The Title Race - 2024/25

[alexmcity]

Only problem with that defence mate is that most are injured and will pick up injuries throughout the season.

It is what it is. This was always on the cards.

Pep needs time to sort it out.

At some point things will turn again in our favour.

As I said yesterday, you can’t now start blaming the players and coach after what they have achieved. Neither can do anything about age/injury.

The clubs plan seems to be to let this current group of players dwindle out until the new sporting director arrives allowing him to get the players needed.

It’s easy supporting a club that wins, now we see the emotional crackpots out in force when the team struggle.

Fuck knows what pep is going to do to try and fix it but he will I have no doubt.

Under 'now' I mean 'now that Rodri is out for the season'. If, and it's a big if, all our defenders are fit, I'd go with Akanji (who unfortunately has played too many games in the last 2 years), Stones, Dias and Gvardiol. That's a really solid back 4 (on paper). But defence depends on high pressing too, we need legs in midfield (Nunes and Foden) and legs on the wings too, Doku and Savinho, with all of KDB, Bernie, Grealish and hopefully Bobb ready to help and run for the cause. Without a lot of running and intensity, we can't solve the Rodri problem.

 

[wolviedinho]

Under 'now' I mean 'now that Rodri is out for the season'. If, and it's a big if, all our defenders are fit, I'd go with Akanji (who unfortunately has played too many games in the last 2 years), Stones, Dias and Gvardiol. That's a really solid back 4 (on paper). But defence depends on high pressing too, we need legs in midfield (Nunes and Foden) and legs on the wings too, Doku and Savinho, with all of KDB, Bernie, Grealish and hopefully Bobb ready to help and run for the cause. Without a lot of running and intensity, we can't solve the Rodri problem.

It’s going to take the whole team awhile to adjust not having Rodri.

Pep has already tried Gundo/kova and kova/bernie in the middle. Letting Lewis have a free role is not working. Yes he recycles the ball well but we don’t have the ball enough anymore.

City camp out on the edge of the opponents box. We would squeeze teams and run them ragged until we scored 1/2/3 goals.

Fast forward to now and we camp out but lose the ball after 1/2 passes in the opposition half leaving the defenders scrambling back to no avail.

Sort out the lack of passing and composure in the box and the Rodri issue dosent seem such a big problem. Wingers who take a man on and lose possession is also another issue. Feel like we are stuck between 2 systems and it shows. So either go direct and fast leaving the defence to drop or go for full on ball retention players and hope the camped out approach works.

The team is evolving but what is it evolving into? The old sane/sterling model or the pass pass pass to death system.

Pep needs to decide.

 

[alexmcity]

So either go direct and fast leaving the defence to drop or go for full on ball retention players and hope the camped out approach works.

Pep tried the latter at Newcastle, wasn't pretty or even productive. Maybe he will try it at Anfield too. A draw there wouldn't be the end of the world. Won't be easy.

We can put in great performances without Rodri, as we have top players across the board, but what we are likely to lack is consistency. Which means that top 4 should be likely, but the title will be difficult to win.

Much depends on the rivals. Guess we can win about 85 pts without Rodri. If that's enough, then great :)

 

[Damanino]

too many player out of form or way below their best. Foden had his best ever season and now 5-6 months later he looks way worse.
Gundogan aged 10 years but was only away for one season.
we cannot rely on KDB anymore, even if he start finally 2-3 games you think there is another injury right around the corner for him keeping him out for another 6-8 weeks.
Rodri off.

thats our whole midfield almost.

Wingers and their end product especially goals, Ederson might end up with higher goal tally than our wingers wtf...

Txiki massacred our transfer window and not sure for what reason given the net spend balance. a young talented but nowhere near game changer Savinho and a very past it Gundogan. add in Alvarez gone without replacement thats arrogant imo. and we were looking at some obscure Japanese guy from Celtic. wtf is that.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Pep tried the latter at Newcastle, wasn't pretty or even productive. Maybe he will try it at Anfield too. A draw there wouldn't be the end of the world. Won't be easy.

We can put in great performances without Rodri, as we have top players across the board, but what we are likely to lack is consistency. Which means that top 4 should be likely, but the title will be difficult to win.

Much depends on the rivals. Guess we can win about 85 pts without Rodri. If that's enough, then great :)

That’s assuming all other players get and stay fit though.

That’s a big ask. Some of this lot spend more time out and than in. De Bruyne/Stones and Ake are becoming almost permanent sick notes.

We may be able to drag ourselves to the ent of the season without Rodri but we won’t without both Rodri and De Bruyne. The latter unlocks doors that the others don’t seem capable of.

We just have to find a way to beat or at least not lose to Brighton and then regroup. If I see any of these players who have been injured joining up with their international teams I will be livid.

 

[alexmcity]

That’s assuming all other players get and stay fit though.

That’s a big ask. Some of this lot spend more time out and than in. De Bruyne/Stones and Ake are becoming almost permanent sick notes.

We may be able to drag ourselves to the ent of the season without Rodri but we won’t without both Rodri and De Bruyne. The latter unlocks doors that the others don’t seem capable of.

We just have to find a way to beat or at least not lose to Brighton and then regroup. If I see any of these players who have been injured joining up with their international teams I will be livid.

I think/hope some of the younger players will step up.

If they don't, we may win around 80 pts. Pep's worst campaign, hist first, ended with 78 pts.

Guess the worst case scenario is 76 pts, which is highly likely to be enough for a top 4 finish, and the best case scenario is 86 pts, which may be enough for the title. I'd be surprised if we could win, say, 88 pts without Rodri even with the likes of Savinho, Lewis and Nunes exceeding expectations.

In 19/20 when we had aging players and many injuries we won 81 pts. Our tally this season won't be dramatically better or worse.

