Next Season Expectations

[PieCrust]

No CB, no RW, no CM? Continue to dither in the transfer market? Top six maybe, top 4 no way, let alone any challenge for the title. Europa league once again will be the best route to champion's league football next season. Not to say I think we'll win it, but it's more likely than top 4.

Europa league is the current level of Manchester United. We're a mid-table, possible top 6 club that can really only hope for an FA or league cup run for a trophy. We are terrible in the transfer market and that is a direct result of the board letting Ed run things. There will be no real progress until Ed is relieved of football operation duties. He's awful.

 

[pocco]

I don't think we'll make any new signings and therefore i think were going into the season with glaring weaknesses yet again. Probably worse in midfield due to Herrera leaving.

I think it's going to be another 5th/6th battle, but it could get worse if the shit hits the fan. Think the usual lot will finish above us, but I'm really expecting Leicester to have a good season. They've got payers all over the park that would play for us and Rodgers, who I believe plays good football.

There's a couple of others that could potentially give us a run for our money.

I think we'll be expecting Sancho to sign for us come next summer but after seeing our 'rebuild' this summer, followed by another mediocre season, he'll tell us he's happy in Dortmund. I just can't help but feel that things we're doing now are going to haunt us for a very long time. This summer was the time for action and it's been another diabolical effort from Woodward.

 

[Johan07]

Simon Stone just wrote an excellent piece at BBC: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/49144693
Its worth checking out.

 

[lysglimt]

I can't see why people are so negative towards us reaching top-4. Catching City and Liverpool .. fine, I get that noone expect that to happen.

But if we look at this objectively - Arsenal with their defense and central midfield and Chelsea without Hazard and no obvious goalscorer- do they really scare you guys that much ?

 

[Raw]

I can't see why people are so negative towards us reaching top-4. Catching City and Liverpool .. fine, I get that noone expect that to happen.

But if we look at this objectively - Arsenal with their defense and central midfield and Chelsea without Hazard and no obvious goalscorer- do they really scare you guys that much ?

Well Arsenals attack is superior to ours, Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe are going to win them points. If they get Tierney too I'd say they've got a good chance.

Chelsea are a bit of a wild card for me. They're going through a complete change in philosophy with their approach to youth, and their youth players are pretty damn good but it still remains to be seen if Lampard has what it takes.

If we actually sign a couple more players I'd be more confident. But right now all we've really improved on is RB and we've gotten worse in CM by losing Herrera.

 

[roonster09]

Top 4, good style of attacking play and also hope for next season that we are going in right direction.

 

[M16Red]

I can't see why people are so negative towards us reaching top-4. Catching City and Liverpool .. fine, I get that noone expect that to happen.

But if we look at this objectively - Arsenal with their defense and central midfield and Chelsea without Hazard and no obvious goalscorer- do they really scare you guys that much ?

City - Kompany has left City and he was their captain, I think people under estimate the dress room influence. Liverpool haven't kicked on this year and really had good season last year injury wise.

 

[redIndianDevil]

Top 6, decent football, a philosophy or a set way to play, also looking forward for a settled backline throughout the season.

 

[M16Red]

Well Arsenals attack is superior to ours, Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe are going to win them points. If they get Tierney too I'd say they've got a good chance.

Maybe but who plays in the midfield and deference, I wouldn't take any of them... who is there goalkeeper now? Petr Cech has retired...

 

[Sarni]

We'll be in a top 4 race. Arsenal and Tottenham have not got materially better, (though Pepe and Ndombele will be good buys, and Ceballos is an adequate replacement for Ramsey) Chelsea have got significantly worse with Hazard's departure and also have an inexperienced manager, and City and Liverpool will still be well outside of our reach (at least 15 points ahead).

I'd say it's 50/50 we make top 4. As for transfer window, I'm happy we did not sign (big name) players just for the sake of it but disappointed about how little business we have managed to complete. I'd like us to look outside the box a little more and sign some younger players from France/Germany as that's where we can find the best value, and we haven't done that at all in recent years. It seems like we are only ever interested in big names and British players nowadays.

