We were coasting through that season with no edge or intensity. Pep said ‘I don’t recognise my team anymore’. When we played Spurs.
We did have a very good August and September but the World Cup really affected us. Either side of it we were very poor indeed.
Not only do I not think we would have won the treble, but we didn’t look like we were going to win anything that season.
Then the charges dropped in March and everything changed!
This is rubbish.
Pep said after the Spurs game he didn’t recognise his team, but that was referring to that game as a one off.
Apart from CS, we didn’t lose a game until Liverpool 16/10/22, we drew with Villa away, and also drew away to Newcastle, within that period up to the Liverpool game we were (Haaland) was banging the goals in (scoring 33 goals in 9 games).
Up until the World Cup break we won 3 out of 4 prem games losing to Brentford in a 12:30 KO after having a very hard EFL Cup match on the Wednesday evening against Chelsea (winning 2-0).
After the World Cup, our first game was against the dippers in the EFL Cup 22/12/22 we beat them 3-2. Then Leeds away 28/12/22 we won 1-3.
We drew with Everton 1-1 on New Year’s Eve 3pm KO a game where we smashed them but missed so many chances, to be fair to Everton their goal was a very good one from Gray, after Rodder’s gave it away.
The next 2 games were a double header with Chelsea, 05/01/23 8pm KO league away we won 0-1, then 08/01/23 4:30 KO, FA Cup at home where we won 4-0.
We then had a EFL Cup tie away to Southampton on the 11/01/23 lost 2-0.
Next game was against the rags away, 14/01/23 our 7th game in 23 days this was the game we were stitched up, the king of fish fingers moment, loss 2-1.
We then beat Spurs 4-2, then Wolves 3-0 in league, and Arsenal 1-0 in FA Cup.
The next game, away Spurs 05/02/23 this was the game Pep wasn’t happy with, especially after beating them a couple of weeks before, this was the last league game we would lose until the very last game of the season Brentford away 1-0. But between those losses we smashed,
Arsenal away 1-3
Villa home 3-1
Bournemouth away 1-4
Liverpool home 4-1
Southampton away 1-4
Arsenal home 4-1
West Ham home 3-0
Everton away 0-3
Champ league
RB Leipzig 7-0
Bayern home 3-0
Real home 4-0
FA Cup
Bristol city away 0-3
Burnley home 6-0
Sheffield utd, Wembley 3-0.
So yes we had a few games where we weren’t at our very best, but to say we were “very poor indeed” is pure rubbish.