reviewing first for me and so I’m far from convinced Allegri would be given carte blanche.

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