The Title Race - 2024/25

How many points to win the league?

  • Total voters
    301
  • Poll closed .
Blue Maverick said:
Who did we buy that’s instantly gets Peps ways? Everyone knows it takes a season to get upto speed, unless Pep extends will Tixi blow money on a player the next manager doesn’t want? Lots of variables here, if Pep extends then he will definitely want back up for Rodri next season after this disaster, will he do it in January? I doubt it unless there’s someone out the blue who could come learn the ropes for six months then be ready next season whilst helping ou this season. If Pep decides he doesn’t then I do t think we blow any money until we know who’s replacing him or any January pre next season deals are done.
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That could well be the case. The upshot of that is some of the slack due to Rodri's absence will have to be taken up with existing personnel. I'm sure Pep has a plan but how effective it will be is the question.
 
John Wayne said:
I think there is a tendency to overrate our rivals. I don't think Arsenal have played well for 90 minutes in a single game this season, but they have better durability than in previous times. They still seem to be reliant on the same players. This is a long season on the back of a summer tournament. I think Arteta is flogging the likes of Saliba, Gabriel, Saka and Rice. We've all missed Foden but in the long run I think his slow return to fitness is necessary. I'm sure I read that Rice had just 10 days off after the Euro 2024 final - that's unsustainable, and he will pick up injuries in time.

Liverpool look much the same as they did under Klopp. They don't seem to have gears, it's just top speed at all times. They have potent players up top that win them games but there is a lot of chaos thrown in. Again, in a long season they will not likely avoid injuries. Can they really play a 32-year-old Salah and 33-year-old Van Dijk for every game for months on end?
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Arsenal need to keep Saliba and Gabriel fit, the former more so which was evident a couple of seasons ago when he got injured and their title challenge was derailed.

In terms of Liverpool, I agree keeping both Van Dijk and Salah fit is vital in order to maintain a title challenge. However, Salah rarely seems to gets injured.
 
Big mals fedora said:
Same thing happens every year, don’t win for a couple of games, then we get the usual “not good enough to win it this year”. What’s tends to happen is we go into overdrive mode early in the new year and power past all the also rans. Rinse and repeat
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It’s always the same time every year. We always (relatively) struggle for a spell in the autumn under Pep, except 2017/18.
 
John Wayne said:
It does have that feel. The biggest difference this time around, however, is that we're not up against a Liverpool team that got 97 and 99 points in consecutive seasons. I don't think we'd have won that league title had Sane and Laporte remained fit.

I just don't feel we can go through a whole season without replacing Rodri. I know Pep is meant to be sitting down with Txiki in the near future to discuss options. We don't want to just buy anyone for the sake of it though.
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Multiple issues with looking for someone to step in for Rodri in January.
1. Top quality players are not frequently available in that window.
2. In the event of a really good player being available, would they come knowing that they'd be second choice once Rodri is fit again and playing in all the big games?
3. Selling clubs have the buyer over a barrel in the scenario we find ourselves in.
I trust Pep to find a short term solution for this season. Of course, another serious injury would mean going into the January market becomes a necessity.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
It’s always the same time every year. We always (relatively) struggle for a spell in the autumn under Pep, except 2017/18.
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I expect us to be around 3/4 points off top by end of Jan with our injuries, that puts us in a great position going into the last 4 months and business end of the season. If we come up short then so be it but anyone writing this team off after 6 games needs some serious help.
 
With rodders out and yes I do think he is that important & missing kev I think that maybe it might be to far this year the league, and you know what I'm comfortable with that we can't win it every year as much as we all want it, it would pain me greatly to see a team in red win it but ha ho, I'm not saying we defo can't win it but I'm ready if we don't.
 
