Premier League Gameweek 31

Losing a 2-0 goal lead two weeks in a row shows we're wobbling now, pressure of the title race getting the better of us. City, on the other hand, look imperious.
That's exactly what's happening...
 
Losing a 2-0 goal lead two weeks in a row shows we're wobbling now, pressure of the title race getting the better of us. City, on the other hand, look imperious.
I think if Saka scores the penalty its a different story. Your response to the missed pen and then the equaliser was poor though.
 
City's wins are hollow and meaningless - no one will bat an eyelid if they win the treble (I doubt they'll win the CL).
"Since 2008, when the takeover happened, Manchester City have won the Premier League six times, the FA Cup twice, the FA Community Shield thrice, and the Football League Cup six times.
They won 11 trophies in 114 years before the takeover in 2008."

Nobody gives a flying kyte about 114 years of very little achievement, in today's world we live in past is irelevant, what is happening today is all that matters. They might be hollow and meaningless and plastic and cheats to everybody but themselves, but they are winning trophies left front right and central and are praised by everybody, noone is talking about lottery winning success, just like no one is saying it for Chelsea.
8 English League/PL trophies, 6 since 2008. 6 in 15 years! It is all that matters. In the record books they will be mentioned (hope not) as second team winning treble and nobody will care how they did it. If they keep it like this they are right behind us and Liverpool in 15, 20 years, and we will still be shouting from the top of the mountain: " but, but they are holloooow, it means nothiiiing!"
Exactly this. Arse fans are insufferable.
City fans... well they don't have any.
Every set of fans are insufferable when their team is winning. Hope we get like that next year(s). It is up to each of us weather we read or listen to them. I know my choice.
They've been found and accused of cheating by the PL. Let them enjoy their short term joy as it will all be stripped away anyway.
And what it is not stripped away?
 
They have raised the bar by cheating and have stolen trophies from teams who played by the rules. It’s a massive issue with the league. Arsenal deserve this title but they won’t get it because of the squad City have been allowed to keep, one that was built by consistently skirting the rules. It’s not right.

I mean, if Arsenal go on to win the league then they deserve it. If they don’t, well they don’t and actually jokes on them for bottling their best chance they’ve had and they’ll have for many years.
 
Winning MINIMUM of 29 games a season is the benchmark.

Pep is the benchmark.

Competing with him is a daunting task.

It's being proven again and again, the standard of winning the league is at all time high.

Arteta like Klopp will only finish above Pep once, either this season or some other season.

But the good news for us, next season if we put our house in order City will definitely hit a below par season, and Ten Hag can win a customary League title.
 
I think if Saka scores the penalty its a different story. Your response to the missed pen and then the equaliser was poor though.
Yep, when he missed I had a bad feeling. Losing a 2 goal lead once can happen. But two weeks in a row, IMO indicates mettle lacking. It will be near impossible now to stay in front of City.
 
I think if Saka scores the penalty its a different story. Your response to the missed pen and then the equaliser was poor though.


It's experience too. City would never have let the opposition come back from 2-0 deficits two weeks in a row. The second time they would continue on to knock 4-5 by. It's us letting our opponents back in the game.
 
It's experience too. City would never have let the opposition come back from 2-0 deficits two weeks in a row. The second time they would continue on to knock 4-5 by. It's us letting our opponents back in the game.

Of course, we've had a conveyor belt of leaders bringing through new leaders, current Arsenal team reminds me of our first title winning team, where we had only 1 or 2 winners in the dressing room. You guys are young and wobbles are to be expected still you get over the hump the first time. Still a lotta football to be played and one of the perks of youth and energy is you could well go out at the Etihad as the underdog and turn in a huge performance.
 
It's experience too. City would never have let the opposition come back from 2-0 deficits two weeks in a row. The second time they would continue on to knock 4-5 by. It's us letting our opponents back in the game.

It also is a reflection of your manager. Arteta is so volatile and is prone to madness...which is then imparted into his team. They lose their head too many times and get bailed out. Now with it being the business end, those things get exposed.
 
Winning MINIMUM of 29 games a season is the benchmark.

Pep is the benchmark.

Competing with him is a daunting task.

It's being proven again and again, the standard of winning the league is at all time high.

Arteta like Klopp will only finish above Pep once, either this season or some other season.

But the good news for us, next season if we put our house in order City will definitely hit a below par season, and Ten Hag can win a customary League title.

It’s this season or never in my opinion. I doubt they’ll come close again next season when all their rivals will strengthen and the likes of Chelsea and possibly ourselves could not have European football at all to concentrate on the league. I think it will be a lot harder for them next season.
 
Told you lot a month ago that Arsenal would bottle it in April with their run of fixtures.

"Can't see how Arsenal don't win the title now"

To the AFTV thread!
Congratulations, you’re the only person who said this.
 
It’s this season or never in my opinion. I doubt they’ll come close again next season when all their rivals will strengthen and the likes of Chelsea and possibly ourselves could not have European football at all to concentrate on the league like they have done next season.

Agreed. CL most midweeks next season will take too much out of them.

They'd dropped about 7 points by middle of January, that won't be happening next season.

Prem just needs Pep to feck off sooner or later. How long left is his latest contract? At least then Man. City will drop more into the pack and won't have these robotic like 10 match winning runs.
 
Agreed. CL most midweeks next season will take too much out of them.

They'd dropped about 7 points by middle of January, that won't be happening next season.

