24/25 Match Week 9 Recap

Sacked, Catalonia & Thriller

Author

nick lochner
October 29, 2024

Happy Halloween

So MANY Thrillers this weekend.

Got 10 min? Nothing like Thriller (YT).

Thriller - 1982

TWD, before it’s time.

TWD - 2010-2022

How Thrilling is this…..EPL in Red Zone…..that’s how it’s done.

Red Zone

In Today’s CleanSheet:

  • Headlines 📌

  • Current Situation📈📉

  • Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥- NFL & Slava Prague

  • Off Island 🏝️ - El Classico

  • Best Bets 💰

Headlines 📌

  • CS Match of the Week. Brentford 4-3 Ipswich Town.

    • The Tractor Boys headed to West London and Gtech Community Stadium looking for their first win of the PL season and things couldn’t have started better. Goals by Szmodics and Hirst at 28’ and 31’ and the boys were off and running. Yet, just like that Bee’s countered with 2 of their own at 44’ from Wissa and an own goal at 45+1’. Bee’s then took the lead at 51’ on Mbeumo’s Penalty. A red card to Ipswich at 69’ seemed to end the match but super sub Delap evened it up at 86’, that is until Mbeumo got his second on the last kick at 90+6’ for the Bee’s win.

    • THRILLER - Brentford All 7 goals and the red card.

Brentford finish was not the only thriller, in fact here are links to 5 additional thrilling “finishes”. Instead of detailed explanations, check out the links.

  • THRILLER - BHA 2-2 Wolves. Seagulls up 2-0 at 88’, what a thrilling finish at 90+3’ Wolves

  • THRILLER - Villa 1-1 Bournemouth. Villa had many chances but just 1 goal and the Cherries get a final kick set piece and score a great goal. Bournemouth

  • THRILLER - Everton 1-1 Fulham. Even match and a header by Beto for Everton saves a point. Everton

  • THRILLER - West Ham 2-1 Man United. TERRIBLE call on a penalty gifted the hammers the W, after getting completely dominated in the 1H. Should’ve been 5-0, instead a 2-1 Hammers win. West Ham

  • THRILLER - Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle. This is not a thriller finish, but a THRILLER pass. Cole Palmer can do more than score. Palmer

SACKED

Erik ten Hag out at Man United

The big question is “why now”. The “who next” question will come. It will be interim manager Van Nistelrooy for the foreseeable future. Clean Sheet insider says:

  • Why Now - United was not good enough to keep EtH thru the season with just 1 win in their last 8, 14th in the table and 3 draws in the Europa League.

  • Who’s Next - Amorim (currently at Sporting in Portugal), Potter (available now, former Chelsea, BHA), Frank (Brentford), Inzaghi (Inter Milan), Southgate (available, former English National Team).

No United manager can keep up to Sir Alex Ferguson. Here is where ten Hag stacks up.

Here is a great example of Man United’s game, season and tenure under ten Hag.

Missed: Diogo Dalot.

Current Situation 📈📉

  • Table really turned when 5 of 10 games saw last minute goals.

  • Are Forest in it for the long haul?

  • City has not looked like City, yet there they are.

  • Spurs are on the edge - could challenge for top 4 and could fall out of top 10.

  • Feels like Ipswich and Southampton are destined for relegation, and it will be a battle to stay out of 18th.

CleanSheets Counter & Goal Tracker

Last season (23/24) clean sheets were WAY DOWN and goals were WAY UP.

  • 155 Clean Sheets, 54 below the expected 209. The PL averages 5.5 clean sheets per Match Week.

  • 1,246 goals, 3.28 per match and 32.8 per match week. The highest ever in the PL.

MW9 Clean Sheets

2

  • City and Palace with Clean Sheets.

  • Brentford, Southampton and Wolves have yet to get a CS.

  • LCFC and Man City are the only two teams to score in every match this season.

MW9 Total Goals

31

  • Wolves have been involved in 37 goals this season, Brentford 36. The most.

  • Palace have been involved in 17 goals this season, 6 for 11 against. The fewest.

  • 3 matches accounted for 15 of the 31 goals, 7 matches for 16.

Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥

Thriller wasn’t just the theme in the EPL

  • THRILLER - Slavia Prague. The fans in Prague do not disappoint. Click for video.

Off Island 🏝️

Thriller - El Classico

El Classico #299. El Classico is any match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The best description for the rivalry - “they hate each other with an intensity that can truly shock the outsider”. As with so many of the rivalries across Europe they go way beyond sport. In the 1930’s Barcelona had developed a reputation as a symbol of Catalan identity, opposed to the centralizing tendencies of Madrid. This focus on a distinct language and culture continues to today. In 2017 an “independence” referendum was voted on, but the Spanish government declared it illegal and had to bring in a police force that then jailed elected leaders. Later during new elections, Catalonians had an 85% voter turnout that reinstated the same “independence” government.

Needless to say, this is a little more of a rivalry than OSU-Michigan, Yankees-Red Sox, or Packer-Bears.

This past weekend, the 258th El Classico was played at Real Madrid, and was DOMINATED by Barca 4-0 who now sit atop La Liga. Real Madrid lead the all-time series 105W 101L 52D. These are the only 2 teams never to be relegated out of Spain’s top League - La Liga.

Real Madrid beat Barca all three times they’ve played last year, but Barca have the edge so far this season.

  • Lewandowski. The 37-year-old striker from Poland has been on fire this season. He has 14 goals in 11 La Liga matches and 3 goals in 3 Champions League matches.

  • Against Real Madrid this weekend he scored two within 2 minutes of each other. Here and here.

Best Bets 💰

Not Thrilling

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