The Title Race - 2024/25

[alexmcity]

My point being is that we currently have very few players in their prime years of 24-29 (see the ‘Midfield’ thread) compared to previous teams we’ve had where there were more players in their prime years.

Players in their prime are more consistent than younger players and are at their peak in terms of skill and ability coupled with fitness and athleticism which wanes as you get older. In midfield, especially (where games are won and lost), we have a large number of younger players and a large number of older players and now with Rodri out injured we only have one player aged 24-29 whereas you look at the age of the midfielders in 2011-12 or 2018-19, most were in their prime.

Also we are not generally slow starters. We’ve only started slowly under Pep in 2019-20 and 2020-21. We regularly start like a house on fire under Pep.

Ferna and David were 30+ in 2019. Gundo was 29.

The big difference is Rodri is out. Before his injury, I'd take this midfield over previous versions. Now, anyone who is not completely daft realizes it won't be easy to replace Rodri. Colossus of a player.

But there are potential surprises. We have several young players that can make big progress this season: Gvardiol, Lewis, Savinho, Bobb, Doku, Nunes, McAtee. Foden and Haaland are only 24, they can get better, too. Imagine that.

When we estimate the quality of the squad, we assume the young players will remain at the same level throughout the season. But it's enough 2-3 from them to be fantastic to make us highly competitive: say, Gvardiol, Savinho and Doku. Lewis, too.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

Over thinking post!

You've gone back over 12 years picking out the best players from each season!

Early days and we are generally slow starters, unbeaten after playing some tricky games and lesser teams in great form!

Happy with where we are and the squad.

From a list of players who got constant shit for not being good enough when they were here, and who never achieved anything close to what this group of players have achieved over the last four seasons.

Also leaves Grealish, Dias, Ake, and Stones from the "prime" list.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Just watching the highlights from the Arsenal-Southampton game.

For all the talk of us being fortunate yesterday, bloody hell did Arsenal get away with it.

Southampton hit the woodwork three times and Arsenal's last goal was literally passed to Saka in the box by a Southampton player.

And that's Southampton. Who are fucking hopeless. Liverpool the bigger threat to our title this year imo.

Liverpool havent played anyone of note yet. The next couple of games will see where they are at.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Over thinking post!

You've gone back over 12 years picking out the best players from each season!

Early days and we are generally slow starters, unbeaten after playing some tricky games and lesser teams in great form!

Happy with where we are and the squad.

I dont think he is. We have basically had two squads since Sheik Mansour. Pre Pep and Pep.

Both have had success and both included world class players. The team that Pep built that has given us unimaginable success is now aging, both in midfield and defence. My view is that a pretty significant overhaul is coming, to be done either by Pep if he renews or our next manager. The team that Pep built round Eddie, Kyle, John, Ruben, Fern/Rodders, David/Gundo/Bernie/Kev/Phil, Sergio/Haaland is coming to an end, the most obvious sign is our current midfield performances. We are past our peak. Age catches everyone.

 

[M23 Citizen]

Ferna and David were 30+ in 2019. Gundo was 29.

The big difference is Rodri is out. Before his injury, I'd take this midfield over previous versions. Now, anyone who is not completely daft realizes it won't be easy to replace Rodri. Colossus of a player.

But there are potential surprises. We have several young players that can make big progress this season: Gvardiol, Lewis, Savinho, Bobb, Doku, Nunes, McAtee. Foden and Haaland are only 24, they can get better, too. Imagine that.

When we estimate the quality of the squad, we assume the young players will remain at the same level throughout the season. But it's enough 2-3 from them to be fantastic to make us highly competitive: say, Gvardiol, Savinho and Doku. Lewis, too.

That’s exactly what I touched on in the Midfield thread.

As well as Fernandinho being 33 but looking like an 800m runner and being very fit and David Silva being 32 but looking exactly the same as he did at 27, we had de Bruyne at 28, Benardo at 25 and Gündoğan at 28, all in their prime.

Now our midfield players in their prime are a minority, without Rodri, there’s only Foden at 24. Our 30+ players aren’t as good as they were in their prime unlike Fernandinho and DSilva were and, again, young players are inconsistent.

