Get this guy telling it how it is.
We're comfortably the third best team in the league
- Thread starter Moby
- Start date
I'm sorry mate. It's how I feel, who really cares if we are the 3rd best team in the league. I get that these conversations point to the progress we have been making under Ole and I respect that. But to me, I really don't care about all this talk involving whether or not we are better than a club sitting 4th in the Premier League. It's pretty depressing to be honest.
Might also be a bit angry given that the league title is confirmed tonight.
Oh well, it is what it is.
This after Martial hatrick and at home to a team who was beaten 3-0 by Newcastle. Martial might play like he did at Spurs in the next game. We have improved a lot, certainly. Bruno has been the catalyst and Pogba as been good in the last 2 games, but will he be here next season? Chelsea have strengthened, we just hear rumours. I would say 4th = with leicester and Wanderers
We comfortably aren't.
Because it shows progression. It shows that we are on track. You don't go from also-rans to champions overnight.
While sitting in fifth on goal difference.
A bit of recency bias going on in this thread. Finishing the season well doesn't make you better than a team that had their good form earlier. We haven't even done that yet.
We had all the "we're obviously better than Leicester" in the summer with the top red lot pouring scorn on the idea. Still injuries are the new "it was just fitness" as if these things only impact us.
We had all the "we're obviously better than Leicester" in the summer with the top red lot pouring scorn on the idea. Still injuries are the new "it was just fitness" as if these things only impact us.
We also beat City 3 times out 4 - does that mean we're better?
Is this something to be proud of and worth mentioning? How we have fallen.
League table doesn’t lie.
It sort of does considering the OP factors in the arrival of Bruno while most of the league table doesn't. Also, we now have a fit Paul Pogba again.
At this moment in time we're probably the third best team in the league. Over the current season we haven't been. If we strengthen the squad during the summer and play to our potential next season we should walk at least a third place finish at the very least.
The underrating of Chelsea is quite something on Caf
We are always "comfortably better" than them but finish lower for the past 7 years. Interesting.It's all about challenging for 1st.
You are right and I agree with that. I just can't be bothered debating if we are level with Chelsea while currently sitting 36 points behind the League Champions.
Agreed. In fact since Abromovich came havent they won more trophies than us? They have already snagged 2 very good players for next season, while Woody keeps on about it not right to spend big after what has happened with the pandemic.The underrating of Chelsea is quite something on Caf
The underrating of Chelsea is quite something on Caf
Exactly , we endlessly talk about what we are going to do next season etc etc while other teams actually go out and do it. To do what they are doing on a transfer ban is very impressive.
Just watched Chelsea beat Citeh, who were shite and lucky not to concede 4.
Sad to say Chelsea looked good.
Sad to say Chelsea looked good.
What a ridiculous comment.
We are as close to the 10th place as we are to the third place.
No, we are not comfortably the third team in the league. We are not 'comfortably' even the fifth-best team in the league.
No, we are not comfortably the third team in the league. We are not 'comfortably' even the fifth-best team in the league.
Chelsea are just as good as us if not better, they've spent real well already as well. Plus they have those 712 players on loan one year older next season. At least two of them might be decent.
That individual results are irrelevant. The markets are not wrong.
Okay if individual results are irrelevant how about results over a period fo time? For example, the past 13 games?
Not sure what your point is. We've played 31 games and Leicester are still ahead of Chelsea and United in the table. That does not change the fact that both are much better sides.
The thesis of the OP is that Utd's current form makes them the third best team in the league. How else do you assess that other than by games in the most proximate period of time?
Also, what makes Utd and Chelsea objectively much better than Leicester?
I agree
IMO we have the 3rd most talented squad on paper. Leicester has nothing on a team that can start Pogba, Bruno, Martial and Rashford plus we freaking took their best CB. This isn't particularly a strong year for the PL. Whether that translates to comfortably being the 3rd best team is a different topic
I think Chelsea have dropped off relative to their early season form and we have no pushed on. The teams are still close but I think that based on the last dozen games or so United have shown more than Chelsea, but we are certainly not a clear third. In terms of potential league winners next season, I think we have a better shot than they do and it looks like both Liverpool and City are coming back towards Chelsea and ourselves. I think next year will be very closely run.
If we were in Chelsea shoes, the excuse level would go sky high
This thread is embarassing.
We're not even comfortably 5th by the way.
We're not even comfortably 5th by the way.
Chelsea have had no transfer window under Lampard and they are still above us. They lost their best player in the summer. We still have catching up to do.