 

[edgar allan]

Ha

I can't see why people are so negative towards us reaching top-4. Catching City and Liverpool .. fine, I get that noone expect that to happen.

But if we look at this objectively - Arsenal with their defense and central midfield and Chelsea without Hazard and no obvious goalscorer- do they really scare you guys that much ?

Have you looked at our defence ??
Have we got an obvious goal scorer?
Dont even start with our midfield with 2 out and none in.

 

[M16Red]

Ha

Have you looked at our defence ??
Have we got an obvious goal scorer?
Dont even start with our midfield with 2 out and none in.

Fellaini - did you think he was good enough?
Herrera - will be missed, but big MC has pushed on pre-season (I wasn't his biggest fan) and is looking like a good player

Our problem was fitness as stats show last season we were like the lowest of all the distance (IIRC) charts

Pessimistic bunch aren't you.

 

[sun_tzu]

I can't see why people are so negative towards us reaching top-4. Catching City and Liverpool .. fine, I get that noone expect that to happen.

But if we look at this objectively - Arsenal with their defense and central midfield and Chelsea without Hazard and no obvious goalscorer- do they really scare you guys that much ?

you know arsenal conceded less than us last season right... plus have holding coming back and with pepe lacazette and aubamyang have approximately a fek ton of goals in that forward line... midfield of toriera and guendozi defencivley and cellebos / ozil (depending if ozil can be bothered) behind that front line.... plus nelson and smith-rowe back from loan add some depth to the squad as well

i think we can finish above arsenal but I wouldnt be dismissive of them ... chelsea as you say look to be short of a striker and a lot of preasuure will be on Giroud, Abraham and presumable Batshuai will be back and if one of them can have a 20 goal season then Chelsea look pretty formidible - Batshuai had good goal / game ratios at palace and dortmund - safe to say hes not conviinced at Chelsea or Valencia but I still think its going to be a fight for 4th

 

[Raw]

Maybe but who plays in the midfield and deference, I wouldn't take any of them... who is there goalkeeper now? Petr Cech has retired...

Yeah midfield and defence are their biggest worries but like I said if they get Tierney in then they've made good improvements alongside Ceballos and Pepe, essentially adding 3 new first team players to fill holes in their squad. Whereas we've only filled 1 with AWB, remains to be seen if James is going to be first choice. Sign a CB and a CM and we'll have a better chance than them at top 4.

Leno is their main keeper now (and was mostly last season) and he's been pretty decent.

 

[Bestietom]

Same as last 6 years. Top 4.

 

[IrishMcD]

I have a feeling this could be our worst season in a very long time, a marque player who doesn't want to be here in Pogba, an injury prone and calamitous group of central defenders, no proven goal scorer, amd a collection of very average players or players past their prime, who look like they will still play a major part in our coming season (Mata, Lingard, Fred, Matic, Jones, Rojo, Young, possibly even Sanchez)
Not easy to be positive about the coming season when you see all the massive issues still in our squad, and other than right back, we have resolved nothing this transfer window.

 

[M16Red]

Yeah midfield and defence are their biggest worries but like I said if they get Tierney in then they've made good improvements alongside Ceballos and Pepe, essentially adding 3 new first team players to fill holes in their squad. Whereas we've only filled 1 with AWB, remains to be seen if James is going to be first choice. Sign a CB and a CM and we'll have a better chance than them at top 4.

Leno is their main keeper now (and was mostly last season) and he's been pretty decent.

While they are good players, they are new to the EPL lets see how they settle in. I think that's why Ole is trying to buy UK based players - they know the UK. I mean a simple thing like driving on the correct side of the road takes a while to get used to, never mind the weather - cold night in Newcastle and all that ;-)

But all in all I'm looking forward to new season and the pre-season has been good to watch.

