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

We are improving but still in a transitional phase. I don't think we will win the League but should get top 4 (I think it is far from guaranteed Premier League will get the 5th place this season - 9 teams in Europe means total co-efficient pts divided by 9 teams equals where England will finish. Serie A suffered last season from having 8-9 teams in it).

I hope we can win the League Cup and have a good run in either the FA Cup or Champions League. All being well we can challenge for the League title next season.

If though by some miracle, we are within 6 points of the League leaders on New Years Day, then we are definitely in the hunt.
 
foden47 said:
The next 5 games will tell us more as these are the games we should be winning. Our first 5 games have been average.
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Need to get a minimum of 13 points from the next 5 games. 20 points from the first 10 games would be decent.

Ideally 5 wins from 5 and 23 points would be a very good return with our next game then being home v Liverpool on 9th November
 
Brightwell Bros. said:
We are cooking something. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but given the number of changes the squad has gone through I'm happy enough with where we are. I do think when this squad takes off properly it really will take off.

I think most City fans are happy enough to not win a league every year if it's obvious that we are moving in the right direction. I think both the club and Pep have addressed the serious flaws from last season. We are playing with a very young team and obviously trying to learn multiple systems for a variety of games. I hope it takes off in time for the latter stages of the CL, but don't mind it being next season if that's what it takes.

I'm personally not given up on the league. I'm not impressed with either Arsenal or Liverpool, and think if we can put 10 games back to back we can still win it, and I simply wouldn't put that past Pep, but I can be chill.
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Feel very similar to you. United fans giving it all that as they're not behind us for once, and yet the reality shows a very different outlook and set of challenges. We're better off against the same opponents game for game, whereas they're pretty much hanging on for a kind decision every game. Quality shows eventually, and we have that and have just needed to get our house in order against a backdrop of significant incomings and outgoings, and a pretty large injury list.

To see us defend like that yesterday was actually really pleasing, something Pep's city have struggled to do often, notability in Europe, and I think that I am more confident for getting far in the champions league now if we can turn in defensive performances like that in a knock out competition.

That said, I think a lot are overlooking who city actually are and what we can do on the front door. Not every game is the Emirates away. Not even the scheduling will put us up to such a crappy schedule every week, but they might now for Liverpool or Arsenal.

If we've taken away half or more of the opposition's chances to score against us on average, Haaland is still scoring and if anything looking a more complete player, Doku is looking like the best winger in the league, and we still have Cherki and Marmoush to come back, then I think it's pretty clear we had a plan yesterday and pulled it off almost perfectly, whilst our punching arm does it's final few stretches ahead of the next round. Kind of feels like a pummeling is coming soon for somebody about to face us.

I'm not saying we'll win the league, Liverpool need to stumble or have their luck run out for that to happen, but I do think looking at the media today a fair few are failing to see the wood for the trees in the wider footballing world. If City can't be the City of old and know how to win in almost any scenario, then we're the new City who are showing signs of knowing at least how not to lose.

Now watch Huddersfield dump us out of the Carabao....
 
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I think we have done ok. We are going to have up and down games, with us being in a transitional period. We've certainly been there already with Wolves/Arse games on the brighter side, while Spuds/Brighton was at the other end of the spectrum.

I feel Donnarumma has given us some confidence, that we wont concede from the oppositions first shot on target, which felt as tho it happened a lot last season. Dias and Gvardiol have to start at Centre Half in all the big games. Khusanov and O'Reilly are probably are best option at FB currently, although neither will probably be the long term fix. We are also better in central midfield with Rodri back (albeit not back to his best yet), Rudolph and Foden. Doku finally looks like he is starting to fulfil his potential. And Haaland looks back to his best!!

Still have issues on the right wing, and think 3rd is the best we can realistically expect this season. Still improvements to make but feeling fairly positive with a kinder run of fixtures coming up.... Up the Blues!!
 
Here are our results from 2020/21. The year we won the league despite a similarly shocking start to the season, won the league cup, got to the semi final of the FA Cup and was runner up in the CL.

We got 86 points that season, likely not enough to win the league this year, but as you can see the losses and draws look worse then than the current ones we are having leaving me to believe that if we can get a run going we can be a 90 point team again this year.

