EPL Week 3 Game Thread: City-Stoke and Some Other Games

soxfan121

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Drogba for CESC...just to waste some time.
 
Lukaku off, Besic on for Everton.
 

soxfan121

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Costa ices it on the breakout...6-3 Chelsea.
 
EDIT: Distin has a visible fork sticking out of his back. Just god awful today.
 

soxfan121

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Luis Taint said:
I am not going to miss Tim Howard.
 
Which goals are you blaming on him?
 
The Hazard goal was a fluke. The Matic goal was unsaveable for the keeper. The Costa goal was Distin's fault entirely. 
 
EDIT: Courtois has been far shakier and less impressive than Howard today and Courtois is a world-class talent.
 

DJnVa

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Luis Taint said:
I am not going to miss Tim Howard.
 
Eh? You think this is his fault?
 
 
Also, I had Diego Costa in the SoSH EPL League. Until last night. Sigh. Thought he wasn't playing.
 

soxfan121

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If I were trying to sell someone on how great soccer is, I would show them the second half of this game. 
 
WHAT.A.GAME.
 

mgoblue2

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Luis Taint said:
Everton is going to be dangerous, especially after Barkley gets back.
There's this little voice in the back of my head telling me they need a defender, though. Otherwise, if there is a positive, Chelsea have a good defense so it's nice to have scored three goals.
 

URI

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mgoblue2 said:
There's this little voice in the back of my head telling me they need a defender, though. Otherwise, if there is a positive, Chelsea have a good defense so it's nice to have scored three goals.
 
Little voice?
 
There should be a guy screaming at the top of his lungs in your brain saying you need 1-2 central defenders.
 

soxfan121

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URI said:
 
Little voice?
 
There should be a guy screaming at the top of his lungs in your brain saying you need 1-2 central defenders.
 
Yup. Distin is done. He might not even be acceptable Europa depth, he's declined so much from the end of last season. That does happen to 35 year olds, though. But he can't play more minutes in League play or Everton is in danger of falling into the mid-table. 
 
He was unspeakably bad today and was only marginally better last week. 
 

mgoblue2

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URI said:
 
Little voice?
 
There should be a guy screaming at the top of his lungs in your brain saying you need 1-2 central defenders.
I was understating the need for a defender given they just let in six MF'ing goals. Stones is still another season from being a 30+ game defender. Moyes letting go of both Dier and Shkodran Mustafi looks astounding in hindsight.
 

URI

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It's tragic when the opening montage shows a small child pulling up his team's socks.
 
That is how full kitted wankers are created.  Leave the socks at home, parents.
 

URI

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URI

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Graeme's breakdown was exactly right.
 
Ugh.
 

DLew On Roids

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I take it from Arlo White's deadline day promo that America has reached the point in EPL fandom where we can get a live feed through 'Arry Redknapp's car window.
 

URI

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Oh Hugo, you so crazy
 
KEEP YOUR ASS IN THE 18 PLEASE!  I'm like thisclose to sending Poch an invisible fence for him.
 

URI

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Lovern covered for his mistake really well.
 
If this was the World Cup, like 8 people would be in here asking why Chadli didn't just settle and calmly slot the ball in to the bottom right corner of the goal.
 

rodderick

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Balotelli is very active, tracking back, pressing Tottenham's CBs at times, getting the ball out wide. So far, I'm pretty impressed with his, say, "interest" in this game. If he can keep this up he'll contribute a lot to Liverpool, I wouldn't worry about the missed chances.
 
Oh, and Gerrard's passing looked nothing short of dire in the latter part of the first half. Hard to build up play when he's off his game.
 

DJnVa

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Did everyone get that Smokey the Bear PSA?
 
Is he zero tolerance on fire in the woods now? I mean, was he really going to throw a bucket of water on the birthday cake? I don't think they were going to sing to him then throw the damn thing into the underbrush.
 

DJnVa

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rodderick said:
Balotelli is very active, tracking back, pressing Tottenham's CBs at times, getting the ball out wide. So far, I'm pretty impressed with his, say, "interest" in this game. 
 
Dier will cut him down again, he'll retaliate with a rash challenge and get a red.
 
Balotelli gonna Balotelli.
 

URI

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DrewDawg said:
 
Dier will cut him down again, he'll retaliate with a rash challenge and get a red.
 
Balotelli gonna Balotelli.
 
Only he'll do it to Eriksen, thinking he's Dier.
 

URI

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Definitely a penalty.
 
But I want to kick Joe Allen in the chest over and over again to get my money's worth.
 

URI

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Dier had his arm out and impeded Allen.
 
And then Allen hit the ground to sell it more.
 
In a perfect world, Allen would get a yellow for embellishment (like Bale used to), and it's still 2-0 to Liverpool.
 

SoxFanInCali

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rodderick said:
I reserve the right of going back on this opinion if a better camera angle shows clear contact, but it looked liked a bad decision by the ref.
I know people are sensitive about diving, but it's not Allen's responsibility to stay on his feet when a defender stupidly grabs him in the penalty box right in front of the ref.
 

PedroSpecialK

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Allen did not dive particularly well, but there will be growing pains for Dier in the EPL. Thus far though he's looked to be superb value.
 
Spurs' next step needs to be upgrading Kaboul, after his horror show performance last season I'm surprised they haven't released him. They did get Fazio in at least.
 

Dummy Hoy

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I love the sport but it blows when that sequence determines the game.
 
Dier barely touched him and it really didn't impede him much, because Allen dropped like he was shot. It's pathetic that there was zero effort to fight through a slight grab. With any attempt to keep going, he still attacks the net. 
 
Edit: I understand it's a penalty, but I wish it wasn't, especially when Allen embarrasses himself like that.
 

rodderick

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SoxFanInCali said:
I know people are sensitive about diving, but it's not Allen's responsibility to stay on his feet when a defender stupidly grabs him in the penalty box right in front of the ref.
 
The ref has to judge whether or not the contact was enough to bring him down/prevent him from getting to the ball. If a defender puts his arm on an opposing player in the box, it shouldn't be an automatic penalty. Allen flopped like a sack of potatoes after a light touch on the shoulder.
 

DLew On Roids

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It's technically a foul--putting your hand on the player--but Allen's flop was a little embarrassing. That's one the ref usually lets go in that part of the area.

One of the great things about this sport is that it doesn't suffer from NFLization, where every frame is analyzed for whether the correct call was made. There's interpretation and subjectivity. We can probably all agree that Liverpool deserve to be up by 2 goals, but I can say that in that specific incident, I wouldn't have given the penalty.
 

DJnVa

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Tottenham has had some chances, but they are just not taking advantage. They are very much in this, but they need a break.