The Title Race - 2024/25

[KingGeorge]

Lot of negativity about since Saturday lunchtime.
Not from me. Write us off at your peril after 5 games.

The crazy part is our own fans are the ones writing us off. The national media types are expecting Pep to adapt.

 

[roy.or.r]

Is this the first time in a while where we are not hooker’s favourites to win the league?

 

[MadchesterCity]

Doesn't count for anything this kind of logic. Arsenal have played us, spurs and villa away. that's 3 big hitters out of the wayearly on. Our most important player is out for the season. It is 100% advantage Arsenal.

Agree it's theirs to lose, pressure on them

 

[supercity88]

I think that's a fair description. Did we do enough to win at Newcastle, possibly but a point apiece felt like a fair result. There'll be a few more results like that over the season for ourselves and the others. Same routine from us I feel. Hang in there over the winter. Our fixtures don't look to bad towards the end of the season.

If you look at how dominant we were against Arsenal until Rodri went off, it was always a hard task to go to St James the first chance we had to experiment without him. And as I said, missing KDB or a fully fit Foden plus a below par Gundo made that a bigger challenge.

Take the point and we go again. Got a good chance to work on things in the CL before the weekend.

It's a tough ask to win the league without Rodri, but I would never write us off.

 

[shemnel]

So, you agree much more with the bookies than with the model.

you possibly have a point.

I think that model has been very good in recent years, but it obviously has various underlying mechanisms we are not privvy to. But i suppose you're right that in this case my estimate would be closer to the bookie price than what the model suggests, yes.

I think my original point was more that bookies prices aren't always more relevant, as they are cash driven and that cash doesnt necesarily have to be rooted in sense.

 

[thismeansfour]

If you look at how dominant we were against Arsenal until Rodri went off, it was always a hard task to go to St James the first chance we had to experiment without him. And as I said, missing KDB or a fully fit Foden plus a below par Gundo made that a bigger challenge.

Take the point and we go again. Got a good chance to work on things in the CL before the weekend.

It's a tough ask to win the league without Rodri, but I would never write us off.

We had every game prior to Arsenal experimenting without him and with success. Pep has struggled for years to find a way without him but only in a small group of games. Hopefully now he has to for a season he finds that way.

 

[Legal Alien]

Lot of negativity about since Saturday lunchtime.
Not from me. Write us off at your peril after 5 games.

I agree.

It's been a strange beginning to the season with some players coming back late and the injuries we've had.
Every other team would suffer without KDB, Rodri and Ake and added to that, Stones and Foden have barely played and one of our brightest young lads is also out injured. Yet we're still unbeaten and still the team to beat!

COME ON CITY!!!!

 

[Roachy]

If you look at how dominant we were against Arsenal until Rodri went off, it was always a hard task to go to St James the first chance we had to experiment without him. And as I said, missing KDB or a fully fit Foden plus a below par Gundo made that a bigger challenge.

Take the point and we go again. Got a good chance to work on things in the CL before the weekend.

It's a tough ask to win the league without Rodri, but I would never write us off.

Same as. If someone can do just some of what Rodri does then that's a massive boost.

 

[supercity88]

We had every game prior to Arsenal experimenting without him and with success. Pep has struggled for years to find a way without him but only in a small group of games. Hopefully now he has to for a season he finds that way.

We didn't need to experiment because we knew he was coming back. I don't mean experimenting as in chucking random players in, I mean it more in terms of whether he'd consider a more drastic change to our structure and system to help us cope. With Rodri on the pitch we dominated Arsenal. He went off, they got a foothold. Against the best sides, he won't play Rico as a RB inverting, he'll play him in midfield if at all. Walker can't invert, and it leaves us potentially lacking in the midfield where Rodri otherwise just mops up everything and is the force that helps us unlock teams.

Without Foden and De Bruyne, and I mean Foden of last season, it's a harder job. I'd like to see Gvardiol inverting personally. I think he's the physical player we need there, whilst being excellent on the ball. But I think the issue there is Dias tends to be the choice at LCB and just couldn't cover the space the way Akanji can from RCB if someone inverts.

 

[thismeansfour]

We didn't need to experiment because we knew he was coming back. I don't mean experimenting as in chucking random players in, I mean it more in terms of whether he'd consider a more drastic change to our structure and system to help us cope. With Rodri on the pitch we dominated Arsenal. He went off, they got a foothold. Against the best sides, he won't play Rico as a RB inverting, he'll play him in midfield if at all. Walker can't invert, and it leaves us potentially lacking in the midfield where Rodri otherwise just mops up everything and is the force that helps us unlock teams.

Without Foden and De Bruyne, and I mean Foden of last season, it's a harder job. I'd like to see Gvardiol inverting personally. I think he's the physical player we need there, whilst being excellent on the ball. But I think the issue there is Dias tends to be the choice at LCB and just couldn't cover the space the way Akanji can from RCB if someone inverts.

That was my point, we have coped more than anything when he has missed a few games. This is now where Pep earns his money and finds a way and a system that can work.