Remember - we're in unprecedented territory here

Blue2112 said:
I agree with the original post and that this season is only to be expected. However the one thing that concerns me is we could and should have used it to integrate the nucleus of the next squad
Instead we have only brought in players who have shown they're not up to standard. Bringing players in January is something we've never done and shows that lack of foresight into the rebuild with or without the injuries we have had. We will also introduce new players in the Summer. A summer that will largely be spent at the world cup so come the new season I am concerned we will be going into it with the rebuild still in its early stages and next season could well be similar in catching the teams that are now a few years ahead in their development. As we all know it takes a long time to climb the ladder but its a quick roll of the dice to find yourself sliding back down the snake.
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Buying 19 and 20 year old players is a risk. I don't know yet whether Pep intends to play Khusanov at right back. Perhaps he is unsure. We do not yet know enough to assess this transfer.
 
Marvin. said:
Buying 19 and 20 year old players is a risk. I don't know yet whether Pep intends to play Khusanov at right back. Perhaps he is unsure. We do not yet know enough to assess this transfer.
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I totally agree, it's easy to read opinions getting carried away with how good youtube makes players look. As I've already said in another thread Mctominay is now the new Kaka in Italy such is the drop off in levels. The likes of Reis (only 20 proffessional games I read) Khusanov and Mammoush (a promising start) should all be integrated into a stable team to give them their best chance of succeeding here. They may not be afforded that opportunity.
 
youngbob said:
At the start of the season, absolutely nobody knew what was going to happen to an English team that had won four titles in a row because not one English team had ever won four titles in a row. Until City did.

These are uncharted waters and we're the only team in a position to be sailing in them. If another team ever, ever wins four Premier Leagues on the trot again, they'll only know what to expect because of City's 24/25 season.

It will be at least 2028 before there's even a remote possibility of that happening. To be honest, it didn't really sink in at the time just what we'd managed to pull off in May, but it absolutely has over the last few weeks.

And, from our perspective as fans, surely these last few weeks should show that City pushing again to create history last year was nothing short of heroic. How did the lads find it within themselves to push one last time when they were (as we now know) this close to giving out?

We all know a rebuild is needed. This summer is going to be an emotional one with so many legends seemingly on the way out. But we know the rebuild will come and we know the lads will be out to prove themselves again for us all come August 2025.

Decades from now, footballing dynasties will have come and gone, but City will stand as the first team from these shores to ever win four in a row. It's likely, by the time we're all long gone, that we'll still be the only team to say we've done it.

Ride this storm out and keep the faith. We'll be back next year.
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Thank you for posting something interesting. I don't agree that this season was inevitable. I was deeply sceptical of KDB, Walker and Nunes last season. I think many blues were yet it was actually Walker who realised he couldn't play at this level and called time on his City career. KDB and Nunes are still playing. We should have anticipated this.

We did though bring in Savinho. I said a week ago that this season is going to rest on Khusanov, and I maintain this because one of the big problems we have is at right back. We need to take Gundogan and KDB out,and hope that Khusanov can play at right back.

Our immediate tasks are to integrate Khusanov and Marmoush.
 
Blue2112 said:
I totally agree, it's easy to read opinions getting carried away with how good youtube makes players look. As I've already said in another thread Mctominay is now the new Kaka in Italy such is the drop off in levels. The likes of Reis (only 20 proffessional games I read) Khusanov and Mammoush (a promising start) should all be integrated into a stable team to give them their best chance of succeeding here. They may not be afforded that opportunity.
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I just said exactly the same thing, almost word for word, and I didn't read your post! It is though quite obvious. But saying the simple things is still important. There is always a lot of hysteria (rightly) when we lose heavily. I am though this time, not completely gutted as I think there are some good things happening. We all knew our side was over the hill. We don't fix this without a struggle
 
Marvin. said:
Thank you for posting something interesting. I don't agree that this season was inevitable. I was deeply sceptical of KDB, Walker and Nunes last season. I think many blues were yet it was actually Walker who realised he couldn't play at this level and called time on his City career. KDB and Nunes are still playing. We should have anticipated this.

We did though bring in Savinho. I said a week ago that this season is going to rest on Khusanov, and I maintain this because one of the big problems we have is at right back. We need to take Gundogan and KDB out,and hope that Khusanov can play at right back.

