Same here. I don't think they have ever convinced with Aguero playing up on his own.
He and the team miss Tevez / Dzeko and even Negredo as the physical focal point and allows Aguero to move around between the lines.
2016/2017 Title race
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
He and the team miss Tevez / Dzeko and even Negredo as the physical focal point and allows Aguero to move around between the lines.
Spot on. Aguero is at his brilliant best with a strike partner, he's never been able to excel as a lone striker like Ibra, Benzema, Lewandowski, Higuain etc
We have a real shout this year. We aren't expected to win it considering we weren't even in the top 4 last year, which takes the pressure of a smidgen. Having said that, we have still spent a lot and anything less than top 2 will be questioned.
I really think we can do it this year, I don't see any of our rivals having improved anywhere near as much as we have. Our manager and the players we have bought makes me confident we will come on leaps and bounds this season.
I would have us down as the joint favourites with City. Chelsea and Arsenal are a definite no from me. Could see Spurs having another pop but think Leicester will be completely off the radar.
I really think we can do it this year, I don't see any of our rivals having improved anywhere near as much as we have. Our manager and the players we have bought makes me confident we will come on leaps and bounds this season.
I would have us down as the joint favourites with City. Chelsea and Arsenal are a definite no from me. Could see Spurs having another pop but think Leicester will be completely off the radar.
hmmmm
it's a tough one - City should probably shade it on paper - I wonder will Pep's philosophy be more of a hinderance
I didn't see the City game but playing players like Clichy and Sagna centrally is daft.....
it might have worked ok with players of the class of Lahm/Alaba but I'd argue had Pep played them in their more familiar positions he'd have had a better chance of repeating the treble success Henkyes had.
Aguero is the key...he's the one player who is they will miss badly and don't have proper cover for.
at the same time, we could win the league but will selections cost us? over the long course will picking Rooney/Mata on the right/Fellaini starting hinder us as well? too early to tell and we got a good result at the weekend after a poor start in the game - much tougher tests to come though.
I think Liverpool will improve and with Chelsea eeking out wins it could be a very very competitive top 6.....
it's a tough one - City should probably shade it on paper - I wonder will Pep's philosophy be more of a hinderance
I didn't see the City game but playing players like Clichy and Sagna centrally is daft.....
it might have worked ok with players of the class of Lahm/Alaba but I'd argue had Pep played them in their more familiar positions he'd have had a better chance of repeating the treble success Henkyes had.
Aguero is the key...he's the one player who is they will miss badly and don't have proper cover for.
at the same time, we could win the league but will selections cost us? over the long course will picking Rooney/Mata on the right/Fellaini starting hinder us as well? too early to tell and we got a good result at the weekend after a poor start in the game - much tougher tests to come though.
I think Liverpool will improve and with Chelsea eeking out wins it could be a very very competitive top 6.....
He will still score goals because he's a quality player playing close to goal but the team as a unit really suffers.
Yep but as we get closer to the final will Jose want to risk rotating when there is a genuine chance for a trophy?
Feeling quite optimistic we will challenge for the title. I don't think we will win it, but then again I look at the rest and nobody really stands out amongst the other contenders. I think City will sneak it but not by much.
Largely agree except I don't think Spurs will be anywhere near, they haven't strenghtened as much as I was expecting and the CL might prove a distraction since they'll want to give it there best. Chelsea are still an unknown quantity for me so I'm reserving judgement on them for a few weeks. But yeh, us and City favourties with them having the edge due to our Europa League commitments.
Yeah it's hard to be too confident after the last few seasons. Little bit of shell shock has set in for sure. It'll be interesting to see how Jose, the team and the fans react to our first rough patch during the season.
If we can start with a couple of more wins, and build up early momentum the way Jose's teams usually do, i could see us being difficult to catch.
I agree with the people saying City's defense and reliance on Aguero will be their downfall. Chelsea could be real contenders if their players have a decent season, as they have a very balanced squad and a manager with a lot of character.
United, Chelsea, City, Arsenal (or Spurs)
I agree with the people saying City's defense and reliance on Aguero will be their downfall. Chelsea could be real contenders if their players have a decent season, as they have a very balanced squad and a manager with a lot of character.
