YouUnastanFren

It's not the same as watching Kimi beat HAM and ALO by a few points for the title but if you pretend Merc and RB (well, Max) don't exist this season has been really exciting, Formula 1.5 I think seems to be the joke name for it. Obviously if the battle for 3rd in the constructors was a battle for 1st instead the excitement would be ten-fold but it's still nice to watch 3 or 4 teams battling so closely over a season. Stroll was the only driver from RP, Renault, McLaren not really pulling his weight this season and then bam, sticks it on pole round an ice rink in a monsoon. All that training with Rob Wilson seems to have really paid off. I think the set up that worked so well for them in quali and then the first stint was probably the cause of his pace falling off a cliff but it definitely added some excitement to the race.

Surely this analogy is more akin to them talking about Bellingham, an ex player who left them for something better as fast as his legs would carry him.

Good idea, will help bleach that Southgate system performance from my retinas

He's the quarter back who is also the best running back and the best wide receiver in the team

I've had this thought at about 12 different times with Grealish, I think each time was actually more akin to stages in the life cycle of an actual star. But they are happening faster and faster. His performances in the 10 win run, dragging us to safety, destroying Liverpool, first England start MOTM, Destroying Arsenal, first competitive England start MOTM. He's gone through nebula, protostar, star, red giant. Everyone is raving about him. He'll go full supernova in the Euros I think.

Best player on the pitch by a mile, ran the game, created loads of chances and his team lost 2-0. That sounds exactly like Grealish last season

Winks on for Henderson. Game changer that Gareth mate

Barca can hardly afford to keep the lights on at the minute. If he keeps up his ridiculous >1 goal involvement per game through the season and the Euros you would have to imagine either Real come in if they can't get Mbappe or PSG come in for him as a replacement. Long way to go before we have to worry about that though.

Haha you're dead right, and for a fraction of the price. **** Leicester All the more impressive because we managed to do it as part of a complete rebuild in a single transfer window. Now if we can do the same again with understudies for Luiz and Barkley in case they leave that would be super

He looks like the brother of the main guy in Peaky Blinders, the one who can't do the accent

This is exactly the tact I'm hoping we'll employ, like Leicester with Soyuncu. £20m at 22, had to sit on the bench for a year, then comes in to the team to replace Maguire and is a revelation. I think they planned to do the same with Fofana (£30m at 19) but injuries forced their hand and he's already playing a key role. That's the ideal way to evolve a team into challengers imo.

Booked in the first half and then subbed off at half time for Paquetá who is an AM so Brazil could look for a goal. Looking at it selfishly, it's 45 minutes less in his legs for when he gets back.

Fantastic, could I trouble you for the episode and a rough time stamp?

Moved every other **** game except ours, obviously realised we're too powerful when we get the Sunday night spot. Given it to 2 of our Sunday night victims instead.

I wonder how he caught it...

Watkins was on a hat trick though so why not keep it simple and bring on Elmo at RB, then move Cash to CM, McGinn to RW, Trez to LW, Grealish to CAM and take Barkley off? Probably just me but I always imagine suggestions for changes that move a player playing very well out of position to accommodate someone not playing well being written on a noticeboard covered in string and drawing pins.

He's played 200 minutes so far (scoring 1 goal) out of less than 10 games the club have played since he signed. Konsa played 15 minutes in our first 11 league games, was he a pointless signing at that point too? "Bertrand Traore and Ross Barkley are very good players and they will offer Villa something extra" - Jurgen Klopp

Winks hasn't played a single minute for Spurs since he came on for 15 minutes to protect their 3-0 lead against West Ham and they **** drew. An example of the form you need to be in to get into this side. I think Barkley should be in there instead of Maguire, then they could play 4-2-3-1 instead of this awful 5-2-3

I don't really agree to be honest, you're right RVP did play second striker/ No. 10 a bit for Feyenoord (not as much as he played CF I don't think) but he was never amazing there, whereas at his best he played like the archetypal complete CF imo, as does Watkins. On the shoulder and dropping deep, multiple times a game. Also >20% of his goals with both weaker foot and his head, unlike Defoe and most other strikers. The only reason I pointed out how few goals he scored from outside the area was because that was used as an example of something he did that Watkins doesn't. Plenty of players who are unlike them scored a far larger percentage from range. I think that is massively underplaying OW's competence with his weaker foot, his proficiency in the air, the power and quality with which he strikes the ball with both feet and the amount of problems his work rate causes defenders. I think the RVP hat trick game you mentioned was a perfect example of something similar. He ran our defence ragged with his movement which gave their other players room to create chances for him. We're probably just going to have to agree to disagree though. I'm aware the comparison I made is overly complimentary and bordering on ridiculous. Like you I'm just talking about the style, the style in which he strikes the ball, moves, finds space, works the channels, can take any type of chance, occupies defenders.

He played a bit as a second striker but he was still making runs in behind more than playing between the lines. Actually I'm pretty sure he quite often played as a left winger in his early years. Sound like anyone else? Agreed, left foot, right foot, headers, <10% outside the box, >60% inside the 6 yard box. Like Watkins. You're right he can't, but only because all 3 of the **** should've been ruled out for offside! Watkins will need to wait for VAR to be removed to score an offside hattrick. Jokes aside the first was a poachers goal in the 6 yard box, and the last was great composure under some pressure like Watkins' first against Liverpool. The volleyed banger admittedly is something I haven't seen yet but it'll come I'm sure. He struck one a bit similar last season for Brentford but not first time on the run. I can't remember who against, I think it would've been the right of the two stars outside the box. Edit - Here it is, filmed on a potato He's got far more link up and hold up ability than both imho. Also he's two footed and covers loads more ground. And better first touch.

AFAIK in his entire 492 game career RVP scored 10 free kicks, just 6 in the PL. Harder to find the stats for his whole career but <10% of his PL goals were from outside the box, including the free kicks. I think Watkins 2nd goal against Liverpool showed he can find the top corner, even though that one was only from 13 yards. I expect him to chip in with the odd one from further out but it's not a major part of either's game. Also >60% of RVP's goals came from within the 6 yard box, which I expect to be similar to Watkins going forward. Again, not saying he's near that level yet. Just that his playing style reminds me of him.

As an England fan I want another start and MOTM tonight, followed by two more exclusions as England are beaten soundly by a depleted Belgium and Iceland. Then Southgate getting sacked at the end of next week, replaced by Potter and us winning Euro 2021 with Jack playing every minute and winning player of the tournament to go with his PFA POTY award and PL winners medal.

I've thought this all season but I've kept it to myself because saying it out loud or writing it down makes me sound ridiculous. He reminds me of RVP. As you say he's deadly with both feet, strong in the air despite not being enormous, quick, willing to drop into space, covers absolute acres of ground. Are we describing Watkins here or RVP? Admittedly this is slightly tongue in cheek as he's clearly not as good (yet) but if we're trying to find a striker with a similar play style RVP is the man imho.

It's definitely his right, he took the penalty with it but his left is among the strongest I've seen. Vardy is possibly the only striker in the league with a stronger weak foot.