Our immediate tasks are to integrate Khusanov and Marmoush.
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But maybe it was inevitable that we'd keep Walker, KDB, and Nunes this season because (Walker and KDB especially) a squad has never won four in a row before? If some old lads can find it within themselves to make unprecedented history by winning four in a row, you can understand why Pep would think it possible that they could go again? "If they can step into the unknown once and win, why couldn't they do it twice and win?" etc.

I agree this season rests on us integrating new faces and fresh legs, and I think any players we might sign in the next 24 hours will speed up the rebuild that will begin in earnest in the summer. But I can sympathise with Pep's position a few months ago. We all said in August 2023 that it'd be incredibly unlikely for us to win the league again, and then we did. So I can understand why Pep would want to stick it to the doubters with the same lads one more time.

It's just a gamble that hasn't paid off.
 
Correct, it was going to come to an ‘end of cycle’ sooner or later.
I’ve been a City fan since 1965, and the last 8 seasons under Pep (Not ignoring 2011-16) have been unimaginable. This season has seen a huge drop off and I’m comfortable with that really. Pep has so much credit in the bank with me. However if we are going to win just one thing this season, it has to be the PL ‘115’ case. Then we go again next season with a revised squad and a revised playing style.
 
levets said:
Correct, it was going to come to an ‘end of cycle’ sooner or later.
I’ve been a City fan since 1965, and the last 8 seasons under Pep (Not ignoring 2011-16) have been unimaginable. This season has seen a huge drop off and I’m comfortable with that really. Pep has so much credit in the bank with me. However if we are going to win just one thing this season, it has to be the PL ‘115’ case. Then we go again next season with a revised squad and a revised playing style.
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I agree with all that but I do think we can get into the top 4 and win the FA Cup. If Khushanov develops, and Kovacic stays fit, we may make it to Wembley and by then Rodri might be back.
 
Blue2112 said:
I totally agree, it's easy to read opinions getting carried away with how good youtube makes players look. As I've already said in another thread Mctominay is now the new Kaka in Italy such is the drop off in levels. The likes of Reis (only 20 proffessional games I read) Khusanov and Mammoush (a promising start) should all be integrated into a stable team to give them their best chance of succeeding here. They may not be afforded that opportunity.
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And yet, we couldn’t beat Inter and got slapped by Juventus. I’m just glad we’ve not played Atalanta…..
 
Marvin. said:
I just said exactly the same thing, almost word for word, and I didn't read your post! It is though quite obvious. But saying the simple things is still important. There is always a lot of hysteria (rightly) when we lose heavily. I am though this time, not completely gutted as I think there are some good things happening. We all knew our side was over the hill. We don't fix this without a struggle
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Once you ignore the Sky commentators screaming like Arsenal have just conquered world football, ignore the Arsenal fans hysteria, Nevillles moans and then the so called panel of experts talking soundbites instead of understanding the clubs internal issues regarding injuries, ageing players and this cleanly isn't the same Manchester City as last season then its entirely reasonable to expect a season of somewhat disappointment.

What is alarming is the drop off and so far Peps reluctance/inability/doggedness (cross of your prefeable choice) to steady the ship somewhat. I was more than alarmed at the teamsheet with Silva and Kovacic as our midfield before the game kicked off. It could have been worse it could have been gundo and one of the other. We strung Savinho so far wide he might as well have been selling pies down the byline whilst keeping the ball as far away from him as possible on the other side with Nunes, Akanji and Foden continually playing it to each other. The middle of the park was wide open. Why not flood it, keep it tight, give some young legs with O'Reily a willing runner alongside 4 others and then if we hadn't been blown away go for pace later on.
 
I agree with most of what's been posted here, but there's one thing that's been niggling me right from the start of the season, and after today's result, it's got to be brought up.

It's this thing about tiredness, mentality, not 'feeling right'.

I understand all that, about the number of games, etc, but I feel it's gone too far now.

Only last week, Gvardiol was quoted after the PSG defeat, saying 'they wanted to win it more than us'!! FFS!!

Foden, about his season, saying he 'doesn't feel right'!!

Come on lads, let's sort ourselves out mentally!

I'm sure serious questions will be asked within the club after today, and rightly so.

But we must rid ourselves of this self pitying attitude!

Maybe I'll be calmer in the morning!
 