 

[TRUERED89]

Maybe but who plays in the midfield and deference, I wouldn't take any of them... who is there goalkeeper now? Petr Cech has retired...

Leno been #1 since last season, who's actually a very good keeper.

 

[MUFC OK]

Absolute battle for 4th, and one which we aren't favourites for. We don't have a bad first XI and will play a different style, but after that we are relying on players that don't fit the system or aren't good enough, and there are a lot of them still here who should not be.

 

[TRUERED89]

Absolute battle for 4th, and one which we aren't favourites for. We don't have a bad first XI and will play a different style, but after that we are relying on players that don't fit the system or aren't good enough, and there are a lot of them still here who should not be.

Do you think signing McGuire will solidify top 4? Or do we still need a CM & RW just to compete?

 

[MUFC OK]

Do you think signing McGuire will solidify top 4? Or do we still need a CM & RW just to compete?

I think he would make us joint favourites for 4th with Arsenal. Fernandes and RW/striker gets us in there in my opinion.

 

[TRUERED89]

I think he would make us joint favourites for 4th with Arsenal. Fernandes and RW/striker gets us in there in my opinion.

So CB,CM & RW or no top 4? I think we can squeeze in there; if McGuire gets over the line..

 

[reddevil702]

Well Arsenals attack is superior to ours, Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe are going to win them points. If they get Tierney too I'd say they've got a good chance.

Chelsea are a bit of a wild card for me. They're going through a complete change in philosophy with their approach to youth, and their youth players are pretty damn good but it still remains to be seen if Lampard has what it takes.

If we actually sign a couple more players I'd be more confident. But right now all we've really improved on is RB and we've gotten worse in CM by losing Herrera.

On paper Lukaku, Rashford and Martial should have been much better! We still need to see how well Pepe adjust to the PL. And you never know, Greenwood may have a better season than Pepe.

 

[reddevil702]

Top 4 even if we don't sign anyone else (assuming Pogba stays). Expecting a good season from Greenwood, Rashford and Martial upfront. Not saying Greenwood is going to get 20 goals or anything but I'm hoping he's established himself in the first XI by December, specifically that RW spot. Mctominay seems like he's due for a big season and hopefully Fred can continue the form he showed towards the end of the season.

 

[snowkarl]

On paper Lukaku, Rashford and Martial should have been much better! We still need to see how well Pepe adjust to the PL. And you never know, Greenwood may have a better season than Pepe.

Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe are all elite strikers and you'll doom Greenwood if you start comparing him to any of them.

Arsenal have major weaknesses and we should be able to finish above them with the correct additions (CM, CB & FW) but Martial and Rashford have never come close to elite numbers, despite their 'talent'. Greenwood is a youngster and reserve player and if he scores even one goal in the coming season that will be nothing but bonus. We should expect nothing from him not only to build a team good enough to finish 4th or higher but to protect him from the pressures that have caused equally talented players like Wilshere, Morrison and Bentley to lose focus and drive.

Greenwood might start a few games, but unless he's a Giggs-level talent he's probably starting less than 5 games in the PL this year.

 

[RedDevil-85]

I think we will finish outside top 4 if we go into the season as is.

I dont trust the squad,they seem to have a weak mentality and if we hit a rough patch they seem incapable of coming out of it.
The team is capable of going on a long winning streak like we saw last season,but they are also capable of losing games while playing like absolute shit against teams we should beat.
We never know which Manchester United will turn up and i think this will continue next season as we barely have leaders in the squad and no real captain.

Im excited for Gomez and Greenwood,really hope both of them get alot of playing time.
Bissaka looks a solid signing and cant wait to see James at full speed against tired defenders.

 

[MUFC OK]

So CB,CM & RW or no top 4? I think we can squeeze in there; if McGuire gets over the line..

If your recruitment is aiming for top 4, you run a very real risk of not getting there. If you aim for top 2/3, you are more likely to secure top 4.

 

[TRUERED89]

If your recruitment is aiming for top 4, you run a very real risk of not getting there. If you aim for top 2/3, you are more likely to secure top 4.

