The Top Five Race 2024-25 (poll added)

[shemnel]

It hasnt helped that Liverpool have had no injuries and a settled squad. Is it down to luck or just good squad managment from Slot ? I dunno but everyone else has struggled with injuries to key player. Saka, Odegaard, Rodri, any City defender etc It's been a huge factor in them running away with it.

the fact that Liverpool are literally the only team in the league that consistently perform the basics of defending and attacking has also helped. The challengers have been completely haphazard.

 

[citymad]

the fact that Liverpool are literally the only team in the league that consistently perform the basics of defending and attacking has also helped. The challengers have been completely haphazard.

True, just look at the miracle they performed against PSG.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

I’m not sure we are underperforming.

With the injuries we’ve had, plus key players ageing and becoming less good at football, the comedown after the eight years of high intensity efforts to win 19 trophies that we’ve just been through, I reckon we’re doing well to be where we are and playing as well as we do.

We were starting to slide to this about three years ago. When we were losing players like DSilva, Agüero and Fernandinho and buying the likes of Phillips, Nunes and at times buying nobody to replace someone outgoing, you could tell that the squad was getting thinner and the squad quality was getting worse.

Only thing was, in the treble season, barely anyone got injured from Feb-June and they all played incredibly well. We barely had to rely on the squad because everyone was fit and firing on all cylinders.

Then last season cracks started to appear. Gündoğan had gone, De Bruyne missed half the season, any time Rodri didn’t play we lost, we only won 1 game out of 10 against the 2nd-6th placed teams, only won 8 games out of 18 against the top half, we didn’t finish off Madrid like the season before, limply lost to United in the FA Cup final… all because we were relying on our declining squad more, and the efforts of the previous seasons were catching up with us.

Despite having seasons where we won multiple trophies including two trebles and a quadruple, winning the title last season has to be up there with those achievements because I think our squad was the weakest we’ve had for some time.

We have been weakened further still this season with an unprecedented amount of injuries and players legs going and many coming to the end of their football careers. I think we are performing well and in a good league position, considering I don’t really think we’re a particularly good team anymore.

For me, it’s not the team that’s underperforming, it’s the club underperforming in getting a high quality team together. I think everyone sleepwalked through the 18 months after we won the treble, thinking everything was just going to carry on.

Thankfully, January did show some promising signs of moving forward again as Khusanov and Nico have been our best players of late and they’re young lads who’ve been here five minutes, one doesn’t even speak English yet gets MOTM every week. But we are still miles off being a top side again and a high quality, deep, and big performing squad on multiple fronts again.

I agree with all that but would still say we are underperforming given the quality of the players we still have available. 15 losses in 30 is underperforming for me.

Lots of players are underperforming this season.

 

[Damanino]

well apart from Bournemouth all other 4 clubs in with a chance for CL places won and made our loss count.
it will be 6 clubs all between the 63-68 points range...
can see some positions between 3rd and 8th decided on GD only.

no one is consistent enough to step away or bad enough to fall out of the running. still hoping Forest hitting a bad patch.

Chelsea's draw is quite hard they still to play Arsenal, dippers, rags, Spurs, Forest, Newcastle. ideally not many wins in there for them. they should be few points more ahead given their draw still have above teams.

City-Brighton is huge now.

 

[Blue tiger]

well apart from Bournemouth all other 4 clubs in with a chance for CL places won and made our loss count.
it will be 6 clubs all between the 63-68 points range...
can see some positions between 3rd and 8th decided on GD only.

no one is consistent enough to step away or bad enough to fall out of the running. still hoping Forest hitting a bad patch.

Chelsea's draw is quite hard they still to play Arsenal, dippers, rags, Spurs, Forest, Newcastle. ideally not many wins in there for them. they should be few points more ahead given their draw still have above teams.

City-Brighton is huge now.

Aye bad weekend all round really.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Terrible weekend really but only got ourselves to blame after that lacklustre effort. We really need to beat Brighton now but it won’t be easy.

