The Title Race - 2023/24

[vmsuhail]

12 points from the last 9 games. That is United's level.

 

[citymad]

We’ve played two teams this week who love playing a high line at the back and I can remember one pass slid in behind their defence for Haaland to run onto
No one capable of it bar KDB

Agreed, there were several moments when a pass couldve been made but for some reason they're just not looking for him. It's incredible, you would think they would know that is one of his strong points. Its surprising Pep isn't pointing this out to the players. They're so scared of giving the ball away they end up playing it back and take the easy option.

 

[eyalluvitt]

At this point we ain’t in a title race.

Poor recruitment is the main factor.

No kdb successor, over reliance on Rodri.

Penny pinching needs to stop. Buy some top quality players.

It’s been an unreal few years so don’t want to sound ungrateful. This season at present we ain’t good enough.

The club will find a way to fix it I am sure but until then we gotta grin and bear it.

If it gets any worse we should demand our points deduction this season

 

[TrentGrisham]

I feel like I know Pep so well at this point that when I read his comments the other day about 'feeling like City is going win the league'- it did the opposite of instilling confidence in me. He's never spoken like that in the past. Ha.

I've said for a little while that I think Arsenal win the title and do it comfortably. There's still a long way to go, but opening the door to a side that is so hungry(and talented) for their first title in 2 decades is a dangerous proposition. Even if they do start to slip, are we confident that we'll take advantage at this point? I'm not.

 

[Blue_Lightsaber]

I feel like I know Pep so well at this point that when I read his comments the other day about 'feeling like City is going win the league'- it did the opposite of instilling confidence in me. He's never spoken like that in the past. Ha.

I've said for a little while that I think Arsenal win the title and do it comfortably. There's still a long way to go, but opening the door to a side that is so hungry(and talented) for their first title in 2 decades is a dangerous proposition. Even if they do start to slip, are we confident that we'll take advantage at this point? I'm not.

Thing is we can only fix our team's personnel or performance. What they do should be immaterial!

If we play good and can grind out results.. we have a chance even though we've dug ourselves a hole.

If we can't.. it doesn't matter anways!

 

[ChicagoBlue]

We won’t nor should we. Firstly it’s unlikely the players we want are available in January. Second we’d need to sell players to make room , unlikely anyone but Phillips would leave in January.
If we win nothing this season ,also unlikely, then we win nothing and reset in the summer.

Plenty of squad room, esp with the Yorkshire Grinner probably moving on.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

All this, yet were 6pts behind with a game in hand having faced a really tough set of fixtures, which will come Arsenal and Liverpool's way.

We've been unlucky with injuries this season no doubt. Once we can get Stones and KDB back on the park consistently, things will start to tick over for us. We've been unlucky that both Nunes and Kovacic have had injuries too so they haven't really had time to settle. Give them a bit of time and Nunes especially in my opinion will improve and become a much better player for us.

This happens every season btw, but come the end were always there and outlast the others. We're never at our best early on as Pep tweaks the team and tries to find new and innovative ways to stay ahead of the opposition. It's frustrating at times, but it ultimately pays off. Just be patient and things will turn.

After 50+ years of patience and a fair few of them playing the game, I feel like this year is a little different…right now.

The words “found out” keep coming up. Teams with any quality know how to get at us and nullify the oh so predictable threat of the “wingers hugging the touchline to create width and space.”

Of course, as I’ve said repeatedly, when we are playing well, we can (and usually do) beat anyone. Sadly, Rodri has missed 4 games and we have lost all four of them. We are shipping late goals, not following through on being a goal up, and the squad looks very, very leggy and spartan.

Sure, we are in amongst it, but shipping 8 goals in 3 games, and dropping 6 points was followed up with a loss to a team that then leapfrogged us in the League.

We had two attempts on target all game, both Haaland, both in the same move, and both should have been scored!

Yes, it’s been a difficult run of games, but if I had told you we would play Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Villa and come away with only 3 points while shipping 9 goals, you’d have had choice words and probably called me a plastic downer or some such.

We look bereft of ideas, are not creating much and not putting key chances away, and we have a significant number of players who are well off the boil.

It’s not a good look, and anything other than a strong showing and sizable victory against Luton (who just put 3 past Liverpool) will set off alarm bells.

 

[The Norfolk Blue]

Plenty of squad room, esp with the Yorkshire Grinner probably moving on.

Yorkshire Grinner …. haha made me chuckle that. I’m putting him in my all-time Worst X1 for that alone.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

No. More panic buying is not what is required and I am confident this won't happen in January. We need a strategic approach aimed at consolidation for the next five years or so. We need to accept that we will not win this league every year and this season looks like it could be one of those years. We are likely to face a transition if Pep departs in 25 and need to plot the course ahead carefully.
The likely sale or loan of Phillips opens up one slot in the squad and hopefully we can find a suitable permanent replacement or loan during the upcoming window. If not we move on until the summer and try to land our main targets.

Panic? Do you not think the club has multiple players in most positions that they are looking at? Do you not think that one or two might be available in January for the right money?

Who said anything about panic buying, and if they did, were they talking about Kova, Nunes or Philips?

 

[Withnail]

As much as I would love us to be the first English team to win four titles in a row, I just can't get too worked up at the prospect of not winning the league this season. Perhaps it's because we've just done the treble.

I'm by no means writing us off but if we don't win it then it's not the end of the world, we just try again next season. It's not realistic to expect us to win it every time when you consider the investment of other clubs and how difficult it is to maintain such a high level of consistency year on year.

I wouldn't put it past us as we've won it from worse positions albeit we have lost a lot of quality and big game players that were part of those long winning streaks to get us over the line in recent seasons.

That being said, if we can hang in there until KDB gets back then you just never know. Arsenal and Liverpool will still be very wary of us because of our history of chasing teams down including them. That fear factor could make a difference as long as we don't let them get too far ahead.

Losing Gundo, no Kdb and missing out on Bellingham is hurting us and we have very little creativity in midfield currently. Shame Pep doesn't trust Foden in midfield, but the balance of the side is not right at present. Things need to change, the return of Kev will help but we still need more I feel.