A few others were saying that too. So no need for the capitals to be honest.Whatwho's getting upset? I just found it stupid because it was baseless opinion. There was loads of posts with Arsenal out the top 4 and a lot with Chelsea/United placed above.
Secondly what are you on about? 6/7 people saying city 6th? ONE person said it and he was immediately shut down and some other guy called pep over rated and again was shut down quickly.
2016/2017 Title race
- Thread starter Adisa
- Start date
He has a more complete side to work with, his tactics would not of worked with our team.
De Bruyne silva ageuro sterling are all very intelligent footballers, we wouldn't of got zlatan so he would of needed to recruit a striker and they were in short supply this transfer window.
I'm not saying sterling is better than rashford and martial but he is different and more likely to take to peps tactics than our 2 would of.
Also the matter that our cm would need to vastly need improving as there is no garentee we would of Pogba I think he would of went to real
As long as we're within 5 points of them by Xmas, there will be a proper title race between us and them IMO. City having Spurs and Everton back to back will be a test, hopefully (optimistically) we'll see four points dropped there and if we can somehow eke out a win at Anfield (I think we'll beat Chelsea - they just seem so open at the back atm, and even with Terry likely to be back, I don't see any end to it for them) we'll be well and truly in it. The Xmas period will be crucial also. Guardiola hasn't really shuffled his pack to the extent that Jose has so far (minus the EFL Cup & UCL qualifiers) and with City facing Liverpool and Arsenal during that period, those resources will definitely be tested. Their fixtures in March-April are a killer too. Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea back to back with Champions League ties likely to be played in between also.
Our fixture list on the other hand, is relatively more straightforward, with Liverpool and Chelsea back to back in October, Everton and Spurs back to back in December before the Xmas period, and Arsenal and Spurs back to back during the run-in being the only harder fixtures we'll come up against in a short space of time. The rest of the time, the big games are interspersed with winnable fixtures either side and with Europa likely being the preserve of the shadow squad, we should be fresh for each game.
Their run-in is a whole lot easier granted, but if we can do our job in the fixtures leading up to and around Arsenal & Spurs in May, it should stand us in good stead to carry some momentum going forwards.
Our fixture list on the other hand, is relatively more straightforward, with Liverpool and Chelsea back to back in October, Everton and Spurs back to back in December before the Xmas period, and Arsenal and Spurs back to back during the run-in being the only harder fixtures we'll come up against in a short space of time. The rest of the time, the big games are interspersed with winnable fixtures either side and with Europa likely being the preserve of the shadow squad, we should be fresh for each game.
Their run-in is a whole lot easier granted, but if we can do our job in the fixtures leading up to and around Arsenal & Spurs in May, it should stand us in good stead to carry some momentum going forwards.
One person said city would finish 6th/7th.... to be honest.
I dunno, some of this feels a bit revisionist. It might seem like a while back now but pre-season I remember a considerable number of people saying Pep would be exposed at City and that massive improvements needed to be made. Maybe you weren't in that category, granted, and always assumed he'd do well but it wasn't at all uncommon to see people arguing Pep had to do a lot of work and that he'd struggle.
Even looking at the players you've listed...Sterling was often being panned last season and already looks a different player, Aguero's been suspended meaning Pep's had to work without him, and Silva's no youngster anymore. They're suited to his style, yeah, but there are deficiencies Pep has had to work with and so far he's handled them with ease.
I do think they'll hit bad points and that there'll be a title race, but thus far (worryingly for everyone else) there's been echoes of Pep doing what he did with Barca in 08/09 with City, only on a lesser scale. Like with Barca he's come into a side who'd won their last title two years before, then finished 2nd and then had a season where they dropped out of the top two and reached the CL semis despite having arguably the best squad in their league, and he's instantly transformed them, getting the best out of an underperforming side. Obviously he's not got the same level of talent he had at Barca (Messi, Xavi, Iniesta), and he won't win the CL this season, but he's got a very good side and has improved them almost instantly.
I want Spurs to beat City. Even though you are top 4 contenders, I don't want any team (barring us of course
) running away at this point.For me peps biggest challenge will come with replacing silva aguero, every club he has walked into has had superstars he as not really had to build a spine.
I didn't think sterling would be quite forever, same as what people will say about marital this season, young players need time.
