2017/18 (Soccer) Football Thread

Since the new season is just around the corner, it seems about time to make a new one :D

Questions to get some discussion started:
1. Which teams are the top favorites to win the Cl? Which teams might surprise?
2. Which teams are the top favorites to win their respective leagues?
3. Which players will impress the most? Which rather unknown players might have their breakthrough this season?
4. Which teams had the best transfer period (yet)?
5. What is the best transfer done (yet)?

Happy posting!

249553-82594 is the code for the Smogon Fantasy League.
 
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1. Real Madrid. Surprise? Chelsea
2. Which teams are the top favorites to win their respective leagues? Real Madrid, Bayern Monaco, PSG, Liverpool, Benfica, Juventus/Napoli
3. Hazard and CR7. Milinkovic-Savic
4. PSG
5. Neymar ofc
 

Rowan

The professor?
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
hands up if ur team already has 3 points
hands up if ur team is in the premier league

anyway, here's a preseason table prediction, which is always fun to look back on at the end of the year:

1) Manchester City
2) Manchester United
3) Arsenal
4) Chelsea
-------------------------
5) Spurs
6) Liverpool
----------------------
Top 6 like this - all 6 could basically be in any order and it wouldn't be a stupid prediction, Liverpool or Spurs could easily end up in the top 4. I just think ManC's attacking class is above everybody else's, and if they shore up their defence, then they are clear favourites. I expect a big improvement from ManU, and looking at their team they just seem solid all round thanks to the additions of Matic+Lukaku. If Sanchez stays, then I wouldn't be surprised to see Arsenal in the top 4 again, but if he leaves I'd move them down to 6. Chelsea will lose form in the premier league because of the champions league as I don't think their squad depth is big enough. Liverpool and Spurs both struggle with squad depth as well, though on their day they really are 2 of the best teams in the league... I love how the top 6 could all easily make the top 4, it makes the league very exciting.

7) Everton
-------------------------------
Why would anyone predict Everton anything other than 7th? Good transfer window though, and if they land Siggurdsson, they have a super-exciting team, it'll be fun to see if they can break the top 6 at all.

8) Leicester City
9) West Ham
10) Bournemouth
--------------------------
I think these 3 teams are the best of the mid-table bunch, and have all had decent transfer windows. The Leicester prediction might be bias, but I like their new signings and am excited to see how they do. WestHam+Bournemouth have also had good transfer windows, and I think all 3 teams have players who can win games compared to all the teams below them.

11) West Brom
12) Southampton
13) Crystal Palace
--------------------------------
These 3 teams will be safe from relegation, but that's about it. Just mid-table obscurity, they're all decent enough to survive comfortably, but I don't think any of them have done particularly good business in the transfer window.

14) Newcastle
15) Stoke
16) Brighton
17) Watford
----------------------------------
18) Burnley
19) Huddersfield
20) Swansea

Relegation battle from 14-20, any of them could go down in my opinion. If Siggurdson goes, then I really don't see Swansea staying up after how they did last season. Huddersfield are in for a rough season. I'm putting Burnley here because they're gonna have to rely on that amazing home form again this season, but I actually can't see them beating many teams - they have no-one who's gonna score goals for them. Watford could easily go down as well, and I'd be tempted to swap Watford for Burnley. I'm not sure about Brighton and Newcastle but I think they'll be safe. Stoke are also gonna struggle a lot, like Burnley they just have no-one to score goals.
 
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If I have my Arsenal optimistic hat on then I'll say Arsenal for the title but if I'm being sensible then this is my prediction:

Top 4:
Man Utd
Man City
Arsenal
Chelsea

Bottom 3:
West Brom
Brighton
Huddersfield
(Honorable mentions to Watford, Stoke and Swansea)

City have splurged a lot of cash and look absolutely stacked but I feel Utd is in a perfect storm this year. Rashford is improving all the time, Lukaku gives them a fast big man and I reckon both Martial and Mhik will have a point to prove this year; but the clincher was Matic which I think is the perfect signing for Mourinho and will free up second-season Pogba and help grind out a lot of 1-0s. The fact that De Gea is still there just sickens me even more thinking about how many points he's gonna save them again this year. Spurs and Liverpool crash out for me because I feel they have relatively thin squads and might struggle with CL. Spurs also have the Wembley uncertainty and Liverpool might lose Coutinho which would be massive. You could say the same about Chelsea but I feel they are such a well oiled machine that they will make it in the end.

