The Top Five Race 2024-25 (poll added)

[Sk@mcfc]

We're not able to hold onto a ball
We're not able to press
We have no midfield
We have no protection for our defense

We're just not good enough.. and it all starts at the top at Txiki. 22 days into January transfer window and no midfielder incoming when we clearly need at least 2 just to get top 4.

What exactly does bringing Gundogan on accomplish??
We lost leads vs Brentford and now PSG.
Lost leads vs Sporting, Feyenoord, United were no fluke..
THIS IS THE NEW MAN CITY!

34% possession..
We're not good enough..

Please tell me if you think I'm overreacting or misreading things but I don't see how we grind to top 4 with our current personnel in midfield.

And this is our schedule:

View attachment 144134

Fuck sake have a word we’re not what we used to be due to age injuries etc but we’re bringing new players in who will hopefully see us through the next ten years of success if we’re not careful we will start being like the red shite thinking we are entitled to win everything four in a fukin row

 

[Marvin.]

Perspective is a weird thing, and we are having our worst season in 7 years? But in reality;

- Dippers have won the league. We just need to get 3rd.
- We are still in the F.A. Cup.
- If we beat Brugge then the slate is clean on the CL plate.

The problem we have is that if we beat Brugge, what is the point if we then play a top side, or we play Liverpool or Arsenal and we don't have a defence? I don't think Stones, Ake or Dias are going to stay fit this season. Long term, I am happy because our squad has a very high potential but in the short term we are going to need the new defensive signings to be effective immediately. That seems unrealistic.

Long term, I am very happy with City (largely based on the hope Marmoush signs). Short term, I don't see the defensive problems clearing up.

 

[Ghostofmerlin]

They play one match at a time, folks. Lets get our new people here and a minute of them playing and see where we are.

 

[Silva2021]

Well then I wanna know what you're smoking and drinking because I clearly need some as I don't see:

1. KDB
2. Gundo
3. Bernardo
4. Kova
5. Grealish
6. Stones
7. Akanji

being any good longterm in midfield against teams that're in the top half of the PL table.

WE NEED FIVE MIDFIELDERS and we can't even get Txiki to bring one in!

Edit: Sadly I think it's Rodri who's clouded you into misbelieving things not being as bad as they are.. because he's like 3 players in one!

5!!

We need our midfield to be Rodri, Phil, plus one other.

I agree KDB probably goes, although I would still have him
Gundagon should never have come back
Nunes, if anyone would have him
Silva, might be time
Kova, probably will stay one more year but understand the question.

Crazy it has come to this, I thought you where wrong but 5 or maybe 4 and a youth team in the next 18 months.

For a squad which is well thought out, it does look bad planning!

 

[wolviedinho]

The club/pep/fans need to accept that the players are not good enough and move on as many as possible.

Secondly, hopefully we buy correctly. It looks promising so far but the proof will be in results.

So no fan favourite or manager favourites. To get back on top it’s time for a ruthless overhaul.

Everyone bar 4/5 should be put up for sale.

Football doesn’t stand still, they either won’t or can’t do what is required anymore.

Time we all stopped making excuses.

 

[Damanino]

how many games we didnt win from being in the lead this season? must be at fucking dozen already.
how many games did we win from behind? not much I guess.
not much late wins either in last 5 mins, but quite a few games thrown away in late minute.

mentally there are issues. of course all connected to tactical errors from Pep, fitness issues ad individual form etc.

 

[SamTheGuru]

The problem we have is that if we beat Brugge, what is the point if we then play a top side, or we play Liverpool or Arsenal and we don't have a defence? I don't think Stones, Ake or Dias are going to stay fit this season. Long term, I am happy because our squad has a very high potential but in the short term we are going to need the new defensive signings to be effective immediately. That seems unrealistic.

Long term, I am very happy with City (largely based on the hope Marmoush signs). Short term, I don't see the defensive problems clearing up.

The problem we have is beating Brugge. Everything else beyond does not matter. You can only deal with one match at a time.

 

[Marvin.]

They play one match at a time, folks. Lets get our new people here and a minute of them playing and see where we are.

City have started to re-build and tonight we saw why. We need fit defenders but it's a very big ask to expect the new signings to settle in straight-away. Savinho is starting to look a player, but it has taken him half a season to settle in. Any side in the world would miss Rodri. I am very comfortable with our midfield once he returns. Gundogan and KDB will leave at the end of the season. They will be missed for what they did in the past but the sad truth is that now they are not able to play in games like tonight. Foden, Kovacic, Bernardo, Macatee, Grealish though are top players, whatever some might say.

We've won 4 on the bounce but it seems that it has cost us physically. Our defender's bodies are broken. Can the new players come in and hit the ground running?

 

[Bluearmy]

I disagree with you whole heartedly because everyone loves to blame defenders but the usual fuckup is losing the ball in a bad spot and allowing the counter by not pressing well enough.

That will explain 99.99% of the problem with City.

Usually or at least in seasons gone by we were good enough to commit tactical fouls to stop that from happening..

Other than the Ruben Dias committing one against Hakimi today, I can't remember another one.

Which means we're not even fast enough to commit tactical fouls in midfield before it gets to our defense.

But again we've known about this problems for months now.

Decent point this. Not heard one pundit talk about our tactic fouling since we started falling apart.