Not saying at city he's had it easy just that it's an easier route than ours back to the top.
Before this transfer window the only player you could rank as world class is our Dave, and we brought in 3 world players and so far looking like a 4th I'm Eric B. We didn't get pogba till late on and needed to find tactics that would work well with what he has got.
Pep already had world class players and only needed to teach them his way and bring in one or two players to add to the team.
Pep/City's performances so far have certainly silenced the pre-season doubters. They are far from perfect but even when they are a mess they are a hot mess.
I think the most sensible questions about Pep coping with English football would have focused on the very heavy winter period, but so far he has the title favourites playing like clear title favourites.
I think the most sensible questions about Pep coping with English football would have focused on the very heavy winter period, but so far he has the title favourites playing like clear title favourites.
Yes, but he is just one the many brilliant managers currently in the league. Didn't Klopp get a poor Dortmund side back in the mix of the world's best and beat Bayern to the title? Didn't Mourinho beat Pep's team to the title in Spain.
I am very interested to see how this dynamic plays out. In terms of Pep's style of play, there are very few teams who can compete, but there are more in this league than any other - including, Spurs, Everton, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and United (and maybe Leicester). That's about 12-13 games that will be tough. I'm not quite sure that City will reach 90 points this season, and if that is the case, other teams can't be ruled out.
Liverpool just doesn´t have the same individual quality. I don´t think that a single Liverpool player (maybe Mane) would get into the starting 11 of City.
Wenger is a couple of levels below Pep when it comes to tactics. Chelsea´s back4 is horrible.
Tottenham are a pretty interesting team and I really like Poch. They are well balanced and I think that they can finish top4. That said the their attack is several level behind City´s. The three guys who play behind Kane (3 out of Son/Lamela/Eriksen/Ali/N'Koudou) just don´t have the same quality and consistency. Kane needs to play another monster season if they want to finish anywhere near City (in 10 points).
That leaves us, well....looking at our midfield and and Jose´s tactics....I just don´t see it over the course of the season.
It is also not just City winning all their games, but how they did it. I am particularly impressed by the level of the individual performance of their key players. Almost everything that was debated seems to work out for them. Gündogan, who is the best CM in the league, is fit and back in good form. KdB, the best OM in the league, seems to get along great with Pep. Sterling is getting back to his best. Fernandinho is able to fill the DM role for Pep. Only Stones is a bit of a mixed bag so far, but with Otamendi looking good and Kolarov being able to help out that shouldn´t be a major concern. They don´t even rely on Silva and Aguero anymore and both are still quality.
We´ll see how it plays out but I don´t expect any serious title race at all. Best case scenario is, that we get something like 2 years ago when Chelsea won the title, but even that would surprise me.
Pep, like Jose, is someone it's better to observe during and post-crisis and not when things are ticking along nicely. The guy is a neurotic perfectionist and his loathing of failure creates all kinds of sparks and potential triggers that can affect the recipients in different ways. City haven't faced any of the hardships of the league yet, and when they do, or if the pressure mounts, we'll not see the same coy, humble Pep we've seen thus far.
That kind of tightly wound coil surely has the potential to snap if compromised - those chasing just have to stay in range (easier said than done) to reap the full benefits, methinks.
Everyone knows Pep's sides are phenomenal front-runners, but if he's got 3 teams breathing down his neck, it'll be totally new territory for him, so let's see how he copes with that, or what he does with key injuries and that silky style [possibly] not working when the games come thick and fast.
That kind of tightly wound coil surely has the potential to snap if compromised - those chasing just have to stay in range (easier said than done) to reap the full benefits, methinks.
Everyone knows Pep's sides are phenomenal front-runners, but if he's got 3 teams breathing down his neck, it'll be totally new territory for him, so let's see how he copes with that, or what he does with key injuries and that silky style [possibly] not working when the games come thick and fast.
We've both played similar fixtures to date, so 32 games to go our run-in is much the same. We both play every team twice. I do think we'll drop some points over the next two games though, mainly concerned with Spurs away. After those two games we have a run of 5 or so games I think we should be winning. Games on paper are impossible to call though.
I think top 4 will be City, Arsenal, United and Liverpool
I'll admit I was sceptical about Pep but fair play his start has been phenomenal.
People forget though that City always start amazingly well and get over excited about them.
By god though when are they going to start dropping some points?