Relegation is a tough one because there are just so many shit teams this year! How Stoke have spent so much money in attack and still ended up with Berahino, Mame Biram-Diouf and Crouch in attack is just astonishing... And on the other side of the coin I am amazed everyday that Shaqiri still plays for them... My money is on Mark Hughes getting the sack after a horrendous start but the new manager and Butland (back from injury) will get them over the line. Swansea look weak but I trust Llorente will score some goals and Abraham (on loan from Chelsea) is supposed to be pretty good so as long as their defence holds out then they might be alright. Watford is shit all over the pitch but I'll put my faith in Marco Silva pulling off a miracle like he almost did with Hull. I've gone for Brighton and Huddersfield because they are not in the same league financially and as sad as it is, they should struggle. Meanwhile West Brom's ageing defence is one year older and they were terrible last year (six clean sheets for a Pulis team is truly scraping the barrel). They don't have any strikers who can score goals or any decent players at all anywhere on the pitch (apart from maybe Foster). If Pulis can keep them up, especially while playing long ball percentage football, then he'll be confirmed in my mind as the greatest manager ever.
 
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Since the new season is just around the corner, it seems about time to make a new one :D

Questions to get some discussion started:
1. Which teams are the top favorites to win the Cl? Which teams might surprise?
2. Which teams are the top favorites to win their respective leagues?
3. Which players will impress the most? Which rather unknown players might have their breakthrough this season?
4. Which teams had the best transfer period (yet)?
5. What is the best transfer done (yet)?

Happy posting!
1. Real Madrid is going to go for it again. No idea who might surprise tho.
2. Man City / Man Utd for EPL. Real Madrid for La Liga. Bayern for Bundesliga. Juventus / Napoli for Serie A.
3. Isco - his performances last season has been pretty good. No idea of talented kids.
4. PSG lol
5. Neymar to PSG for 220 mil.
 
Whats the code? I can put it in.

Regarding the questions:

1. Real is the top favorite for sure. After that the usual suspects like Bayern, Barcelona, Juventus and Atletico (in that order). I can see Liverpool and RB Leipzig surprising. Both are teams that can definetely put top teams under pressure with their intense playstyle. I can see either of them making semis or at least quarters. I generally think PL teams will be better than in recent years.

2. Short: Bayern, City, Real, PSG, Juve

Long version:
Bundesliga:
1. Bayern
2. RB Leipzig
3. Borussia Dortmund
4. FC Schalke 04
5. TSG Hoffenheim
6. Borussia Mönchengladbach
7. Hertha BSC
8. VfL Wolfsburg
9. 1.FC Köln
10. Bayer Leverkusen
11. Werder Bremen
12. VfB Stuttgart
13. Mainz 05
14. Eintracht Frankfurt
15. Hamburger SV
16. SC Freiburg
17. Hannover 96
18. FC Augsburg

Premier League:
1. Manchester City
2. FC Chelsea
3. FC Liverpool
4. Man Utd
5. Tottenham
6. Arsenal

LaLiga:
1. Real Madrid
2. FC Barcelona
3. Atletico
4. FC Sevilla
5. Atletic Bilbao


3. Thiago will finally be regarded as the absolute world class player he is. Regarding Talents I think Amiri from Hoffenheim and Weiser from Hertha BSC will have a really good season. Konrad Laimer from Leipzig is another player to watch out for. And of course the most obvious talents like Kimmich, Pulisic, Dembélé and Goretzka.

4. PSG of course had the Neymar transfer, which will 100% pay off in my opinion. I'd also say Bayern made some really good deals with James, Tolisso, Rudy and Süle (also Gnabry).

5. Neymar like I said, he's one of the 5 best attacking players in the world. I'd put James at #2. I know he didn't have the best time at Real in the last two years, but I think he has a good chance to come back to his prime under Ancelotti and he really is a steal for 10+35m.
 
What a match we had yesterday. We saw some horrendous defending.. We also won by playing two leftbacks in positions other than LB. I want a top 4 finish from us but look forward to a competitve season
 
Coutinho basically screwed us over by his transfer request ONE DAY before the season starts. I hope we can force him to stay like Suarez for one season.
 
ive rly rly missed the premier league

Also predictions for this season are:

1. Man City
2. Man United
3. Tottenham
4. Chelsea
5. Arsenal
6. Liverpool
7. Everton

--

18. Newcastle
19. Watford
20. Huddersfield
 
no never mind i haven't missed the premier league

Chelsea doing bleurgh this season was inevitable considering our transfer window but I didn't expect it to start from Day 1
 

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