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.
 
jimharri said:
Really? I think you overestimate that feat. Winning there isn't the achievement it was 20 years ago. Some pretty ordinary sides won there last season (from memory Brighton, Palace and Fulham all won there). So far this season, they've played twice at home; they got a very unimpressive late win against Fulham, and got dicked by the "This Means More" mob. If the decent version of Spurs turns up today, they've got every chance of winning. I'm guessing that the rags will lose 4 or 5 home games in the PL this season.
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I think you are essentially agreeing with me.
Or missed my point
 
inchy14 said:
I expect us to be around 3/4 points off top by end of Jan with our injuries, that puts us in a great position going into the last 4 months and business end of the season. If we come up short then so be it but anyone writing this team off after 6 games needs some serious help.
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It’s a coping mechanism for some. There’s no other rational explanation. It certainly isn’t based on reason and experience.
 
inchy14 said:
I expect us to be around 3/4 points off top by end of Jan with our injuries, that puts us in a great position going into the last 4 months and business end of the season. If we come up short then so be it but anyone writing this team off after 6 games needs some serious help.
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I don't see many writing the team off. At the same time, to go by what happened in other seasons as if Rodri was absent then and as if Walker, KDB and Gundo are still in their prime might be naive.

The truth is, we are less likely to win this season than in previous seasons. Football is a game of probabilities. Last season, we were clear favourites to win even when we were below Liverpool and Arsenal. Now, we are not favourites with the bookies for a reason.

People should accept reality and hope for the best, e.g. that Foden and Haaland will improve further and that the other young players will surprise the league. The likes of Doku, Savinho, Bobb, Lewis, Nunes, McAtee will have to step up. For that purpose, Pep may have to take risks and trust them to deliver.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
It’s a coping mechanism for some. There’s no other rational explanation. It certainly isn’t based on reason and experience.
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Also, it's a coping mechanism to underestimate the significance of Rodri's injury and the age of Walker, KDB, Gundo, Kova, Bernie, etc., as if they don't get older and as if everything is the same as in previous seasons.
 
alexmcity said:
Also, it's a coping mechanism to underestimate the significance of Rodri's injury and the age of Walker, KDB, Gundo, Kova, Bernie, etc., as if they don't get older and as if everything is the same as in previous seasons.
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I fear the combination of the injury and our aging squad members may do us in this season. But for me the biggest match this year is off the pitch and we must hope Pannick gets the better of Lewis.
 
I understand that this is a forum and the sports tv and radio need to fill air time, but this madness, season in season out of trying to hand out the title before May baffles me. It was only a couple of weeks ago, driving away from the Brentford game that some blue was on Talkshite claiming we’ll go undefeated this season. Same bloke is probably on here claiming it’s all over. Football is so nuanced and literally anything can happen. The only thing I’ll confidently predict is we’ll be there in the argument come the final knockings. In the grand scheme of things that’s good enough for me.
 
After we won the treble I thought the next season we'd have a bit of a drop off, reflect on what we'd achieved and take it all in, recharge and go the season after.
We ended up getting 4 in a row.
This season we're unbeaten and a point off the top, which is unusual for us as we're nearly in October and usually we're a few points behind everyone, I'm surprised how well we've started but yesterday we looked a bit flat and not our usual selves but nearly nicked it in the end.
I'll say this season could be the transition season where we maybe don't hit our levels, I'd take top 4 and a cup and go again next season with maybe a few additions but then again I've said the same for the last couple of years and this team has always proved me wrong.
 
alexmcity said:
Also, it's a coping mechanism to underestimate the significance of Rodri's injury and the age of Walker, KDB, Gundo, Kova, Bernie, etc., as if they don't get older and as if everything is the same as in previous seasons.
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I think that’s a worthwhile point, but I would counter it with the fact that people always attribute ‘this’ season’s rationale to us falling short to a specific event, or events. Frequently a particular injury. More frequently some nebulous gut feeling that things are different this season. Players are always ageing. We also have some incredible youngsters coming through.

I accept the stats aren’t encouraging in terms of Rodri’s contribution, but there’s a difference between a tactical and strategic approach to his absence, and we will certainly have to adopt the latter, but to suggest it’s completely beyond this team and management to achieve that is preposterous.

The other factor that people seem to discount is the fact that Pep Guardiola is our manager. He is, quite simply, the greatest club manger in the history of the game, and to discount that, when we are unbeaten after six games, with the fit players that remain, is both absurd and disrespectful.

It will be a challenge without Rodri, but one I am confident we are likely to meet. If we don’t, then I can certainly live with that, but I’m certainly not throwing the towel in before September is at an end, and thankfully this group of players won’t either.
 
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