#aston villa last game of the season

[sportearly]

Ashley Young hits out at Newcastle decision vs Aston Villa and reveals what referee told him

Ashley Young hits out at Newcastle decision vs Aston Villa and reveals what referee told him

After Miguel Almiron had a goal-bound shot stopped by Ashley Young with his arm, Newcastle United scored the game-winning penalty. Young, the captain for the away team, was not pleased. Ashley Young, captain of Aston Villa, was sent off for an accidental handball in their 4-0 loss to Newcastle United, and Young has since complained that he is “not sure how you are expected to defend…

[totaly-obsessed]

Baby Fever

Leah Williamson x reader

-> reader experiences Baby fever for the first time and does not know what to do with herself

-> Based on about a thousand pictures of Leah with Kids

➳ Masterlist

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Tearing her ACL in April had been horrible – and Leah knew that. But she also knew that she was mentally prepared to deal with it – she was in a good place and would come out even stronger. That was the plan, and now in June, just two months in, she had her surgery done and started rehab. 

The blonde found herself having a lot more time on her hands now and she loved spending it with you and her family. While most of the world saw her go out with her best friend Alex, she came home to you – her wife for over two years now. She would not change her busy schedule for the world, even though there was a World Cup that she could not attend. 

The defender relished the time she had with her family. 

Together with her cousin Jordan, she had been working on a book, her second one but the first fiction book for children. While the beginning was slow, Leah busy with Match after Match a mountain of training in between – the process sped up rapidly after her injury. 

In June they announced the release date – the 31st of August. Which was just a little bit short of three months away, plenty of time to finish writing it. 

You had a couple weeks off as well – it was the summer holidays and the schools were closed, and you were bored out of your mind. Leah could not take your whining anymore, so she dragged you to Jordan’s house to babysit. Her husband, Rob, had to work and their one-year-old son was just as bored as you were. 

The beginning was hesitant. While Jordan was lovely, how much fun could a one-year-old be? 

Turns out, a lot of it. It had been hours by this point, from when Leah and Jordan removed themselves from the living room and moved into her office. Leaving you with little Henry. 

When the two blondes emerged from the office, two more chapters done it was dark outside already – the cousins having lost themselves between the pages. Where Jordan expected complete chaos, she found a clean home with you resting on the couch, her little boy asleep on your tummy. 

Leah’s heart melted. 

She loved kids, especially the ones in her family, and while she knew that you wanted them as well – this was new. Usually, it was her holding the kids with you watching her with wide eyes, eager to see her in such a maternal role. 

But now it was her turn to stare – and she could not help herself but imagine having a child with you. The drive home was calm with Leah’s heavy hand resting on your thigh while she drove – both of you deep in thought. 

While Leah had a busy week coming up, you had a lot of time and you found yourself watching a bunch of TikToks of adorable little babies. All of a sudden, your usual shopping trip took a different route when you stumbled upon the kid’s section. Looking at one fuzzy romper after the other – tears in your eyes as the pregnant women were met with jealous stares from you. 

You were lying in bed when Leah returned home from a night out celebrating with Alex, who promised you that she would look after the blonde. “Baby? Why are you still awake?” To your surprise, the blonde was completely sober and changed into comfy clothes before joining you under a soft blanket. 

“Look at them, Lee!” You excitedly showed her your phone, a video of a baby meeting a cute little kitten. 

“Very cute baby. But that is what kept you up?” You hesitated for a second before showing her video after video of little kids and babies until you finally fell asleep, the blonde gently took the phone out of your hand. 

While your wife had no clue what had gotten into you, she loved it. 

Aston Villa had beaten Arsenal 2-0 in one of the last games of the season. And while it had broken Leah's heart she was still there, supporting her girls. 

Once the match was over the two of you had joined the teams on the pitch when a little blonde girl caught your eye. She was heading straight to you, making grabby hands with her tiny fists at you – so without much thinking, you hoisted her up onto your hips. “Leah!” 

“I’m not Leah baby. You wanna go see her?” Big blue eyes stared into your soul and with just a little imagination you could see a little Leah in her. 

You did not have to look very far to find your wife as she limped her way over to you. “And who are you, little lady?” The toddler however did not care about formalities and went straight to business 

“Faster tan you!” A fake gasp left Leah’s lips at the words.

“I don’t believe you! I think we will have to race!” 

And with that, you were made the race official, moving back a good distance, as you clapped into your hands. 

The tiny blonde started making her way to you, Leah following her on her as well as she could. You could see in your wife’s face that she was in pain, yet she tried to make this as fun as possible for the young girl who she just knew had taken over your heart. 

To no one’s surprise, it was the toddler who ran into your arms – winning the race. “Good job girlie!” With the girl back on your hips, you made your way over to Leah, rewarding her valiant efforts with a kiss. 

About a million pictures were being taken right now but neither of you minded. 

“Kimie!” The toddler in your arms had found her aunt, so the two of you said ‘bye-bye’ to Leah. 

Katie just had to tease her vice-captain “Careful Lee, your eyes will glue themselves to ya missus!” The nudge to the blonde's side nearly made her fall over after the exhausting sprint. “Shut up McCabe.” 

“Aww – grouchy. You jealous that it's not yours?” Leah knew that her friend referred to the toddler who did not want to leave her wife's arms, but she could not face that right now. “At least I still have a wife.” 

Ouch. That hurt. 

Back at your joined home, you could not stop talking about Kim’s niece, showing her picture after picture you had taken with the little girl. “What’s gotten into you baby?” 

You knew it was coming, but you still tried to play dumb. “What are you talking about?” Leah took hold of both of your wrists in one of her hands, keeping you sat on the couch, stopping you from fleeing. The other hand found its way to your hair, stroking it gently, hoping to calm you down. 

“Don’t play dumb baby. I found tiny shoes in our closet this afternoon. Shoes that are much too small for either of us.” 

Your eyes roamed the room, desperate for an explanation when you found the first copy of ‘The Wonder Team’. “They’re for Jordan!”  

But the blonde did not even have to say anything, already seeing your eyes tearing up. She pulled you on her lap, as you sobbed into her shoulder. “I- I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I jus couldn’t help myself.” 

You were slurring your words together, making it hard to understand. Your wife however pulled out her phone and opened the period tracker she had for you. “Baby, you are close to ovulation. Your body is ready for a baby.” 

But your crying did not stop, it just got worse. 

“Yeah, b- but I don’t usually get like this.” Leah did not know how or what to answer, the last week had been exhausting on your mind so she just leaned back, positioning you in a way that you could hear her calming heartbeat as your swollen eyes started to droop. 

“I jus wan a baby with you.” The footballer could not help herself but coo at your sleepy confession as she rubbed your back. 

“I know baby – me too.”

[meazalykov]

baby pink

sydney lohmann x reader

apart of the baby pink series

after winning against aston villa, your excitement couldn’t be contained. 

as a center-back defender, scoring a golozo at arsenal had your team and the crowd blown in joy. 

winning mvp for the match made you feel appreciated as well. this is your third season at arsenal and you've gotten this quite a lot, but your gratitude still shows.

as you're heading into the locker rooms, you look down at the pastel pink and baby blue kit over your body, the colors making you smile. baby pink and baby blue were your two favorite colors. so, having a kit in those colors– made exclusively for the women’s team too– made you happy. 

after tonight, you’ll fly to germany  to visit your girlfriend sydney lohmann, who plays at bayern munich. your three-year anniversary was coming up and nothing could ruin your happy mood about it, not even the yellow card you received in the match. 

after the match, exhausted but happy from the win, you scroll through the photos taken during the game by arsenal’s photographers. usually, they will send the photos in a big digital file. 

one photo in the pink and blue kit made you look like a star. you were– but you wanted to post and highlight that picture immediately. 