We should always be aiming as high as possible no matter how difficult it seems, get a solid CB and top 4 should be more than achievable!

 

[steve.crowford]

PL Winner: Man utd
2nd: ManCity
3rd: Liverpool
4th: Chelsea
5th: Arsenal
6th: Spurs
7th: Everton

CL winner: Liverpool

FA Cup winner: Chelsea

League Cup winner: Arsenal

PL top scorer: Salah or Kane

Relegated: Brighton, Norwich, Sheff Utd

 

[AlwaysRed66]

Managers make a big difference, & we have probably the worst of the top 6, & that includes Chelsea.

 

[TheLord]

Sixth.

Would be pleasantly surprised with fifth and shocked with fourth.

 

[Andy_Cole]

With Dybala we’re winning the league.

 

[TMDaines]

I don’t see us finishing ahead of both Arsenal and Chelsea, and we’ll likely need that for fourth. I actually think one or more of Leicester, Everton and Wolves might be our competition for sixth. I correctly predicted sixth last season and think we face more of a fight to finish there this year. Sixth again most likely though.

I wish I could be optimistic, but Ole’s currently on one of the worst competitive runs in the club’s history and it could end up the worst after the first couple of games of next season. The manager looked out of his depth once the no-more-Mou bounce has evaporated and now he’s expected to mould the team into his own. The team has actually looked less effective the more time he spends with them and I don’t see that changing.

The squad had glaring gaps in my view headed into the summer and we’ve overlooked both of them. We have no true holding midfielder and still won’t headed into 19/20. McT isn’t the answer and it simply has never been Matic’s forte. Any defenders would struggle with our midfield in front of them, as it is simply too easy for them to be directly attacked. The right wing hasn’t really been addressed either. James is raw and hasn’t always played there anyway. Wan Bissaka isn’t the all-in-one right-side solution, despite evidently having defensive strengths.

Because of all of the above, I expect us to struggle in our first two games, failing to win both. I expect the negativity to mount and I expect the writing to be on the wall for Ole come the autumn, with only the tardiness of our board keeping him in the job until December. I think there’s a less than 50% chance that Ole sees out the season and continues into 20/21.

I hope I am wrong. I hope we beat Chelsea and Wolves and get off to a good start. I hope Ole is an unqualified success. I just don’t see it right now.

Sixth is my estimation and with Ole leaving too.

 

[Leftback99]

I don’t see us finishing ahead of both Arsenal and Chelsea, and we’ll likely need that for fourth. I actually think one or more of Leicester, Everton and Wolves might be our competition for sixth. I correctly predicted sixth last season and think we face more of a fight to finish there this year. Sixth again most likely though.

I wish I could be optimistic, but Ole’s currently on one of the worst competitive runs in the club’s history and it could end up the worst after the first couple of games of next season. The manager looked out of his depth once the no-more-Mou bounce has evaporated and now he’s expected to mould the team into his own. The team has actually looked less effective the more time he spends with them and I don’t see that changing.

The squad had glaring gaps in my view headed into the summer and we’ve overlooked both of them. We have no true holding midfielder and still won’t headed into 19/20. McT isn’t the answer and it simply has never been Matic’s forte. Any defenders would struggle with our midfield in front of them, as it is simply too easy for them to be directly attacked. The right wing hasn’t really been addressed either. James is raw and hasn’t always played there anyway. Wan Bissaka isn’t the all-in-one right-side solution, despite evidently having defensive strengths.

Because of all of the above, I expect us to struggle in our first two games, failing to win both. I expect the negativity to mount and I expect the writing to be on the wall for Ole come the autumn, with only the tardiness of our board keeping him in the job until December. I think there’s a less than 50% chance that Ole sees out the season and continues into 20/21.

I hope I am wrong. I hope we beat Chelsea and Wolves and get off to a good start. I hope Ole is an unqualified success. I just don’t see it right now.