That will have an effect on performances.

Nothing to massively panic about, I think we’ll still be in a title race. But for the first time in a long time, I won’t be surprised if we don’t win the league.

 

[citymad]

Just watching the highlights from the Arsenal-Southampton game.

For all the talk of us being fortunate yesterday, bloody hell did Arsenal get away with it.

Southampton hit the woodwork three times and Arsenal's last goal was literally passed to Saka in the box by a Southampton player.

And that's Southampton. Who are fucking hopeless. Liverpool the bigger threat to our title this year imo.

You can't generalize after just one game. We've had a few shockers before including yesterday. Arsenal are serious title contenders as are Liverpool.

 

[KingGeorge]

You can't generalize after just one game. We've had a few shockers before including yesterday. Arsenal are serious title contenders as are Liverpool.

There isn’t any evidence to support Liverpool as serious title contenders thus far. They finished 9 points off it last year and didn’t add to their squad in a meaningful way while likely downgrading their coaching.

Furthermore, they have had a very soft schedule to start the year where they managed to lose to Nottingham Forest. They haven’t been tested schedule wise the way City and Arsenal have. They have a difficult stretch coming up that will likely expose some of their weaknesses. They have to play Chelsea, Arsenal, Villa, and Brighton in a row plus European matches thrown in.

In fact the Opta Analyst model only gives them a 11 percent chance of winning the league

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

.

I dont think he is. We have basically had two squads since Sheik Mansour. Pre Pep and Pep.

Both have had success and both included world class players. The team that Pep built that has given us unimaginable success is now aging, both in midfield and defence. My view is that a pretty significant overhaul is coming, to be done either by Pep if he renews or our next manager. The team that Pep built round Eddie, Kyle, John, Ruben, Fern/Rodders, David/Gundo/Bernie/Kev/Phil, Sergio/Haaland is coming to an end, the most obvious sign is our current midfield performances. We are past our peak. Age catches everyone.

Think you're conflating two or three different squads into a single "Pep team".

Over the last four years we've successfully replaced the "spine" of Pep's centurions (Kompany, Ferna, Aguero, D Silva, Sane, Sterling) in one of the greatest squad refreshes in the history of football.

I think everyone agrees that the midfield probably needs another fresh pair of legs or two, but there's simply no easy solution to Rodri being out for the season, and Kev and Foden being injured or coming back from injury. Jury remains out on Gundo 2.0 and Nunes. Phillips was a disaster we are still suffering from.

Both defence and attack are fine age wise. Refreshing the squad is always a gamble and why no one has won the league four times on the bounce before. Up to Bobb, Savinho, Doku and Grealish if they are good enough.

 

[youngbob]

You can't generalize after just one game. We've had a few shockers before including yesterday. Arsenal are serious title contenders as are Liverpool.

They are. But my post was meant to provide perspective that Arsenal had a day as dodgy as ours yesterday and that it can happen to anyone.

 

[the blue panther]

.
Think you're conflating two or three different squads into a single "Pep team".

Over the last four years we've successfully replaced the "spine" of Pep's centurions (Kompany, Ferna, Aguero, D Silva, Sane, Sterling) in one of the greatest squad refreshes in the history of football.

I think everyone agrees that the midfield probably needs another fresh pair of legs or two, but there's simply no easy solution to Rodri being out for the season, and Kev and Foden being injured or coming back from injury. Jury remains out on Gundo 2.0 and Nunes. Phillips was a disaster we are still suffering from.

Both defence and attack are fine age wise. Refreshing the squad is always a gamble and why no one has won the league four times on the bounce before. Up to Bobb, Savinho, Doku and Grealish if they are good enough.

I think that a lot of our players haven't hit prime form yet - the majority in fact - and there's another 10/20% improvement yet to come. Add to that, Lewis and Bobb - before injury - are both looking better than last season, and are improving all the time, and Savinho is a great addition to the squad, we can look forward to the run-up to Christmas, I believe, but - please God; no injuries on this fuckin' useless international break!