Prem just needs Pep to feck off sooner or later. How long left is his latest contract? At least then Man. City will drop more into the pack and won't have these robotic like 10 match winning runs.
This. For me it is Pep, not just our investment. A lot just don’t appreciate how ruthless his teams are in the league. When he leaves, you’ll see the drop off and this is from a City fan.
 
I watched Sky's 30 minute highlights of the Chelsea game and the winning goal he announced it before it actually hit the net.
It's so annoying, particularly when you're watching it live. Chelsea's goal was so against the run of play as well, I was thinking wtf then I realised it was out of sync. Had only turned it on a few minutes before and hadn't noticed.
 
Agreed. CL most midweeks next season will take too much out of them.

They'd dropped about 7 points by middle of January, that won't be happening next season.

Prem just needs Pep to feck off sooner or later. How long left is his latest contract? At least then Man. City will drop more into the pack and won't have these robotic like 10 match winning runs.
2 more years - till 2025 but of course he can always extend it, you know...
 
Liverpool had the best in the world or atleast world-class LW, RW, CB, LB, RB and GK during that time and still could manage only one title. The difficulty has never been this high in any league.

Plus with helps of the refs. If remember correctly, Liverpool had some record of penalties that season also.
 
It’s this season or never in my opinion. I doubt they’ll come close again next season when all their rivals will strengthen and the likes of Chelsea and possibly ourselves could not have European football at all to concentrate on the league. I think it will be a lot harder for them next season.
I told another Arsenal fan last week after the Liverpool game here, that they needed to win this season because Arteta can only finish above Pep once.

Now looking at it now soberly, it's now or never as I said it last weekend.

Until Pep leaves we all can get just 1 customary title.

Arsenal going trophyless this season will have huge ramifications on their beliefs just like it happened to you guys after last season. They might even collapse next season.


Such a complicated League and competition.
 
2 more years - till 2025 but of course he can always extend it, you know...

I don't think he'll extend again, alot of this team will be at its end by then, Erling will likely be thinking "Thats my 3 years in England" and it'll likely be time for a change.
When you look at player ages by the end of Peps contract the ages will be something like
Walker 32, Ake 30, Stones 30, Laporte 30, Gundo 34, KDB 33, Bernardo 30, Mahrez 34, just about time for someone new to come in and rebuild.
 
I don't think he'll extend again, alot of this team will be at its end by then, Erling will likely be thinking "Thats my 3 years in England" and it'll likely be time for a change.
When you look at player ages by the end of Peps contract the ages will be something like
Walker 32, Ake 30, Stones 30, Laporte 30, Gundo 34, KDB 33, Bernardo 30, Mahrez 34, just about time for someone new to come in and rebuild.

Thank god. Here’s hoping you appoint someone crap by then. Hopefully our rebuild starts now just in time before klopp leaves it in good shape and we take advantage (Fingers crossed). Knowing you guys will have already planned ahead though, you won’t leave things until they’ve ran out of juice or chase players for nearly two years to end up say your not buying them anyway.
 
Thank god. Here’s hoping you appoint someone crap by then. Hopefully our rebuild starts now just in time before klopp leaves it in good shape and we take advantage (Fingers crossed). Knowing you guys will have already planned ahead though, you won’t leave things until they’ve ran out of juice or chase players for nearly two years to end up say your not buying them anyway.

I don't think we'll be unprepared but I think Pep might feel its the right time and age profile for someone new to come it before the bult of the squad is too old and needs to be replaced in 1 or 2 seasons.
 
Arteta looked so defeated the end of that game, that’s what’s most unsettling. Even 10 minutes before the final whistle. That’s what’s most worrying in our campaign against city. Sakas first ever penalty miss for arsenal too? Insane
 
Done. Advantage City now. Arsenal need a point at the Etihad which will be tough. Hope they get their act together but dropping 4 points in two weeks is poor. From two 2-0 leads as well. Both times they look terrible in the 2nd half

It would've been the same if they won today.
 
You honestly don't know what technically excellent means. Modric is technically excellent, not Bruno. He had a fantastic game today, but what's that got to do with his technique?
The initial conversation was insisting Brighton have the more technically excellent players than we do. Modric not being a Brighton player, please name the Brighton players more “technically excellent” than Bruno Fernandes?

And since you’re so eager to point out I don’t know what it means, please do define “technically excellent” for those of us who apparently don’t understand football.
 
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The initial conversation was insisting Brighton have the more technically excellent players than we do. Modric not being a Brighton player, please name the Brighton players more “technically excellent” than Bruno Fernandes?

Don't really care what the initial conversation was about, as that is not what I replied to. Whether or not the individual Brighton players are technically excellent or not is irrelevant. The fact is that we aren't a very technically excellent side. We can have great goal scorers, chance creators or players who are excellent in running up and down, intercepting, tackling or whatever, but we're missing technical players which is why we often struggle controlling games. Even if we are capable of producing fantastic football, our general passing and ball retention is far from elite and that's why we're looking at midfielders like Frenkie de Jong and not Fred.
Rashford, despite his great goal scoring form, has a habit of running straight into the defenders and his general play can be very poor (passing, dribbling, progressing). Bruno, while a chance-creating master is horrible at dribbling and not really a ball carrier (17th percentile). I could go on, but I think you understand what I mean by technical players.
And to answer your question, I think Mitoma might be the most technical player for Brighton.
 
Yep.

Bruno and Antony not technically excellent today. :lol:
Yep, keep embarrassing yourself, you still don't know what it means. Both were fantastic today, very little of that was to do with their technique.
 
Don’t know about anyone else, I’m glad to see Dan James doing alright.