 

[Eoiyflem]

We've lost the same amount of games as everton and palace. More than Bournemouth, Fulham and others. Regardless of injuries, transition or whatever way you want to dress it up, that is unacceptable for our squad/manager/club imo

 

[Father Paul]

We've lost the same amount of games as everton and palace. More than Bournemouth, Fulham and others. Regardless of injuries, transition or whatever way you want to dress it up, that is unacceptable for our squad/manager/club imo

We really can't complain if we finish outside the top 4/5 we have been tragically poor this season since October.

 

[lancs blue]

As well as the age-related decline of some key players I think winning THE treble and then 4 in a row in successive seasons has meant the squad has overall lost that extra 1% edge that separates the winners from the rest, the 1% that Arsenal have consistently lacked under Arteta, for example. We'll do well to make top 5 this season, the Brighton match is a genuine 6-pointer.

 

[Dunne's own goal]

Man City v Brighton - 0 points Brighton currently in much better form
Man City v Leicester - 3 points should be winning this
Man Utd v Man City - 0 points. Rags to raise their game and Amorim has got the better of Pep twice this season already
Man City v Crystal Palace - 0 points. Palace in much better form. Expect them to run all over us.
Everton v Man City - 0 points. They will make it difficult for us with physical players.
Man City v Aston Villa - 0 points. Much better side and Europe to play for.
Man City v Wolves 3 points just.
Southampton v Man City - 3 points. They should be down.
Man City v Bournemouth - 0 points. Much better side and Europe to play for.
Fulham v Man City - Ditto

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom.

I’m sure some posters will try and put a positive spin on it.

Think we’ll finish in 7th on 56 points.

Rags to win the Europa league making it a disastrous season.

Tells a lot about us when this is actually very possible scenario. Villa could be anything tho they blow hot and cold

 

[SWP's back]

Man City v Brighton - 0 points Brighton currently in much better form
Man City v Leicester - 3 points should be winning this
Man Utd v Man City - 0 points. Rags to raise their game and Amorim has got the better of Pep twice this season already
Man City v Crystal Palace - 0 points. Palace in much better form. Expect them to run all over us.
Everton v Man City - 0 points. They will make it difficult for us with physical players.
Man City v Aston Villa - 0 points. Much better side and Europe to play for.
Man City v Wolves 3 points just.
Southampton v Man City - 3 points. They should be down.
Man City v Bournemouth - 0 points. Much better side and Europe to play for.
Fulham v Man City - Ditto

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom.

I’m sure some posters will try and put a positive spin on it.

Think we’ll finish in 7th on 56 points.

Rags to win the Europa league making it a disastrous season.

I have us winning 8 and drawing 1

 

[Coatigan]

Fuck it.

After 7 years of looking no further than 2nd place and battling it out with only one team - I find it actually refreshing to be in a top 4 race with 4 or 5 teams relevant, where the table seems to change every week.

 

[supercity88]

Fuck it.

After 7 years of looking no further than 2nd place and battling it out with only one team - I find it actually refreshing to be in a top 4 race with 4 or 5 teams relevant, where the table seems to change every week.

I was talking to some mates about this recently. The battles we’ve been in over the years have been fucking hard work on the ticker! Completely absorbing and consuming. Looking at fixtures, hoping for teams to drop points and week in week out needing City to win. The reward has been unbelievable, we’ve been on the right side of things time and time again and it’s always so much sweeter when it’s been a fight than cantering away to the title – although I wouldn’t mind it happening that way either!

This season has been poor by our usual standards, but it hasn’t been without it’s positives. It reminds everyone associated with the club that this hasn’t come easily. The board have had a kick up the arse, Pep and the players too. And us fans have had that reminder that the success could all end and not to take it for granted.

We’re not winning the league, but it’s pretty exciting to still have a huge amount to play for and the jeopardy. No silverware at the end of it league-wise, but it’s a real scrap and it’s going to be fun. When it comes to the crunch we’ve managed to get ourselves over the line, and I think we will this time too.

