Will we win the league this season?

[alexmcity]

Our task is to keep within striking distance of Arsenal. They have the best squad. It's very unlikely that injuries are going to get them. What may get to them is the pressure of winning a first modern title if we can stay in touch.

For City, I think our side is growing in confidence and beginning to believe. That first 45 minutes at Brentford was very good indeed. It didn't last, but slowly and surely we are coming back. We need more wins and self-belief in what is a new team. Donnarumma, and Haaland have that in abundance. So has Foden, and he's back. Rodri has a minor hamstring injury but that will ease and he'll get more games. And we still have to harness Marmoush and Cherki.

One thing that can stop Arsenal is that some of their key players, those who have been overplayed since 22/23, have started to pick up injuries, the likes of Saliba, Saka and Odegaard. Another thing is whether Gyokeres will solve their problems in attack. Right now, he doesn't seem like a significant improvement on Havertz, if at all.

 

[Marvin.]

I think Pep will be happy at the moment with City's progress but I wonder what might happen after the international break with the imminent return of Cherki, Ait-Nouri, Marmoush and Khusanov?

One short-coming in the opening games has been that when we've been on top, we have not punished sides and scored the goals to make a game safe. We need to add goals from midfield and from out wide. Haaland has been brilliant and Doku has stepped up a level. Foden, Bobb and Reijnders do look like they have goals in them. Do we carry on as is, or do you think that Marmoush, and or Cherki should come in? We know that Marmoush is a very gifted player and he can certainly play as a striker, but for me he is not a wide player. We haven't been able to integrate Marmoush into the side with Haaland. When Alvarez was here, he dove-tailed with Haaland really well but it hasn't really happened with Marmoush. Yet.

I have not seen much of Cherki but his play for Lyon showed a lot of potential. Cherki could play on the right, or as as no. 10. If we play Cherki as a no. 10 then does Foden go right in which case Bobb drops out? Bobb has the potential to kick on and needs games.

Another option is that when Ait-Nouri comes back, we move O'Reilly to no.8 or the no.10 role. I think his technical quality is very good and that he could score goals bursting into the box.

I think that Pep is most likely to do nothing in the PL, and just add these players to our bench but we might experiment in the Cups.

A new City is taking shape, and it's quite exciting to watch. It may change some more in the next round of games as Marmoush and Cherki are top quality players with goals in them, and Pep is quite likely to utilise them, but how?

 

[Marvin.]

One thing that can stop Arsenal is that some of their key players, those who have been overplayed since 22/23, have started to pick up injuries, the likes of Saliba, Saka and Odegaard. Another thing is whether Gyokeres will solve their problems in attack. Right now, he doesn't seem like a significant improvement on Havertz, if at all.

They are experiencing injuries but the drop off in quality when these players are out e.g., Odeaard and Saka, is small because of the players they can bring in. Arsenal have a squad now which has the potential to dominate for years imo if they get that first title win. We look like the side best placed to stop them. Liverpool have huge offensive potential but their defence looks very shaky.

 

[alexmcity]

They are experiencing injuries but the drop off in quality when these players are out e.g., Odeaard and Saka, is small because of the players they can bring in. Arsenal have a squad now which has the potential to dominate for years imo if they get that first title win. We look like the side best placed to stop them. Liverpool have huge offensive potential but their defence looks very shaky.

Don't think that the difference between Saliba and Saka, on the one hand, and their replacements, on the other, is small. They have been a bit sterile vs good defences without Odegaard being available or in form.

Yes, they have improved the squad significantly, but as any other team they are dependent on their key players being available. And the thing is, those players have played a lot of football since the start of 22/23. Rice as well.

 

[Cellarite]

Discussion of domestic football is shutting down for a week of sportswashing but here's Lineker, Micah and Shearer on this weekend's football. They discuss City, Liverpool and Arsenal.

I like listening to Lineker and don't mind Shearer, but as soon as Micah Richards starts shouting and laughing at himself, I switch off!

 

[Marvin.]

I like listening to Lineker and don't mind Shearer, but as soon as Micah Richards starts shouting and laughing at himself, I switch off!

That episode was a bit boring but it's interesting to see what a non-biased group of footballers think about Liverpool. I don't trust my own views on them because I want them to fail. They all said that they will recover but I am not so sure they will.

City fans went on and on all Summer about buying a right back but our right back options are stronger than theirs. They also have to find a way of protecting Van Dijk and Konate.

