The Title Race - 2024/25

[alexmcity]

Tickles me when people talk about the average age of our squad

Average age of the side yesterday, that included a 33 year old Gundogan and a 34 year old Walker?

28 years of age

Average age of the Arsenal side from yesterday?

27 years of age

I'll take the extra years worth of experience winning trophy after trophy, thankyou.

We have defenders in their prime, except for Walker, and young forwards. The aging problem concerns exclusively our midfield: Kova 31, Gundo 34, KDB 33, Bernardo 30. Kova and KDB are not the most injury free players either.

Walker can't play and need not play in every game, so we'll use Lewis more often at RB. Foden is another option for midfield, but with Haaland being our only striker Pep is likely to use him often as a forward rather than as a pure midfielder. Which brings us back to our aging midfielders. Nunes has to step up. I'd be surprised if we didn't buy a midfielder in January.

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

Need goals from somewhere because on all available evidence they're not coming from Doku, Grealish,Kovacic,Bernardo,Lewis,, I'll hold on Savio for the moment as he's played well for the most part(would like to see him hit the net though). Gvardiol has become a very important player for us as he hits the target more often than not.

Exactly my line of thinking

Foden and Rodri scored 27 PL goals combined last season, and whether we like it or not, there will always be a comparison with Cole Palmer's contribution for Chelsea.
In contrast Kovacic has never been a prolific goalscorer and Lewis doesn't look like a natural finisher. That puts a lot of pressure on the other attacking players, but some of them aren't even missing chances

Even against Arsenal, Gvardiol looked the most likely to score for long periods of time

 

[Prophet of Doom]

Exactly my line of thinking

Foden and Rodri scored 27 PL goals combined last season, and whether we like it or not, there will always be a comparison with Cole Palmer's contribution for Chelsea.
In contrast Kovacic has never been a prolific goalscorer and Lewis doesn't look like a natural finisher. That puts a lot of pressure on the other attacking players, but some of them aren't even missing chances

Even against Arsenal, Gvardiol looked the most likely to score for long periods of time

Good points and this where I really think this where we have taken our eye off the ball this season.

Rodri and Alvarez contributed 19 league goals last season which have to be made up from somewhere if there is going to be a title challenge.

Grealish Doku Foden Bernado Savinho have scored 1 league goal between them this season.

Impossible to challenge for a title where only one player in the team scores.

If this turns out to be Peps final season then how sad we’ve tossed off the opportunity by choosing not even I invest in the Summer

 

[mancboy]

Good points and this where I really think this where we have taken our eye off the ball this season.

Rodri and Alvarez contributed 19 league goals last season which have to be made up from somewhere if there is going to be a title challenge.

Grealish Doku Foden Bernado Savinho have scored 1 league goal between them this season.

Impossible to challenge for a title where only one player in the team scores.

If this turns out to be Peps final season then how sad we’ve tossed off the opportunity by choosing not even I invest in the Summer

Its great how some posters are the living embodiment of their username.

 

[bridgeno1]

What I find weird is that Arsenal are 5/4 to win the PL with City at 2/1 yet at the same time are 9/1 to win the CL with City at 3/1. How would Arsenal's odds to win a title vs City be so wildly different across 2 competitions that they are seen as 3 times less likely to win one competition compared to City yet almost twice as likely to win the other compared to City?!!?

Those were bet365 odds, Opta with a very different view however;

 

[DenisHasDoneIt]

No Rodri a definite handicap, but given that he didn’t start until the Arsenal game, where he lasted 20 minutes, and had only had 45 minutes as a sub in the previous game, we’ve not even started with him.

And City have had the hardest set of fixtures of all the top 5, based on the current positions of whom we’ve all played.

Team	Liverpool	City	Arsenal	Chelsea	Villa
#1	Ipswich (15)	Chelsea (4)	Wolves (20)	City (2)	West Ham (14)
#2	Brentford (11)	Ipswich (15)	Villa (5)	Wolves (20)	Arsenal (3)
#3	Trafford (12*)	West Ham (14)	Brighton (9)	Palace (18)	Leicester (17)
#4	Forest (10)	Brentford (11)	Spurs (8)	Bournemouth (13*)	Everton (16)
#5	Bournemouth (13*)	Arsenal (3)	City (2)	West Ham (14)	Wolves (20)
#6	Wolves (20)	Newcastle (7)	Leicester (17)	Brighton (9)	Ipswich (15)
Total	81	54	61	76	85

Liverpool have had a very easy ride; Chelsea not dissimilar; Villa even easier.

Other takeaways: having played the better teams a lot, Wolves, Ipswich and West Ham might be in a false position; Southampton, however, are 19th, and have yet to play any of the top 5, so look properly Friar Tucked.

*positions could be reversed after tonight's game

 

[MadchesterCity]

Can't see us winning it this season after Arsenal intentionally injured Rodri. Arsenal cheating cunts now favourites at the bookies

 

[mancboy]

Can't see us winning it this season after Arsenal intentionally injured Rodri. Arsenal cheating cunts now favourites at the bookies

6 games in and you're chucking in the towel already with one player ( albeit a great player ) out injured, honestly im not sure who is worse the press or our own fans in terms of being disrespectful to our players and manager and what they have achieved.

 

[MadchesterCity]

No Rodri a definite handicap, but given that he didn’t start until the Arsenal game, where he lasted 20 minutes, and had only had 45 minutes as a sub in the previous game, we’ve not even started with him.

And City have had the hardest set of fixtures of all the top 5, based on the current positions of whom we’ve all played.

Team	Liverpool	City	Arsenal	Chelsea	Villa
#1	Ipswich (15)	Chelsea (4)	Wolves (20)	City (2)	West Ham (14)
#2	Brentford (11)	Ipswich (15)	Villa (5)	Wolves (20)	Arsenal (3)
#3	Trafford (12*)	West Ham (14)	Brighton (9)	Palace (18)	Leicester (17)
#4	Forest (10)	Brentford (11)	Spurs (8)	Bournemouth (13*)	Everton (16)
#5	Bournemouth (13*)	Arsenal (3)	City (2)	West Ham (14)	Wolves (20)
#6	Wolves (20)	Newcastle (7)	Leicester (17)	Brighton (9)	Ipswich (15)
Total	81	54	61	76	85

Liverpool have had a very easy ride; Chelsea not dissimilar; Villa even easier.

Other takeaways: having played the better teams a lot, Wolves, Ipswich and West Ham might be in a false position; Southampton, however, are 19th, and have yet to play any of the top 5, so look properly Friar Tucked.

*positions could be reversed after tonight's game

You need to put home/ away as a reference, Arsenal have played away at City, Spurs and Villa

 

[mancboy]

You need to put home/ away as a reference, Arsenal have played away at City, Spurs and Villa

arsenal scored a 94 and 99 min goal against leicester at HOME to win that game, villa just drew with ipswich, who liverpool beat, arsenal also drew with brighton at home who chelsea just dismantled and who we beat, 6 games its a complete mish mash and means absolutely fuck all.