Why we will win the league!

[pavelsrnicek]

I agree, but who knows, we are hardly out of it.

My biggest worry is I can find little to give me confidence that we will beat them at our place. Our record against them in crucial games is pretty iffy, and that's when we're on the top of our game which we certainly are not at the moment.

We will doubtless have all the possession, loads of half-chances and unless we get our act together, few if any converted. And they will catch us the counter with hugely more dangerous and effective strikers than e.g. Palace. I fear a carbon copy of the Spurs game... And pretty much every game where we've come unstuck.

I think it's a systematic flaw in our game right now tbh. We are far too "patient" (read slow) in our build up, allowing our better opponents to get their defences organized. Sometimes I think we could play for 2 hours without scoring. And as it goes on, inevitably with all our possession and not scoring we get more and more forward and more and more vulnerable to swift counter-attacks. We get away with it against dross, but increasingly the better sides have worked out how to play us I think.

And just to add to the pessimism, I think Guardiola - the best in the business at managing a team over a season - has got form in the "cocking it up" department.

Our problem is usually finishing. We outplayed Chelsea twice but only 1-0 in both games. We had enough chances to beat Spurs away, similarly Southampton away. Even against Liverpool we didn’t take our chances.

However, how anyone thinks Guardiola has form in the cocking it up department is beyond me. The only times he has failed to win the league in his career were his final season with Barca when Real won it with 100 points, his first season with us and 2 seasons ago when Liverpool won it with 99 points.

 

[trumpton]

It won't kill me if we don't win it. The times we haven't won it under Pep we have come back the next season and been dominant. Also, the Dippers going level with the Rags on 20 would be piss funny. As long as they don't also win the CL.......

Could win the lot.

That would put me on suicide watch!

 

[Chippy_boy]

The fact is, only Liverpool are on our level and in reality, currently above it.
All the other sides are in effect fodder for both teams - with the odd hiccup.
We were able to paper over the imbalance of having no striker for most of the time, such is the gulf, but now the pressure is on and with the tense business end of the season and CL to come, it comes back to haunt us. the Dippers have paced this well and have balance and firepower in abundance. Once again we failed to kick on after a good season.

I agree with this but I also think our lack of striker is not the whole problem.

A big part of it is sort of self-inflicted. Because we dominate possession as much as we do, it pretty much forces our opponents to play with 11 men behind the ball. It's not that our attacking players are useless because they are not - it's just really really difficult if our opponents are decent and well organized. Sure, sometimes - most of the time even - we eventually find a way though, but too often we do not.

This problem is not shared by Liverpool who do not dominate like we do. They can run in behind and often score on the counter.

I don't know what the answer is btw. I just think it's a problem.

 

[mancityscot]

They just find goals out of fucking nowhere. Tonight, 3 shots on target, 2 goals.
Huge difference

 

[Big Yaya Wilko 12]

Not winning it.

Liverpool have all the momentum.

As much as I was annoyed about Palace, it’s the Spurs game that killed us. Can’t concede after scoring last minute.

Horrendous job seeing out an 8 point gap.

 

[Claytop]

If Liverpool win out from here it would be pretty hard to argue they don’t deserve it.

Though as we know ‘this iz football’ so could still be more twists and turns even after the game between us.

 

[MadchesterCity]

I agree with this but I also think our lack of striker is not the whole problem.

A big part of it is sort of self-inflicted. Because we dominate possession as much as we do, it pretty much forces our opponents to play with 11 men behind the ball. It's not that our attacking players are useless because they are not - it's just really really difficult if our opponents are decent and we'll organized. Sure, sometimes - most of the time even - we eventually find a way though, but too often we do not.

This problem is not shared by Liverpool who do not dominate like we do. They can run in behind and often score on the counter.

I don't know what the answer is btw. I just think it's a problem.

Maybe we need to concede a few corners so we can counterattack

 

[Big Jonjo]

There's a lot of flapping going on here. I don't have a crystal ball and am not suggesting we are definitely going to win the league, however we have as good as chance, if not better than Liverpool to win it. Make no mistake, Liverpool are a good team but so are we. Remember they have to come to our ground, imagine if we had to go to Anfield to win, there would be even more flappers. We're Manchester City, current League Champions, we have a world class squad and a world class manager. The Dippers are all getting a bit giddy now and rightly so, but stop listening to the bandwagon in the media, think more what we've achieved and who we are...Super City!

 

[Chippy_boy]

Our problem is usually finishing. We outplayed Chelsea twice but only 1-0 in both games. We had enough chances to beat Spurs away, similarly Southampton away. Even against Liverpool we didn’t take our chances.

Yes, we always dominate.

However, how anyone thinks Guardiola has form in the cocking it up department is beyond me.

I meant in must-win games, knock-out stages etc. Is it a pure coincidence he hasn't won the CL in 11 years despite having what's regarded as the best side for several of those years, and a competitive one for all of them? It's starting to look like a pattern. Whilst he's brilliant at getting the whole squad playing interchangeably and able to manage injuries and suspensions over a while season - his in-game tactics are often questionable or just downright bizarre. I mean just look at that shit show of a CL final. Or the travesty against Lyon FFS. Or Liverpool the year before. Or Spurs before that. Its serial balls ups in crucial games.

 

[Zinchilla]

There’s a quarter of the season to go, there was tears it’s unfair from everyone at Xmas when we went on a run, we’ve dropped a few points as you do & now it’s ready for the home straight. They’ve got to maintain this for another 9 games plus cups, that’s a lot of football.

Good point A quarter of the season to play, people being influenced by the media that Liverpool have our balls in a vice with a couple of games to play for. Loads of football to play with the FA and CL cups to be factored in as you say.
They had the rub of the green tonight. Arsenal hugely improving, but hugely naive e.g the Saka clearance and a lack of conviction e.g Odegaards double touch before shooting. Liverpool have flaws - Alexander Arnold cannot defend and they have limited midfield creativity. Posh route one, quick balls over the top by their full backs. Pep needs to overload the movement on our left flank, scare the shit out of Alexander Arnold.

the way klopperty was going mental at the 4th official suggests he knows they have to win every game. That’s a huge ask.