Even though we have beaten them three times this season. That 4v0 did not reflect the performance at all. The last game was also really even; it was only Rashford's freekick that was the difference. We are not comfortably better than Chelsea at all. I would say they are better than us at the moment.
Even though we have beaten them three times this season. That 4v0 did not reflect the performance at all. The last game was also really even; it was only Rashford's freekick that was the difference. We are not comfortably better than Chelsea at all. I would say they are better than us at the moment.
Remove the "comfortably" from the sentence and I agree with you.
In what ways are Chelsea better at the moment?
Last night we fielded a team of Kepa, Azpi, Rudiger,AC,Alonso,Kante,Mount,Barkley,Willian, Pulisic and Giroud and beat City.
On Sunday we could field a team of Caballero, James, Zouma, Tomori, Emerson, Jorginho, Kovacic, RLC, Pedro, CHO and Tammy...with Gilmour and Batshuayi on bench and still have enough to beat Leicester City. There is a very good reason why both teams are where they deservedly are right now and its called squad depth. United can definitely field a stronger first 11 than us but on a 38 game season the level of disparity between your first eleven and the squad players who will have to fill in for them at certain points is way more crucial.
I look at United's first XI and their squad players there is a difference in quality whiles there is not much between our first XI and those that can fill in for them from the bench. If United can find a way to bridge this gap they can have a legitimate claim to have the best 3rd best squad next season but I don't see it.
We have already signed Ziyech to replace Willian and Werner to replace Pedro who has been a squad player for us this season.
With these in mind I think we have a credible claim as the 3rd best squad in the league and this might not change much even if United get Sancho for their first team and not improve the quality of their squad option.
You might opt to test your luck like Liverpool and hope your first XI stay fit throughout next season to carry you through but its a risk a team like United should be resourced enough to avoid.
On Sunday we could field a team of Caballero, James, Zouma, Tomori, Emerson, Jorginho, Kovacic, RLC, Pedro, CHO and Tammy...with Gilmour and Batshuayi on bench and still have enough to beat Leicester City. There is a very good reason why both teams are where they deservedly are right now and its called squad depth. United can definitely field a stronger first 11 than us but on a 38 game season the level of disparity between your first eleven and the squad players who will have to fill in for them at certain points is way more crucial.
I look at United's first XI and their squad players there is a difference in quality whiles there is not much between our first XI and those that can fill in for them from the bench. If United can find a way to bridge this gap they can have a legitimate claim to have the best 3rd best squad next season but I don't see it.
We have already signed Ziyech to replace Willian and Werner to replace Pedro who has been a squad player for us this season.
With these in mind I think we have a credible claim as the 3rd best squad in the league and this might not change much even if United get Sancho for their first team and not improve the quality of their squad option.
You might opt to test your luck like Liverpool and hope your first XI stay fit throughout next season to carry you through but its a risk a team like United should be resourced enough to avoid.
I watched your game last night and thought that 4-1 would have been a fair score. City seemed sloppy (you'd have thought they might have learned a lesson from us, when McTominay punished a loose clearance), their centrebacks couldn't live with Tammy's pace and the red card summed it up perfectly.
You are well positioned for next season, IMO.
We beat them, many times.
We are not consistent enough to claim this. We are yet to put together a run of more than 2 wins in a row.
We have lost some really bad games this year, that needs to stop.
We have lost some really bad games this year, that needs to stop.
Hope we finish 4th.
Nah sorry mate but that means nothing as of now, as neither have played, could take a while to adapt or heck, werner well the lad could be the latest in the so called hot shot strikers chelsea have signed only to see them fail, its happen many a time to chelsea since Rom rolled in like Shevchenko , Sturridge, Torres, Pato, Batshuayi, Morata,
Of all the arguments being put forward this is the most bizarre one.
Ok some of Chelsea’s transfers haven’t worked out but if I could be arsed I could no doubt search out players who Utd have signed and bombed.
Coming into the season UTD spent big , no really big.
In OGS they had a far more experienced PL manager than FL. Chelsea had a transfer ban, had sold their best player and yes Utd had injuries but arguably Chelsea’s two best players, Kante and Rudiger were missing for a chunk of the first part of the season.
Add to that RLC who was developing fast into a top midfielder but suffered, like CHO ,horrendous injuries and neither yet have been able to put together a run of games.
Yet despite all this with 7 games left Chelsea are ahead by 5 points which sorry if UTd were comfortably the 3rd best team wouldn’t be the case.
Equal with Chelsea, who are on the same sort of trajectory we are. On paper next season's top four is very obvious (although of course it never actually works out that way any more). The question is what order those four will finish in.