(pretend that you're in the picture in replacement of emily fox)

y/n.l/n

liked by leahwilliamsonn, and 67,712 others

y/n.l/n the love of my life (this kit) 🩵🩷

comments

sydneylohmann so what am I.. chopped liver?

stanwaygeorgia HAHHAHA

laurafreigang ya

wosofan783 sydney you're still the love of my life dw ☺️

sydneylohmann I will ignore that caption

laurafreigang wow sydney turned into a football kit?

buehlklara yes.

gunnerwillamso32927 nobody is ruining y/n's love for pink

woso.com THE CAPTION BYE

fcbfrauenluvrr come to Munich ❤️

~view all 3,901 comments~

you giggled at all of the comments between you, your german friends, and your girlfriend. you miss sydney all of the time and can't wait to be with her.

there is a flower boutique down the street from your apartment, almost every week you'll receive a delivery of a bouquet of flowers. all from sydney-- and all pink.

sydney leaves the sweetest notes all of the time. you're grateful that your girlfriend makes an effort to show you how much she loves you from thousands of miles away.

you're enjoying the rest of your time at arsenal, since this is your last season. all of your fans don't know it yet, but some are suspecting that you'll join sydney in munich next year-- since there is no updates on a contract renewal with arsenal.

the next morning, you woke up to a knock at your door.

you groaned as you quickly rubbed your eyes and put your pink slippers on. walking out of the bedroom, you walked into the hallway into your living room to open up the front door.

the first guess of who could be at your door was caitlin and katie, who lived in the same apartment complex as you. sometimes, they come and eat breakfast with you because of how lonely you can get.

sometimes it feels like everyone on the team has a companion or partner, which leaves you feeling left out sometimes. luckily, you won't have to feel fomo for much longer with bayern's offer for you to join their club. thanks to references from sydney and georgia.

"hey cai-" your voice cut off when you saw a familiar face at the door.

a woman, early to mid 40s, named josie worked down at the flower boutique down from your apartment complex. she is a face you see every week at your door-- holding a huge pink bouquet.

"goodmorning josie." you smile as you, softly, take the bouquet of flowers out of her hands.

your hair was messy, considering that you gotten out of bed. however, josie has seen you looking worse during mornings where you're sick or tired from games the nights before.

"goodmorning, sydney got these for you." Josie smiled.

"yeah-- these are beautiful *sniff* and smell great too." you took a smell of the flowers. sydney got you pink flowers all of the time, just as you sent her red bouquets to her house in munich, but she changes the flowers up.

josie nodded and smiled at your observation of the flowers.

"i'm going to the airport soon to see her too-- so I'm surprised she sent me these." you commented.

"you shouldn't be-- its tuesday. have safe travels." josie says, smiling before walking away from your door.

sydney did send you your flowers every tuesday, which josie is right about.

you placed the flowers inside of a pink vase before pulling out the note card in the middle of the flowers.

"can't wait to see you later, honigbiene

-syd <3"

<3

[mommymccabe]

Injured Cuddles

Pairing: Katie McCabe x reader

Summary: You and Katie watching a movie at home

Words: 500 ish (small one)

Warnings: Injury, fluff, nothing rlly, a swear word or two

______________________________

‘Darling please move I need to pee’ Katie basically begs.

‘Shush, too comfy’ you mumble into her chest.

‘I’m about to piss me self, move baby!’ she replies.

‘Okay okay’ you grumble and pull yourself off her, moving to the other side of the couch, continuing to watch the movie she put on.

You watch Katie run to the bathroom and giggle. You get comfortable on the couch again with your injured ankle resting on the coffee table.

During a tough game against Aston Villa, a dirty tackle left you rolling on the floor with a fractured ankle and a very angry Katie. After giving the opposition a piece of her mind she ran to you on the pitch and laid down next to you.

‘You okay love?’ she asked with a worried expression.

‘I don’t know K, I think I fucked my ankle baby it hurts so much’ you cry out.

Katie tucks the lose strand of hair on your face behind your ears and leans down to kiss your head.

‘I know y/n/n, I know. You’ll be okay’ She whispers to you as the medics finally arrive.

‘She needs to come off and we need to get her an x-ray, her ankles already swollen and purple’ the medic says to Katie due to your current unbearable pain leaving you unable to focus on anything else.

‘Okay. I’m coming with you’ She demands. The medics nod and start to move you onto a stretcher. Katie runs over to Jonas and tells him what the medic said and that she needs to go with you.

‘Katie-’ Jonas starts before Katie interrupts him.

‘No. I need to be with her. She is the only thing that matters to me. I’m going with her!’ Katie yells.

‘Okay, I understand. It’s okay, be with her’ Jonas relies with a smile.

After many tests and a long afternoon, it was determined you wouldn’t be able to play for at least 14 weeks and will need physio after for who knows how long after, until you’re fully healed.

This left you on best rest and bored at home. Finally the season ended so Katie was home a lot more and you got to spend moments like this together.

After Katie finally returned, you climbed back on top of her and shoved your head in her neck.

‘You’re so cuddly today love, everything okay?’ she mumbled.

‘Mhm, just sore and tired and you’re comfy’ you whisper.

‘You wanna sleep bub?’ Katie asks before noticing you’re already sound asleep on top of her. She smiles down at you and gently runs her hands through your hair and turns her attention back to the movie.

She thinks about how much she loves you and how she can’t wait to spend the rest of her life with you, before closing her eyes with a smile on her face.

_______________________________

an: thank you so much for all the likes on the last one. pls any requests or anything at all pls let me know xx

[alex31624]

Those were really good Football team headcanons 👏 I think each one you mentioned fit great with that sports team.

Could you please share more headcanons about the other characters’ fav teams 👀?

Oh, I love this.

Ok, I think not all the characters would be a football fans. So, if is not in this list, they don't support any team, or don't care about the sport.

Webby - Liverpool

It was hard for Webby, her grandma is an Aston Villa fan, her hero is a Celtic fan. Which team should she support?

What moves Webby is love, dedication, passion. And it was the passion the Liverpool fans show what make her a fan herself.

It was a secret, until she found out Donald is also a Liverpool fan. Just another thing to bond about for them.

Huey - All of them

Huey loves his family and friends, so he can't take sides. He supports all the teams, depending on the circumstances.

Dewey - Manchester United

The second Dewey found out that Della was a Manchester fan, he took her side. You know that's a Dewey thing.

Sadly, he forgot that Manchester was on downhill since 2014. He has to watch the Europa League and begs that next year will be better.

Louie - Liverpool

All the triplets were Liverpool fans thanks to Donald. When their circle grew, Huey decided that he wanted to support all the teams, Dewey took Della's side, but Louie stay by his uncle side. Donald made him a Liverpool fan, he will stay a Liverpool fan.

A bit bias for Donald and Louis relationship? Yes. Always.

May & June - Liverpool

Just like their brother, the twins wanted to follow their dad. Easy.

Violet - Internazionale

Violet was never that interested in football. She knew the basics, the big tournaments and big teams. But then, she got a sister.

An italian sister.

An AC Milan fan sister.

And Violet knew what she had to do, and became an Inter fan. Just to get under Lena's skin. That's such a sisterhood thing to do.

Gosalyn - Borussia Dortmund

One more that has her focus on passion. Gosalyn in 2017 is a latina, but her last name has a bit of german flavour. That's where she found her team, a team who's rebel and loyal.

Perfect for Gos.

The last game of the 2022-2023 season broke her heart.

B.O.Y.D. - Real Madrid

Sweet baby B.O.Y.D. has a whole world to discover. He spends most of his time with the rest of the Team Science, so he listens to Fenton's stories about a team that can make miracles happen, a team that doesn't know how to give up, and their victories can only be described as epic.

Yes, Fenton's influence turned B.O.Y.D. in a Real Madrid fan.

Real Madrid bias? Of course.

José - Flamengo

I asked an expert, @fantasticenthusiasttale, for this one.

She told me that José Carioca lives in a neighborhood in the city of Rio de Janeiro called Vila Xurupita, which has its own soccer team, Xurupita FC. He even played for them.

But, her headcanon is that José is a Flamengo fan. And who I am to disagree?

Panchito - Necaxa

To tell the truth, I know nothing about Mexico football. I stared at Panchito and said, this is the face of a Necaxa fan.

So there you have it.

Gladstone - Manchester City

The notorious freeloader Gladstone Gander of course is a Manchester City fan.

He knows nothing about the team's history, but when he found out the team has a almost bottomless wallet, he became a fan.

Matilda - Rangers

Like Violet, Matilda began supporting Rangers only to get under Scrooge's skin.

With the time, she actually became a passionate fan who enjoyed going to the games. She and Scrooge have been in many Old Firm (Rangers vs Celtic) games.

