What on earth has that got to do with the price of bread ?
The Title Race 2017/18 | Done and dusted.
- Thread starter Buchan
- Start date
- Status
The title will be closely fought between 3 teams . its not theirs ours or chelsea's.
Hopefully we can beat them but would have them down as favourites for both games.
Bravo
Kompany - Mangala - Adarabioyo
Danilo - Yaya - Gundogan - Delph
Foden - B.Silva
Jesus
This team plus Pep's tactics can make top 6 imo. 6th probably but still top 6.
(FYI I have no idea who this Adarabioyo is but I was one player short of making a starting 11
)
Kompany - Mangala - Adarabioyo
Danilo - Yaya - Gundogan - Delph
Foden - B.Silva
Jesus
This team plus Pep's tactics can make top 6 imo. 6th probably but still top 6.
(FYI I have no idea who this Adarabioyo is but I was one player short of making a starting 11
)Its that in tight games his goals open up the game until now, If in any match he fails or under performs than in a close game still anything could happen and they will loose points weather draw or a loss.
Hey you have by far the strongest team and are probably going to romp home this season. You don't have to rub it in. Us United fans are just clinging to a dream. Just let us have that OK?
Not with Ibrahimovic And pogba and fellani and rojo back. This is not moyes united.
Look, if we assume this is City's second XI (based on their current use of players, bar injuries) which non-Top 6 team is better ?
Bravo, Danilo, Otamendi, Mangala, Odarabioyo, Delph, Toure, Gundogan, Silva (D), Sterling (or Sane, or Jesus your pick as a non-starter in a City first XI), Foden (yes he's young, but brilliant).
Bravo, Danilo, Otamendi, Mangala, Odarabioyo, Delph, Toure, Gundogan, Silva (D), Sterling (or Sane, or Jesus your pick as a non-starter in a City first XI), Foden (yes he's young, but brilliant).
In the home game no. But it will be of course very very difficult.
You do know he has only scored 3 goals in 12 games in the PL right ? And City don't have an 11-1-0 record based on one player, you're deluding yourself if you think they do.
Yep. Almost same team I have (though Pep seems to prefer B. Silva to David at the moment). That team is easily good enough for 6th. A point I'm making to show their squad strength/depth.Bravo
Kompany - Mangala - Adarabioyo
Danilo - Yaya - Gundogan - Delph
Foden - B.Silva
Jesus
This team plus Pep's tactics can make top 6 imo. 6th probably but still top 6.
(FYI I have no idea who this Adarabioyo is but I was one player short of making a starting 11
Yes, But he has scored in crunch moments and games where an open result was possible in a tight game and opened up the game for the opposition team to be more attacking and than used counter attacks too making it an open game which suits them.
THey have not come from behind and in big games if you go behind its difficult to come back.
So now you're basing your argument on theoretical situations where you actually have no idea how they will react .. as compared to the facts, those being 11-1-0 and cruising in the CL too.
It's still on but we have to win our games till Arsenal and City, and then win both of those games. It's a big ask, but we have more or less our full squad back now. Just missing Bailly and Jones.
Its not theoritical situations, It happens time to time in the epl in big games and in general. That is the beauty of epl.
If suppose kompany dint tackle vardy last night and leiceter scored first or even if he was sent off it would have been a very different game than when city went 1-0 up and the game opened up where kdb put the killer second.
CHelsea city was a 0-0 until kdb scored the only goal of the tie, Everton took the lead against city and went down to 10 men city could only draw, then 97 the minute winner at bournmouth.
Pointless debating this with you based on your comments above. Fantasy world stuff.
Really? Look at the tottenham arsenal result for instance. You are failing to see the point.
