English Football 2015/2016

[Rex Stone]

Your post reads as somebody who doesn't watch games, just relies on stats to form their opinion. Is that accurate?

Benteke can press.

He hasn't in the past because that wasn't our game.

But he's quick, and he's not lazy. if you ask him to press he'll press. He's more than capable of it.

Not great at linking play? Probably a misconception based on his pass completion stats. For a long time at Villa he was isolated up front. That led to him having few options.
He's a very good passer and links up with others extremely well when the options are there.

Here's a small selection of some of his link up play

and this goal

Relies on crosses? Not really. He'll put away good crosses extremely well, but he's very comfortable playing with the ball at his feet

Not a distance shooter? I'm not sure what counts as "distance". Do these count?

vs Liverpool
another vs Liverpool
vs Norwich
vs Blackpool
vs Manchester United
vs Norwich
vs West Brom
vs QPR

Benteke with the kind of service and link up play he'll receive at liverpool, or another top team, will thrive. Like I said, next summer or the one after he'll be leaving Liverpool and joining an elite club. He's that good

Obviously I don't watch every Villa game but I watch a lot of televised games, so see quite a bit of him. Even under Sherwood his pressing was pretty dire, in the semi-final the pressing was done by Grealish and N'Zogbai.

The link up play's ok but it has to be better than that, you're paying the same price as Alexis. Those passes are bread and butter for most players, we've even seen Giroud have a wide repertoire of one touch passing.

I meant distance as outside the box, he hardly takes any shots outside the box per 90.

The argument about playing for better teams doesn't ring true either, Giroud scored 25 goals for Montpellier in his final season there and hasn't matched that with us. In fact it's usually the opposite for most players.

 

[GDeep™]

So the football is back in a few days, feels like not long ago we beat Villa at Wembley.

Time flew.

 

[redanddread]

So the football is back in a few days, feels like not long ago we beat Villa at Wembley.

Time flew.

As it has ever since I left high school!

 

[Stevo the Villan]

Obviously I don't watch every Villa game but I watch a lot of televised games, so see quite a bit of him. Even under Sherwood his pressing was pretty dire, in the semi-final the pressing was done by Grealish and N'Zogbai.

The link up play's ok but it has to be better than that, you're paying the same price as Alexis. Those passes are bread and butter for most players, we've even seen Giroud have a wide repertoire of one touch passing.

I meant distance as outside the box, he hardly takes any shots outside the box per 90.

The argument about playing for better teams doesn't ring true either, Giroud scored 25 goals for Montpellier in his final season there and hasn't matched that with us. In fact it's usually the opposite for most players.

You've obviously made your mind up, despite the evidence to the contrary I've presented, so there's not much point in arguing anymore.

Let's revisit in a year when Benteke is signing for a CL club

 

[Rex Stone]

You've obviously made your mind up, despite the evidence to the contrary I've presented, so there's not much point in arguing anymore.

Let's revisit in a year when Benteke is signing for a CL club

Fenerbahce doesn't count

 

[redanddread]

Benteke scored a pretty sumptuous effort yesterday. Funnily a Liverpool mate of mine called me up at 1/2 time and said Benteke looks disappointing. Haven't spoken to him since though.

I think Benteke will score goals for Liverpool-he's a proven goal scorer in the league. Maybe acclimatizing to new pressures, new club, new style of play may take a while but he'll be a threat for the Poll mi thinks.

@Stevo the Villan - thanks for the embedded videos. How do you do that BTW

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Benteke will score goals for Liverpool just like he did for Villa. But he won't get them into top 4.

 

[RandyMarsh]

The first 6 fixtures for all the top 5 teams in case people were interested. Chelsea have a pretty bad first 6, as do United. City probably with the easiest but we should definitely be up there at the top come late September. Hopefully with a nice gap brewing.