When the team was sended to the 4th division, she went to every game until Rangers returned to the Scottish Premiership.

Ludwig Von Drake - Rapid Wien

In his youth, professor Von Drake enjoyed seeing the football Rapid Wien showed. A team for the working class, who fights day by day.

Von Drake was happy to see that Rapid still was the most successful team of the country.

But professor didn't see with good eyes the grow of Red Bull Salzburg. A team born of a corporation, who denies its own history.

Von Drake awaits for the resurgence of Rapid.

Mark Beaks - Inter Miami

When Messi signed with Inter Miami, Mark Beaks flew to the city because he knew that was buzz worthy.

That's the only reason he has to go to the games.

This was so much fun. Thanks for the ask @ducktales-and-ducks, sorry I couldn't finish this one earlier.

[brighter-by-the-daly]

Kenza Dali x Reader

2025

“Your contract runs out soon doesn’t it?” directing the question to your best friend on the team - Kenza Dali. She’d been with the team for a year now and the thought of her leaving tore you up inside. You’ve had so much fun with her since joining Villa at the same time last year - you signed a 3 year contract and Kenza had signed one. You had heard of the French midfielder but hadn’t met before, on your first training session something just clicked and you’ve been attached at the hip ever since. You had even suggested becoming roommates a few weeks ago with the hope she’d have told you she was staying but her vague answer of “we’ll see what happens” filled you with no confidence at all. You’ve had the time of your life this season, the link up between the two of you felt flawless and natural. Trying desperately everything you could think of to make her stay - meals out, trips to places close by, she even came on house viewings with you but the woman continued to remain neutral and it was driving you insane.

“Yeahhh” the word drawn out in her French accent sank yet another nail into the Villa coffin. “Have you decided what you’re doing yet?” Sarah tried to pull an answer out of her to no avail. The whole team had been trying to get her to spill her plans but she’d been coy with everyone. Another “no, not yet” left her mouth causing the circle to collectively roll their eyes and fall onto their backs, leaving Kenz the only one sitting up right she chuckled softly at you all. “You lot are all losers! Why do you care so much?” rolling her Rs in a fashion that was jokey yet frustrated with all the questions. Chimes rang out among the team of why we want Dali to stay - the food she makes us, the jokes, self proclaimed mum of the team; she keeps us grounded and we love her. Kenza Dali is a huge part of why Aston Villa did so well this season, can she blame us for not wanting her to leave?

“Has Carla offered it to you yet?” Alisha asked, rolling onto her stomach and sitting up onto her elbows causing a domino effect with the rest of the team. Kenz still the only one sitting cross legged made it look like story time with the children. “Guuuys, stop with all the questions pleease!” whinging as she pulled herself onto her feet to walk away from the group. You and Rachel immediately wrapped yourselves around her legs so she couldn’t go anywhere. You know how you would to your parents when you were little? She tried with all her might to get away but with both of you dragging her down it was impossible as she fell down causing the rest of the team to bundle on top. With one last game left it was like the last day of school - being left to mess around after the necessary training was finished. It was a lovely day and instead of leaving you were enjoying the sunshine on the pitch.

Kenza’s shouts came from underneath the pile of people to let her go. All of you said you weren’t going to move until she gave you all an answer. Kenza being Kenza stuck to her guns “okay, I’ll just stay here all night then” she laughed until she couldn’t breathe anymore and made a pact. She’ll tell us if we get off of her.. so we did. One by one you pulled yourselves off the pile “tricked you!” she yelled as she made a run for it across the field and into the gym. Groans came from the group as you watched her disappear into the building.

The last game of the season came and went, Kenz didn’t play as she was injured and the team list of people not returning next season had been published - Dali wasn’t on it which gave you hope. You’d invited the team over to yours for a meal before you all went your separate ways for the summer but your bestie still hadn’t arrived. Texts and phone calls were being ignored as you succumbed to the fact that she wasn’t coming and sat down to eat with the others. Chatter amongst the girls filled the room as your mind was elsewhere, pushing your food around your plate instead of eating it. In a spiral of thoughts that you’d played your last game with her and would be too far apart to see her monthly let alone daily. Just as you took your last sip of wine there was a knock at the door. Raising from your chair to answer it your face lit up at the sight of the brunette on your door step. Duffel bag in hand made your expression turn quizzical.. “is the roommate offer still available?” she asked with a cheeky smile. “OH MY GOD!!” screaming so loud she dropped her bag to cover her ears, making the others leave the table and come running over. “Sorry I’m late guys, I was signing my contract” she laughed softly. Now met with louder screams from the rest of her teammates as she was carried inside, you ran to the fridge to grab the bottle of champagne that’s been in there for weeks for this exact purpose. “Knew I wouldn’t regret buying this!” beaming as you handed her the bottle. Shuffling outside for her to pop it, madness ensued. “To 2025!” she yelled as the cork flew out of the garden and into the darkness, cheers coming from the group in reiteration - “2025!”

[cloudsspoke]

¿La Scaloneta? Una poesía muy buena ~

Some heated, hilarious, and heartwarming moments when the boys meet each other as a rival ⚔️

↳ Previously on “¿La Scaloneta? Una familia (part 1)”

Nico: No estaría mal que Leo se coma una patadita Caro: NOOOO

Le dije que no se tenía que enojar porque fue todo pelota. Después se reía porque sabe que se tiró al pedo. Tenemos una gran relación con Ale, son cosas del Partido y quedan ahí - Cuti Romero's interview with Sofi Martinez

↳ Context: Mac was actually upset that Brighton lost because he felt injustice from the Ref’s decision

🔴 Enzo (Benfica) vs Messi (PSG): two legs UCL game all draw, vs Di Maria-Paredes (Juventus): two legs UCL game all won

🔵 Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Enzo vs Cuti – Licha-Garnacho – Julian – Mac Allister – Dibu: all LOSE 😭

Sad to know we don’t get to see Cuti vs Licha during the Spurs clash against United because of Licha’s injury, but at least we get to see Juli-Enzo together once again 💕

FROM THIS >>>> TO THIS

I'm not crying, you are :')

🟥 El Huevo got a red card that prevented him from playing in the Final match

The hard pill from having “The All-Argentinian Final” 😔

The more (Muchachos play in the same team), the better 💕

⚽ Molina dedicated his goal to Angelito Correa (who missed the game due to the death of his beloved Mother)

Is this even legal to have 5 Argentines in 1 club 😭😭

Lisandro Martinez es como mi padre - Garnacho on MUTV

In September, if all is well and Ten Haag is nice to us, let’s hope to see these two together play for Argentina, as what a stroke of bad luck that we had when in March it was Garnacho who couldn’t join the squad during the 1st FMD, and last month we missed Licha when Garnacho made his debut 😩

⚫⚪ Being Juventini for 20 years I’m happy both of them left the club, especially after Juventus’ point deduction that made them couldn’t participate in any Europe competition. And although to me they playing there is like a failed project aka wrong decision, at least I got to see Di Maria scored a hattrick (Sofascore rating solid perfect 10) and Paredes also got MOTM with his superb free kick goal (against Lecce) ⚽

⭐⭐⭐

2022/2023 Season wrap-up:

CONGRATULATIONS:

Lautaro & Tucu for winning Super Coppa and Coppa Italia 2022-23 (Lautaro scored in both final matches) 🏆🏆

Licha & Garnacho for winning Carabao Cup 2022-23 🏆

Messi for winning Ligue1 2022-23 🏆

Gio Simone for winning Serie A 2022-23 🏆

Otamendi for winning La Primeira Liga 2022-23 🏆

Montiel, Acuña, Papu, Lamela, & Ocampos for Winning UEL 2022-23 🏆

Manu Lanzini for winning UECL 2022-23 🏆

↳ Not to mention Brighton & Hove Albion who finished #6 which makes them qualified for UEL Group Stage 👏 and Aston Villa (#7) who for the 1st time in 12 years have qualified for European competition (UECL Qualifier) 👏

Finally and above all, triple applause for ‘La Araña que pica’ Julian for winning the Treble [EPL-FA Cup-UCL] with City 🏆🏆🏆

🕸️

📌 Honorable mention from me goes to Facu Medina:

