Marathon, not a race, etc.
The Title Race 2017/18 | Done and dusted.
- Thread starter Buchan
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Come on, unbeaten season is ridiculously hard to pull off, and less than a third of the fixtures are over.
Goals and points may be possible, but also a points record is really hard to achieve.
That’s all very well and we’ve been through how they won those 2 games enough times.
They were top of the table after 9 rounds last season too, look what happened afterwards
We fecked it up by blinking first. All we had to do was grind out results till all our big players were back but we failed. Shocking performance and these players must be ashamed.
I think Spurs and Chelsea will be closer to City than us. They just have far better attacks to do something throughout the season. I can see us, Chelsea, Spurs and Pool causing City to drop points though, so I wouldn't say the title is a sure bet, but it is very likely that it'll go to City as they'll outscore any of the lower league teams and probably beat a couple of the big teams too. We would've been up there had we actually focused on our attacking frailties, but alas, we bought a defender we didn't need, replaced one striker with another, and did nothing for the wide forward positions where we struggled last season.
I took a look at the teamsheet on the match day forum and thought how the fck can Huddersfield not beat this rubble? Seems like they heard my thoughts.
Not saying Liverpool's teamsheets don't look like a dog's dinner sometimes either.
And when you show that attitude , you deserve to lose even more. Happy jose called spade a spade and blamed our players and not looked to make excuses.
Well, that's a big blow to United. They really needed to keep it up with City until they faced them in december.
It's so early in the season that I fear Jose may change his stance or attitude like you say. Hope not.
Anyone who thinks we are in with a shout needs a reality check. We are miles away quality wise. It's quite crazy. Millions spent and still have so much average cack playing week in week out. Going to be a long ass season
Wouldn't give up so early, I know I haven't.
City are favourites, but it's far from over.
City are favourites, but it's far from over.
Killed their own momentum by drawing with a poor, at the time, Liverpool team. Then expected to pick momentum up by a flick of a switch. Players are humans and don't work like that. It's on Jose.
Man you lot are really butthurt over that. Get over it man. You got Mourinhoed, you should be used to it by now. Unbeatean at Anfield in the league no?City, Spurs, Chelsea, United, Liverpool, Arsenal.
Sticking with this, nothing this season has made me think otherwise.
Sticking with this, nothing this season has made me think otherwise.
Very early days. City will lose a game they aren't supposed to and we'll all be giddy again.
I'm currently laughing my butt off today if you're interested in that part of the anatomy.
No we won't, it is evident to anyone with eyes that this team are seriously lacking for a title challenge.
City might hit a bump, but we won't be able to capitalize.
This.
Tbf, this united team would easily win the title in 4 of the last 5 seasons. Purely on its own its a fantastic squad.
Its just that City have gone full on Football Manager this season.
It's not over but City look better than us. We need to go on a run now. The problem is that our football is getting worse. I still don't know why the likes of Young and Lingard start for us.
Yeah but the stakes have been raised by Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool to an extent, and especially City. With the current competition we are still atleast one transfer window away from challenging, a simple head to head lineup of our alternatives compared to the rivals will tell you that. Defensively with our first choices we match up, but attacking we are way behind.
It's all very well saying early days as some ( a lot) whilst pointing at last season. However City are much stronger (both as a team and a squad) and I'd bet heavily against any sort of collapse. That leaves the onus on one of the chasing clubs to find an extra gear, there's still time but not one looks capable, certainly not United or Arsenal. See my forecasts, I had United as 4th and Arsenal as 6th before the season started and my opinion has not changed.
That leaves Liverpool (they could climb the table if their defence continues it's improvement and they start putting away more of the gazillion chances they create but fail to convert), Chelsea (looking very delicate and for once injuries look to be catching up with them) and Spurs (if anyone has watched them then they'll know they haven't looked that impressive in a number of games - Wembley and the CL proving their downfall perhaps).
Really doesn't look to be a real challenger amongst the lot of them. Maybe if they apply to the PL for permission a combined team would stand a chance.
