Didn't see the game, took a peek at the stats, and it looks like they took a bit of a skanking, they had 70+ possession, 23 shots (Villa 6) , 3.43 XG (V 0.22 without the pen). Viall got a fortunate pen and a header from a corner I think.
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Didn't see the game, took a peek at the stats, and it looks like they took a bit of a skanking, they had 70+ possession, 23 shots (Villa 6) , 3.43 XG (V 0.22 without the pen). Viall got a fortunate pen and a header from a corner I think.
Honestly, I think Monaco have far exceeded expectations. They were a joke last season. They have an absolute cunt between the sticks, and so many young players in key positions like CM and CB. They are also crying out for creativity.
I don't know as much about Marseille. I know about the political problems and the fans wanting to knock the shit out of their players. They didn't have a striker worth a damn until January, and they have also had to contend with Payet and Thauvin running down their contracts, etc. As far as I am aware, their recruitment last summer was shoddy. So, a lot of instability there. But yes, it was shocking to see them so far off the pace.
Yes, I did a bit of research, too, and it smells like a smash and grab. I read my buddy Jorginho cost them a penalty, too.
Tell me, then. How do you rate that Chelsea squad? I mean, I think Tuchel is doing a stellar job, and has rehabilitated a few guys, etc, but I am not convinced their squad is a whole pile better than ours. And I am not even talking about their attacking players. I'm talking about their midfielders, defenders and keeper, too.
I get your point on Monaco, maybe a fair one, but they are still a club with better resources/budgets than Lille. Same Lyon and Marseille. Without going through and comparing in detail, I really don't think Lille's squad is better than any of them, and definitely "worse" (less talented?) than a couple of them. I may be doing them a disservice, but it's not like Lille are blessed for creativity either.
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It was very harsh, Jorginho's gets nutmegged, doesn't move his leg.
It's definitely not got the smattering of uber players it's had in some recent phases, and I think their recent recruitment has been a bit incoherent, but there are elements of it I quite like. It's got a good level of young energy about it, and I think Tuchel will actually relish having a squad that's more about the collective, with some young legs and minds (and a couple of old heads that aren't billy big bollocks either) than the ego circus that was PSG.
I actually think it's a bit better squad than ours in most areas, not by huge amounts everywhere but generally I'd take all their CB options over ours, their FB's over ours, if you offered me their attacking options over ours, I'd probably take the swap (even if it means sacrificing Kane) and I'd call midfield the closest match up, but even there they probably edge it, I like Kovacic more than other's seem to, and Jorginho's a bit leggy but a nice footballer, Kante's 30 but still more mobile and tenacious than any of our fuckers. And I'm calling it a close match up based on my own fictitious notion of a midfield three that includes Ndombele and Lo Celso playing at full tilt - which has never happened.
Jose Font is at the heart of their defence is all the evidence that's needed. I didn't watch games but read up on articles to keep abreast, so I'm talking out of my backside here but it would appear that they had a Leicester type season in that they've overperformed all underlying stats.
It should be noted that Campos though has built the squad well (despite focusing on individual talents as being poor) there's clearly been considered thought and this is the 2nd team he's built that's won the league, which might go some way to counter my Leicester comment above, I'm saying to do it twice isn't perhaps a fluke.
You are right about Lille not being blessed with creativity. However, they have an outstanding keeper and the wise old heads of Fonte, Andre and Yilmaz have given them a dimension that Monaco lack, IMHO.
OK. Let's forget about comparing them to us for a moment. Does their keeper give you the horn? Does Chilwell? Does Azpilicueta as a RWB give you the horn? Reece James as a CB? A weakling like Jorginho in midfield? I think what Tuchel has done here is astonishing in terms of the system he has devised, and the fucking savage intensity with which they play.
I actually thought Kante was over the hill, a player I wouldn't have known what to do with, but Tuchel has got him back to his electrifying best.
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Is there one of Kane's daughter doing Woolwich fan on a string?
The old president firing their very good sporting director over the summer (Zubizaretta. Did good work for them and for Barca previously) just made their entire season into a house of cards.
Hold on a minute.
I like their keeper. I like him more than Maignan (and Lloris). At least Chilwell seems to be in charge of his own limbs, unlike our fucking dickhead who appears to be controlled by playstation remote by a 6 year old in the stands.
I don't quite understand Azpilicueta at RB and James as RCB, and I'm not sure it's actually working (isn't that a recent thing for Tuchel?), surely it should be the other way round? And yes, as I said, I get that both Jorginho and Kante will soon be glue, but both do at least have something on their hard drive and the tenacity of a starving ferret respectively.
I get what you are saying, it's not as good a squad as some they've had in the past for sure, and to challenge for the title they probably are a few pieces of the jigsaw short, but I probably like their squad a little more than you do.
Despite that, I think what's really impressive is it's a squad that's got a couple of old heads and legs, quite a few new faces who are adapting to a new team/league/country, and some youngsters, and Tuchel has come in after 18 months of Lampard's tomfoolery, and managed to get them looking like a consistently cohesive group who know what they are doing, and taken them from below us to CL in a few months.
I really like Tuchel, and feared he'd be a good match for them right now.
Villareal to win 3-1.
Foyth with the winner.
Foyth with the winner.
