The Title Race - 2023/24

[cibaman]

Weren’t we top for about 14 days last season? Arsenal was 250ish.
We’ve been top for much longer this year.

We were also top for 14 days in 13/14. Basically the first and last weeks and a few days in January

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

As befitting a competitive league, it is one with hardly any margin for error. I'm also increasingly of the opinion that your domestic mettle is seriously tested by what could be described as external factors: your response after international breaks and how you cope with European setbacks. A sending off now is also potentially far more consequential than once it was.

Indeed. It's surely no coincidence that Pep's timing for the run-in is like a winning Olympic middle distance runner: coming round the bend with more energy than the pack. The detail for squad size, fitness, medical staff, psychology, discipline on the pitch, tactics etc etc is crazy.

 

[Cobwebcat]

Wow. Fair play to the guy. An Arsenal fan too.

 

[Colin Bell (genuine name)]

Indeed. It's surely no coincidence that Pep's timing for the run-in is like a winning Olympic middle distance runner: coming round the bend with more energy than the pack. The detail for squad size, fitness, medical staff, psychology, discipline on the pitch, tactics etc etc is crazy.

Arsenal can have the PL Xmas trophy every year if they want

 

[Alfie Budd]

Does someone know how many days exactly we have been top of the league this season compared to other teams. Must be a record for lowest number of days when we eventually become Champions.

This season: Liverpool 87, Arsenal 79, City 73.
Last season: Arsenal 248 (comfortably the record for a team that failed to be champions), City 42.
Last season’s numbers were skewed by the break for the World Cup. It was the longest PL season ever by a decent margin in terms of start date to finish date.

 

[awest]

Everything is totally irrelevant apart from the league cup this season.

 

[Ducado]

Rather than counting days, Liverpool were top of the table for 9 consecutive games, Arsenal only for 4 consecutive games, and ourselves for 5 consecutive games, all in the opening period. For all the media despondency, it has been a competitive and bruising campaign with the lead often changing hands.

As befitting a competitive league, it is one with hardly any margin for error. I'm also increasingly of the opinion that your domestic mettle is seriously tested by what could be described as external factors: your response after international breaks and how you cope with European setbacks. A sending off now is also potentially far more consequential than once it was.

Great post, it exposes the lie that the league is not competitive, the margins are so slender a point dropped here and there

 

[PhdWave]

If we don't have a potential "This means four" post drafted up, I want the social media team sacked

Hahahaha

 

[Manchester1894]

Wow. Fair play to the guy. An Arsenal fan too.

Good unbiased viewpoint

 

[inchy14]

Apologies mate and @Ducado - you are correct. When I checked on the BBC app the order the games appear in each month starts with the most recent and works their way back so I miscalculated.

So reevaluating (and using the stat the best supports my argument!) we won 9 of the first 11 games which extrapolated over a season amounts to 93 points, better than our average for the season, irrespective of Sunday’s result.

My point remains! :-)

Haha, this explains what you do for a living….

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Apologies mate and @Ducado - you are correct. When I checked on the BBC app the order the games appear in each month starts with the most recent and works their way back so I miscalculated.

So reevaluating (and using the stat the best supports my argument!) we won 9 of the first 11 games which extrapolated over a season amounts to 93 points, better than our average for the season, irrespective of Sunday’s result.

My point remains! :-)

OR
We won 6 of the first 8 games which extrapolated over a season amounts to 85.5 - of course it all depends when the "start" cut off is - but yes - you have supported your argument.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

OR
We won 6 of the first 8 games which extrapolated over a season amounts to 85.5 - of course it all depends when the "start" cut off is - but yes - you have supported your argument.

Thanks for the much needed vote of confidence.

 

[Cobwebcat]

4th best team of all time

Best British team of all time

Football Club Elo Ratings

clubelo.com

When looking back at teams it’s easy to forget that teams didn’t dominate in terms of points won anywhere near as much as City do now.

It also depends what your criteria is. Trophies are disregarded in this it’s just the maths of winning. The Elo score pretty much reflects the preceding 18 months from the date recorded.

Difficult to compare teams over time it’s more the level of dominance within their own times.

No doubt in my mind that we are the best British team of all time. Those that are saying Liverpool in the 70s wash your mouths out!

 

[bluenova]

4th best team of all time

Best British team of all time

Football Club Elo Ratings

clubelo.com

When looking back at teams it’s easy to forget that teams didn’t dominate in terms of points won anywhere near as much as City do now.

It also depends what your criteria is. Trophies are disregarded in this it’s just the maths of winning. The Elo score pretty much reflects the preceding 18 months from the date recorded.

Difficult to compare teams over time it’s more the level of dominance within their own times.

No doubt in my mind that we are the best British team of all time. Those that are saying Liverpool in the 70s wash your mouths out!

Just a few more wins and Pep will have the top three all time, and that top spot isn't really out of reach!

 

[Dialog]

THE SALT, LETS RUB IT ON THEM!

 

[Cobwebcat]

Just a few more wins and Pep will have the top three all time, and that top spot isn't really out of reach!

Not quite as simple as that! City have lost a load of elo points this season due to the poor performances of other PL teams in Europe downgrading the league we are in.

We were getting very close last season then lost to Brentford and lost around 25 points for that.

 

[alexmcity]

4th best team of all time

Best British team of all time

Football Club Elo Ratings

clubelo.com

When looking back at teams it’s easy to forget that teams didn’t dominate in terms of points won anywhere near as much as City do now.

It also depends what your criteria is. Trophies are disregarded in this it’s just the maths of winning. The Elo score pretty much reflects the preceding 18 months from the date recorded.

Difficult to compare teams over time it’s more the level of dominance within their own times.

No doubt in my mind that we are the best British team of all time. Those that are saying Liverpool in the 70s wash your mouths out!

Our current standing is not close to the top teams, but it's partly because the period (last 18 months) includes bad results in December, January and February last calendar year. If we finish strongly this season and have a strong start next season, then our ELO should improve significantly.

 

[Big Joe Corrigan]

You’ll need a fucking big truck to remove all our trophies.

 

[Cobwebcat]

Our current standing is not close to the top teams, but it's partly because the period (last 18 months) includes bad results in December, January and February last calendar year. If we finish strongly this season and have a strong start next season, then our ELO should improve significantly.

That’s true but our teams need to do better in Europe too.

 

[bluenova]

Our current standing is not close to the top teams, but it's partly because the period (last 18 months) includes bad results in December, January and February last calendar year. If we finish strongly this season and have a strong start next season, then our ELO should improve significantly.

It's 17pts off the top, and 60+ points better than any of the other City teams at least, so isn't that quite close?