Season Wrap-up and Look Ahead: Arsenal
With a topical reason to do so, we started our season wrap-up journey with a look at Liverpool and how their season played out. Where they were strong (almost everywhere) and where they were tragically weak (converting shots on target to goals). I got some good feedback on how the format might be improved with the best two being:
- adding comparisons to the Top 4 to comparisons to the League Average to give a sense of what it takes to be elite as well as to be "just OK"
- in the specific case of Liverpool trying to take a deeper dive into the quality of their Shots on Target to determine if they were bad at taking good shots or good at taking bad ones.
Season Wrap-up and a Look Ahead: Liverpool
Are things at Liverpool all THAT broken? The media and the 2011-12 table would have you believe they are. A closer look at the facts lead me to believe that things could get much better and fast if Liverpool recognize what their problem is and move decisively to solve it. Oh, and for those of you wondering, it ISN'T the much-criticized group of central midfield players.
Before we get to the analysis, a little background. I am a fan of structured, objective analysis. I am generally NOT a huge fan of the way statistical analysis and the term "Moneyball" have started making their way into the game so far. My quibble is that statistics by themselves (think "David Silva led all players with a pass completion rate of 93%") are quite useless. What they need to do is tell a story. In this case, it is my goal to tell two stories using the 2011-12 statistics for each team:
1) What happened in 2011-12? Where did things go well? Poorly?
2) What does that tell us about what the priorities for the summer SHOULD BE?
In some cases, the numbers will tell us what we expect them to (e.g., Arsenal need to make fewer mistakes at the back, Stoke are an incredibly poor attacking team) and other times it will bust popular myths (we'll get to that one here quickly).
With that introduction, we'll start with a breakdown of how things went right and wrong for King Kenny and the Anfield faithful this past season.
Liverpool "Parts Company" with Kenny Daglish
LFC part company with Dalglish
Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and Liverpool Football Club announced that Kenny Dalglish is to leave his post today as Manager after having his contract terminated.
After a careful and deliberative review of the season, the Club came to the decision that a change was appropriate. It is not a decision that was reached lightly or hastily.
The search for a new Manager will begin immediately.
And thus begins a summer of finger-pointing, managerial speculation, and transfer policy minutia.
It's a great time to be a blogger.
England Squad For Euro 2012
England squad for Euro 2012:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Man City), Rob Green (West Ham), John Ruddy (Norwich)
Defenders: Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Man United), John Terry (Chelsea), Joleon Lescott (Man City), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Leighton Baines (Everton)
Midfielders: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Man City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Man United), James Milner (Man City)
Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Man United), Danny Welbeck (Man United), Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)
Standby: Butland, Jagielka, Henderson, A Johnson, Sturridge
The Blog League Final Standings
Want to see where you ranked out of the 1340+ teams across all 14 Blog Leagues set up at the start of the season?
Of course you do - and you can after the jump ..
Final Standings - Zombies Calientes del Getafe
Thanks to a late-season surge, I finished in the top 200 this season! It's been a while since I had such a lofty perch, so I'm very excited. More analysis to come, when I have a bit more time to reflect. But right now it's time for Mother's Day brunch.
Thanks to everyone for a great season. We're not going anywhere over the summer, so be sure to stay with us for Euro2012, etc.
Manchester City Champions
Manchester City win the craziest Premier League season in a fashion that only they could concoct. I guess it's fitting.
Now, let's get the fantasy points in and we can start the real party.
The Barn Door Live - Barn Door-less Edition
Here we are, the last two hours of the season. There are no transactions to be made, just points to be gained and private leagues to be won and lost. Oh, and there's the matter of the League Title, Champions League spot(s), and final relegation spot to be sorted out.
For those who are interested, here's my team headed into the games:
Tim Ream, William Gallas, Vincent Kompany
Gylfi Siggurdson, Jean Beausejour, Florent Malouda, Yaya Toure
Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Romelu Lukaku
Yup, I'm betting big on City, how about you?



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