MAN IS ON A MISSION 🤭

We were talking, you know what Leo is as a person and as a player. To be honest, I congratulated him and thanked him for the World Cup - Facu Medina on his chat with Messi after the game @ SC_ESPN

⭐⭐⭐

👋 if you enjoy reading this post you can also click here to similar posts I have already made:

(1) Little Things I Love from La Scaloneta

(2) Hilarious & Heartwarming stories about La Scaloneta

(3) Crackhead Muchachos

(4) Full thread about AFA's Tournament de Truco

(5) Full thread about Players' room arrangement (¿Quién duerme con quién?) + more gifs about Messi and the gang

Coming up next: Argentina FMD + Holiday picts, stay tuned 😉

[kloppool]

analysis of liverpool's szn at the halfway point

i think the most apparent reason for our resurgence this szn is our midfield rebuild. i won't go too in-depth about our issues last year (cause we all literally lived it) but our midfield was old, injury-prone and just could not do its job. the thing that makes liverpool different is that our attacking facilitators are our fullbacks, so the midfield is expected to do more defensively. that was not happening last season, which left our defense exposed. this year, our brand-new midfield has looked amazing. despite a rough few games, domi has been one of the best signings, covers an incredible amount of ground a game, and can score some absolute bangers. macca has been played out of position so far, but has still been great. however, i think endo has been the best of the bunch, which might be a little controversial, but considering what the expectations of many were vs what he has delieved, i think the thing i love the most about endo is his attitude. even if he makes a mistake, he puts in double the effort to make up for it.

similar to our midfield, our defense is very much having a comeback season. as i touched on in the previous paragraph, the midfield left our defense very exposed last season. this was especially an issue at the fullback position because while taa and robbo are crazy talented, they sometimes leave a lot to be desired in the defensive area. our center back situation was also not great.

while the midfield being loads better certainly helps our defense, i also think that every single one of them is miles better then last year. virg is having a proper renaissance and looks back to his best. joel was phenomenal, ibou is hitting his stride and jarell is our best academy player since trent.

trent's position switch has maybe been the most interesting thing taticallly so far imo. by allowing him to play as an inverted fullback, trent gets to make full use of one some of his best skills- his passing and vision. he's directly gotten us 4 points this season through goals and his defending has improved

to put in perspective how good our defense has been our goals conceded per match is 0.84 so far

the funny thing about our attack this year is that normally it's the area we have the least concern with. for years, liverpool was defined by it's incredible attacking football and lack of defense soundness, which lead to (what felt like) constant 4-3s.....just look at 2017/2018.

so far liverpool have scored 39 goals, only behind city (43) and aston villa (40)

however, the problem is that liverpool are wasteful and not finishing enough chances. mo salah has 12 goals and 7 assists in having played 19 matches

the issue (so far) is that there is no other consistent goalscorer. while darwin has certainly been much better this season, he still misses a lot. if he can improve his finishing, i gen believe he could be fernando torres-esque. if not, we need to a. find someone to consistently score goals and b. allow him the freedom to do what he does best: which rn, is to cause chaos. i can see darwin taking up a bobby type role here and being a facilitator for mo and another strike partner

diogo is, after mo, our best attacker. he is so clinical it's not even funny. cody's movement and energy are fantastic, but his finishing needs to improve. luis diaz has been great at times, but has struggled lately and i think a little time off to reset after everything he's been through this season would be great

summary: our midfield and defense have improved massively thanks to new signings and players rediscovering their best selves. our attack creates great chances, but overall struggles to finish consistently. but, overall, i'm impressed. we've lost a lot of crucial players over the past 2 years, mainly in the midfield and attack (literally all of our midfielders left) and to be in a title race this season is truly impressive.

have not spoken of klopp yet, but he is as animated as ever and his ability to reinvent this team and reenergize them is truly special. i know he's "the normal one" but what he does is the exact opposite.

if you read this whole thing thank you so much.....also you might be a little crazy

[cookies-sports]

Matches from Week of 16th September (1/2)

Below the cut, longish rambles on some matches I watched:

Aston Villa vs Chelsea

Arsenal vs Manchester City

Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur

More rambling in a second post to keep this one from getting super long :)

Aston Villa 0 - 1 Chelsea

First games of the season are always a bit odd. This game definitely felt a bit odd.

Chelsea seemed to have some challenges getting into a flow and Villa were a step up from last year. Bits of both of that contributed to the end result and it wouldn't exactly have gone against the run of play if Villa had grabbed an equaliser.

There's perhaps also an unconscious element of expecting Chelsea to do really well because of their track record, but it's not as if they're running away with the WSL every season. It's good for the WSL if more matches are hard fought. Chelsea have to learn to find their rhythm again under a new coach and with new team members, which will take a bit of time.

A couple of shots went just wide from Chelsea and D'Angelo had a pretty solid game. Also, Villa's defense did an admirable job of keeping Ramirez out of too many danger areas or getting the run on them. Which is not an easy task at all.

(Also, take note some other teams/defenders, they did this without fouling, yanking constantly on her arms or her shirt, or other similar tactics.)

However, Villa did have to commit two players (on a few occasions three) to Ramirez many times and this stretched them. Rytting-Kaneryd's goal was excellent and took advantage of a lapse in their stretched defense.

A mixture of good saves from Hampton and difficulties being clinical in the box meant that while Villa had chances, they never finished them. There's a part of me that wonders if that equaliser might have happened if Gabi Nunes was ready and available for this match. Villa had about 8 (?) corners and a fair number of crosses, and just couldn't get the ball in the net. On one occasion, Hampton was completely beaten and the ball was put over the top.

Now, obviously new signings don't always manage to replicate what they do for other clubs, but Nunes has decent aerial play and also good at clinching those goals when the ball is clattering around the 6 and 18 yard boxes. There's a few of her goals here that show what I mean: Gabi Nunes YouTube clips. If this is the style of play Villa are doing going forward, they could be very interesting this season.

Anyway, Chelsea had the fortitude to hold on even when struggling and it was a decent opener for the WSL because it really felt at times like it could end any way. Would have been a hilarious start to the season if D'Angelo had equalised at the end there, though...can you imagine?

Arsenal 2-2 Manchester City

I meant, after Miedema left Arsenal for Man City, this being their opening match seems a bit too coincidental to not have been by design, right? Make sure there was a big, potentially chaotic game to start of the season? I don't know... maybe it really was coincidental.

It was as chaotic as match-ups between the top teams often are and kind of a nervy affair at times. Manchester City started out shaky, conceded early, then grabbed a goal back just before half-time from...Miedema.

Second half got even more all over the place. Park put a beautiful shot right in the top corner of the Arsenal goal, Foord had a goal ruled offside when she was actually onside, then Mead scored off of a deflection from the upright shortly after a tackle from McCabe ended up with Kelly on the floor and Little tripping over her and landing on top of her. Two City players got yellow cards for complaining about that, and five were carded in total throughout the game.

Manchester City did not seem to cope well with Arsenal's long balls over the top and then when they had the ball in defense, they were too indecisive and slow playing out from the back. It also looked like Bunny Shaw was sitting pretty far back in the midfield which was unusual and didn't seem to give her the space to get out and on the attack easily. On the other hand, Arsenal failed to take some decent chances that they got and made errors closing down in defense. So both teams just looked that bit...not quite their usual play. Kind of like Chelsea, but more on edge.

I've seen a lot of criticism of Zinsberger and Yamashita online. Now, I will go to bat for goalkeepers a lot. I think they often get unfair criticism and frequently people don't think about what the game looks like from their perspective. It's kind of well known at this point that Zinsberger gets a lot of criticism that is undeserved; not to say she always plays well, but it has become almost a reflex to blame Zinsberger when she isn't the one shouldering the main fault for a goal. Yamashita is also already getting a lot of criticism and being written off, on top of the dismissal I've seen of her from some people who apparently have never watched her play in goal for Japan.

The four goals were all tricky in different ways. Maanum hit the first ball hard (she was making sure that thing went into the net!) and even if Yamashita had gone the right way (she had to make a split second reaction, likely influenced unconsciously by where players were in the box and where the ball was most likely to be hit) I don't know if she would have got a hand to it. The second Arsenal goal, Kafaji hit it near post, Yamashita threw herself that way to cover the angle, but the ball hit the upright and bounced to Mead. Not a lot she could do there.