 

[coolcity]

On 12 November in the treble season, we lost to the team we beat today. At the Etihad, too. This, from the report on the beeb:

Manchester City just crawled over the line against Fulham with a stoppage-time penalty from Haaland but there were no escape this time and they did not deserve one.

City started as if in a daze, conceding early chances, and they were still only half awake even after Toney headed Brentford in front.

It looked like they were back on track after Foden's leveller but for all their increased pressure there was none of their trademark fluency as they were frustrated by Brentford's defensive resilience and determination.

There was then the break for the World Cup. I think very, very few people thought we were going to be PL champions at that point. Nobody so much as conceived we were going to do the European treble.
The great thing about City — and it's been pretty much true since the 2011-12 season, and very true since Guardiola arrived — is that nobody quite knows how the team is going to evolve through the season. The one exception, really, was 2017-18, where we started at A and headed relentlessly to Z in a straight line. Last season, at slightly later than this point in it, City dropped through the floor. We'd been rocky, but nobody quite foresaw, either, quite how far we would plummet. Least of all the boss.
It's interesting being a City supporter, it's fun… I have no idea how this season is going to pan out.

Nobody quite foresaw how we would recover too, with most even saying we wouldn't make the CL this season but recover we did and only finished 3 points behind Arsenal in the end. In fact until the Brighton match or last away defeat in the league was in March 8 at Forest, so notwithstanding the fact we've had a summer break we've only lost 2 away matches in 7 months.

Unfortunately everybody forgets that and prefers to focus on the negatives. This season most are already writing us off for the title - not just saying it's unlikely but completely writing us off - yet here we are just 3 points behind Liverpool with 93 points yet to play for.

 

[chris63]

I thought Liverpool were going to walk it, now I think arsenal will win.
If we hang in there till Xmas you never know. We might be in with a shout.

 

[the blue panther]

I think Pep will be happy at the moment with City's progress but I wonder what might happen after the international break with the imminent return of Cherki, Ait-Nouri, Marmoush and Khusanov?

One short-coming in the opening games has been that when we've been on top, we have not punished sides and scored the goals to make a game safe. We need to add goals from midfield and from out wide. Haaland has been brilliant and Doku has stepped up a level. Foden, Bobb and Reijnders do look like they have goals in them. Do we carry on as is, or do you think that Marmoush, and or Cherki should come in? We know that Marmoush is a very gifted player and he can certainly play as a striker, but for me he is not a wide player. We haven't been able to integrate Marmoush into the side with Haaland. When Alvarez was here, he dove-tailed with Haaland really well but it hasn't really happened with Marmoush. Yet.

I have not seen much of Cherki but his play for Lyon showed a lot of potential. Cherki could play on the right, or as as no. 10. If we play Cherki as a no. 10 then does Foden go right in which case Bobb drops out? Bobb has the potential to kick on and needs games.

Another option is that when Ait-Nouri comes back, we move O'Reilly to no.8 or the no.10 role. I think his technical quality is very good and that he could score goals bursting into the box.

I think that Pep is most likely to do nothing in the PL, and just add these players to our bench but we might experiment in the Cups.

A new City is taking shape, and it's quite exciting to watch. It may change some more in the next round of games as Marmoush and Cherki are top quality players with goals in them, and Pep is quite likely to utilise them, but how?

The potential options we have when the majority of the squad become available is mind blowing.

Let's hope that we can keep this run going and that the players returning to fitness can come in to a confident, winning team. If that happens, every other team will sit up and take notice - and if we beat Liverpool on 9th November...............happy days!

 

[domalino]

I thought Liverpool were going to walk it, now I think arsenal will win.
If we hang in there till Xmas you never know. We might be in with a shout.

I think it's going to be a frustrating season because we *could* win it, but we'll likely not see enough players healthy and in good from at the same time to play to our potential.

Our bench as looked so weak in recent games, and while Foden and Doku have come into great form, Haaland is doing exceptionally, we still need Marmoush, Cherki, Reijnders, Dias to get back to their best and Khusanov, Rodri, Stones to all stay fit.

 

[blueparrot]

I think it's going to be a frustrating season because we *could* win it, but we'll likely not see enough players healthy and in good from at the same time to play to our potential.

Our bench as looked so weak in recent games, and while Foden and Doku have come into great form, Haaland is doing exceptionally, we still need Marmoush, Cherki, Reijnders, Dias to get back to their best and Khusanov, Rodri, Stones to all stay fit.

Unless there are injuries in the break we are close to full strength and some big players not even making the bench.