Sixth is my estimation and with Ole leaving too.

Agree other than the Solskjaer parts. I don't believe a different manager would do significantly better with the same players.

 

[Havak]

Updated thoughts on this now.

I've been more forgiving than most fans I'd imagine. Given it's Ole's first full season, it's a tough League, we probably aren't going to be where he wants us for another year or so yet. City & Liverpool (and Tottenham) are probably the strongest they've ever been in the Premier League and the teams around us are probably of similar quality if not better. You could argue that we'd do well to win a trophy or finish in the top four given all of this, as there's still so much uncertainty around our squad and how good our manager and coaching team are.

However, with that said, I am now thinking that not finishing 4th would be an underachievement. Ole has been supported massively with £140m spent and maybe more to come depending on the Lukaku sale. Is it on him if we don't finish in the top four now? Chelsea have to be seen as weaker with Lampard in charge and a transfer ban, losing Hazard etc. Arsenal have bought another great attacking player, but if they don't improve defensively it'll be the same old story you'd imagine.

Is Top 4 a must with what we've done? Or should Ole be given the length of his contract regardless of money spent and final league position or trophy haul?

 

[JoaquinJoaquin]

Updated thoughts on this now.

I've been more forgiving than most fans I'd imagine. Given it's Ole's first full season, it's a tough League, we probably aren't going to be where he wants us for another year or so yet. City & Liverpool (and Tottenham) are probably the strongest they've ever been in the Premier League and the teams around us are probably of similar quality if not better. You could argue that we'd do well to win a trophy or finish in the top four given all of this, as there's still so much uncertainty around our squad and how good our manager and coaching team are.

However, with that said, I am now thinking that not finishing 4th would be an underachievement. Ole has been supported massively with £140m spent and maybe more to come depending on the Lukaku sale. Is it on him if we don't finish in the top four now? Chelsea have to be seen as weaker with Lampard in charge and a transfer ban, losing Hazard etc. Arsenal have bought another great attacking player, but if they don't improve defensively it'll be the same old story you'd imagine.

Is Top 4 a must with what we've done? Or should Ole be given the length of his contract regardless of money spent and final league position or trophy haul?

It simply has to be. The club will lose even more sponsorship money if we fail to get in the CL again, and we know that's all that matters to Woodward. For what it's worth, I think as it stands right now the Top 4 will be City, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal. And I say that as someone who thinks Arsenal are hopeless at the back and pretty poor in midfield.

 

[Cee90]

Top 4.

And I fully expect us to make it.

 

[romufc]

Top 4 with the investment in the squad is absolute minimum.

 

[MartinRed]

My expectations at best top 4 if not I hope the team at least put up some decent fight.

 

[edgar allan]

Updated thoughts on this now.

I've been more forgiving than most fans I'd imagine. Given it's Ole's first full season, it's a tough League, we probably aren't going to be where he wants us for another year or so yet. City & Liverpool (and Tottenham) are probably the strongest they've ever been in the Premier League and the teams around us are probably of similar quality if not better. You could argue that we'd do well to win a trophy or finish in the top four given all of this, as there's still so much uncertainty around our squad and how good our manager and coaching team are.

However, with that said, I am now thinking that not finishing 4th would be an underachievement. Ole has been supported massively with £140m spent and maybe more to come depending on the Lukaku sale. Is it on him if we don't finish in the top four now? Chelsea have to be seen as weaker with Lampard in charge and a transfer ban, losing Hazard etc. Arsenal have bought another great attacking player, but if they don't improve defensively it'll be the same old story you'd imagine.

Is Top 4 a must with what we've done? Or should Ole be given the length of his contract regardless of money spent and final league position or trophy haul?

Massively supported?? Are you serious?

We have adressed 2 of the minimum of 5 positions that we needed strengthening in. Paying twice the real value of an average centre half in the process.
We have a weak midfield and forwards.
If we dont get a top class defensive midfielder and a goal scorer before the season starts we will struggle like last season.No