The Title Race - 2023/24

How many points will be needed to win the league?

  • Total voters
    446
  • Poll closed .
alexmcity said:
Only Real have won back to back CLs. It was easier to win consecutive European Cups because the competition back then was weaker than its successor.

I see the point about winning 4 league titles a row. Would be a fantastic achievement! I remember that Pep won 4 consecutive La Liga titles with Barca as a player in the 90s. They won also the CL. But they are not considered as great as Zidane's Real who never won back to back domestic titles but won 3 consecutive CLs.
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Again, rarer/harder. Even if only one team has done it, it cannot be rarer/harder than something that has never been done
 
jimharri said:
Ajax won 3 of the old European Cups (1971-73). And Bayern won the following 3 (74-76).Have to disagree with you re the relative strengths of the European Cup and the Champions League. The old competition was limited to actual champions of their countries,not the Laughable situation we have now where a team finishing fourth in their domestic league enters the "Champions" League.
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A big problem for me with the old European Cup was the open draws with a complete lack of seeding. No issue with when you’re dealing with the traditions of the FA Cup but not ideal when determining the best team in Europe.
There were a few instances when a number of strong clubs were drawn against each other in a few different early round ties leaving the way clear for lesser lights to progress deep into the competition. When Forest first lifted the trophy in 1979 they admittedly had a brutal draw (holders Liverpool) in the first round but after getting through that, their run up to and including the final was embarrassingly gentle. Villa’s run to the 1982 final was also incredibly straightforward as were a couple of instances involving the dippers.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was when arguably the two best teams in Europe (Real Madrid and Maradona’s Napoli) were drawn against each other in the first round in 1987-88. Broadcasters decided the competition’s credibility was suffering and it needed a revamp if they were going to pay for the rights. The initial Champions League rebranding emerged a few years after that.
 
citizen_maine said:
Again, rarer/harder. Even if only one team has done it, it cannot be rarer/harder than something that has never been done
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It depends on the perspective. Maybe no Belgian club has won 5 domestic titles in a row, but nobody outside Belgium would care if some Belgian club does it now. Are we going to say that because no Belgian club has won 5 domestic titles in a row prior to this moment in time, it is harder to do it than to win back to back CLs?

I'm not sure that to win 4 PLs in a row would objectively be a greater achievement than to win back to back CLs. I don't know. Personally, I have no preference. Since I dislike Liverpool, maybe I'd settle for 4 in a row, if they are the main challengers. But I guess the players prefer the CL. Might be wrong, just my feeling from interviews with the players I've seen or read.
 
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Coatigan said:
One of the main reasons I really want to see us win it this year (apart from the obvious a blue wanting City to win), is that I really think this group of players under this manager DESERVES to be the first side to win 4 in a row. And that they deserve history to remember them as the team to do it. As a reflection of both their quality and dominance over this stretch of time.
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It’s in their gift.
 
jimharri said:
Ajax won 3 of the old European Cups (1971-73). And Bayern won the following 3 (74-76).Have to disagree with you re the relative strengths of the European Cup and the Champions League. The old competition was limited to actual champions of their countries,not the Laughable situation we have now where a team finishing fourth in their domestic league enters the "Champions" League.
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Which is the stronger team? The runners up in the PL or the champions of Albania?
 
jimmygrimblesboots said:
We have only lost one of the last five visits to Klanfield , Cancelo's brain fart seperated the teams last time , so their recent home record against us is nothing to fear .Looking at the Dippers form this season they are vulnerable away from home and i do not see that changing , but i can see us getting stronger with KDB ,Stones & Haaland playing regularly again.
We are still odds on at the bookies and i think they have got it right , time will tell.
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They still have to play West Ham, Villa and Arsenal away. They are not as strong away from home and they will drop points.
 
Withnail said:
They still have to play West Ham, Villa and Arsenal away. They are not as strong away from home and they will drop points.
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And we have Newcastle, spurs, Liverpool all away, we will also drop points. The Liverpool game worries me more than anything tbh.
 
alexmcity said:
It depends on the perspective. Maybe no Belgian club has won 5 domestic titles in a row, but nobody outside Belgium would care if some Belgian club does it now. Are we going to say that because no Belgian club has won 5 domestic titles in a row prior to this moment in time, it is harder to do it than to win back to back CLs?

I'm not sure that to win 4 PLs in a row would objectively be a greater achievement than to win back to back CLs. I don't know. Personally, I have no preference. Since I dislike Liverpool, maybe I'd settle for 4 in a row, if they are the main challengers. But I guess the players prefer the CL. Might be wrong, just my feeling from interviews with the players I've seen or read.
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He's not talking about the Belgian league though, but about the PL. And the logic stands, if it has been done, it is 'easier' than something that hasn't.