The first Manchester City goal deflected off of a defender's head and having already set herself up to go the original direction of the shot, Zinsberger couldn't reposition in time for the deflection. Then Jess Park's goal was right, right up in the top corner, dinking in from the bar. It's easy to go "if such and such was positioned better, they'd get there", but if you were positioned better to stop one type of goal, you'd likely open yourself up to conceding a different type of goal. It's decisions made in seconds or split seconds and sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. Both Zinsberger and Yamashita had great saves during the game, but too many people dismiss those with "the striker should have scored" or "the ball was right at her" without thinking that the goalkeeper also played a role in putting the striker off or making those positioning decisions constantly throughout the approach to close angles or make it more likely that the striker would aim it close to or at them. Goalkeepers do a lot more than gets appreciated sometimes.

I'm sure both Manchester City and Arsenal fans have many feelings about that game, but as a fan of no team, it was certainly an interesting watch.

Crystal Palace 0 - 4 Tottenham Hotspurs

Going back for just about as long as both the WSL and the Championship (and their previous renditions) have existed, there have been warnings and discussions about how the changes in the top division are not being replicated further down... Unfortunately, I suspect Crystal Palace are going to have as rough a time in the WSL as their predecessors did.

Tottenham took a bit of time to find their flow, they went in at half-time with just the one goal from Hayley Raso, but in the second half they came out and just outperformed Crystal Palace across the pitch. Neville was fantastic, Spence was brilliant, and they controlled the game for most of the second half.

Crystal Palace struggled so much more in the second half. There were also some things which will get them pinged by referees; repeatedly running in front of Becky Spencer and physically preventing her from releasing goal-kicks quickly, pulling on Tottenham player's shirts hard when they were running for goal or in the box...

As ridiculous as it might sound with the scoreline, Shae Yanez in goal for Crystal Palace was probably their best player, her keeping it to 4 was respectable considering it could have been much, much higher...

Three young Lionesses got minutes for Crystal Palace: Lexi Potter started and had a decent enough game considering the outcome, Brooke Aspin came on in the 64th minute and Poppy Pritchard came on at 82 minutes. Unfortunately, in the 94th minute, Brooke Aspin lost her composure completely, reacted poorly to a call by the referee and received two yellow cards within seconds of each other. Not a good start for her.

I rewatched the incident, but with the quality of the footage on YouTube I cannot for the life of me see the original foul. The commentator says she pulled the Tottenham player down, but her hands don't look like they're near her shirt? I thought maybe she clipped her trailing leg as she moved inside to cut off her run towards goal, but I cannot see the contact with the poor film quality. So, I don't know whether the two yellow cards came from the foul, then Brooke Aspin shouting at the referee and kicking the ball away, or whether both were for her reaction. First she stopped and yelled at the referee, not sure what was said, then booted the ball in frustration and I think it hit the Tottenham player who was on the floor. I don't think there's anywhere we can see referee reports/write-ups for the WSL, is there? It would really help to understand some of the decisions.

Either way, a bad day for Brooke Aspin. Probably not the start to the season she would have wanted. A serious "learn from this moment" event.

[elmaestrostan]

In the refurbished gym at Aston Villa’s training ground, players are regularly put through their paces, spend time building up their strength and flexibility and develop the team bond that is such a key part of their incredible current form.

Another regular sight in the gym has been head coach Unai Emery putting in the miles on the treadmill. But unlike most people, who listen to music or a podcast while working out, the man behind one of the biggest turnarounds in recent Premier League history uses the time to watch recordings of their upcoming opponents’ games.

He’s looking for patterns, for holes, for weaknesses for Villa to exploit.

Paywall jump under the ✂️🫡

Emery then relays his findings and key messages to the players in lengthy video analysis sessions, which have been known to run up to an hour and fifteen minutes.

Focusing on and improving the small details has been the underlying theme of the 13 months since Emery’s appointment, with Villa now a club transformed. Beating champions Manchester City and their title rivals Arsenal back-to-back in the space of four days this week is a period that rubber-stamps their progress.

This is how Villa turned their form and fortunes around, including how:

Emery warned players to never make the same mistakes after previous Arsenal defeat

He compiled a dossier on each player before joining, calling on his backroom staff to put together clips

Players noted a transformation between training under previous boss Steven Gerrard and Emery

The squad were pushed through pain barriers in pre-season

A ‘best-in-class’ mentality has emerged throughout the club

Co-owner Nassef Sawiris was recently pitchside and clapped every player off the pitch

Emery takes training ground staff out for meals

Villa’s overall infrastructure has been improved.

Seconds away from becoming the only manager in Villa’s 149-year history to win 15 successive home league games, Emery raised both hands in the air and outwards, cranking the crowd’s volume even higher.

It was apt that Villa crossed into unprecedented territory against Arsenal. Ten months ago, the Gunners were the previous Premier League visitors to leave the stadium with three points.

Since then, West Midlands walls have been fortified. The successive 1-0 victories inside four days over the sides to finish first (City) and second (Arsenal) in the 2022-23 Premier League and are likely to contest the title again this season — described as “the most difficult week” by Emery — were taxing, but ultimately ended in glory.

Fortress Villa Park has proven the symbol of the club’s remarkable resurgence, establishing them as one of the Premier League’s best and most effectively-run football clubs.

The improvement from the final days of predecessor Gerrard — where only goal difference kept them out of the top flight’s relegation places — is as drastic as it is exceptional, with Villa now firmly in the hunt for a Champions League spot next season and perhaps even more, with Pep Guardiola endorsing their title credentials only last week.

Emery regarded February’s 4-2 home defeat against Arsenal as a turning point. Irrespective of what he said publicly, that showdown with his old club was one he was desperate to win. So he was consequently infuriated with his side’s manner of collapse after the scores were level until the final minutes. Post-match and across several meetings, he told his players, in no uncertain terms, that such errors could not be repeated.

Emery remarked that they had kicked the ball long on too many occasions, with his defensive players continuing to clear to safety, as opposed to retaining possession and stamping their authority on the game. He preached that seizing control would lead to the concession of fewer goals. Even after the wins against City and Arsenal this week, Emery recalled that painful loss to the latter, unprompted, in his press conferences.

“The players are more united with each other, this is their primary strength,” says one source close to the dressing room who, like others in this piece, spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships.

That match almost 10 months ago was the last time Villa lost at home, and marked the start of a shift in mentality. Their performance against City on Wednesday was one for the ages and underlined just how far many of those same players who faced Arsenal in February have come in terms of composure, organisation and general quality.

Final preparations for City’s visit had been different to the usual routines.

Emery wanted his players to train on the morning of the game, keen to drill extra detail. The session he conducted was low-intensity, chiefly working on various patterns of play and team shape, ensuring the starting XI knew how to exploit the areas Emery’s analysis had told him City were vulnerable in.

A fluid, spinning midfield four overloaded City in central areas and provided additional passing lanes when playing out from the back. This proved essential in victory and highlighted the forensic lengths Emery and his coaching staff go to.

Before his official switch from La Liga side Villarreal late last October, Emery compiled detailed dossiers of each player from his home in Spain. He called on the backroom staff who would be joining him in England to put together footage of previous games and clips of individual players. He swiftly recognised the blindspots in the team he was inheriting from Gerrard, with defence a particular issue — Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash were all concerns.

Elsewhere, Emery knew his methodology would enable specific plans for his attackers, but felt more firepower was needed. Contrary to reports regarding Moussa Diaby being his top target, Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams was the player Emery initially wanted.

“With Gerrard, training was just training,” says a source close to a Villa player. “But Emery is so detailed, as he was at Arsenal. He coached them (the players) and continues to coach them in every facet of football every single day, and regularly reinforces good habits on the training ground — until the point where it starts working on the pitch. The players then believe in his methods and start doing exactly what he’s asking them to do every game — confidence and belief then kick in — and this is the result.”

This included the development of first-choice centre-backs Mings and Konsa. Emery wanted both to become better on the ball and protect their zones defensively. Through detailed coaching in what Emery expected from the pair in their parts of the pitch, greater clarity and confidence have been provided.

