First 20 minutes

Overall, defending looks very solid - xG of .24 for Wolves if you take away the goal we gave them

Szobozlai conversation. Curtis Jones performance.

That goal!!

MoM - Ryan, should it have been Ibou?

Taylor’s officiating

Early kick off again - 4 times in 8 years

We’ve generally been successful at Palace - over under on them mentioning 2013-14. 5 minutes? We’ve won 8 of the last 9.

They are not in a good place - trying to change the style without Michael Olise

The United PTSD has been relieved

Champions League - it already looks a bit of a bore

Jeopardy seems in short supply

Tchouameni

The team that Richard Hughes built…..

Hesitant start - Semenyo again. 

xG in our favor - 2.06 to 1.08  (0.46 at half time). After 75 minutes, lots of shots from Bournemouth

Well, there’s Kepa - xGOT of 3.84

Luis Diaz, Darwin

Again the midfield shape, defence - targeted our right side, but then Konate hits a few great passes. 

TAA assist, Ryan Gravenberch

5-1 again, but was much more of a battle - xG 2.55 to 0.57 (0.37 came from set plays)

Jones, Gakpo, Jota performances

West Ham appear to be a bit of a mess. Fabianski wasn’t great

Not sure we can conclude much from Endo and Morton’s appearances

Bradley, Quanah, Gomez, Tsimikas - definitely our back up back 4

Team selections and expectations

Predictions

‘We love the low block’

City Arsenal - lots to discuss. 

Man City fan watch - not many of them at the Premier League fanfest:()

xG still favored us but Forest game plan worked - 0.9 to 0.6 (0.0 at half time)

First half wasn't terrible. Mo and Szobo are not great. Forwards lost a lot of duels

Diaz on 15. Jota on 25, MacAllister 37 - what if….

Oliver has become a liability - Yates catches McAllister and Robbo in the first 5 minutes and nothing is given. Ignores another hand to the face at 20. 15 fouls for them, 6 for us. Almost 70% possession. Andrew Beesley points out that disparity has happened 10 times since these stats were collected. 6 of them for us

Gravenberch - had Gibbs-White staying with him. Still managed to impact the game with recoveries. 88% pass accuracy, progressive passing. Team was 69%.

Second half - not so great, formation change then 3 subs and more formation changes

What was the formation change after they scored? Made us even more disjointed.

I felt that, in the moment, that it could be worrisome that we didn’t have a response to a) going goal down and b) how frenetic it became after we did

Forest game plan - got away with an hour of not much. We talked about their low xGA

If any opposition coaches watched these 2 matches, they will have learned that this is not the way to play against this team. xG 3.09 to 0.61 (0.11 at 3-1). 23 shots.

Milan 4-2-4 out of possession, big switches, punching through the lines. Creating width

Gakpo, Gravenberch, Mac Allister - all making us look much better than Saturday.

Duels won has been at 45% in the last 2 games - he called this out against Ipswich, makes it seem like that was a narrative for that game?

Team selections and expectations

Predictions

115 or 129 charges? For us, is there extra pressure knowing that City might not be a factor?

City Arsenal this weekend. Lots of reasons not to watch - dull football, faux outrage from the entitled disciples of Mikel Arteta

Puff piece in the Athletic focusing in the NYC City branch bar in Greenwich Village - the photos showed very few people in the bar, the article was at pains to point out that there were usually more people there for City matches.

xG might not be the most useful:

United 1.38 total, - Statsbomb - .98? - 0.08 at half time

Liverpool 1.78 total - 0.69 at half time. BUT xGoT 2.44 to 0.64.

Overall 30 to 31 touches in the opposition box (favors United) - 16 to 9 at half time.

BUT look at the position data - so interesting…..

First Half:

United set up differently - Slot explain the 7/11 press of last season and the 9/10 press (without the man marking)

5 minutes - so close to that iconic Scouser kisses the camera moment - VVD and Ryan fantastic movement. 

At 35 - Caesmiro took the hit, but Mainoo, Mazouri, and Dalot positioning. One missed pass should not kill you.

42 - Luis Diaz interception - Casemiro falls down, thought Taylor would give a foul. Salah has Dalot backing off, Diaz first time shot.

56 - Mainoo dispossessed by the least noticeable of our midfielders (Alexis) sweeping movement and a first time finish - Szobo and Salah.

Game over at 59 minutes. Jota and Szobozlai chances didn’t even count for xG

Salah had a couple of great chances - 

Game management - United had more chances, but it felt like we could step up a gear if we needed to.

Salah… unbelievable consistency. Fantastic Michael Cox article breaking down how his dribbles have fallen off while his assists have dramatically increased - now ONLY De Bruyne has more since Mo started in the league. 10 goals at Old Trafford - top 5 in goals at OT in the time he’s played?

We are just better than them, player by player. Harder challenges to follow (Slot)

Team selection - same again? 

Forest - what to expect?

Less signings than usual?

Formation against a team with one of the lowest xGAs in the fledgling PL season (2.1) ?

Milan - what kind of rotation?

Predictions

Everton - a real crisis?

Chelsea - ownership crisis?

Leicester - can’t be found guilty because they were relegated - what a wheeze

Similar Xg to last week::

Xg - Ipswich, 0.45 total, Liverpool 2.65.

Brentford 2.65 vs 0.36 (.27 set plays)

Touches in opposition box, 50 to 17 (7-7 at the half), vs 42 to 10

First Half:

Brentford probably had more of the ball than we might have expected, but didn’t create much - back 4 took a while to work out?