United, Chelsea, City, Arsenal (or Spurs)
Pep is vastly overrated and will be lucky to get into top 4 this year. Mark my words.
Pep will finish 4th or maybe 5th if Wenger does something about it. 
Depends on the position in the league, I suppose.
What's with this feckin' 'PEP' thing...
He's the Manager of Abu Dhabi Athletic for Christ's sake !!!!
Are we going to call everyone else Arsene or Jurgen or Ronald ??? Are we going to call Sunderland's new manager David ???
C'mon.....It's Guardiola....Or slap-head if you can't type Guardiola.....
He's the Manager of Abu Dhabi Athletic for Christ's sake !!!!
Are we going to call everyone else Arsene or Jurgen or Ronald ??? Are we going to call Sunderland's new manager David ???
C'mon.....It's Guardiola....Or slap-head if you can't type Guardiola.....
Pep is so much easier to type...
Gladioli.
City have weaknesses and their entire style of play is being changed, it won't be easy for them to hit the ground running.
They'll need time to adjust to Pep's methods, Pep will need time to adjust to the league and that could take until Oct/Nov. It depends how many points they can grind out from now until then.
They ground out three points on Saturday and will need to carry on doing that.
They'll need time to adjust to Pep's methods, Pep will need time to adjust to the league and that could take until Oct/Nov. It depends how many points they can grind out from now until then.
They ground out three points on Saturday and will need to carry on doing that.
Pep isn't overrated. You guys should stop this nonsense. He's an outstanding manager.
This. Anyone that says otherwise is a complete moron and knows literally nothing about football.
I think we are in with a good shout for the title. I always said if we signed Pogba, the league was on. Nothing has changed. Still think we need another couple of defenders. Hopefully we can offload one or two passengers and sign a couple more players.
We had same points and defeated them back to back, only lost by goal diffrence. If PL had same rule with La liga or Champions League then we should had finish in the top 4.
I got your point, though.. but you shuould say top 3, considering City are not better than us last year.
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I don't have City as strong favourites at all. They've been Car darlings for the last 2-3 years but are really not that good and have some glaring weaknesses as everyone else.
I'd say it's a toss between us, City, Chelsea with the possibility of one or two of Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal joining the race (I think Liverpool have the best chance because of Klopp factor and Arsenal's chances are historically very, very slim). Chelsea still need 2-3 players to balance the squad but Conte will get a lot out of this group.
I'd say it's a toss between us, City, Chelsea with the possibility of one or two of Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal joining the race (I think Liverpool have the best chance because of Klopp factor and Arsenal's chances are historically very, very slim). Chelsea still need 2-3 players to balance the squad but Conte will get a lot out of this group.
To be fair i think we will find out how good a manager he is at city, the other 2 jobs hes went to massive clubs with great players, this is a rebuild job at city.
Time will tell what he's really made of.
Pep is the best manager in the World anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.
Jesus, what a ridiculous thing to say
he certainly has a case to be made for being the best, but to dismiss the suggestion of any other manager is ridiculous. Who do you support?A moron and a fool would like to know why is he such a good manager?
I think the top four will consist of (in no particular order):
Chelsea
City
Liverpool
United
And I think that any of these could win it
Chelsea
City
Liverpool
United
And I think that any of these could win it
Yes he's outstanding at two well built clubs who swept the titles with ease before he took over.
City is not Bayern or Barca, they need to rebuild the winning team and compete with 4-5 teams to the title race, which Guardiola has never experience before.
So if you talk about his success in spain and germany, he isn't overrated.. but we talk about experts who thinks he has delivered his philosophy in PL to win the title this season, that's overated.
If you need to ask that question, it pretty much tells me there is no point in having a conversation with you about football. People who have said 'lets see what he is made of' are you actually serious? The guy is a serial league winner. Literally non-stop wherever he has been. I'm not saying he's going to roll into City and conquer all before him, but to question the mans credentials and ability. I have no words.
It's the Premier League, anything can happen, last season proved that. City might be favorites among the experts this year but I personally believe they will falter, I don't think they will manage do adapt to Pep's style of football right from the start.
We really do! Our defence, especially our full backs.
Well, they're not glaringly bad usually, but now that they're being deployed in midfield that might be more of an issue...
