The Title Race - 2023/24

[alexmcity]

For some reason we never really talk about how much that United team did bottle it in the very real sense of the word that year.

City were better that season anyway, as the games between both teams showed.

United weren't good enough in the first place, which combined with complacency led to them losing the plot.

 

[Invisible Man's Bandage]

I feel really deflated :(

Had a look at RAWK and the consensus is that if we finish top the actual champions will be the team that finishes second as we will have cheated our way to deny them or Arsenal the title.

It will be like ashes in my mouth if we 'win'...

 

[foggy1974]

Although it's nowhere near other, win the next 4 league games & the Spurs hoodoo will be almost irrelevant. Brighton & Forest away will be tricky games, especially with little time for recuperation in-between.

Depending on Wednesday's result, I can see a similar line-up in the fa cup semi-final to the team that played Luton

 

[John Wayne]

I feel really deflated :(

Had a look at RAWK and the consensus is that if we finish top the actual champions will be the team that finishes second as we will have cheated our way to deny them or Arsenal the title.

It will be like ashes in my mouth if we 'win'...

In that event, would the 'actual champions' get an open-top bus ride?

 

[Invisible Man's Bandage]

In that event, would the 'actual champions' get an open-top bus ride?

They'd have to as they would be worthy winners.

I feel sick to the pit of my stomach...

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

In that event, would the 'actual champions' get an open-top bus ride?

They’ve already got 29th May pencilled in.

 

[SatOnTheWall]

In that event, would the 'actual champions' get an open-top bus ride?

Yes, on the anniversary of the Heysel Stadium disaster.

 

[Toney’s bookie]

City always finish strongly under Pep.

Run Ins Record under Pep:
-1 loss in last 2 Seasons.
4 losses in last 7 Seasons.
79% win rate in Run ins.

View attachment 114557

Four of the games we dropped points in were complete dead rubbers after we'd already won the league too

Hudds 17/18
Brighton 20/21
Brighton 22/23
Brentford 22/23

 

[Charlesfarsbar]

Both of these 2 are dropping points again this weekend giving us a buffer. Mentally they’ll be gone after this weekend and the upcoming midweek fixtures.

I’m on this train of thought as well, everyone is looking nervously at the Tottenham game but I think we’ll be able t get beat there and still win the league

its a bit like the end of last season when everyone was nervously looking at the Brighton away game at the same point

 

[Coatigan]

City always finish strongly under Pep.

Run Ins Record under Pep:
-1 loss in last 2 Seasons.
4 losses in last 7 Seasons.
79% win rate in Run ins.

View attachment 114557

So in the 7 seasons under Pep we have only won our last 6 the one time! Aye, cheers for that mate! ;)

 

[Crooked_rain]

Yes, on the anniversary of the Heysel Stadium disaster.

Its ok, the SAS did it apparently.

 

[alexmcity]

I’m on this train of thought as well, everyone is looking nervously at the Tottenham game but I think we’ll be able t get beat there and still win the league

its a bit like the end of last season when everyone was nervously looking at the Brighton away game at the same point

I think we'll win at Spurs if we need to.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

City were better that season anyway, as the games between both teams showed.

United weren't good enough in the first place, which combined with complacency led to them losing the plot.

Table and head to head never lies, of course, but a team and manager with that experience should never have given us a sniff once they got ahead like they did. All's well that end's well.

 

[Coatigan]

Table and head to head never lies, of course, but a team and manager with that experience should never have given us a sniff once they got ahead like they did. All's well that end's well.

I disagree. Different different times, different contexts. They finished on 89 points. Back then that was a high finish and would have probably won the last 7 or 8 previous seasons. They were ahead, but longer winning runs were not as common as they have been in the last few years.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Been thinking about why we always seem to be able to outlast our title rivals year after year.

I think it started on 16 December 2020, when Pep made a huge change in his approach.

This was following the 1-1 draw with West Brom, where he changed to the false 9. This in itself was a large factor in us winning the league that season, but the other change is why we have won it each season since.

We all know that Arsenal and Liverpool press like madmen. Arteta basically copied Pep’s approach and added some Atletico shithousery to allow their lungs some rest.

What Pep decided in Dec 2020 was a way for us to control games by running less. It was highlighted in the documentary of that season.

This running less allows us to retain more energy for longer and as we go into the run in, we’re fresher than our pressed-out opponents.

 

[69FACUPfinal]

Been thinking about why we always seem to be able to outlast our title rivals year after year.

I think it started on 16 December 2020, when Pep made a huge change in his approach.

This was following the 1-1 draw with West Brom, where he changed to the false 9. This in itself was a large factor in us winning the league that season, but the other change is why we have won it each season since.

We all know that Arsenal and Liverpool press like madmen. Arteta basically copied Pep’s approach and added some Atletico shithousery to allow their lungs some rest.

What Pep decided in Dec 2020 was a way for us to control games by running less. It was highlighted in the documentary of that season.

This running less allows us to retain more energy for longer and as we go into the run in, we’re fresher than our pressed-out opponents.

And not an asthma sufferer in sight on the team....

Good point actually you make. Oddly enough I remember that 1-1 draw well, and I said to my friend a few days later that I thought we would win the league that year. All the emphasis at the time was how Utd/ Liverpool were gonna walk it ( usual nonsense from Sly, BT, meedya etc) but I just had a feeling like I had about Istanbul being where we would win CL - hence feeling very despondent when 21 final moved to Porto.

Anyway let's hope the guys remain fresh. Fingers crossed.

 

[69FACUPfinal]

I think we'll win at Spurs if we need to.

I hope so and hope it means 4...:-)

 

[alexmcity]

What Pep decided in Dec 2020 was a way for us to control games by running less. It was highlighted in the documentary of that season.

This running less allows us to retain more energy for longer and as we go into the run in, we’re fresher than our pressed-out opponents.

We can do it because we can have more possession than them *and* create chances.

If they try to have as much possession as us, their attack will suffer from it.

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

Completely unrelated games to the actual title race but if we win our next two it will be done. If we get to the Champions League semi final and another FA Cup final against the rags, our team will be chomping at the bit and other teams will down tools having seen this before. Two huge games that aren't adding points to the total but could perversely finish the title race in our favour.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

We can do it because we can have more possession than them *and* create chances.

If they try to have as much possession as us, their attack will suffer from it.

Arsenal do the same, but their pressing is far more intensive. They’ve been better at it than us this season so far, but the last two games have shown a drop off.

It’ll be interesting to see if they can regain that energy, especially if they lose in Germany.