Because that was before the season started......
And it's all well and good and calling it clever media management... but you don't know whether it is clever media management. Is it clever management if a lot of our players go and take Ole's public (and/or private) words on this subject to heart and feel elated about the idea of finishing 3rd again, regardless of how shit a season Liverpool and City have? And that reflects on their performances and effort in the last few months of the season?
Yes every manager downplays title expectations, but Ole has gone beyond that with his comments and put the season in the context of "well we're just happy to show a little bit of progress".
Are we supposed to expect Ole and the squad to just magically switch into "title-contender" mode next season? Almost like we paradoxically 'arrive' as title challengers before we can believe we're title challengers? Because make no mistake we had better be competing for the league next season or we'll have wasted another 3 seasons and will have truly morphed into another pathetic top-four-is-a-trophy club with no ambition. We're not fecking Arsenal. Finishing in the top four in consecutive seasons is not a valid achievement.
Not just before the season. All along the narrative from the ‘experts‘ has been the scousers and City light years ahead of everybody, and now Liverpool are dropping away it’s suddenly City’s title to lose in a one horse race. Even when we were top of the league everybody was questioning if we were really in the race. Nobody questioned Leicester or Everton or Spurs when they were top, but rubbish old United must have fluked there way top. It’s really very dull now.
I personally would expect Ole to talk to his players, and not leave them to work stuff out from reading the papers. What he says in the changing room and what he says in front of the cameras are likely to be two very different things. Nothing wrong with a bit of expectation management. I’d also argue that the fluctuations in our season have more to do with circumstances (no preseason, relentless schedule etc...) than with anything Ole might say to the media.
The squad will become title contenders next season through hard work, great coaching, learning from good and bad experiences on the pitch, hopefully winning a cup this year and adding quality in the right areas in the summer. Nothing magic about it.
I don’t understand the obsession on here with Arsenal either. Top 4 is a guarantee of CL football. And a huge financial bonus btw, which is probably why Arsenal coveted it so much when they had a swanky new stadium to pay for! You clearly don’t go from finishing 6 to league and CL double overnight. Top 4 on a consistent basis is a stepping stone to bigger things, and a sensible target medium term.