Chelsea's Fixtures
Chelsea V Swansea
City V Chelsea
West Brom V Chelsea
Chelsea V Palace
Everton V Chelsea
Chelsea V Arsenal

City's Fixtures
West Brom V City
City V Chelsea
Everton V City
City V Watford
Crystal Palace V City
City V West Ham

United's Fixtures
United V Sp**s
Villa V United
United V Newcastle
Swansea V United
United V Pool
Southampton V United

Pool's Fixtures
Stoke V Pool
Pool V Bournemouth
Arsenal V Pool
Pool V West Ham
United V Pool
Pool V Norwich

Arsenal's Fixtures
Arsenal V West Ham
Palace V Arsenal
Arsenal V Pool
Newcastle V Arsenal
Arsenal V Stoke
Chelsea V Arsenal

 

[This_is_The_Year]

The first 6 fixtures for all the top 5 teams

could have sworn Liverpool ended 6th : O) but yes a fair assumption they will beat spuds this year in the battle for not getting CL

I really like our schedule though - but no one really got it easy

 

[RandyMarsh]

could have sworn Liverpool ended 6th : O) but yes a fair assumption they will beat spuds this year in the battle for not getting CL

I really like our schedule though - but no one really got it easy

Yeah you're right lol Let's say it's under the assumption of what this season's top 5 will be then!

 

[SuperGoon]

Swansea are a dangerous team and show up against the top teams. Plus, they have a decent goalie. Man UTD and Arsenal should be pretty scared of them this season. They are very adaptable.


Think Pool have the worst start, to be honest. I'd be pretty worried if we were playing Stoke away first. Every second week they seem to be against it.

 

[SuperGoon]

Then again, looking at Chelsea's fixtures. Man City, Tony Pulis and Palace.


Dodgy teams for Mourinho.

 

[RandyMarsh]

Yeah, none of Chelsea's fixtures are a given really..hopefully we knocked them back a few pegs and they end up struggling in their first game. They haven't had the best of pre-seasons.

Think it's just us and City who have relatively straight forward starts. With the momentum we have atm i'd be very disappointed if we weren't within a couple of points of top spot by the time the Chelsea fixture comes around.

 

[Godwin1]

Yeah, none of Chelsea's fixtures are a given really..hopefully we knocked them back a few pegs and they end up struggling in their first game. They haven't had the best of pre-seasons.

Think it's just us and City who have relatively straight forward starts. With the momentum we have atm i'd be very disappointed if we weren't within a couple of points of top spot by the time the Chelsea fixture comes around.

Not sure how long Costa's out for them either? Big blow for them having to rely on Falcao so early on. I don't see anyone else other than Hazard providing that many goals.

 

[Stevo the Villan]

@Stevo the Villan - thanks for the embedded videos. How do you do that BTW

Dunno, I just hyperlinked them. I took them from another site.

 

[BobP]

I think Chelsea will struggle.

I said the same last season about City and was proven right.

Small squad with few additions. A core of 12 players carrying the burden last season, they were exceptionally lucky to get away with injuries but can they replicate that luck? Especially considering that Mourinho is going to have to require the same effort from the same players again. Also injury worries for their best striker in Costa which have sort of persisted ever since that second half of the season with Atletico.

 

[Dennis_Bergkamp_10]

Let's hope Chelsea really struggle in their first matches. They'll beat Swansea and Palace at home, but those away fixtures are very tough.

 

[Bould14]

Banter when West Brom beat Chelsea 2-0.

 

[A_G]

Despite scoring 72 goals in 187 appearances for City, the Bosnian forward has been told he can leave the Etihad Stadium after falling out of favour under Pellegrini, who is ready to operate with Raheem Sterling and Nigerian teenager Kelechi Iheanacho as cover for Sergio Aguero and Wilfried Bony this season.

An injury to Agüero and City are ****ed then.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

What about that guy they signed from Fulham, Roberts? Anyways, it does seem as though they haven't got much apart from Aguero and Bony.