Thoughts on the start to the season? | October thoughts (p12)

Marvin. said:
I don't know why we would have to win the next 5 to be considered title challengers.

I prefer Pep's target of being in touch in the Spring. Individual and team performances are almost as important now as points because they indicate our potential. We look to me to be one of the 3 best sides in the PL at the moment.
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I was meaning, if we win our next five that shows the team has mettle and the capabilities to put together a winning run. It was also said before Liverpool capitulated which nobody saw coming. You could also argue we have to win the next 5 to keep in “touching distance”.
 
Good to really good. The only real disappointments were the Brighton/Spurs performances. individually all the players are trending in the right direction, and so is the team as a whole. Erling playing at another level. Phil looks back. Nico O'Reilly one of the best left backs in the league. Nico G looking better and better. Doku also gone to another level.

The title race is well and truly on. Certainly we'll be there or thereabouts. LFC got big problems.
 
It's hard not to judge our performances and results against the benchmark we set during our four years of dominance. For context, the final 19 games of the 23/24 season we won 16 and drew 3. However, the results obviously fell off a cliff at the end of 2024 and we were down at 1.6 points per game.

This calendar year we're back above 2ppg and have performed the best of any side in 2025 domestically. So we're on track.

3pts off top, top 8 in the CL and that's despite no pre-season and plenty of injuries. We can definitely challenge for the title, Arsenal and Liverpool aren't blowing teams away consistently either. I don't think we need to be at the level we once were to win it.

I'd written off our chances this season, but I think we do have an opportunity to go and win it.
 
Wolves = Brilliant
Spurs = Meh although we had some very good chances including the Haaland sitter before HT
Brighton = Great 1st half blew it 2nd
Rags = Brilliant, should have been 5/6
Arsenal = Excellent defensively for 93 minutes then we make 1 mistake and lose 2 pts.
Burnley = Ok, struggled to break them down but when we did we flourished.
Brentford = Excellent 1st half, like Brighton not so good 2nd although better defensively.

Tbf it's not far off what I'd have predicted, id have had us down for losing at Arsenal, drawing at Brighton but maybe beating Spurs at home as it was our 1st game.

Everton, Villa, Bournemouth, Liverpool & Newcastle our next 5 games if we can manage 10pts + then I'll believe we're in a title race.
 
With all this xG and xPts I'm looking forward to the time when nobody has to play the games and just rely on this for the league table ;-)
 
supercity88 said:
This calendar year we're back above 2ppg and have performed the best of any side in 2025 domestically.
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2025 thus far .png
interesting stuff,
especially as we have played one less game than the dippers and wagwans.

add our last game of 2024 to that,
2-0 away at leics,
and it does indeed make us the best team in the land.
 
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Typical start to the season with our injury record which is incredible and untill we are at full strength we don’t know how we are going to play . The big man up front will need a rest soon as he can’t carry on like he as but we have no cover so big problem that one and reminds me of the Rodri situation last year as if he goes down we do aswell . We are getting a good team together but big title winners yet as we need a covering striker a right back and a destroyer in midfield Also our wingers need to get goals .
 
We're getting results but not convincing in performances. Suppose that can't be a bad thing. As an attacking force We're missing that spark, hopefully Cherki and Marmoush can contribute when up to speed
 
Worried about our reliance on Haaland, but then if he maintains this type of form all over the pitch then that's a false worry.

Think Bobb could come really good, might just need a goal or two to give him the scent a bit.

Reijnders disappointing but only cause expectations were increased so much by a superb debut.

Nobody has talked about the Trafford situation since Donnarumma's debut.

We'll more than likely need to beat Arsenal in the run in if we're going to win it - let's see how the next 6 months goes
 
I’m pleased. We are playing really well for 45-60 mins & now we need to maintain that for longer.

Ive been critical of our wingers & finishing last season but they’ve impressed me this season, always delighted to be proved wrong by our players.

I think we can improve & Im quietly confident we’ll win the title.
 
Fordyboy46 said:
We're getting results but not convincing in performances. Suppose that can't be a bad thing. As an attacking force We're missing that spark, hopefully Cherki and Marmoush can contribute when up to speed
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Yet we have scored more than any other team in the PL.
 
I think we are in a better position than I expected us to be in if I’m honest and some real positives.

Haaland looks better than ever, Phil is playing well and a few other look to be improving like Doku.

The worry for me is if Haaland cools on his goal scoring or gets injured as we look pretty feeble throughout the rest of the team for goals. Cost us at Brighton and we had chances against spurs before they scored. Even on Sunday I was getting that de ja vu feeling that our missed chances would haunt us.

Overall some really good signs, but if we seriously want to challenge fo the title then we need a lot more goals from the rest of the team.
 
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