The Title Race - 2023/24

[alexmcity]

My feeling is that we won't win all three games before CWC. Hope I'm wrong but think things will get worse before they improve, maybe most of us will get pessimistic about the season. Can see both Arsenal and Liverpool being 6-8 pts clear, with City having a game in hand.

At some point it will seem that the title is beyond us, and then it will be up for grabs again.

This is what I posted after Spurs and Villa.

As things stand, we might be 12 pts off Liverpool before Everton away with 2 games in hand. IF we win at Everton, we can win the league again. IF we drop points, this is likely to be a transition season in the league. We'll need then a United-style (2012) collapse from both Liverpool and Arsenal. Not impossible to happen but unlikely.

 

[Coatigan]

If we do miss out due to us being late getting up to speed then so beit. Just make sure we give it a good go in the final stretch (or at least win the FA Cup or a longer shot the Champions League)

We aren't dropping points because we are late getting up to speed. We are dropping points because we ran out of momentum.

We started the season storming, wining more opening games than ever before. We became complacent, coinciding with some basic plain bad luck seeing margins go against us.

Agree though, if we miss out because of it, we miss out. As long as we get back to our top the rest of it.

 

[Gigant]

worst season in Pep Guardiola era

 

[Coatigan]

worst season in Pep Guardiola era

Sack the bald fraud.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Hardly a race. More a Norman Wisdom unfunny, stuttering, tripping himself up, jog.

 

[MadchesterCity]

worst season in Pep Guardiola era

No surprises there unfortunately

 

[sh249]

Obviously too early to write us off - we could suddenly put a run together, as we’ve done often enough in the past few seasons. And the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal aren’t looking great at all - both been pretty lucky to pick up as many points as they have, and both look like they could still drop plenty between now and the end of the season.

That said, it does feel a bit different with us this season. Players look mentally shot - throwing away leads late on is a horrible habit - and we’ve got obvious problems with the lack of viable options in the centre of midfield.

If Stones can get back properly fit and play most games, we might still be in with a chance. If not, it will be a struggle and top 3/4 might be the best we can do.

 

[John Wayne]

worst season in Pep Guardiola era

Thus far. And 20/21 being on there should give us a bit of hope. Had we held on yesterday then it would have been our fifth best start out of eight.

But something seems to be wrong at the moment. There are still passages of good play in all of our games (except Villa), but we seem loose and casual. We're mentally and perhaps physically below where we need to be. January is such a big month - it's not loaded with fixtures so there is chance to recover and work on things, but perhaps above all we need to bring in a new face or two. I also fear that counting on KDB to save us may be a forlorn hope by the time he's hitting his straps. He could be key to our CL hopes, however.

 

[The blue phantom]

I can also put the post up from posters who's arse had gone and had thrown the towel in this time last year too. Get a fuckin grip.

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

I don't see anything from the optimists apart from blind faith that everything will suddenly come good and our rivals will all implode.

In reality our lack of squad depth has been exposed and we're now discovering that Alvarez isn't quite as prolific when regularly starting games. Completely different last season when he was coming on as sub and the game was opening up.

We're badly missing Gundogan but it's not that easy to find an exact replacement

 

[Segga]

We are the bookies favourites to win the league as of this morning….

 

[Fordyboy46]

worst season in Pep Guardiola era

Pep said last season that if he sees the players don't have that fight and desire any more he'll call it a day. This is a concerning period for City, I thought after Luton even though we weren't great that it might have given us a kick up the arse, then back to yesterday and it seems not

 

[Big Swifty]

Oh well.

Perhaps Thursday night football next season isn't too bad after all..............

 

[Fordyboy46]

I don't see anything from the optimists apart from blind faith that everything will suddenly come good and our rivals will all implode.

In reality our lack of squad depth has been exposed and we're now discovering that Alvarez isn't quite as prolific when regularly starting games. Completely different last season when he was coming on as sub and the game was opening up.

We're badly missing Gundogan but it's not that easy to find an exact replacement

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, when our summer window ended I thought it looked good, I gave it an 8 out of 10, Paqueta would've made it a 10. Looking at it now though you can say it's looking pretty poor, Doku excepted who I think will be excellent in the long term. Jury definitely out on the other three though but it's only fair to judge after their first seasons, a bit underwhelming so far though

 

[Fordyboy46]

Oh well.

Perhaps Thursday night football next season isn't too bad after all..............

Thursday night football, we'll be in the conference mate. Lol

 

[Fordyboy46]

Oh well.

Perhaps Thursday night football next season isn't too bad after all..............

More varied away days, some new European City's, more tickets etc. Not too shabby

 

[BringBackSwales]

Don’t want Fordys moroseness to dominate the thread. If we don’t win the league, how about super cup, world club champions, fa cup and retain the champions league, wouldn’t be too shabby. Also IF we win the CL and if the feral robbers win the PL do we stop them getting seed 1 pot in next season’s CL or can 2 clubs from the same country be in pot 1?

 

[Gray]

Not seen anything from this set of players to think we are going to suddenly start performing. Walker skinned for speed yesterday is just one example of some of the players actually going backwards.

Drawing 4 games from winning positions (3 of them at home) and being played off the park by Villa doesn't bode well for the rest of the season.

 

[Revolver]

Not saying we are going to win the league. I think desire (understandable after 3 titles and a treble), injuries and bedding players in has took its toll.

I don’t think we are miles off. We are beating ourselves at the moment ( or drawing). Long way to go. Suspect this is a season too far but if we click we will be challenging.

 

[Coatigan]

I don't see anything from the optimists apart from blind faith that everything will suddenly come good and our rivals will all implode.

That's bollocks pal.

1. The performances are there. Apart from Villa, and maybe Wolves, we had enough to win each of those games. It is not like we are struggling, can't find ways to break through, create chances, or be a threat.
2. Precedent. How many tomes have we seen this team 'bounce back', and win lots of games, after similar complaints that something is wrong and we aren't at it.
3. We have quality. More so than other teams.
4. Bad luck doesn't last forever. Spurs game for example, hit the woodwork twice, both went out. They hit the woodwork twice, both went in. Even halfing that we win that game, the odds are at some point it will swing in our favour.

Yeah you are right that squad depth is looking a bit thin, complacency is there, we need a kick up the arse etc. But we have seen all that before. Couple margins go our way, different story.

Either way, it is a lot more than just blind faith, see 1-4.