We aint paying a 100m for someone to sit on the bench which is where rice would have been last year and IF he had replaced rodri we would still be having the same conversation as you would then see that neither of those two 100m or not are a patch on him, i said before same with phillips and same with anyone when you have the very best the drop off is noticeable whoever you bring in, i guarantee you that if we had dropped 100m on guimaraes and then asked him to replace rodri in our midfield we'd all be saying i cant believe we spunked a 100m on a brazillian kalvin phillips, that is just how good rodri is.
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The Title Race - 2024/25
- Thread starter MCFC1993
- Start date
I want us to get to Liverpool (A) at the start of December unbeaten, we play 7 league games before then.
Next league games:
28th Sept - Newcastle (A)
5th Oct - Fulham (H)
20th Oct - Wolves (A)
26th Oct - Southampton (H)
2nd Nov - Bournemouth (A)
9th Nov - Brighton (A)
23rd Nov - Spurs (H)
1st Dec - Liverpool (A)
So the next game is the hardest game until Liverpool.
If we go unbeaten before that Liverpool game with at least 6 wins we'll be in a great position.
So I posted this before the Newcastle game. I knew we'd drop points v Newcastle but I said we then need 6 wins before Liverpool (A).
I stand by that because I think we're going to struggle in the big games this season due to player availability. However, we can still win it if we win all of the games we're expected too. Do I think we'll do that? Probably not based on what we've seen so far this season, we're giving up too many chances.
If we win the next 5, that should make up for the guaranteed loss at Liverpool.
Next league games:
20th Oct - Wolves (A)
26th Oct - Southampton (H)
2nd Nov - Bournemouth (A)
9th Nov - Brighton (A)
23rd Nov - Spurs (H)
1st Dec - Liverpool (A)
Haaland wasn’t out for months.We won a 4th title in a row with KDB and Haaland out for months. Actually, last season we were in for another Treble as late as late April. Penalties stopped us.
In 19/20 we lost Laporte and Sane for most of the season and things went south. Remember, the 17-19 squad had only one consistently good CB in Laporte (Kompany was often injured, Stones was often injured/inconsistent) and didn't have a genuine LB.
Even the greatest teams struggle to win 5 league titles in a row. Sacchi's Milan never won 2 Serie A titles in a row, never mind 4 or 5. Yet they are considered amongst the very best.
To evaluate the strength of squads in a vacuum as you do is not the best approach.
He only missed 5 Premier League games when he picked up that injury in December: Luton, Palace, Everton, SheffUtd and Newcastle (10th December - 13th January).
And the best player in the world was playing for us last season. He’s out for the season now and there’s a massive Rodri shaped hole in our team without him.
Was always going to be a tall order to win it 5 in a row but tbh without Rodri and hoping Haaland stays fit the entire season I’m not holding out much hope this season as both arsenal and Liverpool look well up for it and we look aged . We can’t win it every season . Also we need pep to say yes of no so we can then look to the future and start to plan for the new coach and new players .
But they still beat themLiverpool are going to have more games like Forest. They also struggled to beat Wolves and Palace who are both bottom 3.
Lovebitesandeveryfing
Well-Known Member
Crikey. Some of you need a slap!
City haven't lost a league game since December last year. Some of you talking about fighting it out with Villa and Spuds for 4th lol!
Welcome to Bluemoon.
Who’s said that? I don’t think anyone has at all.Crikey. Some of you need a slap!
City haven't lost a league game since December last year. Some of you talking about fighting it out with Villa and Spuds for 4th lol!
Really_here
Well-Known Member
Guaranteed Loss? Chin up !So I posted this before the Newcastle game. I knew we'd drop points v Newcastle but I said we then need 6 wins before Liverpool (A).
I stand by that because I think we're going to struggle in the big games this season due to player availability. However, we can still win it if we win all of the games we're expected too. Do I think we'll do that? Probably not based on what we've seen so far this season, we're giving up too many chances.
If we win the next 5, that should make up for the guaranteed loss at Liverpool.
Next league games:
20th Oct - Wolves (A)
26th Oct - Southampton (H)
2nd Nov - Bournemouth (A)
9th Nov - Brighton (A)
23rd Nov - Spurs (H)
1st Dec - Liverpool (A)
TinFoilHat
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 26 Jan 2023
- Messages
- 38,512
- Team supported
- Manchester City
It would be typical City to batter the dippers at Klanfield, but Give Soton their first PL league win first.
Guaranteed Loss? Chin up !