Liverpool - slow, measured, controlled football. Started 4-3-3 maybe moved to 3-4-3?

Great transitions - from our corners we outnumber them

13th minute, in contrast Mbuemo is chasing back Luis Diaz. 25th goal in 100 appearances. Left foot. Beautiful pass from Diogo. The goal on the break was joyous

Ryan Gravenberch - the answer to the number 6 conundrum? Gravenberch the pessimist. Mac Allister a little too left in the first half. `

Second half

Again, that movement and passing (especially one touch). 

Goals was well worked, Salah finish.

Could have had goals from Diogo, Luis Diaz and Salah. In between the slow stuff, there’s some great football.

Game management - no shots from Brentford after 55 minutes, and we could have scored again (and maybe again).

Atwell had his moments. Glad it didn’t matter. Gave them impetus at the end of the first half, decided to ignore the smack in the face for Dominic Szobozslai

Team selection - same again? Konate?

United - what to expect?

New signings?

Formation against Brighton?

Predictions

(Of the EPL winners of the last 11 seasons only 1 - us - is not under investigation for breaking spending rules)

Transfers:

1 week left for our transfers - Tyler Morton, Sepp van den Berg, Bobby Clark - leaving. Arrivals?

Marmadashvili, Chiesa

Barca….. 

Chelsea are back baby!

Very pragmatic - play in long if they man mark

Xg - Ipswich, 0.45 total, 0.31 First half, 0.28 set plays.

Liverpool 2.65 with 0.45 in the first half. Touches in opposition box, 50 to 17 (7-7 at the half).

First Half:

Ipswich didn’t lose at home last season, crowd was up for it, 

-ve some hesitancy. MacAllister wasn’t really in it.

Lot of soft fouls - foul every 2 minutes? Disruptive.

Won 41% of the duels (54% in the second half)

Formation - definite 4-2-3-1 to start, evolved 3-3-4 at times.

+ve defensive solidity, started to create some chances towards the end of the half

ZERO shots on target (3 total)

Second half

Konate replaces Quansah

Wow, that movement and passing (especially one touch). They found gaps with movement, yet they won some duels…

Goals were beautiful, Salah, Jota, TAA, Szobozlai, Gravenberch, VVD playing a part

Some of the misses were beautiful

Had other chances - Salah, Diaz

game management - no shots from Ipswich after 68 minutes, and we would have scored again.

Team selection - same again? Konate?

Brentford - what do we know about them?

Predictions

(Of the EPL winners of the last 11 seasons only 1 - us - is not under investigation for breaking spending rules) 

Transfers:

2 weeks left for our transfers - reflections on our needs and some of the weirdness elsewhere

Sevilla and Las Palmas

Lessons learned:

Team selections?

Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz

Midfield without Zubimendi but with Ryan Gravenberch

Nyoni?

Uncertainty surrounding so many players in the squad - feels like this will be destabilizing if the contracts are left to run down. 

Outlook for the season - what position would represent success?

Team selection - the Sevilla team?

Ipswich - what do we know about them?

Of the EPL winners of the last 11 seasons only 1 - us - is not under investigation for breaking spending rules 

Chelsea - can any of this work? What charges might they face?

115 charges case being reviews soon

Leicester - guaranteed relegation?

US tour - overall, yes it was a rip off, but we got to enjoy big Liverpool crowds and a chance to meet good friends.

Pittsburgh and Betis

Philly and Arsenal - the experience and the game

SC and United

Highs and lows? Overall thoughts? Players who have made a solid case to keep the jersey?

Quansah is the Matip replacement?

Tsimikas

Carvalho

Arne Slott and his system:

What do we think of Arne so far?

Who fits into this system and who doesn’t?

Many questions remain:

How long before the team gels? 

Are we relaxed about the fact that a lot of guys haven’t participated in team play and there are 11 days til the season kicks off?

3 players with 11 months to run on their contracts

What is our best team?

Role for TAA - Athletic comments section, .. ‘Apart from passing what else does Trent have to offer?’

Aspirations for the season for the Reds

Aspirations for the next 2 games

Highest hopes and lowest lows elsewhere?

Of the EPL winners of the last 11 seasons only 1 - us - is not under investigation for breaking spending rules 

Chelsea, Cheats and the latest from the Theater of Dreams

$100m for Alvarez - WTF?

Chelsea squad is roughly the same size as a Taylor Swift concert audience

Away at West Ham - 2-2 (xG .70 vs 1.75)

Felt like another one we threw away. Recognition that it didn’t matter as much?

Spurs - 4-2, moments of brilliance, weird ending (xG 3.37 vs 1.24)

Harvey Elliott, Cody Gakpo

Being at Anfield……. 

Villa - 3-3, moments of control and then the last 10 minutes (xG 3.2 to 1.74)

A word about Simon Hooper - 10 fouls against us to 1 given to us in the first half.

Wolves at home - thoughts…..

Is the season a case of overachievement in the first part or a fall off in the second half?

The Klopp effect was great till it wasn’t

Our defense - we’ve scored about the same as we did when we won the league

Trent

Nunez and Luis Diaz - can’t have both?

Saudi messaging re: Salah and Allison

City - more boring football from the Cheats

Arsenal and City - defensively stronger

Chelsea - Europa League?

No VAR? Wolves, are you kidding?

Man Utd. what is going on?