12 Mar 2026 07:56:32
I think it is safe to say the Premier League has been badly exposed as the mediocre, slow paced, boring, stat obsessed league that it is this week. The Champions League has really shown just how poor and lacking in quality this league is. Coupled with how overhyped and arrogant some of the managers are in their blatant disrespect of another European teams.
Liverpool. Usual slow, dull, boring, unenergetic, predictable tripe we have seen for 12 months. Will struggle at home to an enthusiastic Galatasaray team but may sneak through.
Newcastle. Playing the worst Barcelona team I've seen in 10 years or more, and it was an awful game. One which they should have won by 2 or 3 and now face going out in the away leg
Stoke City. Usual dull rubbish relying on set pieces, will scrape through but may well be shocked at home to Leverkusen.
Man City. Arrogant assumption that the greatest European dynasty to play the game would be easy pickings.
Got smashed, tie over.
Spurs. Ridiculous manager. Deserved to get smashed, tie over.
Chelsea. Having an IT consultant as manager isn't really working. Got smashed. Tie over.
In the 1/ 4 finals England may have 1 or 2 representatives from 6! Oddly enough, I think Liverpool may have the best chance of all of them of actually going through. I honestly see Stoke City being too cautious and getting beat. Newcastle away to Barcelona will only end one way even with Barcelona being poor. Best league in the world apparently. Load of tosh. It's been ruined by slow, dull, predictable, stat-driven crap football relying on managers who love a spreadsheet and set prices. This needs to be a wake up call to go back to high intensity full throttle football that had English teams threatening to be in the final year on year.
12 Mar 2026 09:36:04
Was funny when Leverkusen scored from a corner. They Stoke-d Stoke.
12 Mar 2026 09:53:41
Kimuraking.tdeh, the receipts are there, sadly, for the PL. The big teams are having a dreadful season in terms of playing style and standards, and, like you said, they have been exposed.
And to further demonstrate this, all you have to do is watch Bodo Glimt play football. Granted, I do not watch their CL games, but, when you watch the highlights, you have to marvel at the quality and build-up play for their goals and the way they have embarrassed the big teams like Atleti, Inter and, of course, City.
They just ripped Sporting a new one, and once again, the quality of the goals they scored were outstanding with pace, movement, one touch football. The PL is in a sad place, I agree.
12 Mar 2026 10:15:03
The big thing I noticed was that referees were actually doing their job and giving free kicks at set pieces for the grabbing, pushing and especially the contact with goalkeepers.
Take that threat away from most Premier League teams, and they are bang average, because they’ve concentrated on it for so long.
Arsenal had 2 shots on target, one of them a very fortunate penalty. They looked like they could play for a month and not score.
It’s a sad indictment of the Premier League that our apparent best team are basically cheating their way to a title, and the English referees are complicit in it. Sad times.
12 Mar 2026 10:16:27
The English sides were all poor. On paper I would say that Newcastle probably had the best result, but I don't give them much chance of winning the tie. I still think we will get through, but I only really expect Arsenal to join us in the next round.
I do wish that the PL would do more to help the teams, though. As we get deeper into the season, the English teams often begin to fade in Europe because the European leagues (in particular Spain) do everything in their power to help their teams be at their best in Europe with considerate scheduling of their domestic fixtures, but here in England the opposite happens, and the teams are forced to play when the TV channels can get the most value for money.
It also helps that no other league in Europe even comes close to the strength in depth that you get in the PL. Real or Barca could probably make 11 changes for more than half of their league games (PSG probably 90%) with no concerns about getting a positive result.
12 Mar 2026 10:25:08
I don't think it's as bad as u all say.
Each team isn't playing well for reasons like a new squad, a new manager, and multiple other factors.
And those other teams are quite settled.
Plus, harsher schedules.
None of those teams could handle the Prem and then go on to Europe.
12 Mar 2026 10:33:42
I think football is on its arse. Don't even want to watch it. I'm not even excited for us v the Mancs and City. Sad, I used to be on edge and looking forward for weeks.
12 Mar 2026 10:35:07
Think the Prem will have two representatives in the last 8. Arsenal and LFC.
12 Mar 2026 10:38:46
Our football is rubbish to watch probably the same to play in. The greatest manager the Premier League has had if you believe the hype has just had his pants pulled down by a team a poor Liverpool team beat Liverpool team were beaten by a team that are probably at spurs level which we are not the best league for football but we are the best for tenacity.
Systems work until sussed out then its back to the drawing board but there are only so many systems you can play and our football has run out of ideas. I would return to 442 after all most of the trophies have been won with this system European cups, league titles, fa cups, league cups over the many years.
The best team to watch in this seasons champions league is Bodo Glint they play football how it was meant to be played and i wish Liverpool took a leaf out of their play book Mr Slot.
12 Mar 2026 12:47:41
Imagine being that delusional to think a team that has turned us over fairly easily twice this season is going to capitulate in the second leg. They know we're second best all over the pitch. They know our midfield is non-existent, they know we lack any real pace, they know our defence can be got at and makes mistakes, and they also know our manager is absolutely clueless.
Can't even rely upon Anfield as a factor, because Slot has normalised losing at home.
12 Mar 2026 12:52:53
So, you no longer think that Liverpool will lose 5-2 then, as you stated on Saturday, Kim?
Why should anyone care for your opinion when it changes like the weather?
12 Mar 2026 13:15:03
imo the Premier League teams will still be there when the trophies are getting handed out.
12 Mar 2026 13:25:16
Albey, you can’t play like Bodo/Glimt in the Premier League and that’s the whole point.
As long as the referees allow the holding, pushing, grabbing and fouling goalkeepers at set pieces, then teams don’t have to take risks to score goals.
That leads to slow, defensive, stop/start games, because all teams are playing for clean sheets and set pieces. They want to use up the clock as much as possible to slow everything down, which then doesn’t give the opposition's better players as much time to create chances.
If you can waste 35 minutes of a 90 minute game when the opposition has most of the possession, you are basically denying them 10 to 20 attacks.
If you can then score from a set piece, then it’s job done and you just sit in and waste time for the rest of the game.
Even the team at the top of the table are doing it to the point where opposition managers are calling them out on it, so there’s little hope for the rest of the league.
12 Mar 2026 14:39:51
"The big thing I noticed was that referees were actually doing their job".
Excellent observation, Varry.
12 Mar 2026 15:09:27
Varry mate Bodo plays against teams that do all that you rightly highlighted mate but they still do not change the way they play they just play football the way it is supposed to be played and given what we are watching i would rather watch Bodo than most premier teams.
12 Mar 2026 23:15:40
I'm with you on that, Albey, but stick Bodo in the Premier League in its current guise, and they'd be relegated.
You get punished for playing decent football in the Premier League these days.