City's big advantage is not the 8 pts gap but the way they play. Even United legends wax lyrical about their football. It is very impressive. Yesterday they had 90% possession in the last 10 min when Leicester were supposed to attack. The scary thing is that they are not the finished article. As goog as Sane, Jesus and Sterling have been so far, they still are a bit inconsistent as they are quite young. The final ball vs Arsenal and Leicester was a bit poor. People expect them to hit a rough patch at some point and this is natural because it is not possible to win 108 pts. They will have unexpected draws/losses. But chances are they will get even stonger because they will master Pep's tactics better, will sign good players in January and the young players are likely to improve further.
Jose has stopped a better team in Pep's Barca though. Won't be easy this season but one of the things that make football such a great game is that it is hard to predict.
Jose has stopped a better team in Pep's Barca though. Won't be easy this season but one of the things that make football such a great game is that it is hard to predict.
We have the capability to plug that advantage with all our players fit, and Jones and smalling bring more intelligence in their game and their life. I think SO can chelsea when they will find form and fitness back.
Much depends on what their rough patch will amount to. We first should beat Watford and Arsenal away and it won't be easy at all. The difference may become even bigger before the derby. The other top 6 teams have virtually no margin for errors.
We'll absolutely have to beat City to enter the title race and win all games prior to it as well.
It really won t.
This will be no different from Chelsea's last two title wins where there was simply no race whatsoever for most of the season.
We will do well to come second and that is massive progress on our part and I'd consider that a very successful season.
Honestly, forget the point gap and start with a clean slate at 0pts for each team from the next game onward. In this scenario, do you see anyone accumulating more points, or being in better form than the league leaders? If so, then the talk of bridging gaps can begin, if not, the gap will only widen.
The Champions League, Christmas, and very probably having to beat City home, and possibly away, are likely determinant on if there is even going to be a 'race' this season.
They need to come up with an absolutely brutal opponent or two in the KO stages of the CL, one that they can't help but take their eye off the ball in the league due to. A tight first leg, and the fixtures in and around the second become tenuous, and win or lose, there's a chance the league form is affected - a crushing loss to be K.O'd from the competition could see a slump (it could see a defiant run, but we'll ignore that); a big win, and there's either euphoria, that makes them stronger still in the league, or, it distracts them and splits focus.
The better KDB gets, the more unwittingly reliant they will become on him. He holds the keys to their season very probably in the same way Pogba does to ours. An injury of any proper duration will test them, because even if they have replacement players, they have no other who knits so much of the play together and has the sheer range of key actions as him.
The title isn't wrapped up by a long shot, but whoever from the chasing pack needs to either match or better their results through until the CL gets serious and be in a position to capitalise if either of the two paragraphs above come into fruition.
Pep is not good when things don't go his way, so that flow and irresistible form is not quite as water tight as some seem to think it is. That will hardly matter if the chasing pack can't force those nose-touching, manic reactions out of him, however.
The Champions League, Christmas, and very probably having to beat City home, and possibly away, are likely determinant on if there is even going to be a 'race' this season.
They need to come up with an absolutely brutal opponent or two in the KO stages of the CL, one that they can't help but take their eye off the ball in the league due to. A tight first leg, and the fixtures in and around the second become tenuous, and win or lose, there's a chance the league form is affected - a crushing loss to be K.O'd from the competition could see a slump (it could see a defiant run, but we'll ignore that); a big win, and there's either euphoria, that makes them stronger still in the league, or, it distracts them and splits focus.
The better KDB gets, the more unwittingly reliant they will become on him. He holds the keys to their season very probably in the same way Pogba does to ours. An injury of any proper duration will test them, because even if they have replacement players, they have no other who knits so much of the play together and has the sheer range of key actions as him.
The title isn't wrapped up by a long shot, but whoever from the chasing pack needs to either match or better their results through until the CL gets serious and be in a position to capitalise if either of the two paragraphs above come into fruition.
Pep is not good when things don't go his way, so that flow and irresistible form is not quite as water tight as some seem to think it is. That will hardly matter if the chasing pack can't force those nose-touching, manic reactions out of him, however.
Way I see it it's a case of who can stop the state currently top of the league in the guise of Manchester City, all clubs except PSG have their work cut out by the oil money, sooner or later in the interests of the game these state run clubs will need reining in by something far more effective than FFP!!
