Will we win the league NEXT season

[RayCTID]

We were close but with a new manager we are feeling our way to the title. The issue is the VAR factor.

 

[Roachy]

Apart from Anderson, I don’t know who we should target. Any in

Europe?

Apart from the top talent at PSG and the more attack minded option of Musiala at Bayern, it's a difficult one. Don't think we'd get those players anyway, so it will be interesting. It will be interesting to see who departs as well.

 

[lasereyes]

Thanks.

I am from a Rangers family but all the sectarian stuff put me off as a young adult. I felt I could no longer identify with the club as my political views formed as an adult were different to the youthful zeal I had for the club.

So I stopped many years ago and haven't supported anyone since - I have teams I prefer to others but not gonna do the rag thing of glory hunting a winning club.

My profile says Scotland but I am not bothered about them much either. It's a lot easier just following football to watch great football. Though obviously supporting a team and the tribal nature of the game is a massive draw, but it's just a shame I am left leaning and Rangers are a very right leaning club.

Come aboard the City train. Come on, you know you want to!

 

[sh249]

If Maresca comes in with a clear vision of how he wants us to shape up, and we then make 2, maybe 3 quality signings who fit that, no reason why not.

 

[Stelea]

Very much doubt it with a Pep hangover, our recent record in the TM and an underwhelming potential choice of next manager.

 

[mcfcallo]

Arsenal are terrible. Liverpool or Chelsea will be our main opponents

 

[franksinatra]

And the trouble is they are mob handed with Gooners on TNT tonight, there has been no balance at all, which should be embarassing for TNT. They are allowed to say ridiculous things unchallenged. And all that nonsense peddled about this being a 'Free Hit' after winning the Premier League. Tell that to their fans who spent £10,000 to go to the Final. Arteta needs to brush up on his Motivational PowerPoint Presentations. They have lost two cup finals this season. Their centre backs are good and give them a good base, but would it not have hurt TNT to have fewer Gooners on the coverage tonight. Bit more balance please. Though some of the international coverage had even more annoying celeb fans. I wonder if Piers Morgan is on the pitch now.

It was embarrassing tonight. got asked if the Saka handball was a penalty and the response was ‘no not for me, I don’t want to see a pen given for that’ which is absolutely nothing to do with the question. What they think of the rule is irrelevant it’s what the rule actually is. Then there desperation to convince the viewers Madueke should be given a penalty even though all the replays showed him pulling Mendes into him by wrapping his arm round him.

Awful commentary

 

[LangleyBlue1970]

Arsenal will drop off.

 

[ALDN_Ko]

Get me at least two midfielders and a RB with a competent winger and we steam roll the title next season

 

[bavarian blue]

Arsenal have been dealt a massive blow this evening.

 

[Davie82]

Come aboard the City train. Come on, you know you want to!

Thanks man.

I dunno it feels like choosing a team cos they're successful now I am 44. It might be rag tyoe behaviour.

I wll say I prefer yous to win stuff over the other 'big teams'. But not to the point it affects my day or life if it doesn't happen. I think that's the healthiest way for me to follow football.

 

[Davie82]

Really great post and I would agree with the vast majority of it.

Liverpool will be an interesting one, as a lot of the new signings underperformed (Wirtz, Kerkez, Isak) and also the regulars (Konate, Salah, McCallister etc). I still think they have a lot of great players so will be interesting to see if it’s just a natural drop off, after winning the title, or more structural.

Must be great to just enjoy football for what it is, as the downside of following a club is you do get dragged into the tribalism at times which can take the enjoyment away outside watching your own team.

Case in point this match. The bias, in the punditry, is nauseating in Arsenals favour. Completely spoiling the match for me.

Thanks frank, appreciate it.

Yeah that's what I was wondering about Liverpool too - if they can get some of their players playing at a higher level they may not be as screwed as they appear. In theory there should be more to come from Kerkez, Wirtz and Isak etc, but on the other hand they may just not make the step up to be title challenging level players in England.

Yeah that is what I said above - the tribalism is something that affected me negatively when I did support Rangers. Obviously I am 20 years older now so naturally mellowed, but I do prefer just following without a team.

Don't get me wrong, I usually pick teams i like and don't - I despise the rags and am an ABU, and support anyone who plays against them. I dislike Real Madrid too (though went off Barcelona too in recent years for some reasons). I really enjoy watching relative underdogs like Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford and Hearts.

And yeah, that is always a thing when an English or British team plays in Europe (other than maybe City from what i have heard). They bend the game entirely to that team's perspective and it becomes annoying.

 

[crossie]

I think a new manager bounce, fresh energy, new faces, direct play into Haaland will all give us a great chance. Arsenal will fall off like Liverpool did, Liverpool are in a mess, Chelsea need 2-3 seasons, United will start well then the wheels will fall off. That squad just doesn’t have the quality to sustain and any glimmer of doubt will see the ex pros start to queue up for gossip column space. We need to play at our pace, grind out those away wins at Bournemouth, Everton, Brighton, Palace, these are the games which are much more difficult to get results at now, the UEFA Cup teams have closed the gap somewhat.

I think we’ll win it by a couple of points.

 

[OldhamBlue94]

On a fair playing field I would absolutely say yes, but PGMOL will do everything in their power to allow the rags to have their day in the sun to complete the red cartel treble. It will be tough

 

[bluetonium]

Too many uncertainties at this point to really say. Pep era hangover could be tough, but Maresca does have a very good record in his first season at new clubs. If the players get behind Maresca immediately, know what he wants, and results come quickly, then the momentum and desire of proving city was never just pep alone could make it very successful.

Arsenal are literally a rule change / clarification away (and a reasonable change that improves the game and makes it fairer) from being a flash in the pan. Liverpool could click if they find a defence, Chelsea could be either basket cases or challengers, and the scum I think will find it harder to play more than one game a fortnight.

There is also a real risk of a drop off of the newer top half clubs, with the likes of Bournemouth, Brentford and others facing more games, different challenges, and in some cases losing players or even managers. We're well used to the demands of four competitions as a club, and that could be a huge advantage. Personally I think we'll see the gap grow again between top 3 or 4 and the rest.

But what I really want to see is us winning it with some style. None of this varsenal crap, none of this wrestling at corners or flying through the air as soon as we get into the box (like Madeuke last night, is he really in the world cup squad?), just good play and consistency winning is the league.

I think we're too good to not be challenging for silverware seriously next season, it depends how we start the season and the adapt to continue any run, but overall I'm leaning towards being quite positive about our prospects. We're probably the only team besides arsenal who don't need major investment, and unlike those chancers we're not reliant on very questionable decisions to get us over the line.

What I do think we have learnt this season is, unfortunately, var has a big say in shaping things chunk by chunk, week by week. No red card here, a penalty there, a missed pull here but not there... It'll never be perfect, but it's been severely imbalanced this past season, to the point i think it truly did influence the table at the top and the bottom, and I think we have to hope that united revert to type by Christmas to avoid a plethora of arsenal-like decisions in their favour in the run in.

The title, at least 4 points against the scum, at least one point against spurs, it's all on the table at this point!

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

People saying no already haha.

People are also saying yes already.

It’s one or the other!

 

[Bluemoonadam]

People are also saying yes already.

It’s one or the other!

I'm in the 3rd category, I dont know.