It rarely ever happens that 4 teams mount a genuine title challenge in the same year. I will be amazed if by Xmas we are left with a front runner and 3 sides chasing.
I did mean the jostle for position before the true run-in starts and the 3 or 4 are whittled down to 2 or 3 at the very most.
I wanted Pep here, but he's definitely not without fault and if the right buttons get pushed, he's as liable to blow as anyone, so it's really premature to be taking about you lot running away with it or having it wrapped up as some are doing... after 6 games...
All fair points. On paper, City do look very good and probably shoe-ins for the title. But we are talking about mostly the same group of players who have had amazing performances, but then gone AWOL for a few months. Apart from Aguero, each of Silva, Sterling, KDB, Otamendi and Fernandinho have gone through patches of overconfidence and under performance.
As of now, I don't think City have been properly tested (other than 50 or so mins against us) and whether or not Pep's team can play with the same intensity over the next 8 months of the season is a big question mark. The one good thing about this City-love in the media is that as soon as they lose a couple of games, the whole world will come crashing down on them (probably even harder than it was against us last week). That could only help dent City's confidence. I saw the highlights of the City-Swansea game, and they did have defensive mistakes/ weaknesses that Swansea couldn't capitalize on.
On paper alone they aren´t shoe-ins for the title, because they seem to lack balance. Sure, they have the best attack, but their defence looked a bit dodgy. Clichi, Kolarov, Zabaleta and Sanga are all a bit meh; kompany is always injured and few people rated Stones or Otamendi in pre season. Additionally they only have Fernandino as C(D)M, who is really more of a CM. Yet after less than 5 games Pep managed to form a team, that doesn´t look unbalanced at all. I have no doubt that some teams will expose their defence at times, but how many times will this happen (in the EPL)? Maybe 4-6 times, but that is hardly a big concern.
In pre-season I said, that Yaya and Nasri will be gone, because Pep will never put up with their diva-attitude. Without them and Joe H., the whole squad seems to have a pretty decent mentality. Guardiola knows how to handle players like Silva, Nolio or Aguero who might be a bit lazy at times and KdB looks great (he can be a bit over-competitive, which might lead to frustration). None in this team is going to throw a tantrum now.
If we weren´t a proper test, who is going to be one?
So all thats left are concerns about the intensity, which is fair, but applies to other teams as well.
In pre-season I said, that Yaya and Nasri will be gone, because Pep will never put up with their diva-attitude. Without them and Joe H., the whole squad seems to have a pretty decent mentality. Guardiola knows how to handle players like Silva, Nolio or Aguero who might be a bit lazy at times and KdB looks great (he can be a bit over-competitive, which might lead to frustration). None in this team is going to throw a tantrum now.
If we weren´t a proper test, who is going to be one?
So all thats left are concerns about the intensity, which is fair, but applies to other teams as well.
Spurs at WHL next weekend. Last season we took them to cleaners 4 - 1.
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/top-6-prediction-2016-2017.419615/What
Secondly what are you on about? 6/7 people saying city 6th? ONE person said it and he was immediately shut down and some other guy called pep over rated and again was shut down quickly.
Think you will find there was clearly more than one person!
He was shocking against Leicester, absolutely anonymous in the first half. Disagree about the Liverpool game, he may have scored but it doesn't mean he played well. He got a rating of 6 in the metro solely because he scored a goal.
So he's played 6 games and was not 'excellent' or even good in three of them. Leicester, Southampton and Liverpool. IMO.
So in order to prove people said City would finish "6th or 7th", you've pasted me in a link that shows a list of comments of people NOT saying city will finish 6th/7th and instead finishing mostly 1st and 2nd.
right....
The metro is a particularly awful paper at giving ratings.
Whoscored have him at 7.53 for this season as a whole, including a 7.58 against Liverpool and a 7.16 against Leicester.
Ratings from websites and newspapers are pointless. I think we're going to have to disagree about his start to the season, but going by a lot of your posts, I think you have something of an agenda against Arsenal at times.
I think people are going a bit overboard on the 'not been tested yet' line. We could well get stuffed next week and you can imagine the overreaction, but there's only 6 games in that bracket of difficulty (Arse, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, Everton, United away) and we've already played one of those. Outside of that there's arguably 32 games you probably go into as slight favourites, it's dropping points in these that are very costly.