Not even fast enough to foul, where do you even start with that...

 

[Marvin.]

The problem we have is beating Brugge. Everything else beyond does not matter. You can only deal with one match at a time.

I am confident we can beat Brugge if we can field a defence but I don't think Ake and Stones are going to play regularly this season and I don't think City do either. The defensive signings tell you a lot. Perhaps they will settle in quickly, most likely it will be difficult.

But we have acted now. I also really hope Marmoush will sign. He looks very exciting.

 

[Bluearmy]

You can disagree all you like but if your main central defender goes off at half-time, and you are already without Ake and Stones plus you have a make-shift right back then I think the problem is obvious.

Yep, buy legitimate right and left backs, put Gvardiol to CB and dont buy 3 inexperienced Centre Half's for £70 mil who wont play this season anyway...

 

[Legal Alien]

I still think we'll finish 2nd, so i'd be stunned if we didn't get top 4!

Our players this season have been injured or out of form or both and as a result we haven't seen our best and consistent players and form yet. We still have some great players, Kev and Phil are getting fitter and seeing Savinho on the left has me excited to see if he can feed Big Erl as well as scoring more goals.

We have a really tough stretch coming up, but if Marmoush can hit the ground running and we can keep players fit, then it should give us the jolt we need to finish the season strongly.

We also have other defenders coming in which i'm looking forward to seeing and hopefully we get another midfielder?

I mean surely that had to be the priority coming into January?

I like the sound of buying both Cambiaso and Luiz actually, i think both could really make us stronger and they both fill immediate needs. If they don't work out, then the thing about buying them now is that we can always sell them on, in the next fiscal year!

Anyway, we're only 6 points off second, that gap's well doable for us, so we just need to find some consistent form, get Dias, Stones and Ake back fit and we'll be alright.

COME ON CITY!!!!

 

[St.Pauli support]

The problem we have is beating Brugge. Everything else beyond does not matter. You can only deal with one match at a time.

Looking at the domestic fixture list I start to think we might be better off without more cracking CL games this season after Brugge.

We maybe thought we slowly get better, but tonight was a hammer blow in terms of fitness and physicality and (again) in terms of mentality and game management.

Dias, Aké, Doku, maybe Savinho with injuries/niggles again. It just won't end. It's very thin ice.
Stones didn't come on for Dias but just at the end, I doubt he's fully recovered.

We need more rest between the matches and mainly 1 game per week til we are more stable again. It hurts, but well.
Top4 including CL intensity might work if top4 competitors bottle and we don't. But that's a long way.

 

[colin's bell helmet]

I don't care about brugge. And I'm not screaming for a trophy this season.

But I want top 4. But that seems like it's not happening with no midfielders incoming and us needing FIVE.

Dont care about Brugge?......beat Brugge we qualify for the play off & pretty much means the premier league get 5 places next season so we'll only need to finish top 5.....we'll be fine stop fuckin worrying.

 

[Bluekiwi]

The problem we have is that if we beat Brugge, what is the point if we then play a top side, or we play Liverpool or Arsenal and we don't have a defence? I don't think Stones, Ake or Dias are going to stay fit this season. Long term, I am happy because our squad has a very high potential but in the short term we are going to need the new defensive signings to be effective immediately. That seems unrealistic.

Long term, I am very happy with City (largely based on the hope Marmoush signs). Short term, I don't see the defensive problems clearing up.

We wouldn't play any of the top 8 finishers in the play-offs - it will be one from 9 - 24.

 

[Marvin.]

Yep, buy legitimate right and left backs, put Gvardiol to CB and dont buy 3 inexperienced Centre Half's for £70 mil who wont play this season anyway...

I think Pep knows what he's doing. I have no problem with City buying young centre-backs. Better that than the likes of Casemiro and Maguire; (you think we are that stupid?). Sometimes you just have to accept that injuries are a part of football and get on with it. City did what no one ever did before and will probably never do again but it wore us down so that now almost all of our defenders break down. Perhaps we will have enough to qualify for the Champions League this season, but if not, I fully expect City to be back next season. You won't be. Not for a very long time.

 

[colin's bell helmet]

I am quite positive too if we can get a fit defence. There hasn't been a period all season when we have had a settled back 4. That is probably why we have brought in defensive reinforcements but their age suggests that it will be a long time before they are ready. Pep says they are ready. It's far from ideal.

Could be worse couldn't it we could be playing in red on a thurs night with a leaky roof & 13th in the table 14pts off top 4 with not enough money in the kitty to buy new players to sort shit out

 

[Marvin.]

We wouldn't play any of the top 8 finishers in the play-offs - it will be one from 9 - 24.

Doesn't matter. To win trophies you have to play intense games. We have been unable to do that this season because we can't put out a first choice XI. Not even close to one. Look at the side we ended up playing tonight.

 

[colin's bell helmet]

This!

We are buying.....we've just won 4 in a row off the back of a fuckin treble!....christ on a bike cut the club/lads/manager a bit of slack, they've realised they should've strengthened in the summer & are sorting it in this winter window off the back of some extremely unfortunate injuries this season.....whats the all the whinging about? Fuck me were you born when we were in the 3rd tier of English football? If you were you should know better

 

[Don Karleone]

Is this a serious thread? I can't be arsed reading it all