We need to believe we can win nearly every game until January give to take the odd draw, which in my opinion, if we beat Liverpool at home and get a point away to Newcastle, I see no reason why we cannot win every other game.



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robbieh said:
We've got 4 good players to come back in
Ait Nouri Marmoush and Cherki and Kovacic.
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It will be nice to have them back but, while they’ve been injured, they have all lost their places and none of them are guaranteed to walk straight back in.
 
Cobwebcat said:
It will be nice to have them back but, while they’ve been injured, they have all lost their places and none of them are guaranteed to walk straight back in.
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Marmoush is our best presser so he'll start/ fill in when Pep feels he needs that.

I think that probably added to why he parked the bus.. we were tired and he didn't have the option of using pressers like he would normally so he went about things practically!
 
We could argue that we should be on 12 points as we have been our own worst enemy in both the Brighton and Arsenal games, a second goal in each game would have put them to bed.
Having said that we are still a work in progress both tactically and having a fully fit squad.
As others have said 3rd is looking most likely, though if we are still close at Christmas and can add one or two in January (hoping more than expecting) then winning it is a possibility.
Think we are similar to where we were in 16/17 with next season being the one to watch.
 
I do wonder if the Wolves game led us in to a false sense of security and a bit of complacency with regards to where we were/are.

In particular the body language and general lack of ideas in the second half against Brighton was worrying. Notwithstanding the arrival of Donnarumma and the confidence he has brought, I suspect something has gone on behind the scenes - the difference between that game and the subsequent games this past week was remarkable, as if someone has duly administered the required rocket up the appropriate orifice. Whether it’s come from Pep, or whether the players’ leadership group have taken it upon themselves, I don’t know; Haaland’s recent form, interviews and body language suggests possibly the latter. But there is a fire there now that wasn’t there against Spuds and Brighton.

I was working the night of the Napoli game but saw the United and Arsenal matches; the spirit and fight and togetherness was a massive improvement, it was like watching a completely different team to the Brighton game.

Certainly the marked shift in playing style has come from somewhere, and some have pointed at Lijnders. If that’s true - and it’s plausible - then it gives credence to the theory that Pep needed more help than he was getting from his previous close backroom staff. I remember not being the only one to venture last season that Pep was not being helped much by Juanma Lillo, and that was scoffed at in some quarters. The previous few games has made me think that perhaps there was something in it after all.

Overall thoughts. Was worried after 3 games - now optimistic after 5. I like the “new” City - it’s nice to see the team be able to play a different way than endless sideways passing and turn it (almost) into results. I don’t subscribe to the “we’re turning into Stoke” theory advanced elsewhere on these boards. Hope we keep on the current trajectory, but as long as the effort and spirit and desire is there I’ll be a happy blue.
 
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Sometimes we attempt to play possession-based football with our fullbacks high - other times we are willing to cede possession - even to the likes of Manchester United.

It's a mix of styles and our players are - of course - better at one style than the other but mostly not excellent at both.

If we're to do well, it seems that we need to carefully weave between possession-based and counter attack-based styles each week depending on whom we face given our squad and injuries.

For me, this isn't a winning formula as no squad can excel at both play styles - and thus we're bound not to excel at either style.

I'm not optimistic about our season as a result - 5th-8th or so is where I see us finishing.
 
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encouraging signs compared to the collapsy October/November/December of 2024, and, despite result being pretty good, the slightly fragile feel to the first half of 2025.

points wise...yeah, Brighton could have gone better and no-one likes losing to Spurs, but i love the new core.

A spine of Donnarumma, Gvardiol & Dias, Rodri and <midfielder> (Reijnders in time, i hope), Foden, Haaland, feels like it can win a champions league, perhaps next year.

Do we have the 4 wide players to go with that spine? possibly some
 
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
For me, this isn't a winning formula as no squad can excel at both play styles - and thus we're bound not to excel at either style.

I'm not optimistic about our season as a result - 5th-8th or so is where I see us finishing.
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Though the majority of the squad excel at possession football, while Haaland excels at playing in the counter. This definitely gives us a chance whichever way we play and could make us very effective.
 
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