Players noted an immediate contrast in training between Gerrard and Emery, with the content of sessions transformed overnight. It tied in with the notion that there was a completely different level of leadership between the two coaches — Emery knew exactly what he wanted, while Gerrard, in comparison, was seen to be looking for a “moment of magic” from an individual player.

Gerrard sat, a broken man, alongside assistant Gary McAllister towards the end of a 3-0 defeat away to Fulham in October last year, with neither man, realising they had reached the end at Villa, offering little direction to the players. The lack of communication became so bad that striker Ollie Watkins — usually a reserved, quiet character — took it upon himself to organise a huddle on the Craven Cottage pitch in a bid to restore some semblance of order.

By contrast, Emery is a constant presence up on the touchline, instructing his team through every passage of play. Figures close to Villa say it is a small window into his all-consuming personality, where those in his inner circle describe him as “obsessive” in wanting to extract each possible marginal gain.

In his early days at Villa, Emery would work on at Bodymoor Heath, Villa’s training ground, until as late as 10pm. His close friend, and now the club’s director of football, Damian Vidagany accompanied him and joked how their nocturnal habits would drive security staff, desperately hoping for sleep, to despair. While those hours have now slightly reduced (Emery tends to work 7am-7pm these days, but is prone to staying later to study for the next game) his intensity has not.

Emery’s exhaustive methods meant getting results quickly was important in terms of getting senior players onside. Players subsequently saw purpose in his prolonged preparations and have continued to adhere to his plans. “He’s naturally confident but he loves Emery,” said a source close to one key player. “The coach always asks him never to be afraid to play.”

The first pre-season under Emery this summer was energy-sapping. Lots of travel (including a three-game U.S. tour) with lots of warm-up matches afforded little opportunity for downtime and pushed players, in terms of physical exertion, far more than they experienced in their one pre-season under Gerrard. There were aches and pains before the final friendly away to another of Emery’s former Spanish clubs Valencia but, among players and staff, there remained total buy-in.

Pushing through physical barriers was illustrated once more in Emery opting to go with an unchanged side on Saturday, less than 72 hours after the final whistle against City. “I was thinking about changing the starting XI,” he said, “but yesterday every player said they were perfect to play.”

Emery wanted to build a best-in-class mentality throughout the club. Senior figures involved in non-related footballing matters at Villa say other aspects are having to play catch-up in matching the progress shown under Emery’s leadership. This was also reflected in Villa’s recruitment, where Emery and Vidagany made concerted efforts not to be content with signing “second-rate” players for the sake of it.

In January, Emery’s first window with the club, Villa wanted to give him one new player and sanctioned the Spaniard’s priority target — experienced Real Betis full-back Alex Moreno. With Emery having no prior knowledge of Jhon Duran and despite Villa being far down the line towards his signing from MLS side Chicago Fire — a deal pushed by their then sporting director Johan Lange — the transfer was only finalised once he’d watched footage of the teenage forward and agreed there was potential that could be refined under his coaching.

Emery’s sacking from Arsenal in November 2019 hurt him deeply, given it was a development he did not see coming. He felt blindsided by the collapse of faith in his project after only 18 months.

Therefore, in his second crack at the Premier League, Emery intended to build a structure around him that was robust enough to withstand dips in form and, more significantly, to forge the club he joined in his image. Both he and Vidagany share the viewpoint that a settled environment is more important than having money to spend.

Co-owners Sawiris and Wes Edens were enthused by Project Emery and wanted to deliver a supportive network. And having watched him guide Villa from the relegation candidates he inherited to Europa Conference League qualifiers in less than a full season, they gave Emery greater autonomy in bringing aboard more Spanish-speaking staff, including president of football operations Monchi.

On Saturday, Emery thanked Edens and Sawiris for their contributions to Villa’s historic run of home form.

The new coach’s influence became increasingly tangible in recruitment and contracts, where he pushed a new deal for Mings, having been won over by the England international after his early reservations. This was the first sign of chief executive Christian Purslow becoming sidelined, and he left the club in the summer.

Similarly, Lange moved away from the day-to-day running of the club to assist the owners in their plans to build a multi-club stable before leaving Villa to join fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in October. Although he helped to develop Villa following his appointment in the summer of 2020, current staff are so confident in Emery’s project and their standing that Lange’s exit has not been a cause for concern.

Before Emery, neither of Edens and Sawiris attended many Villa fixtures. This changed, however, because of their extremely strong affection for him and because they see a team who are winning. After a recent match, Sawiris was pitchside and clapped every player off the pitch and during the November international break, Emery, Vidagany and Monchi attended a Milwaukee Bucks game, the NBA basketball team co-owned by Edens.

In their desire to give Emery what he wants, Edens and Sawiris’ holding company, V Sports, announced a partnership with lower-league Spanish club Real Union last month. In June, Emery and his brother, Igor, acquired a controlling stake in the club from their native Basque region, who their grandfather and father both played for. Strengthening ties improves Real Union’s footballing set-up, with Villa now in a position to share ideas, including coaching and data — something that naturally appealed to Emery.

Even though there are concerns externally as to whether Villa’s owners are giving too much power to Emery and his Spanish appointments, their unwavering view is that he will succeed and will not be leaving.

“You don’t know how lucky Aston Villa are to have these owners,” said Vidagany. “Coming from a traditional club in Spain to Aston Villa, which is self-proud and has a very big history, the owners understand. This is not easy because the interest of investors sometimes is bigger than the understanding of the club.

“What we found here are owners who are committed financially and embrace Villa’s heritage. We knew from the first moment we were not going to be Manchester City or Manchester United, but we knew that if we are professional and explain the plan, the owners will be committed to the plan.”

One of the first phone calls Emery made before joining Villa was to Vidagany, who initially came with him as his personal assistant. Vidagany is tasked with handling the aspects of management away from the training pitch, connecting multiple departments at the club and ensuring alignment throughout. After the subsequent arrival of former Sevilla colleague Monchi, he and Vidagany take care of transfer negotiations and act as sounding boards for any queries.

Vidagany is a transparent and frank communicator in his dealings with players and agents, informing them via email and in meetings if they should seek another club. This summer, he told certain players they could leave provided they came to Villa with a buyer, outlining the sort of fees the club were looking for in each case.

Emery, Vidagany and Monchi have formed a ‘triangle of power’, and are charged with making the key football-related decisions. They have a close relationship, eating breakfast together and working from a shared office that is split into three rooms. The trio travel to games together on the team coach and although Emery will not make such statements publicly, there is a belief between the club’s three main decision-makers that Villa can be contenders, even if there is a disparity in resources between them and the domestic elite.

Emery has hired several Spanish-speaking staff whom he trusts implicitly, including assistant Pako Ayestaran, who had worked in the Premier League before, under Rafa Benitez at Liverpool from 2004-07 — when they won the Champions League. Ayestaran’s appointment is being regarded as one of Emery’s shrewdest decisions, with his experience adding an alternative voice to other trusted assistants.

Another relied-upon staff member is goalkeeping coach Javi Garcia. While first-choice ’keeper Emiliano Martinez had a close relationship with the role’s previous occupant Neil Cutler, it is understood he is working with Garcia even more. Martinez invited Garcia to the recent Ballon D’or ceremony where he was named the world’s best goalkeeper. Garcia is open to using different technologies and data to vary training and achieve marginal gains in Martinez’s shot-stopping and distribution.

Emery likes to take staff who work at the Bodymoor Heath training ground out for lunch and dinner, which has helped to foster a spirit of unity at the team’s day-to-day home on the northern outskirts of Birmingham.

The support network away from the training pitch has also been crucial in the club providing a stable base for Emery.

Phil Roscoe, who leads the player care department, is well-liked among the squad and their families and is available to help at any hour. Sofia Allen, Villa’s player care officer, speaks multiple languages and has helped new signings from overseas settle in. Diego Carlos, for instance, knew little English when he joined from Sevilla under Gerrard in the 2022 pre-season. The Brazilian centre-back then sustained a significant injury (a ruptured Achilles tendon) in just his second appearance for the club in the August, while having to help his family settle after the move from Spain and find schools for his children. But Villa were on hand to help and subsequently eased the transition.

There is a sense among senior contacts that Villa, in regards to infrastructure, have seriously got their act together in the past year, coinciding with Emery’s arrival. The club now boast a refurbished, state-of-the-art training facility, have an operational inner-city academy complex — though it’s not yet open to the public — and are pressing ahead with plans to increase Villa Park’s 42,000 capacity to 50,000.