It's such a difficult call to make. Personally, I could see any one of United, City, Chelsea or Liverpool winning it and then Arsenal and Tottenham are of a similar standard to those four sides anyway. Liverpool are less fancible, as I don't think they possess the same quality in their squad and have a dodgy defence, but do have a great attack and a class manager.
Running the rule of the title credentials of those sides I would say United and City are the most well-placed sides to win it, Chelsea third favourites then I'd side with Liverpool over Arsenal or Spurs personally.
In regards to United I think we have a very strong squad, bested by only City, a PL-proven manager who wins everywhere he goes and a formidable spine that now boasts big personalities like Zlatan and Pogba which we've lacked for years now. An period of acclimitasion is expected under a new and completely different manager, but we look good in all departments IMO. There's the Rooney issue which could be the undoing of us in either winning the title or not though.
City - as alluded to above - have the best squad in the league, possessing a wealth of attacking talent, as well as potential with Stones, Sane, Sterling, etc. I think they needed an injection of youth to what is an ageing and injury-prone squad in some departments, but their squad still looks a bit unbalanced to me. As for Pep, I believe his football here can excel but he's trying to be far too clever (Clichy & Sagna experiment) when he could field a normal side and easily beat the minnows of the league like Sunderland. Against better opposition - of which there are many - he will come unstuck no doubt. I actually think City will be slow-burners this seasons so it's a question of how quickly the players can adapt to Pep's tactics aswell as keeping Aguero fit which is of paramount importance.
Predicting Chelsea to finish third. They're are still an enigma, as I don't know just how much they underperformed last season. Hazard definitely looks back to his best, so with him they have a chance this season. They've neglected an ageing defence for too long though and that needs to be addressed in the way of a CB and LB. Conte will know doubt make them solid and compact defensively though and Kante's incredible. Free reign at the league bodes very well for them too.
Hate to admit it, but Liverpool do scare me a bit. Look how much no European completion aided them last season and it's proven to be a huge plus. Just how much I'm not sure, cos they are Suarezless now. Klopp having a full pre-season to work with his team is huge though and practically ensures they should have one of the bestbstarts out of the top dogs. Mane's a huge addition and they have more swagger going forward than anyone right now. Fortunately, they are so suspect defensively though - IMO their defence is really very sub-par at best and the weakest out of the top sides for sure. I think as a team their in-game management is questionable too. They play at such a high, frenetic pace that it's almost naive and could be costly if they just keep going gung-ho rather than see out the win. Expect them to start very well and tail off later on.
Arsenal and Spurs are the two sides I'd categorically rule out of the title. Doesn't matter who Arsenal sign, with Wenger in charge they just won't win it such is their mental fragility that stems from him in fact. The likelihood is they will get fourth at least, but I just think they're playing a dangerous game and will eventually fall out of they keep up their frugality in the market. Spurs won't it, cos Arsenal won't win it and they always finish below them... Seriously though, I can't see them managing European commitments along with the league to a great affect even though their signings have been sensible.
Running the rule of the title credentials of those sides I would say United and City are the most well-placed sides to win it, Chelsea third favourites then I'd side with Liverpool over Arsenal or Spurs personally.
In regards to United I think we have a very strong squad, bested by only City, a PL-proven manager who wins everywhere he goes and a formidable spine that now boasts big personalities like Zlatan and Pogba which we've lacked for years now. An period of acclimitasion is expected under a new and completely different manager, but we look good in all departments IMO. There's the Rooney issue which could be the undoing of us in either winning the title or not though.
City - as alluded to above - have the best squad in the league, possessing a wealth of attacking talent, as well as potential with Stones, Sane, Sterling, etc. I think they needed an injection of youth to what is an ageing and injury-prone squad in some departments, but their squad still looks a bit unbalanced to me. As for Pep, I believe his football here can excel but he's trying to be far too clever (Clichy & Sagna experiment) when he could field a normal side and easily beat the minnows of the league like Sunderland. Against better opposition - of which there are many - he will come unstuck no doubt. I actually think City will be slow-burners this seasons so it's a question of how quickly the players can adapt to Pep's tactics aswell as keeping Aguero fit which is of paramount importance.