 

[pbueno16]

I think it's going to be a frustrating season because we *could* win it, but we'll likely not see enough players healthy and in good from at the same time to play to our potential.

Our bench as looked so weak in recent games, and while Foden and Doku have come into great form, Haaland is doing exceptionally, we still need Marmoush, Cherki, Reijnders, Dias to get back to their best and Khusanov, Rodri, Stones to all stay fit.

Should probably get most of the injured back in the next month which we should be able to make do with who is fit at the moment, but those players will have had a lot of minutes in their legs come the end of October.

As long as we're in the CL places come end of the season, then my expectation for the season was met and anything else is a nice bonus. If we're in an actual title challenge come February/March, it'll be a funny combination of us coming good/the rebuild being "ahead of schedule" and Liverpool/Arsenal absolutely falling apart.

 

[simon23]

Firstly, the only measure of another poster’s character and disposition on a forum is what they post, so that approach is not stupid at all. It’s actually entirely rational.

And secondly if you’d ‘loved every minute’ of the last 8 seasons then you wouldn’t have said seven games in, when we are three points off top, that we don’t don’t deserve to win the league this season. Those simply aren’t the sentiments of someone who has loved every minute of six titles in eight seasons. If you had loved every minute then you wouldn’t post in those terms, so what you have asserted is a lie.

I said we dont deserve to win the league with the way we are playing at the moment...I also said that we could win it if we pep gets hold of the players and they continue to develop...Who are you to say what someone would and wouldnt post....again trying to judge someone you dont know...

And the fact that you even try to judge someones character that you will never know is odd...why do it....why not just argue against the post instead of have a go at someones character...why try to make it personal and not just have a go at the point of view? Is there something about you that needs to do that for some reason?

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Is there something about you that needs to do that for some reason?

No.

 

[simon23]

No.

Then why do it?

 

[Marvin.]

There is still a lot of upside for City. We don't know how Khusanov, Rodri, O'Reilly, Marmoush, Cherki and Bobb are going to develop. All should improve. You can possibly add Savinho, Doku, Foden and Gvardiol to that.

Gvardiol played at a very high level last season, at least offensively. There are signs after an injury hampered start that he is becoming more influential. Think about the assists he made for Haaland vs Monaco and Brentford. How many defenders can make forward passes like that? Very few I would say.

 

[Danny Tiatto]

I think it's going to be a frustrating season because we *could* win it, but we'll likely not see enough players healthy and in good from at the same time to play to our potential.

Our bench as looked so weak in recent games, and while Foden and Doku have come into great form, Haaland is doing exceptionally, we still need Marmoush, Cherki, Reijnders, Dias to get back to their best and Khusanov, Rodri, Stones to all stay fit.

But you dont always have to play to your potential to win a league title. Yes this team probably won’t post 90 points but I don’t think they will need that total to win this league this season.

Arsenal have finished 2nd 3 times in a row now. There is just no way that they won’t be feeling all sorts of pressure if they have someone on their tail for the run in.

 

[blueste41]

 

[coolcity]

I still think some of you are doing us a dis-service. We're "not playing well" yet are 3 points away from Liverpool, who some were suggesting we were "light years" away from just a couple of weeks ago. I don't think they're that good, I said so before their short bad run and it's panned out as I suggested it might so far, which was that they couldn't keep relying on late goals and scraping through.

Arsenal are strong and high energy but not that technically brilliant (ironically I'm typing this just as Saka just scores a great goal, albeit against a crap Welsh defence), I think they're a bit kick and rush, always run out of energy and ideas and I can't see anything in them that says this season will be any different.

Many are doubting our squad but our rivals are no better off and I think we have the best squad by some distance. I just wish a few more people would have a bit more belief, after the last 10-15 years this club deserves that much at least. We've only played a quarter of the season and we can only get better.

 

[Marvin.]

Best keeper in the Premier League? Donnarumma.
Best central defender: Van der Ven but Gvardiol is not far behind imo. And Stones and Dias won't be far behind.
Best central midfielder: Rodri. Ok he's not at the moment, but time is our friend.
Best attacking midfielder: Foden. He was POTY 2 years ago, and he's coming back.
Best winger: Doku. The flashes of brilliance are becoming regular.
Best striker: Erling Haaland.

Contrary to others, I don't see many weaknesses in the squad. We need more goalscorers. We need self-belief and more killer instinct in games. That will come if the players start to believe that the league title is on. At the moment I think City fans are still not sure. Some like me believe it, others don't.