That leaves Liverpool (they could climb the table if their defence continues it's improvement and they start putting away more of the gazillion chances they create but fail to convert), Chelsea (looking very delicate and for once injuries look to be catching up with them) and Spurs (if anyone has watched them then they'll know they haven't looked that impressive in a number of games - Wembley and the CL proving their downfall perhaps).
Really doesn't look to be a real challenger amongst the lot of them. Maybe if they apply to the PL for permission a combined team would stand a chance.
Seriously let it go. You still got a point ffs, have perspective, there was a time you were Mourinhoed and you lost the title.
Exactly. People who can’t see this worry me.
Believe me. City will hit a rough patch at some point and we will close the gap.
Still early days. Everything is possible. Which works both ways: it isn't clear whether United is good enough to challenge for the title.
Because our budget is finite.
We needed a LB and another winger at the very least last summer but we couldn't afford them.
We had to go for a cheap CB and look where that got us.
The Neymar transfer is going to inflate the market even more. So it will cost us even more next summer. What we could have got for £80-100mil(that what a decent FB and winger costed before the Neymar transfer) will now probably cost £10mil+.
Disagree tbh, Spurs of the last two seasons are still a much better team than we currently are, with much better players in crucial positions (wing backs, creative midfielder) And the last two Chelsea title winning sides were also a lot better than our current bunch.
Agreed. Let's just hope that it's sooner rather than later, or else it'll be nigh-on insurmountable when the opportunity beckons.
Yeah. About a couple of players away from City but still well ahead of Chelsea and Spurs. I think United will finish a lonely second about 10 points behind City but well clear of Spurs and Chelsea.
It's not "one more transfer window" - and thus another bucket-load of spending - that you need. First and foremost you need a manager who can make the very best of what you already have, rather than one who simply looks to spend mega-bucks in an attempt to buy-in progress.
Exactly, people need to realize what different playing fields us and City are operating at. They identified their fullbacks as problem areas, what did they do? They went ahead and bought two £50m players to rectify the problem. Meanwhile our solution to our LB problem is starting an old repurposed winger there.
We operate within a budget and it was clear that Jose wasn't allowed to spend more this summer, I just hope we get some money for next summer because we need both a #10, RW and LB and ideally a MF as well.
29 games to go, only 5 points....
Good day for City but many games ahead (only 23% of the season gone!). We have West Brom A next week while United entertain Spurs - as the 3 current front runners it’s important for City to make sure they take 3 points and let one or both of the others fall behind a little.
City had a CB and CM problem too. What did they do? Just worked on their defending, and played KDB in midfield.
We had a CM problem. What did we do? Only broken the transfer record by signing one player for 90 million.
Both managers have spent plenty.
Said it before, Mourinho has never chased down a league title. He's basically lead the league for the entire season every time he's won it.
Aside from the 5 point deficit, we're just not that good a team. Our attack was absolutely shocking last season, we simply replaced Zlatan with Lukaku. It was never going to be enough. We're not creative enough, we have no threat on our right wing, and our full backs are poor going forward. Our players gift possession away needlessly every 10 seconds, and their touch lets them down at key moments in the final third.
I hope I'm wrong but I'd be shocked if we won the league this season.
Aside from the 5 point deficit, we're just not that good a team. Our attack was absolutely shocking last season, we simply replaced Zlatan with Lukaku. It was never going to be enough. We're not creative enough, we have no threat on our right wing, and our full backs are poor going forward. Our players gift possession away needlessly every 10 seconds, and their touch lets them down at key moments in the final third.
I hope I'm wrong but I'd be shocked if we won the league this season.
not sure they will. They have so much quality in depth. Likewise, I'm not sure that if they do hit this patch, we'll have the quality to capitalize.
Beyond our first 16 players, our squad is quite average vs City and so we are always going to have gaps when injury affects key players.
How is it not? Even the likes of Real/Barca did’t get 110pts in the league which they will if they keep up 25/27
Pleading poverty doesn't cut it - not given what United have spent since Fergie retired. And if you look to continue following the City model - spend, spend, spend - then you are doomed to stay in their shadow, because they can always spend even more than you.
Time to take different approach.
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