With the Players of the calibre we have back now , we will get it done. People Should not underestimate the impact that pogba Zlatan and rojo and fellani return will have on our form and quality of football, having being already well qualified in ucl too where we just need a solitary point and can afford to play second string.
Our form was hugely dependent on mkh till we had zlatan and pogba missing where we took a tumble as he failed to step up. Now we have many options and I expect us to impove massively.
Last edited:
Let's not be bitter. They are doing well because they bought well, for key positions they needed.
We need to do the same next summer to catch up to them.
No because at that time many teams where in transition phase. We are a lot better now and chelsea were champions already and injuries and new players take time to come together but i expect them too to pick up good form with morata kante and hazard over injury scares.
Its will not be that way. Both chelsea and us are strong teams when all the players are fit.
Far from bitter, I'm really not bothered but let's be honest, a club possessing unlimited funds is going to have an advantage...
Sunday supplement, Martin Samuel annoying City fans who complain their match reports get pushed down the page, by telling them news papers know exactly what stories people are clicking on their sites nowadays and cater to those.
Surprise, it's all United stories which are most popular.
Surprise, it's all United stories which are most popular.
Who’s actually complaining about things like that? If you go online everyday at the moment there’s a new pundit coming out and waxing lyrical about City and Pep. It’s all well over the top. He’s probably making it up to have a dig.
There is no title race. Being 8 points ahead after 12 games is massive. Not even clear-cut favourites like psg or Bayern lead their league with such a margin.
City play great football, but also win games when they are not in their best form. They can only beat themselves, but pep is very good at keeping concentration/motivation high.
Only a gigantic injury crisis can stop them.
City play great football, but also win games when they are not in their best form. They can only beat themselves, but pep is very good at keeping concentration/motivation high.
Only a gigantic injury crisis can stop them.
He's not making anything up. Stats and figures show that anything United related, gets far far more clicks/likes than any other team.
United dint have the quality to challenge for the title. Nowhere near it.
I think top 4 yes but not the title. City are too strong and could well go thru the season only losing 2 or 3 times.
Chelsea and Spurs will mount a closer challenge IMO.
I think top 4 yes but not the title. City are too strong and could well go thru the season only losing 2 or 3 times.
Chelsea and Spurs will mount a closer challenge IMO.
This.
I don't know where this notion that you're less of a fan if you admit one of your rivals being way ahead comes from.
Anyone capable of challenging them will also have CL .... City are going to romp this title
You misunderstood my point, he’s probably making up that City fans are complaining about it. People are raving about us everywhere what’s to complain about?
I think they'll walk the league.
I can see us having a far rougher patch at some point this season than them.
I can see us having a far rougher patch at some point this season than them.
Turns out blue plastic seats don’t read newspapers. Who knew.
Man. City still have some tough away games left to play....got to go to Old Trafford of course where you lot are unbeaten since September 2016 so that could well be a draw. Spurs is a bad match up for them in last few seasons although space there will probably help them and aren't Man. City historically terrible at Anfield, think they've lost their last five there.
They've only drawn one game so far though. Put it this way if they draw another 6 games this season they'll still finish on 100 points.
Man. United draw two more games and lose 1 (and win every other league game) and they finish on 97 points.
That gives you the scale of the task I think. Mourinho can't be going into the home game v Man. City and just playing for a draw as the risk is you then have a Huddersfield style result, Man. City win on that weekend and the gap is then increased to 10/11 points.
They've only drawn one game so far though. Put it this way if they draw another 6 games this season they'll still finish on 100 points.
Man. United draw two more games and lose 1 (and win every other league game) and they finish on 97 points.
That gives you the scale of the task I think. Mourinho can't be going into the home game v Man. City and just playing for a draw as the risk is you then have a Huddersfield style result, Man. City win on that weekend and the gap is then increased to 10/11 points.
- Status