Who will be our main rivals this season?

[Blue Mist]

Why isnt Manchester City listed as an option on the poll ? It might flush out some of the pretend Blues who have posted on here over the last few weeks as they would be thick enough to click the Blues.

Anyway, as most have said, Chelsea. I cant see anyone else threatening us.

 

[Well Wisher]

You know how Liverpool got an extraordinary amount of help in one season to get them close so it didn't look quite so suspicious the next season when they won it? Well mut'd have had a bit more than usual this season..

 

[Keeper!]

Why isnt Manchester City listed as an option on the poll ? It might flush out some of the pretend Blues who have posted on here over the last few weeks as they would be thick enough to click the Blues.

Anyway, as most have said, Chelsea. I cant see anyone else threatening us.

Next season will be hard, make no mistake about that.

Our players again will have little or no break.

Chelsea , Liverpool and the Rags will strengthen.

Never be complacent, we strengthen, regroup and go again.

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

The obvious team that everyone else has pointed out will be Chelsea. They have a good squad and now they have a good manager, he will make them a far better team than this season. I think they will run us close to the title.

Liverpool are the team I'm really not sure about. Once VVD is back then in theory they should start to improve, but they look so jaded to me and the Europa league is going to drain them as it does with every team who enter it. I would really applaud any team who won the league and Europa at the same time! :) However, if Klopp can get some more salbutamol in for them and freshen the squad up, I think he will deserve a lot of credit. I think he will get them back into the top 4 but don't see a title challenge from them. The days of 90+ points have gone for them.

I don't see United doing what they did this season. They've overachieved partly because Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool have had terrible seasons. I think they'll go back to 4th/5th again next year. Leicester are a tricky one as they look a very good team but I don't see them improving and will do well to hold on to Madison, Tielemens etc.

What really gets me though is that the best managers in the league are obviously Pep, Tuchel, Klopp and they all had a great track record beforehand. It show what happens to teams when you bring in the right manager for your team. We identified Pep and set the club up for him. Liverpool gave Klopp time and money to build the squad he wanted. Tuchel came in and just did the basics - fix the defence. Next year he will put his mark on the squad.

It staggers me that clubs like United are happy to let Frodo have a crack, Chelsea with Lampard, Mason at the moment with Spurs, Arsenal with Arteta. It really is false economy. If I was a Chairman, I would be looking at City and Liverpool and trying to copy them. I wouldn't be thinking "Ooh Rio Ferdinand was a good player and sounds good on MOTD, I bet he's good". I'd be doing the opposite.

My top 4 next year:

City
Chelsea
Liverpool
United

 

[mccity]

The team of Martin Tyler and Gary Neville.

 

[Blue Mist]

Next season will be hard, make no mistake about that.

Our players again will have little or no break.

Chelsea , Liverpool and the Rags will strengthen.

Never be complacent, we strengthen, regroup and go again.

I didn't mean to sound complacent. I just assume that we WILL strengthen, that means the rags and dippers have to do even more than buy a couple of players to try and keep up with us. Forget spurs and arsenal, I would love Everton to challenge but they are Everton, Leicester, West ham, mmmm doubt it. Both could be top 4 but it is between us and Chelsea

 

[Millo]

Chelsea. They have a good manager who has got them organised and made them hard to beat.

 

[der bomber28]

Rags will be “pushed” even further next season by Var/officials. Bit like the dippers a few seasons ago.

 

[Grassland Blue]

Chelsea since Tuchel came and gave them more discipline as well as the bedding in of the players they signed last summer have looked very good and I expect them to carry that on next season.

United, for all we might look at them and wonder how they get away with it, are effective and will continue to be so. Greenwood is getting better all the time, Calvani has settled in to Premier League football and has at least one more season in him - they will remain dangerous and their ability to grind out results - particularly away from home means that if we slip they could challenge.

Liverpool need to rebuild their midfield - it isn't good enough. Another struggle for them as Klopp takes a year to beds new players into the demands he places on them.

Tottenham and Arsenal - ha ha why are they even on this list?

Leicester will make another couple of cute purchases, but they need to replace Vardy - if they do and can cope with Champions League then they may be in the mix for good part of the season.

I agree.
Kane to the foxes..?

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

Not being arrogant but if we do good business in the transfer market I don't see a genuine threat. If Chelsea do some good business as well I can see them as best of the rest.