So what made the difference

[bluemoonmatt]

last year we looked good till the turning point of the Chelsea defeat, this year we have been superior without question. But what definitively happened.

For me we were great last season we got some stinkers in key games but we have this term so not sure that’s it

 

[Don Karleone]

Team spirit has been at an all-time high.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Expensive full backs

 

[come-on-barney]

Players finally understanding what Pep required.

 

[yeseye]

J Rodriguez...

 

[Inter Me Nan]

The keeper & full backs.

 

[bugsyblue]

Pep tweaking his tactics, bringing in better more energetic players, and our players understanding of what he wants.

 

[malg]

Ederson.

 

[dronefromsector7G]

PEDs

 

[BimboBob]

The keeper & full backs.

One full back. We've won the league without a recognised left back.

I'd say a decent keeper and the defence trusting him.

 

[wattle]

Ederson and Walker have transformed the way we play. Perfect for pep

 

[PragueBlue]

The players understanding more about what Guardiola requires of them, plus a few quality additions.

 

[Bayblue]

Time, and class

 

[Onlymcfc]

A year more of understanding the system, Ederson and the fullbacks, Raheems goalscoring return and his improvement on positioning and arriving at the right time.

 

[burning blue soul]

The hard work ethic pep has instilled into the team. Closing down and hunting for the ball.
I think the team fully understood what the methods could achieve when we beat Chelsea at Stamford bridge. That was the light bulb moment.

 

[chaddblue]

Everyone being shit... nothing to do with us

At least that’s all I heard on the radio coming back from Wembley last night

 

[buckshot]

Players finally understanding what Pep required.

This has to be it. They understand the system and I'd also add that if your system requires playing out from the back you couldn't have a better keeper than Ederson.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I'd say we had a number of players who outdid themselves playing expansive and in some cases new and unfamiliar roles -- different than last season.

Fernandinho has always been capable but this year as the MF "glue" he performed amazingly well -- the most unsung role on the team. Delph (and Zinchenko) filling in at LB were extraordinary. Ederson playing "CB"/sweeper and (yesterday for five seconds) holding mid :). Otamendi, defending and distributing; Augero's closing down, along with a number of others.

Didn't Pep once say he'd field 11 midfielders if he could? What he did so often is field 11 FOOTBALLERS. How often did someone's absence really hurt us this year? It's ironic that Mourinho has all year struggled to find a spot for role-players, whereas we never really did, because everyone's "role" is so much greater than the sport's traditional concept of a particular position.

That takes skill, confidence, cohesiveness and belief, and Pep has filled the players with it all.

 

[Inter Me Nan]

One full back. We've won the league without a recognised left back.

I'd say a decent keeper and the defence trusting him.

Fair enough, wasn't the 4 we had last season though.

 

[malg]

Can I just add that since Trump was inaugurated we've been awesome.......