Such growth might have not been quite as swift if Villa had been unable to offer the level of stability given to Emery, with observers close to the situation pointing to the current dysfunction elsewhere in the Premier League at Chelsea and Manchester United.

The players were given two days off in the afterglow of their record 15th straight home league win.

That historic feat is another sign of new ground being broken and of the progress being made under Emery and throughout the club.

[sportearly]

How Anwar El Ghazi is faring at PSV after disastrous transfer from Aston Villa to Everton

How Anwar El Ghazi is faring at PSV after disastrous transfer from Aston Villa to Everton

BirminghamLive gives you the most recent Aston Villa news as Anwar El Ghazi continues to shine for PSV in the Eredivisie. PSV’s Anwar El Ghazi Report on Progress… Anwar El Ghazi, a Villa alumnusAnwar El Ghazi, who left Aston Villa as a cult figure last summer, is now starting a new chapter in his career with PSV. El Ghazi is in his peak at the age of 27, and PSV is reaping the benefits of his…

[footiehoemcfc]

As much as the referee fucked it up, I will not be that person that will blame it solely just on him. We shouldve scored like 4 in the first half.

I know we don’t need to panick and I hate being that person but there is something missing in this team and I will scream it till the day I die: KDB AND STONES ARE MISSED IMMENSELY. The chances are being missed, we misplace so many passes its insane.

I think we raised the bar very high last season that is why I am like fuck me why are we playing so bad. We are tying games we should win. We are conceding so many goals it’s crazy.

I just hope these games this first half of the season serve as a lesson and I think they will bc this time last season we were in a similar position and they switched a button in their brain.

Anyways, Aston villa is next, no rodri, it’s an away game, do i think we will win? Nope. But, I hope the players get their shit together soon. 🩵

[thatbrightblueshine]

i'm gonna ramble! here's how everton's season 23/24 looked like for one of their senior players that's been with them since 2017.

okay so the aston villa away 4-0 loss last season was basically the final nail to michael's coffin under dyche. he was awful and went on to start only three more games all season when we faced an injury crisis back in december. did well for one, that being burnley, then made a mistake during fulham in the elf cup .. wolves away .. we've all talked about that.

but this image from aston villa away. his face. haunts me everyday.

he went on to not applaud the fans for the rest of the season and basically just disappeared into the tunnel as soon as the final whistle was blown, understandably so given he no longer played, felt overall disconnected from the rest of the team, the fans etc makes me feel sick.

a little later on he ended up being subbed on during fulham in the premier league, scored a goal but it ended up being disallowed for no actual reason, apparently a "foul" of tarkowski against leno. absolute nonsense btw.

wolves away, december 30th. 3-0 loss, 64 minutes played. another great loss.

fulham efl cup, scored an owngoal that made the game end in a 1-1 draw, it went into penalties, which onana and gueye missed and had us eliminated. all on him technically.

dyche made him take one of the penalties (which he scored). he was the reason there was a penalty shootout to begin with. awful thing to do. imagine what he must've felt like lmao

despite his owngoal, he still did well. still ended up being punished with no more minutes, mykolenko did the EXACT same thing in the fa cup against luton, scored an owngoal that ended up in everton being eliminated, he started next game like nothing happened. rightfully so, but why always michael?

burnley at home, december 16th, 2-0 win. so dear to me. look at him shine.

genuine happiness, look at his eyes. he hadn't played all season and that one chance he was given, he used. might still be his last ever goal for everton, and if it is, it was meaningful one. look at what it meant to onana and doucoure, calvert-lewin. beautiful scenes.

a few other of his overall nine in total appearances for everton last season include when he was subbed on during the merseyside derby on october 21st, conceded a penalty, also played against chelsea in the 6-0 loss back in april, was subbed on when branthwaite went down, it was supposed to be godfrey but dyche went for michael because he was less important, we'd still have godfrey in case branthwaite's injury had been more serious, couldn't risk godfrey, too when the game was already down the shitter anyway. we were already 4-0 down, what was he meant to change anymore? still got blamed for the half an hour he played. imagine being him!!!

he was given a bit of piss take of send off during brentford on april 27th, played as a striker for 73 seconds, likely because of all the social media posts begging dyche to give him a chance as striker because of his finishing qualities in times when none of our strikers could score goals.

in other words, how would anyone expect him to have confidence or do well when he doesn't get to play, doesn't get to proof himself more etc. as it stands he'll remain a backup for next season since godfrey left. in other words, season 24/25 will just be like the last two seasons. i feel for him, no one else fucking does. he's 31 now, got one more year left on his contract. we collectively watched a player fade away, one that used to play for his country regularly, one that used to be good. but yeah he's "shit" so who cares about how HE feels, like he's not a human being. fucking hate this. nothing new.

[batllethinker]

Obviously after the interaction during last seasons Man United v Aston Villa game, Ona wants to take Jordy first, then since Lucy kept begging her mama to let her play with her best friend Ona takes Lucy as she is having Lucy make Jordy feel good, Kei is next bc Ona was always going to take her babygirls one after the other, then she wants to take her former ManU teammates-Alessia is first bc she bounded to Ona as soon as the words left her mouth like the puppy she is, Ella went after Less bc 1. She wanted her best friend to be near her while Ona was fucking her and 2) Less looked at her with these huge puppy dog eyes and Ella can’t say no to Less when she looks at her like that, G went next she had just finished her punishment from the England doms and walked in the room right as Ona was finishing up with Ella and ofc Kei wants to help her mama with her best friend so Ona let’s Kei suck on G’s nipples while she fucks G, then Ona takes Ellie bc she could see that Els still felt bad about the foul she committed against Parris in her final game (easily detectable as Ellie was avoiding eye contact with all the Man United doms, including Mary during the rest of the tournament) and so Ona says that if Ellie wants to prove that she’s sorry then she should be a good girl and let Ona take her (Ellie complies immediately bc she is sorry, and G is there to help settle her since Kei is busy with Jenni), after Ellie, Ona takes Hannah bc when the doms were making this agreement Mary told her that Hannah has been wanting to do everything Ellie does for the entire tournament and Ona is more than happy to comply, next is Hempo bc Ona has been hearing Leila talk about how good Lauren is the entire tournament and she wants to test it out for herself, then comes Esme bc like Hannah with Ellie, Esme wants to do everything that Hempo does and Ona is more than happy to comply with fucking them right after each other, next is Niamh bc she heard the England doms talking about how Niamh was more pliable when she was fucked after seeing or hearing a few other subs getting taken before her, then Lotte bc she had heard Lessi telling Ella about how Lotte was and wanted to see for herself (but the other doms got Lotte first bc they were older), then came Beth England bc of how the Lioness doms talked about Bethy, (I forgot that Meado unfortunately couldn’t go to the WC and forgot CK when listing the subs so I’m just switching out those two) but CK was last bc Aitana (We are saying that she’s one of Leila’s doms/mommies bc there was a period of time when I thought they were dating) wanted CK first bc of how Leila talked about her (but Chloe had to be punished first for bratty to Tana and Jenni)

(30 minutes later and I’m finally done retyping the explanation after accidentally closing the app)

Damn, I have nothing more to add

[masochistartt]

i don’t follow football what happened with chelsea?

okay strap in bc this chelsea season has been. definitely. Something!!

let's start with last season as a little catch up. chelsea (one of the 6 biggest clubs in the premier league) finished twelfth on the table (out of 20). it was their first season under new ownership, and they went through four (4) managers in the 38-game season. finishing in twelfth made it the club's lowest season since 1993-94, where they finished 14th. because of their 12th place finish, this (23/24, current season) is the first season since 2016-17 that they didn't compete in europe (champions league, europa league, europa conference league).

so. not a great year for the boys in blue.

this summer. chelsea spent ~£435 million on new players. that's the most a single club has ever spent during a single transfer window in premier league history. these transfers included moises caicedo (a defensive midfielder from brighton for £100 million (plus bonuses)), nicolas jackson (a striker from villarreal for £32 million), christopher nkunku (a striker from rb leipzig for £52 million), and cole palmer (an attacking midfielder from manchester city for £40 million plus bonuses) (more on this later.)