I'd love us to win 4 in a row. And I think it is harder. Obviously either would be great, but for me 4 would be greater.

Say if we weren't to win it, the earliest we'd be in a position to even discuss it again, would be in another 4 years. Having had to win it 3 in a row first. For the CL, that's 2, and having to win it only once. For that alone, it surely is harder.
 
alexmcity said:
It depends on the perspective. Maybe no Belgian club has won 5 domestic titles in a row, but nobody outside Belgium would care if some Belgian club does it now. Are we going to say that because no Belgian club has won 5 domestic titles in a row prior to this moment in time, it is harder to do it than to win back to back CLs?

I'm not sure that to win 4 PLs in a row would objectively be a greater achievement than to win back to back CLs. I don't know. Personally, I have no preference. Since I dislike Liverpool, maybe I'd settle for 4 in a row, if they are the main challengers. But I guess the players prefer the CL. Might be wrong, just my feeling from interviews with the players I've seen or read.
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Anderlecht did it from 1964/68.
But yeah, no one cared then or now.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
Which is the stronger team? The runners up in the PL or the champions of Albania?
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I hate the "but it's called the Champions League" debate. You're exactly right. There's a reason the current structure allows a 3rd place Prem team straight in and makes a lot of European champions go through qualifying.
 
You know what's going on, right? A lot of teams are simply out of gas. Clear signs of it with Newcastle, this evening's match, Arsenal, Tottenham arguably. They are out of gas and running on empty. The effect of competing in Europe, going deep in the domestic cup currently taking place, a number of injuries to a squad that's simply too thin (not in terms of numbers, but in terms of genuine quality), that in itself partly due to the absurd amount of games that the same players from top clubs are having to play over and over, including stupid international ones.
Only Liverpool are still showing that they are thoroughly lively, and I do think that the departure of Salah and say one bad injury to a key player would change that considerably. We are, if anything, getting our second wind.
 
jamielowndes said:
I hate the "but it's called the Champions League" debate. You're exactly right. There's a reason the current structure allows a 3rd place Prem team straight in and makes a lot of European champions go through qualifying.
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I don’t have a problem with people taking issue with the name, or that they preferred the old format, or even that it was (subjectively) better, but to suggest it was harder to win under the previous format is simply wrong.
 
Coatigan said:
He's not talking about the Belgian league though, but about the PL. And the logic stands, if it has been done, it is 'easier' than something that hasn't.

I'd love us to win 4 in a row. And I think it is harder. Obviously either would be great, but for me 4 would be greater.

Say if we weren't to win it, the earliest we'd be in a position to even discuss it again, would be in another 4 years. Having had to win it 3 in a row first. For the CL, that's 2, and having to win it only once. For that alone, it surely is harder.
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If people care mostly about City's standing in England, then 4 titles in a row is a more impressive achievement, as no other English team has ever done it. But another domestic title wouldn't increase the international reputation of the club as much as back to back CLs. So, there's this local vs global aspect of the situation.

I'd be more than happy with one of those titles.
 
alexmcity said:
If people care mostly about City's standing in England, then 4 titles in a row is a more impressive achievement, as no other English team has ever done it. But another domestic title wouldn't increase the international reputation of the club as much as back to back CLs. So, there's this local vs global aspect of the situation.

I'd be more than happy with one of those titles.
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I disagree.

But like you, happy with either of them. Or even challenging to the end for either, truth be told. The team is certainly good enough for both, so let's hope and dream.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
I don’t have a problem with people taking issue with the name, or that they preferred the old format, or even that it was (subjectively) better, but to suggest it was harder to win under the previous format is simply wrong.
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You've only got to look at United's run for their first European Cup. They had Hibs, Sarajevo, Gornik Zábrze, Real and finally Benfica, who by that time were well past their great years. The only genuine big hitters in the whole lot were Real. And just setting aside the quality, look at the number of matches played — nine in all.
Last year we had to beat Dortmund in the group (ok. we didn't have to, but we did do it), Bayern, Real, and Inter in the knock-outs. One big hitter in the group stage, three unquestioned big hitters in the knock-out stages.
There's just no argument.
 
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jimmygrimblesboots said:
We have only lost one of the last five visits to Klanfield , Cancelo's brain fart seperated the teams last time , so their recent home record against us is nothing to fear .Looking at the Dippers form this season they are vulnerable away from home and i do not see that changing , but i can see us getting stronger with KDB ,Stones & Haaland playing regularly again.
We are still odds on at the bookies and i think they have got it right , time will tell.
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Mad to think this time last year all the Cancelo drama and subsequent change in form hadn’t even happened yet.
 
Withnail said:
Obviously any game at Anfield will be difficult, but our recent record there is not too bad.
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It never felt quite like the curse was broken though for me when we beat them with no fans in the stands. Non the less it was a win though. I'd take a draw now personally.
 
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