Predicting Chelsea to finish third. They're are still an enigma, as I don't know just how much they underperformed last season. Hazard definitely looks back to his best, so with him they have a chance this season. They've neglected an ageing defence for too long though and that needs to be addressed in the way of a CB and LB. Conte will know doubt make them solid and compact defensively though and Kante's incredible. Free reign at the league bodes very well for them too.
Hate to admit it, but Liverpool do scare me a bit. Look how much no European completion aided them last season and it's proven to be a huge plus. Just how much I'm not sure, cos they are Suarezless now. Klopp having a full pre-season to work with his team is huge though and practically ensures they should have one of the bestbstarts out of the top dogs. Mane's a huge addition and they have more swagger going forward than anyone right now. Fortunately, they are so suspect defensively though - IMO their defence is really very sub-par at best and the weakest out of the top sides for sure. I think as a team their in-game management is questionable too. They play at such a high, frenetic pace that it's almost naive and could be costly if they just keep going gung-ho rather than see out the win. Expect them to start very well and tail off later on.
Arsenal and Spurs are the two sides I'd categorically rule out of the title. Doesn't matter who Arsenal sign, with Wenger in charge they just won't win it such is their mental fragility that stems from him in fact. The likelihood is they will get fourth at least, but I just think they're playing a dangerous game and will eventually fall out of they keep up their frugality in the market. Spurs won't it, cos Arsenal won't win it and they always finish below them... Seriously though, I can't see them managing European commitments along with the league to a great affect even though their signings have been sensible.
I think it's a bit optimistic to think United will win the title this year. I do expect a top 3 and to be in contention. But with all the turnover, including the manager, it will be a tall task to bring back the confidence to the players and also to get them out of the LVG style. Mourinho is to me though, the best man to succeed with this challenge.
It's really City's to lose. They have the best squad and a top manager. I want to see them fail like we did last year as they transition to Pep's style, but the quality in their players is probably too high to expect them not to challenge and probably win the title.
It's really City's to lose. They have the best squad and a top manager. I want to see them fail like we did last year as they transition to Pep's style, but the quality in their players is probably too high to expect them not to challenge and probably win the title.
Why didn't you answer the question that I asked? He's been in Barcelona where he had arguably the greatest team ever and Bayern where the lowest expectations were to win the league. When he was up against the big dogs he got trashed.If you need to ask that question, it pretty much tells me there is no point in having a conversation with you about football. People who have said 'lets see what he is made of' are you actually serious? The guy is a serial league winner. Literally non-stop wherever he has been. I'm not saying he's going to roll into City and conquer all before him, but to question the mans credentials and ability. I have no words.
We will win the league this year
It's a myth that City have the best squad. The spin of their team consists mostly of players who are either in their 30s or injury prone or both: Kompany, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Silva, Aguero. Toure is 33 and has no future at City. Stones is yet to become a top defender. The fullbacks hardly impress, the youngsters are just that, they are likely to be too inconsistent. If Guardiola wins the title with this squad, it will be some achievement.
On paper, United must be favourites. Zlatan, Pogba and Miki greatly improve our options in midfield and attack. I expect Chelsea and Livepool to challenge as well, all the more they have no European distraction and will be able to play with great intensity. Luck and injuries may decide the title eventually.
On paper, United must be favourites. Zlatan, Pogba and Miki greatly improve our options in midfield and attack. I expect Chelsea and Livepool to challenge as well, all the more they have no European distraction and will be able to play with great intensity. Luck and injuries may decide the title eventually.
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Spurs have a great chance, I think City and Pep will get top 4 as will Chelsea. I think we will win it based on Mourinho knows what's needed to win it and the fact he has brought in some beasts. Arsenal are Arsenal and I don't think they have got the winning mentality and Wenger couldn't motivate a alcoholic to drink in a brewery!
Actually I thought Arsenal would win... Yeah yeah I know, I am naive and ought to have forseen they would bottle it
Everyone wants to be Nostradamus. I'm happy to just watch it all unfold, but I'll throw my hat in the ring.
1: United
2: City
3: Arsenal
4: Chelsea
5: Spurs
6: Liverpool
7: Everton
I expect Klopp's methods to take its toll on their team late in the season.
1: United
2: City
3: Arsenal
4: Chelsea
5: Spurs
6: Liverpool
7: Everton
I expect Klopp's methods to take its toll on their team late in the season.