Not really. You can progress and not wina cup. You can be quite poor and have a decent run and win silverware.
More concerning for me is the our tactical ethos after two and a half years is to sit and hope nervously that Fernandes has a good game
I find it impossible to separate the awful starts Chelsea and Liverpool had to how I view our progress this year. This really doesn’t feel like a team or manager likely to kick on for me
This is very true. You could see with Liverpool in 17/18 that they were clearly onto something. It was clear as day that alll they needed to do was buy a defender. Everything else was there.
Chelsea are very similar, actually, although they actually won the CL rather than just reaching the final. But even if they didn't win today, I think you can clearly see they are on the right track. Everything is there, except one thing.
It was obvious that Liverpool needed a defender, and it is similarly obvious that all Chelsea need is a striker. I think the right striker signing will have a Van Dijk impact on Chelsea. They will challenge for the PL next season with this.
For Manutd, I don't see this clear path. I don't see a puzzle that needs a piece here or there. I see a mess, where the parts we have haven't been joined together properly. There is no clear discipline or tactics embedded into the team. It still looks like a jigsaw that has just been poured out of its box.