United (H) - Sun 15th Dec, 16:30 | PL | Pre-Match Thread

[bondsman]

It’s also a big comedown from the hugely intensive efforts of winning four league titles in a row including a quintuple.

In the last decade, teams who’ve won just one league title have seen massive drop-offs the season after because it takes a monumental effort to win the PL.

United - Champions in 2013, 7th in 2014
Chelsea - Champions in 2015, 10th in 2016
Leicester - Champions in 2016, 12th in 2017
Chelsea - Champions in 2017, 5th in 2018

City - Champions in 1968, 13th in 1969
City - Champions in 1937, relegated in 1938

Even in 2019-20, after achieving 100pts and 98pts to win two PL titles in a row plus a domestic quadruple in the previous two seasons; we finished a distant second on 81pts and we had a much better team that season than we have now.

Liverpool got 99pts then 97pts two seasons running, finishing second and first. Then in 2020-21, fell of a cliff and only got 69pts finishing 3rd.
Then in 2021-22, finished 2nd with 92pts and fell off another cliff to 67pts finishing 5th in 2022-23.

Even to a lesser extent: Newcastle getting into the top four, then dropping off since and Villa doing the same this past two seasons.

How many teams do you see get promoted, have a good season, then get relegated in the second season?

Drop-offs happen. They’re completely natural. The lack of understand of that is absolutely mental from our fanbase, it’s barely being spoken about at all. I genuinely feel like I’m one of the few talking about it.

And we didn’t just win one league title, or two in a row, we won FOUR IN A ROW, in addition to the Champions League (with the hugely tough run of Bayern in the quarters, Madrid in the semis plus a massively tough final against Inter which must have been mentally gruelling in the manner the game went), FA Cup (with final against our biggest rivals), Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Not saying there’s no truth in this but if it were that simple why didn’t we drop off every year after winning the league? We managed not to and win 4 in a row. Everyone tweaking something or evolving our game.

 

[IcriedwhenTueartleft]

People forgetting that we hit them on the break twice in the 1st half in the 6-3 win at home in 2022, we don't seem to do that anymore...score goals that start at pace from our own half.
Hopefully Akanji and Kova are fit enough to start, we could use them big time.
If we score first we will win.
Letting them score early first could signify a frustrating 80 minutes or so ahead.
I'd much prefer Ortega to start as well.

 

[IcriedwhenTueartleft]

The past two years: that's the period since December 2022. In that period we played the best football under Pep, humiliating Real, Bayern, Arsenal, Liverpool, beating them by 3-4 goals, going 26 games unbeaten in Europe, a record in the entire history of the European club competitions, and winning a record 4 in a row title, despite players like KDB and Haaland missing months of football.

If that's getting stale, I want more of it.

Other clubs change managers because they don't have Pep. We have Pep, we won’t change him. It's that simple.

We haven't beaten Arse or Liverpool in the last 3 meetings each, didn't win either leg of the Real game...that's no wins in 8 games against those clubs...all the great wins you mention were prior to start of last season....and we are worse now than then unfortunately

 

[shemnel]

CL qualification is vital to attract elite players for the rebuild/refit.

Liverpool and Chelsea have done well then? Liverpool were out of the CL for 4 years to 2013, and then another patch, but seem to have roared back? Chelsea have been in and out of it for a decade but, and i know they have a weird squad setup, they appear to be on the up? Arsenal were out of it for SIX seasons until a couple of years ago, theyve got some very good players over that time. Unless we are now going to make a case that we're somehow not as attractive as those clubs? I don't by any stretch want this to occur to City, by the way.

If City are the well run attractive option that many of us claim, and have a long term place in the top echelons of the PL due to that success and business acumen like many of us think, then not qualifying a season or two should be just a blip.

Sorry ive just realised this is the United match thread, didnt realise.

 

[Victorinodennistua]

Zero confidence. They will play counter attacking football and we will defend like donkeys again.

I’m going 4-4

 

[alexmcity]

We haven't beaten Arse or Liverpool in the last 3 meetings each, didn't win either leg of the Real game...that's no wins in 8 games against those clubs...all the great wins you mention were prior to start of last season....and we are worse now than then unfortunately

Prior to the start of last season is still 8 months after the end of 2022 when our supposed decline started according to the poster I replied to. We had more injuries last season than in 22/23, and this season we have more injuries than last season. Kevin missed many games last season, including the game in Madrid. Unlike in 22/23 Stones missed many games too. Haaland was out for most of December and January.

Yet, we finished the season with 9 consecutive wins in the league and without losing a game in the CL, penalties aside. If that's bad, I want more of it. We were in for another Treble as late as April despite the injuries.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

I'm looking forward to going to the game but I'm not as confident as usual for obvious reasons. If we get behind the team and raise the noise levels it will spur the lads on.

Come on City!

 

[alexmcity]

The last time the knives were properly out was 4 years ago, in December 2020 when we failed to beat United, 0:0 at OT, and WBA, 2:2 at the Etihad. Many were thinking back then that Pep had lost it. City won the next 21 games in all competitions.

Now, the next 2 games are United and Villa. We might fail to win them both and go down to 6th or 7th in the table. Imagine the scenes.

 

[lionheart]

The good thing about this particular Derby is that a draw would actually be quite a good result. We are no longer expected nor indeed desperate to win every game. Will be satisfied with a 2-2 draw, finishing the season 4th but well above the Rags again.

 

[Benarbia’s Backheel]

Just looking at our remaining fixtures and I can’t help but feel that this game has the potential to decide our whole season. If we win it and take some confidence into the Villa game and scrape a draw there then we’re looking healthy, position wise. If we lose though and Villa win this weekend, and we then go to Villa park and lose then we will be 4 points behind Villa with some incredibly tough games coming up.
Wakey wakey Pep