transfers out included césar azpilicueta, a defender who was their captain since 2019 (who lead them to winning the champions league in 2021), mateo kovačić, mason mount, kai havertz, and christian pulisic (all champions league winners, all played in the final in 2021, havertz scoring the only goal in the game)

these new transfers in are all young. of the 12 new signings, two were born in 1997 one was born in 1998 and one was born in 1999, but the rest are 2000s babies (2 in '01, 1 in '02, 4 in '04, and 1 in '05). so there's a severe lack of experience on this team (ben chilwell is 27, raheem sterling is 29, and thiago silva is 39 – 12 of their 29 players are u21). the average age on the team is 23 (their goalies are the oldest at 27 on average, defenders at 24, midfielders at 21, and forwards at 22).

because azpilicueta left the club, you need a new captain. they found theirs in chelsea academy boy reece james, a 24-year-old defender. his vice captains are ben chilwell, the 27-year-old left back signed from leicester city in 2020, conor gallagher, a 24-year-old central midfielder also from chelsea's academy, and thiago silva, the 39-year-old signed from psg in 2020.

and because of the managerial disasters of last season, they need a new manager. they bring on mauricio pochettino, former manager of spurs and psg (where he lead the team to the ligue 1 title).

welcome to chelsea. let's start the season.

their first match was at home against liverpool. liverpool scored first, in the 18th minute, but chelsea tied it up before the half, the first goal from new signee axel disasi. the second half is mostly uneventful, but oops, captain reece james has to be substituted off with a hamstring injury. he is now out until october (it is august).

their next match is away against west ham. ben chilwell takes the captain's armband. it's the 7th minute. west ham scores. chelsea pulls one back in the 28th minute, 1 all. west ham picks up three yellow cards in the first half. in the second half, west ham scores again. then, the hammers go down a man for a second yellow card, chelsea is now playing 11 against 10. they cannot turn it around. not only do they not turn it around, they concede another goal. chelsea loses 3-1. it is week 2 of the premier league season, and chelsea is fifteenth on the table.

they beat newly promoted luton town week 3 and rise to 10th place.

meanwhile, chelsea is competing in the league cup. that's going well so far - a 2-1 win against fourth tier afc wimbledon (phil dunster's team!) in august right after beating luton town - maybe things are turning around! (things are not turning around.)

then they face a loss, a draw, and another loss to nottingham forest, bournemouth, and aston villa (a game in which malo gusto picks up a straight red card and is now unable to play the next few games).

let's... let's check in on the league cup. we need something good for these boys after this hell they've faced in september. they've drawn fellow premiership club brighton & hove albion at home in the third round. they win! 1-0, thanks to a goal in the 50th minute from new signee nicolas jackson. but in the 7th minute of stoppage time at the end of the game, ben chilwell (their captain, with reece james still out injured), is fouled and has to come off with a hamstring injury. but also oops, chelsea's already used all their substitution windows - they have to finish the game with 10 men. luckily, they see it out and move on to the next round.

reece james is still injured. ben chilwell is now injured. conor gallagher, time to step up.

happy october, chelsea. their first two premier league draws of the month are against fulham (who finished 10th on the table in 22/23) and newly promoted burnley. chelsea win both. they are 11th on the table after both results. and! reece james is back! they draw 2-2 at home against arsenal, and rise to 10th on the table. their last match in october is against brentford, who finished 9th on the table last season, and were 13th going into this match. they lose 0-2.

november starts big with a league cup win against championship side blackburn and a 1-4 win at tottenham (all four goals are scored by new signees - a penalty from cole palmer, and a hat trick from nicolas jackson) after the win against tottenham, they are taking slutty, slutty locker room pictures.

let's pause here to talk about fouls, yeah? chelsea has not gone a single game this season without picking up a booking. 1 is the minimum so far, against brentford, 2 against luton, and the rest have had 3+. they have been booked with 35 yellow cards and one red card as of week eleven of the premier league season.

november ends with a draw against manchester city (10th on the table, 22 points, 5 more yellow cards), a loss to newcastle (10th on the table, 22 points, 5 yellow cards & a 6th that becomes a red card for reece james).

december - a win against brighton (10th on the table, 25 points, 4 yellow cards & a 5th that becomes a red card for conor gallagher before halftime) and then two losses in a row (a 2-1 loss at manchester united - chelsea's first league game of the season without a booking. cole palmer scores the only goal - and then a 2-0 loss at everton that drops them to 12th on the table, 2 more bookings. reece james is injured again and has to get surgery for his hamstring). they win against newly promoted, bottom of the table sheffield united (with another booking), and return to tenth on the table.

league cup break! they draw newcastle united 1-1 in the quarterfinals. the game goes to penalties. chelsea wins 4-2 on penalties. four more yellow cards are picked up in this game. chelsea moves on to play middlesbrough in the two-legged semifinals in january. we'll return to this.

back to the prem.

on christmas eve, they play away at wolves and lose 2-1. christopher nkunku scores in the 96th minute. chelsea picks up 6 more yellow cards.

they end 2023 and start 2024 on a three game winning streak (against crystal palace, luton town, and fulham). in these three games, they pick up 3, 2, and 5 yellow cards. after the win against fulham, they raise to 9th on the table, the highest they've been all season.

they lose spectacularly to liverpool to end january, 4-1, picking up 4 yellow cards in the process. this drops them back to 10th on the table.

meanwhile, they've played both legs of that league cup semifinal i mentioned, winning 6-2 on aggregate. chelsea's going to the final! maybe they will win a trophy this season! who're they playing in that final at the end of february? oh. oh, it's liverpool? okay.

the fa cup's going on now too ! they beat championship side preston north end 4-0, and then draw aston villa 0-0 at home - this will go to a replay the first week of february. only one yellow card across these two games, well done, chelsea.

first they've got a prem match to play against wolves. they allow wolves player matheus cunha to score a hat trick on them. oops. final result 2-4, 3 more yellow cards, 11th on the table with a goal difference of -1 (they've let 1 more goal past them than they've scored all season).

i know what you're saying. chelsea needs a good run here. and they get it! after losing to wolves, they don't lose another premier league game until today, april 23. we will get back to this. they win against crystal palace, newcastle united, manchester united, and everton (the everton game, they win 6-0. we will get back to this.) they draw against manchester city, brentford, and sheffield united (you know, the bottom of the table team who has no chance of staying in the prem next year).

they also win their fa cup ties against aston villa (replay) and championship sides leeds united and leicester city. they face manchester city in the semi finals. they lose. they also lose that league cup final to liverpool. a trophyless season for chelsea. they also still haven't figured out that premier league yellow card problem.

so let's talk about The Everton Game. cole palmer scored his second hat trick in two games and this one's brilliant. seriously watch the highlights it's amazing. chelsea is awarded a penalty in the 64th minute. all hell breaks loose on that pitch, roy kent vs jamie tartt style. here's a clip. for context, madueke was the one fouled for the penalty, palmer is the designated penalty taker. pochettino clearly hadn't made that clear to his players. you cannot fight on the pitch like that. you. you just.... you can't do that. palmer takes the penalty, his fourth goal of the night, he is in the golden boot (top scorer in the league) race.

what happened today, then? chelsea gets absolutely spanked 5-0 at arsenal. palmer was not playing today - he's sick. kai havertz who left chelsea for arsenal this summer scored 2. here's a sign a child held up in the crowd today. they're currently 9th on the table after 32 of 38 games have been played. the state of the club is a disaster. i'm genuinely intrigued to see what happens next year because.....it can't go on like this.

cole palmer leads the club in goals, assists, chances created, shots per game, key passes, through balls per game, xg, motm awards, & penalties.

thiago silva is leaving this summer.

nothing else is known. chelsea goes to aston villa on saturday. the league continues.

[midnight-ramblingswfc]

I would like to point out that the last game of arsenals season is against aston villa so we could have another kt versus rue game before the world cup

I remember! And that also means Jordan against arsenal again. Lol I’m expecting a live reenactment of this

But last time I remember noticing that just about a couple of minutes after Rue were subbed on Katie got subbed off, or the other way around I’m not sure. I’m pretty sure it’s just a coincidence since I doubt those two would hold back against each other lol