Marked off as a loss every time the fixtures are announced, genuinely never expect anything there, so can never be disappointed.
Marked off as a loss every time the fixtures are announced, genuinely never expect anything there, so can never be disappointed.
W D L D in our last four visits to Anfield.
Ever since those crazy Champions League games, which were seven seasons ago now, we've had much the better of our encounters against Liverpool.
Brightwell Bros.
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 1 Oct 2014
- Messages
- 8,625
I don't think it's healthy to see games against mid-table teams as "must win" at this stage of the season. I don't think it's healthy until there's about ten games left to be entirely frank.
Seems to me that City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are pulling away. Normally you'd expect one or two of them to drop off between bonfire night and New Year. The rhythm of the season is a bit different with the new CL format. All those teams still need to play each other (we've played two).
We just need to get points on the board, work out our system, get players up to full fitness. Within five points at Christmas we have a decent chance. If we don't win it it won't be due to a lack of passion or fight, and we can't win every year for the rest of time.
Seems to me that City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are pulling away. Normally you'd expect one or two of them to drop off between bonfire night and New Year. The rhythm of the season is a bit different with the new CL format. All those teams still need to play each other (we've played two).
We just need to get points on the board, work out our system, get players up to full fitness. Within five points at Christmas we have a decent chance. If we don't win it it won't be due to a lack of passion or fight, and we can't win every year for the rest of time.
u mean like we did with fulham?But they still beat them
Post 498Who’s said that? I don’t think anyone has at all.
Over thinking post!Without Rodri and de Bruyne we are only as good as the rest of the pack.
It wasn’t long ago that we had the strength in depth that we wouldn’t have even noticed that two of our best players were missing if they were out injured.
Having prime de Bruyne, Agüero, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Gündoğan, Fernandinho, Mahrez and then others like Sané, Sterling, Jesus and a young Foden shits all over what we’ve got now.
We’ve now got a prime Rodri, Haaland and Foden (fantastic trio befitting of that list above), then an older and past their primes (never said ‘past it’ before anyone starts!) de Bruyne, Bernardo and Gündoğan, then Kovacic, Nunes, a young McAtee, an unknown in this league and young Savinho, an inconsistent Doku and a young Bobb.
If any two of those best players from the first list were out injured, the gap in quality wasn’t that big that you’d notice them not being there. Take any two of our better players out now and the contrast is stark. It’s like we’ve drifted downwards in average squad quality through a number of transfer windows of buying poorly or not buying where needed.
We do not have enough players who are in their prime. They’re mostly either older or younger than prime years.
Yaya Touré, Barry, de Jong, David Silva, Nasri, Tevez, Agüero, Džeko is a higher quality and longer list of players in their prime than we have now. Imagine what Pep would do with these players.
Also, the current squad has slowly drifted away from Pep style players. That quick short passing game has looked so far away from this collection of players this season. We had absolutely no idea at all how to break Arsenal down, could you imagine de Bruyne and DSilva leaving two centre halves on the ball for most of the second half trying to break down a team with ten men sat in their own box? No fucking chance! Our midfielders did almost nothing against Arsenal in that second half. Some of our passing this season, even under no pressure, has been woeful. Yesterday, Foden must have run to find space where he was wide open to be passed to once every two minutes, and he hardly ever received that pass. Could you imagine Fernandinho not making that pass? No fucking chance!
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we don’t win the league this season.
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.
Toulousain85
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 8 Dec 2018
- Messages
- 180
A large chunk of fans (same for us or for other teams) do seem to be more critical of their own team and neglect the fact that the opponents are full of holes too and in most cases have inferior squad than ours. We are not perfect, nobody is, but if you look at our weaknesses only then DO NOT look at weaknesses of whichever team we face we seem to think they must somehow be better or on the same level as us. The reality is they aren't, even Liverpool, Arsenal, or Chelsea. We have our problems but they also have theirs, and most of the times their issues are bigger than ours. This is why we played average yesterday and still won.
In 2 months when we go to Liverpool without Klopp, I don't think it would be as daunting a task as recent times. And by the way we did really well against them in recent times as well.
Imo, to win all matches before facing Liverpool could be more difficult than going to Liverpool and get a result there this time.
In 2 months when we go to Liverpool without Klopp, I don't think it would be as daunting a task as recent times. And by the way we did really well against them in recent times as well.
Imo, to win all matches before facing Liverpool could be more difficult than going to Liverpool and get a result there this time.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.