Marvin. said:
I agree with all that but I do think we can get into the top 4 and win the FA Cup. If Khushanov develops, and Kovacic stays fit, we may make it to Wembley and by then Rodri might be back.
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We can, of course, but the thrust of my post is if we don’t, the one victory we should hope to win is the one v the Premier League.
 
youngbob said:
At the start of the season, absolutely nobody knew what was going to happen to an English team that had won four titles in a row because not one English team had ever won four titles in a row. Until City did.

These are uncharted waters and we're the only team in a position to be sailing in them. If another team ever, ever wins four Premier Leagues on the trot again, they'll only know what to expect because of City's 24/25 season.

It will be at least 2028 before there's even a remote possibility of that happening. To be honest, it didn't really sink in at the time just what we'd managed to pull off in May, but it absolutely has over the last few weeks.

And, from our perspective as fans, surely these last few weeks should show that City pushing again to create history last year was nothing short of heroic. How did the lads find it within themselves to push one last time when they were (as we now know) this close to giving out?

We all know a rebuild is needed. This summer is going to be an emotional one with so many legends seemingly on the way out. But we know the rebuild will come and we know the lads will be out to prove themselves again for us all come August 2025.

Decades from now, footballing dynasties will have come and gone, but City will stand as the first team from these shores to ever win four in a row. It's likely, by the time we're all long gone, that we'll still be the only team to say we've done it.

Ride this storm out and keep the faith. We'll be back next year.
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Word!
 
Look The true fans of Manchester City will always back the club and for many, it has never been about the Glory Years
We all hurt losing a game never mind not winning silverware, Losing to York City in League 1 hurts just about the same as today and so does any loss at a City game

I quote Mancini when he said... Everybody at this club has to change their mindset if we want to be title winners
 
As Pep has said for weeks now, its a season to suffer and we're going to suffer more.

I just want the season over to be honest now.
Real will hockey us, probably both home and away. Don't care about their league form, they'll be licking their lips coming up against that defence and that fragile a side.

50/50 whether we get top 4/5 now.

Just end the season please
 
Marvin. said:
I thought there were some positives today. At 1-1 we had been playing the better football and Savinho was wonderful. Foden made a bad mistake but he had been playing well. We made a wretched start but that can happen.

We are in transition. We have some wonderful footballers, sadly we also have some ex-wonderful footballers too because it is vey evident that KDB's legs have gone.
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Me too. I said at HT I felt more like we could win this game than I did at the start despite being 1-0 down. Take the mistakes out today and I think we could’ve won. Arses were playing like they were away from home. I think we handed it to them more than they took it today. In the end we crumbled but if that wayward pass from Phil hadn’t happened who knows? We were on top at that time by some distance. I’m not as downbeat as I should be about the result/scoreline. I also think despite their oles the arses will win as much as spurs.
 
I remember in Pep’s first season we got beat by Arsenal in the Fa cup semi to end our trophy hopes that season

Most thought it was the end for the old guard but we kept the main men on , only really getting rid of Zabba as a club legend

We’re in the same position now , we need to pick the core of the old guard to build back up again

Bernardo, Ederson stones and Kovacic will all stay from the over 30’s, the rest will go

Our starting 11 in 2017 was full of young players with a point to prove , with a sprinkling of older players to set an example
 
jamielowndes said:
We were due a shit season.

This has been worse than imagined, but we are still realistically going to be at least a Europa League team, there are new signings in at the window, plus likely more to come and a big overhaul for the squad.

We'll be ok.
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Don't want to overdo the optimism bit.
It has been horrendous, lots of ridiculous games.

And maybe just to rehash something already mentioned several times:
"This has been worse than imagined"
Key ageing players, who have all seen a sudden plunge in performance all at once.
Best player in Europe, the one who Is irreplaceable, out for season.
Severe injury problems on top of that.
Players like Foden and Harland well below best.
Sub par player intakes while selling off important players like Jesus, Sterling, Alvarez.
Several awesome young players bought last year or this month not yet in.

And after all that...
Fourth in the league.
Still in the Champions league.
Still in one cup.

Not too bad, for a worst case scenario.

I just hope fans don't turn on senior players like Gundogan, Bernardo and let them leave with the respect they deserve.
If it helps, watch the highlights versus Madrid in the treble year or the last game versus Villa, to remind how much passion they have for the clubs.
 
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