Will we win the league this season? No

Just got to stay in touch, a draw today at palace isn't a disaster, even a loss whilst nobody wants it, we've shown we can bounce back twice already this season.

There's a lot of noise for arsenal in the media after their win in injury time yesterday, bit rather than resilience and finding a way to win, I see yesterday different. Nerves, in December. They scraped past a team on course to be the worst performer ever in the premier league, at home, and both arsenal goals were deflections.

I don't think arsenal have overcome their stage fright, and just keeping in touch will see then have a hiccup or two. It's easier said than done, but our ceiling fit growth is much higher and they'd no out challenge.
 
hilts said:
You're making the presumption that European teams are great, madrid and barca for instance have had much better sides in the past, its not even close.
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They might not be as great as in the past, but they have highly talented squads. Let's see how they do in the spring.

People are too eager to draw conclusions from the first part of the CL. Last season, PSG were poor at this stage of the season. Then they hit form and were hard to stop. By the time the CL ended, they were regarded as one of the best sides in the last 10 years or so. Things can change like that. The Treble winners are a case in point as well. They were written off as late as February 2023, 4 months before winning everything.
 
urban genie said:
The league is at it's most competative ever, and about time.

fuck going back to the sale 4 teams dominating the top 4 spots.

our 90+ point run of years were an exception set by a squad managed by the best you will ever see, kudos to klopp also for pushing his team to achieve such points too, but it was never going to last and the league would eventually even out. It was an exception not the norm

Personally I prefer it if no one knows who can finish where from 1st to 17th and we haven't a stale season from christmas onwards where european places and relegation is pretty clear.


The idea that no top teams dominatimg equals a poor league/season is always spouted by fans of teams that have dominated or believe they should win trophies, we used to laugh at that thinking.
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We aint discussing or mixing competitive with ability. The championship could be really tight one season doesn't mean they are great sides. A league of really poor sides can also be competitive.
We were just showing how the standard isn't high, I dont think anyone has given an opinion if thats good or bad for the league.

My guess is it will come down to 2 or 3 teams at best as the season progresses. It usually does.
 
Danny Tiatto said:
Whilst that is ideal If you need a last minute winner at home to defeat the 20th place team in the league that means that any match is a potential slip up. How are they going to handle a run in where they might have to win 5-6 matches on the bounce to seal the title? With a level of pressure from their fans that will massively exceed what they are feeling right now.

I would be quite worried if I was an arsenal supporter
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I get all that.

Points on the board are still points on the board, and I'd rather they slipped up then looked like they might. That's all.
 
Marvin. said:
Arsenal got hit yesterday by panic and it's only December.

If City are there in the end game, it looks like Arsenal might crumble. They look like the same Arsenal with the same flaws, and Gyokores is unconvincing.
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Gorbachev said:
Not getting my hopes up over Rodri.

I think his mind is with Spain at the World Cup, and in all honesty, I think he might push for a move to Madrid in the summer if that contract isn't signed by March/April and if the rumours his wife/girlfriend has a doctor's job in Madrid next year.

Not a chance do City let him round down his contract and he himself will want that £400k a week contract ASAP because he is 30 soon.

Makes me wonder it's the reasons we are seemingly all in on Anderson.
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I would be disappointed if he goes to Madrid. He’s won it all with us and he was our first balon d’or winner, but Madrid pulled out attending the ceremony just because one of their own players didn’t win it.

I can understand why he would go back to living in Madrid, but it would leave a bit of a sour taste.
 
Win today I may change my mind but still think we'll finish short

Arsenal aren't great but think they have the best chance

Best we can do is stay within arms length of them, as yesterday (and the last 2 seasons) showed they struggle when the pressure is on them and they're in the lead
 
handsofstone said:
Win today I may change my mind but still think we'll finish short

Arsenal aren't great but think they have the best chance

Best we can do is stay within arms length of them, as yesterday (and the last 2 seasons) showed they struggle when the pressure is on them and they're in the lead
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It is a big test today, I think the 2-2 last season there was when the slightest hope of winning the league evaporated. I know we are closer now, and Palace are better, but it is another Newc or Villa away, and after a good win we have seen it fall apart before this season.

I can see 5 or 6 goals, so bet on 0-0.
 
Salford_Blue said:
100%

However, the real table starts early/mid March.

Let's see who has the stamina when injuries and suspensions and lethargy and the stress and strain of being in a title chase, kick in.

If Villa are still there then, if City are tbh, then I'll take it seriously.
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No one has said the table starts in March yet. Thats a new one. Congratulations.
 
MCFC1993 said:
That's as bad as it could have gone for Arsenal.
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In terms of performance, yes. But they could have drawn or lost that game. Wouldn't have meant they had lost the title, though. It's December.

Back in 2018, we lost 3 from 4 consecutive league games in December. Some thought Pep lost the plot (the threads are still there). Then we won 18 from the last 19 games. Form can change dramatically within weeks.
 
Pep is creating a sleeping giant quietly under the radar .Hes building a new pep style hybrid team mixed with defensive stability giving more priority then before .It’ll take time , patient is key and watch this bulldozer rampage football world .
 
ufo said:
Pep is creating a sleeping giant quietly under the radar .Hes building a new pep style hybrid team mixed with defensive stability giving more priority then before .It’ll take time , patient is key and watch this bulldozer rampage football world .
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He has has 9.5 years.
 
