Will we win the league this season?

The problem in this game was that we could not control the transitions. Rodri went off and Milinković-Savić was the best player on the pitch. We had so many problems last season with defending against transitions so much so that we dropped the wide forwards and went with attacking full-backs.

It's quite worrying that Rodri went off. Kovacic and especially Rodri are our defensive midfielders. We were without both at times. Even if the midfield is wide-open, I still expect our defenders to do better.

This was our first test after the June window and we failed. You can't say we were unlucky. Al-Hilal were a constant menace on the counter-attack. PSG lost to Botafogo, and I can say it was a fluke because a team can defend their penalty area for 90 minutes. It happens. We on the other hand were wide open. We have to fix that.

We can bring Ries and Khusanov in but if we do that, expect many errors.
 
Yes.

But the road, specially in the first half of the season, will be bumpy. We'll have some disappointing results and performances, the critics will be vocal, forgetting we are building a new team.

The new players and Rodri will need time for different reasons. Once they can perform at 100%, we'll be hard to stop.

I'm looking forward to watching Cherki. He can create chances out of nothing. Prodigious talent around the box.
 
alexmcity said:
Yes.

But the road, specially in the first half of the season, will be bumpy. We'll have some disappointing results and performances, the critics will be vocal, forgetting we are building a new team.

The new players and Rodri will need time for different reasons. Once they can perform at 100%, we'll be hard to stop.

I'm looking forward to watching Cherki. He can create chances out of nothing. Prodigious talent around the box.
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That's very wishful thinking. I am typically guilty of that but in this game the exact same problems that were apparent last season emerged again. Last season, we dropped our wingers and played slow possession no-risk football because we couldn't defend against counter-attacks. In the CWC we opened up once more and although our attacking play was OK in that we created many chances, the exact same defensive weaknesses re-emerged.

OK, Rodri was not there for 90 minutes but that in itself is worrying. If Rodri does not recover, we will have to find another defensive midfielder and we need a central defender. Our central defence cannot defend against players running at them. They are usually OK with crosses and set-pieces.

This was a bad result and performance and I think every fan should be absolutely gutted with the outcome of this match. There are major problems with our defensive play that we have not addressed and Rodri's fitness is a concern.
 
Liverpool and arsenal are simply better than us right now. I thought that before the cwc and I haven’t seen anything to change my view.

We finish 3rd imo
 
Marvin. said:
That's very wishful thinking. I am typically guilty of that but in this game the exact same problems that were apparent last season emerged again. Last season, we dropped our wingers and played slow possession no-risk football because we couldn't defend against counter-attacks. In the CWC we opened up once more and although our attacking play was OK in that we created many chances, the exact same defensive weaknesses re-emerged.

OK, Rodri was not there for 90 minutes but that in itself is worrying. If Rodri does not recover, we will have to find another defensive midfielder and we need a central defender. Our central defence cannot defend against players running at them. They are usually OK with crosses and set-pieces.

This was a bad result and performance and I think every fan should be absolutely gutted with the outcome of this match. There are major problems with our defensive play that we have not addressed and Rodri's fitness is a concern.
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As you say, Rodri wasn't fully fit and available, nor do the new players fully understand how City play, e.g., Reijnders, RAN, Cherki, etc. The idea that they just join us and have an instant impact is wishful thinking.

Without Rodri regaining form we can't win the title, that's the truth. He's the best player for a reason. Half of the things he does seem boring or their impact is invisible, so he is a bit underrated. Clearly, a lot depends on whether Rodri will be able to fully recover till the end of the calendar year. Given he's a top professional, I'm optimistic. Only time can tell though.

Other than that, we have plenty of talent in the squad. Some of the younger players may have exceptional seasons and help us compete. But having Rodri back will be key.
 
DMA's said:
The squad is too big as it is. Don’t see any incomings
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But there will be some be outgoings......................eventually.

Now this tournament is over there is time for things to start moving along faster, we need a RB, so hope to fuck there will be some incomings, or we can forget your optimistic 3rd then!
 
mattyads said:
Not a chance.

It’s about getting CL for a few years and stabilising as a top 5 club.

We need to get rid of the older players, and unfortunately begin the more difficult task of offloading some of the recent signings.

The trend at the moment in terms of the quality in the squad is a worry.
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Thing is mate, if you look at our squad on paper, its stacked with talent.

Problem is defence, defensive mid, and goalkeeper. I dont think Ederson, Dias, Akanji, Ake, Lewis, Stones, Gundogan or kovacic can be relied upon anymore- either due to ability, age or fitness.
 
Imo No...its going to take at most another season to get this current team clicking.

Not seen anything in the games i've watched to be 100% confident

First 10 games of the new season will be telling
 
mancityscot said:
Thing is mate, if you look at our squad on paper, its stacked with talent.

Problem is defence, defensive mid, and goalkeeper. I dont think Ederson, Dias, Akanji, Ake, Lewis, Stones, Gundogan or kovacic can be relied upon anymore- either due to ability, age or fitness.
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On paper, yes!

That’s because of the players they used to be, as you say, now they all need to go on account of age and injuries.

My bigger concern is the players we are bringing in are nowhere near the level, and I think aren’t the right balance of players.

We can’t handle transition, pace and the physical side, and the club decide to sign more of the same ilk. Players that are good in tight areas, play nice football, but have few physical attributes to remedy our biggest weakness.


I’d take top 5 right now, and third would be a good achievement. The club really needs to improve on the recruitment and knowing when players should be moved on.
 
Statement wins at the beginning of the seaason would be ideal, we can snowball that. If we start slow, which is what I expect, we will have to chase the leaders and come good towards the end of the season, which we are more than capable of.
 
blueparrot said:
Pep has never had nor wanted a match day squad of 18.. Probably the smallest squad we’ve gone into a season with is about 21/22
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21 including players like Scott Carson and a couple of youngsters who will never play = no where near enough for a nigh on 70 game campaign. I hope he sort of names a separate league cup / fa cup / and group chumps league teams - this will help I think - give each of the three teams a challenge - helps build understanding etc. the league / Fa cup teams being players who will not be first choice in a main game - sort of happens now anyway but will be better if defined - this is my league cup team for the season etc
 
alexmcity said:
As you say, Rodri wasn't fully fit and available, nor do the new players fully understand how City play, e.g., Reijnders, RAN, Cherki, etc. The idea that they just join us and have an instant impact is wishful thinking.

Without Rodri regaining form we can't win the title, that's the truth. He's the best player for a reason. Half of the things he does seem boring or their impact is invisible, so he is a bit underrated. Clearly, a lot depends on whether Rodri will be able to fully recover till the end of the calendar year. Given he's a top professional, I'm optimistic. Only time can tell though.

Other than that, we have plenty of talent in the squad. Some of the younger players may have exceptional seasons and help us compete. But having Rodri back will be key.
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This CWC was a curse for Rodri - with his injury he needed a full year out - so that would have been mid Sept - now we may not have him until Christmas AND that's if he gets his confidence back - difficult with serious injury - feasibly may never be the same - which is totally understandable. I still believe we should have pulled out of this June farce - and that's well before last night's game
 
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