True. However, the big advantage of winning against rivals is that it knocks them backwards compared to you in the competition for top 4 or higher.
Yup, the six pointer as they say.
Agreed. More that the point was if we've already played one of those six highlighted toughest games, so when will people say City have been fully tested? Perhaps the Spurs away game will be that fixture.
I can't wait for our game against you. I think it'll be a bit of a goal fest. We have to wait until the end of December for it though.
Before Jose signed I thought this year would be between City and Liverpool, that changed when we did get Jose and then Pogba but reality so far is that City and Liverpool are leading the way blowing teams apart for fun
If it does go the distance I can't see Liverpool finishing higher than City so at the moment I'll go for City winning the title, Liverpool second, us third and Arsenal forth
If it does go the distance I can't see Liverpool finishing higher than City so at the moment I'll go for City winning the title, Liverpool second, us third and Arsenal forth
I think only City and Liverpool will fight for the title. Arsenal for third. Everyone else battling for fourth.
I think Arsenal and Spurs fans would argue that they've looked pretty good so far as well. Arsenal have looked great since Ozil and Koscielny came back in and Mustafi looks like he will be an improvement to their back line. Spurs have been efficient if not spectacular in picking up points.
I think it'll be close between four or five sides for the top four spots, but I do see City winning the league by a decently sized margin.
Liverpool haven't done nearly enough to suggest they're consistent enough to challenge City for the title yet.
City for title looks nailed on, unless they go on those runs like they did last season when KdB was injured.
I think Arsenal will finish 2nd, they look good and with their fixtures, you'd expect them to win every single game in the next month and possibly till mid November till Arsene faces Mourinho!
We should finish in top 3 nonetheless. We are far too good a side to finish below 3rd IMO, and it would be a shame if we fail to achieve this.
4th would be tough to predict. But feel it would be between Spurs and Pool. Everton will run these sides close but won't finish in top 4. Chelsea have been brutally exposed and there are some similarities with our Moyes season.
I think Arsenal will finish 2nd, they look good and with their fixtures, you'd expect them to win every single game in the next month and possibly till mid November till Arsene faces Mourinho!
We should finish in top 3 nonetheless. We are far too good a side to finish below 3rd IMO, and it would be a shame if we fail to achieve this.
4th would be tough to predict. But feel it would be between Spurs and Pool. Everton will run these sides close but won't finish in top 4. Chelsea have been brutally exposed and there are some similarities with our Moyes season.
City have had an easy run so far - based on current positions of teams played.
Last season , city got , what, a few points against the top 6 teams.
As pointed out by numerous posters, it's results against top teams that will count.
Liverpool, if my memory of fixtures serves me, have probably had the hardest set of fixtures so far of the top teams. City the easiest.
If city beat spurs and Everton next, their 1st top teams this season, then it's a fairly comfortable run till December, and out of sight, looking at the fixtures for everyone else close.
Or it could turn as predicted by some, into a battle royale this season.
Which would be good for football, but not necessarily for A&E heart related admissions.
Last season , city got , what, a few points against the top 6 teams.
As pointed out by numerous posters, it's results against top teams that will count.
Liverpool, if my memory of fixtures serves me, have probably had the hardest set of fixtures so far of the top teams. City the easiest.
If city beat spurs and Everton next, their 1st top teams this season, then it's a fairly comfortable run till December, and out of sight, looking at the fixtures for everyone else close.
Or it could turn as predicted by some, into a battle royale this season.
Which would be good for football, but not necessarily for A&E heart related admissions.
United are rubbish to be fair.
You think Utd will be more difficult for Arsenal than Spurs, regardless of venue?
I can. We could have the current world 11 and we'd probably still get an annual spanking from Liverpool.
It's been a while since you beat us at Anfield hasn't it?That's basically due to Arsene collapsing under the weight of venue when playing against a Mourinho managed team. Spurs are a tough fixture undoubtedly, but Arsenal at their best can beat them. But, they cant beat a Mourinho side due to the mental aspect.
Also, Spurs are playing in CL and don't have a great squad depth (especially after Kane's injury). It would be interesting how the squad copes with that.
Arsenal don't have a Mourinho a complex, they struggled against Cheksea sides for a good while whoever they were managed by.
If Arsenal were playing Utd tomorrow I know who I'd be backing.