Weekly emotions go from NO to YES and back to NO. It’s a reflection of the teams current development and a league that has not quite got an obvious first in class.

I was convinced that far more was needed to mount a challenge but taking in the above, it looks possible again.

Liverpool looked unbeatable then turned to shit. Arsenal looked unbeatable and slowly started to turn in poor performances.

We ain’t city of old but we still are city, that usually means come the turn of the year we have a chance, also usually take it.

Get through to feb within reach and we will have a chance. Which is impressive.

If all teams follow their historical roles. Arse will finish top 4. Liverpool anywhere from 2nd to 7th. City from 1st to 4th.

They should be afraid. If we are getting back to a winning team, well they won’t be getting the league and certainly won’t be keeping it for more than 1 season.

Rags forgot all about -:)
 
ufo said:
Pep is creating a sleeping giant quietly under the radar .Hes building a new pep style hybrid team mixed with defensive stability giving more priority then before .It’ll take time , patient is key and watch this bulldozer rampage football world .
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We’ve conceded more goals per game in the PL this season so far than any of our previous title wins under Pep, and even than two of our non-title wins. We’re only 7 goals away from conceding what we conceded in the entire season in 2018-19 (23).

2016-17: 1.03 goals conceded per game (39 in 38 games)
2017–18: 0.71 gcpg (27)
2018-19: 0.61 gcpg (23)
2019-20: 0.92 gcpg (35)
2020-21: 0.84 gcpg (32)
2021-22: 0.68 gcpg (26)
2022-23: 0.87 gcpg (33)
2023-24: 0.89 gcpg (34)
2024-25: 1.16 gcpg (44)
2025-26, so far: 1.07 gcpg (16 in 15 games, on for about 40 or 41 goals conceded at this rate)

…with only last season’s injury ravaged season having a higher gcpg than this season so far. And last season Rodri missed 35 PL games with no cover for him for the first 22 of those (until Nico started against Newcastle), Aké missed 28 PL games, Stones missed 27 PL games, Ederson missed 12 PL games, Akanji missed 12 PL games, Dias missed 11 PL games, there were games where Ederson Stones Aké Dias Akanji and Rodri were all out injured at the same time, and Walker’s head went and we lost our captain for half the season.

We’ve got a lot of improving to do defensively, and that’s mainly not the back four for me. Midfield and wings have been poor defensively for us this season. Haaland is the only effective presser, he’s often having to corral his teammates (often shouting and waving at some players) to press. At times in midweek at Madrid, Nico and the back four were left horribly exposed to attacks with our midfield and wings often in no man’s land between pressing and defending deeper, often doing neither. And I think that’s been a problem all season so far.

Our defending from the front, or lack of it, causes a lot of our goals conceded. It’s one of the main reason we are currently losing on average just short of a point a game.

As long as we outscore the opposition, it’s not a problem, but there are times where it does become a problem because we won’t just easily outscore everyone.
 
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.db. said:
We’ve conceded more goals per game in the PL this season so far than any of our previous title wins under Pep, and even than two of our non-title wins. We’re only 7 goals away from conceding what we conceded in the entire season in 2018-19 (23).

2016-17: 1.03 goals conceded per game
2017–18: 0.71 gcpg
2018-19: 0.61 gcpg
2019-20: 0.92 gcpg
2020-21: 0.84 gcpg
2021-22: 0.68 gcpg
2022-23: 0.87 gcpg
2023-24: 0.89 gcpg
2024-25: 1.16 gcpg
2025-26, so far: 1.07 gcpg

…with only last season’s injury ravaged season having a higher gcpg than this season so far. And last season Rodri missed 35 PL games with no cover for him for the first 22 of those (until Nico started against Newcastle), Aké missed 28 PL games, Stones missed 27 PL games, Ederson missed 12 PL games, Akanji missed 12 PL games, Dias missed 11 PL games, there were games where Ederson Stones Aké Dias Akanji and Rodri were all out injured at the same time, and Walker’s head went and we lost our captain for half the season.

We’ve got a lot of improving to do defensively, and that’s mainly not the back four for me. Midfield and wings have been poor defensively for us this season. Haaland is the only effective presser, he’s often having to corral his teammates (often shouting and waving at Doku) to press. At times in midweek at Madrid, Nico and the back four were left horribly exposed to attacks.
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That Fulham game is distorting the picture. We were 4 goals up, got complacent, plus made some subs, etc.

By the end of the season we are likely to be around 0.90 gcpg or better (as we were before Fulham).
 
alexmcity said:
That Fulham game is distorting the picture. We were 4 goals up, got complacent, plus made some subs, etc.

By the end of the season we are likely to be around 0.90 gcpg or better (as we were before Fulham).
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That’s true, but that often happens across many seasons.

In our last title win in 2023-24 we kept 13 clean sheets in a season we conceded 34 goals, but conceded 4 goals in a 4-4 draw at Chelsea and 3 in goals in a 3-3 draw at home to Spurs; that’s 7 of our 34 goals - almost 21% - in just 2 games.

But you still view it across the average for the season because those sort of results (and Fulham last week) do happen to teams now and again in a season
 
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