I’m not as concerned if we don’t as others either though.

 

[shemnel]

Fulham away on the last day, 1-0 down on 90mins needing a win to come 5th and secure Champions League football, Foden scores in the 91st min......

 

[kbb]

Interesting exercise - allocating a value to each team based on current league position (Liverpool 1 point Southampton 20 points) and looking at all contenders fixtures then the highest score should equate to the easiest run in

So

Liverpool 5 home games left (57) 4 away games left (40) Total 97
Arsenal 6 home (52) 4 away (54) Total 106
Forest 5 home (64) 5 away (66) Total 130
Chelsea 5 home (61) 5 away (33) Total 94
City 6 home (71) 4 away (59) Total 130
Newcastle 6 home (74) 4 away (36) Total 110
Brighton 5 home (50) 5 away (58) Total 108
Villa 4 home (32) 5 away (55) Total 87
Bournemouth 6 home (81) 4 away (34) Total 115

So in theory us and Forest have the easiest run ins with Villa and Chelsea having the hardest

Make of that what you will

 

[shemnel]

Interesting exercise - allocating a value to each team based on current league position (Liverpool 1 point Southampton 20 points) and looking at all contenders fixtures then the highest score should equate to the easiest run in

So

Liverpool 5 home games left (57) 4 away games left (40) Total 97
Arsenal 6 home (52) 4 away (54) Total 106
Forest 5 home (64) 5 away (66) Total 130
Chelsea 5 home (61) 5 away (33) Total 94
City 6 home (71) 4 away (59) Total 130
Newcastle 6 home (74) 4 away (36) Total 110
Brighton 5 home (50) 5 away (58) Total 108
Villa 4 home (32) 5 away (55) Total 87
Bournemouth 6 home (81) 4 away (34) Total 115

So in theory us and Forest have the easiest run ins with Villa and Chelsea having the hardest

Make of that what you will

I think looking at league position alone is probably ok when broadly comparing a run-in, e.g. a 5 game run-in of five top 8 teams vs five bottom 8 teams, but in reality home and away makes a difference (Bournemouth at home and Bournemouth away are two pretty different things, this season), the opponent's form and - particularly for City - how that team sets up. I would fancy we would struggle more against direct pacey teams even if they were a few more places down the league. Furthermore when many of the teams are tightly packed on similar points, league position means even less.

As a broad exercise it shows Villa have got generally higher up teams.

 

[No1 was Colin bell]

I have us winning 8 and drawing 1

18 more points ish. No idea where that will get us but it’s a good job it’s top five this year

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Interesting exercise - allocating a value to each team based on current league position (Liverpool 1 point Southampton 20 points) and looking at all contenders fixtures then the highest score should equate to the easiest run in

So

Liverpool 5 home games left (57) 4 away games left (40) Total 97
Arsenal 6 home (52) 4 away (54) Total 106
Forest 5 home (64) 5 away (66) Total 130
Chelsea 5 home (61) 5 away (33) Total 94
City 6 home (71) 4 away (59) Total 130
Newcastle 6 home (74) 4 away (36) Total 110
Brighton 5 home (50) 5 away (58) Total 108
Villa 4 home (32) 5 away (55) Total 87
Bournemouth 6 home (81) 4 away (34) Total 115

So in theory us and Forest have the easiest run ins with Villa and Chelsea having the hardest

Make of that what you will

It’s a good job we have playing the way we are.

 

[big gaz]

Is it actually worth finishing in the top 5 this season? Financials aside, this team isn’t going to make an impact next season in the UCL. Therefore personally I would rather focus on trying to improve our league position next season and go for a domestic cup without European distractions.

Rag

 

[Bluemart]

It is a very poor PL this season, Liverpool are miles ahead but they are no where near as good as 2 seasons ago. Don’t get me wrong they deserve to be top but everyone else of the so called big teams have been shite.
I know we have had injuries but we can’t keep blaming that on our performances this season.