Season Predictions

Waste of time trying to predict the cups cos so much always depends on the draws. Don't think we'll finish any higher than 6th in the league though. Not enough physicality up through the spine of the team, a semi permanently injured leader, lack of quality striking options for a 55 game season, any number of midfielders and defenders ill equipped to play the 'passing out from the back and pressing up top' game the manager wants, and based on yesterday we're gonna be playing catch up from the off. If we can keep Kompany, Gundogan, KDB, Fernandinho, Sane and Kun fit then we may crack the top 4, but in honesty I can't see us finishing above Liverpool, the rags, Arsenal, Spurs or Chelsea. Long term and with another summer transfer window under his belt, Pep has the ability to drag us back up to the top, but this season looks like a learning curve to me
 
Exeter Blue I am here said:
Waste of time trying to predict the cups cos so much always depends on the draws. Don't think we'll finish any higher than 6th in the league though. Not enough physicality up through the spine of the team, a semi permanently injured leader, lack of quality striking options for a 55 game season, any number of midfielders and defenders ill equipped to play the 'passing out from the back and pressing up top' game the manager wants, and based on yesterday we're gonna be playing catch up from the off. If we can keep Kompany, Gundogan, KDB, Fernandinho, Sane and Kun fit then we may crack the top 4, but in honesty I can't see us finishing above Liverpool, the rags, Arsenal, Spurs or Chelsea. Long term and with another summer transfer window under his belt, Pep has the ability to drag us back up to the top, but this season looks like a learning curve to me
Click to expand...
I can assure you we won't finish any lower than 4th....
 
Manchester33 said:
I can assure you we won't finish any lower than 4th....
Click to expand...

I hope you're right. I thought we'd miss out on top 4 last season and we came pretty close. We've got a far better manager this time around, but I'm conscious that it takes weeks, if not months, to embed a new game plan, and particularly with a squad containing a number of players lacking the mobility, pace and hunger to adapt to it.
 
Form against thhe top six is what I am interested in. If we are to break our hoodoo over it then we need to win those. End of October for me to see what we are likely to achieve this year
 
Its going to be a transitional season for me so top 4 and a trophy I'll be happy with and an overall improvement in play
 
Exeter Blue I am here said:
Waste of time trying to predict the cups cos so much always depends on the draws. Don't think we'll finish any higher than 6th in the league though. Not enough physicality up through the spine of the team, a semi permanently injured leader, lack of quality striking options for a 55 game season, any number of midfielders and defenders ill equipped to play the 'passing out from the back and pressing up top' game the manager wants, and based on yesterday we're gonna be playing catch up from the off. If we can keep Kompany, Gundogan, KDB, Fernandinho, Sane and Kun fit then we may crack the top 4, but in honesty I can't see us finishing above Liverpool, the rags, Arsenal, Spurs or Chelsea. Long term and with another summer transfer window under his belt, Pep has the ability to drag us back up to the top, but this season looks like a learning curve to me
Click to expand...
If this is as you say going to be an acclimatizing season then questions have to be asked why we ever employed MP whose philosophy was so different and why did we buy players so ill fitting Pep's purpose.
 
We are doing a partial rebuild. I don't expect anything earth shattering this season, but it will come eventually. It will take time for Pep to build a team in his image I.e. one based around his way of playing. We haven't quite got the team to do this yet, and the players who are staying will be on a steep learning curve as well. Meanwhile Pep wiill slowly grow our younger players into great players. Patience is the watchword. The divine right merchants need to brace themselves and keep their dummies and rattles in the pram.
 
Mr Ed (The Stables) said:
I also think that this season will be one of transition. I'd snap your hands off now for a top 3 finish, a cup and a decent run in the Chumps League.
Click to expand...
Christ on a bike mourinho would romp the league with our squad. How? By playing to our strengths rather than weakening us by asking players to do things they can't.
By the way I refuse to believe Pep will be so foolhardy. In the last 5 years we have won 2 titles on the last day and put in two poor defences. Last year was embarrasing. To my mind chucking another season is unacceptable.
 
I predict several bouts of flapping, a couple of moaning threads, match day thread melt downs, at least one kolarov is shit thread, someone lamenting bobby mancs sacking, us being linked with Isco and a next years kit thread by mid december starting up.




Also the women to win the league, and the men to turn up more than last year despite our iffy pre season preperations.
 
Top 20 in the League.
Top 64 in the Champions League.
Minimum 3rd round in the League Cup.
Minimum 3rd round in the FA cup.
 
Pretty worried by the way the defence is shaping up - or not.

We start from being probably the worst team in the Prem at pressing and maintaining energy levels, and are now going to rely on a pressing game to prevent our defence coming under too much pressure.

Since we've barely played a recognised CB in the pre-season Pep is either going to persist with the Kolarov/Fernando idea or use CB's who have not played a game under his system.
Can see a bit of a struggle to keep goals out, and can't imagine Pep sacrificing his principles in order to work around our players. Will be the players who have to adapt, so could take time and be a season that requires patience. Hope the fans have that patience, maybe worth starting another thread to guess when the first murmurings of discontent with our new manager begin. Just to be clear, I think Pep is going to get us right but maybe not in time for this season to be a Championship one.

I hope to God I am wrong, but I really see us finishing outside the top 4, maybe 6th.
 
PL - Champions
FA Cup - Winners
CL - Champions
League Cup - Winners
 
Hoping for 3rd or 4th in the league, think we'll have a bad start with a few heavy losses in the first few months, about mid table around Xmas and hopefully pull things back at the shank of the season
 
robbieh said:
If this is as you say going to be an acclimatizing season then questions have to be asked why we ever employed MP whose philosophy was so different and why did we buy players so ill fitting Pep's purpose.
Click to expand...

To be fair I think many of those who look likely to struggle were bought a long time ago, and age as much as anything else has therefore become a determining factor in their potential ability to adapt to Pep's plans. Ya Ya, Silva, Nasri, Zab all look like they might be difficult to incorporate for that reason. As regards Bony and Mangala, was Pep a guaranteed arrival when they were bought? I don't know.
I've been encouraged by Delph and Sterling pre-season, albeit that I don't think either has sufficient consistent ability to be more than a decent squad player, but they do offer a tantalising glimpse of what might be possible once we've got Gundogan and Sane up and running, and, post January, Gabriel Jesus
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top