 

[Blu3m00n91]

Pep better be withdrawing players from the international break

 

[jimharri]

Is the title gone? No; of course not. It's only the second week in November. But it's going to take the mother of all turn arounds in our form. Which we're well capable of doing, though it's hard to see it right now. What's the upper limit of defeats before the title becomes nigh on impossible? 5? We've lost two already.

 

[Inter Me Nan]

Is the title gone? No; of course not. It's only the second week in November. But it's going to take the mother of all turn arounds in our form. Which we're well capable of doing, though it's hard to see it right now. What's the upper limit of defeats before the title becomes nigh on impossible? 5? We've lost two already.

I'm gonna go early, we're done.
But after 4 in a row, one of which included a treble, I'm easy.

 

[Damanino]

We are digging ourselves into a hole here. 11 games, 23 points, thats about 79-80 points over a season.
yet to play Villa, dippers, rags, Spurs two times can see some bogey results in there...

I am worried Spurs will come to the Etihad next game, use their pace and counters to hurt us and we fold easily these days. not sure some people coming back from injuries hadnt played for long weeks can help us straightaway.
3 PL losses in a row, can happen if we dont improve...
chance of some players come back injured due to international games is around 100% if its Haaland or Kovacic well...

we are in a puddle mentally and tactically as well. and all the injuries. but individual form of some players is horrible too.
wonder what G+A Foden will have once we reach half of PL games this season. 2 goal and 2 assists maybe? some players do that in one game sometimes...
about the same as our wingers.

 

[jimharri]

I'm gonna go early, we're done.
But after 4 in a row, one of which included a treble, I'm easy.

Pfft; lightweight.

 

[Axel Freed]

Worst case scenario we’re 5 points off the top. The title race doesn’t start til Easter and if we’re within 5 points then we’ve as good as won it.

That will be hard to do though because Liverpool will have 100 points by then on account of them being very unlikely to drop any more points

 

[.db.]

No Rodri back-up, no Haaland back up, players who would normally be squad players for us seem like they need to be important players… and that would still be a problem even if everyone was fit.

We’ll get players back but I think we are only an 80ish point team this season.

 

[ID70]

Only 5 clean sheets in all competitions, seems very much like the 1st season Pep was here

 

[Damanino]

where is the supposed drop off from Slot changing Klopp. most reviews and predictions were about dippers likely have a transition season while their new manager learns into the PL. him winning the title in his debut season was even optimistic for some of the cultists over there.

it will be ridiculous if Slot with his Eredivisie experience comes in and delivers a title with 12 months of taking over from Klopp.

hope the dip in form is coming up for them soon albeit have to say did not expect this new manager start so well for them. especially after their transfer window where they only had one big target (Zubimendi) and failed on him. problem is Slot managed to get great form out of many players early on, something Pep could not yet this season.
fucker old Salah now 8G + 6A just in PL at round 11, which is more than Grealish, Doku, Savinho, Foden, Gundo, Bernardo combined. imagine if that is true over the whole PL season, surely not because if yes we are fucked

 

[DWIFF]

We will be 11 points behind the dippers on 1st December.

 

[akrh215]

There's no way we're defending the title this season. Best we can aim for is to secure a top 4 spot. Then, in the spring, maybe make a push for the Champions League if everyone’s back to full fitness by then. And in the summer, we need to sign some top-quality players, no question about it.

 

[pavelsrnicek]

Not pulling any punches today that was fucking DIABOLICAL, wow.

where is the supposed drop off from Slot changing Klopp. most reviews and predictions were about dippers likely have a transition season while their new manager learns into the PL. him winning the title in his debut season was even optimistic for some of the cultists over there.

it will be ridiculous if Slot with his Eredivisie experience comes in and delivers a title with 12 months of taking over from Klopp.

hope the dip in form is coming up for them soon albeit have to say did not expect this new manager start so well for them. especially after their transfer window where they only had one big target (Zubimendi) and failed on him. problem is Slot managed to get great form out of many players early on, something Pep could not yet this season.
fucker old Salah now 8G + 6A just in PL at round 11, which is more than Grealish, Doku, Savinho, Foden, Gundo, Bernardo combined. imagine if that is true over the whole PL season, surely not because if yes we are fucked

Slot is very possibly going to win the league because he has settled squad with a world class player in Salah and lots of goal scorers throughout the team. He has tightened Liverpool defensively and at the same time his two main rivals are underperforming. In our case massively so.

Liverpool will smell blood against us when we go to Anfield. Our midfield issues run too deep for a quick fix. Kovacic is a decent player but he couldn’t cover for Gundogan last season and definitely can’t cover for Rodri this season.

Liverpool will annihilate us on the counter if we play like we gave recently.

 

[IrishBlueSince92]

where is the supposed drop off from Slot changing Klopp. most reviews and predictions were about dippers likely have a transition season while their new manager learns into the PL. him winning the title in his debut season was even optimistic for some of the cultists over there.

it will be ridiculous if Slot with his Eredivisie experience comes in and delivers a title with 12 months of taking over from Klopp.

hope the dip in form is coming up for them soon albeit have to say did not expect this new manager start so well for them. especially after their transfer window where they only had one big target (Zubimendi) and failed on him. problem is Slot managed to get great form out of many players early on, something Pep could not yet this season.
fucker old Salah now 8G + 6A just in PL at round 11, which is more than Grealish, Doku, Savinho, Foden, Gundo, Bernardo combined. imagine if that is true over the whole PL season, surely not because if yes we are fucked

Maybe Klopp was a bit over rated, and built up by the media as some sort of Roy of the Rovers type managerial hero too much?

 

[MadchesterCity]

It should hurt more but I've accepted we ain't winning it this year