BBC pundits forecast for season

Bastian

Full Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
18,444
Supports
Mejbri
Has there been talk of the quadruple over at City before this season?
Nice to see pressure on Liverpool now, I don't think they'll enjoy the expectations.
 

TMDaines

Fun sponge.
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
13,906
No sure if this deserves a thread of its own or should be tacked on to something else. Will leave it to the mods. But 20 (I think) out of 24 pundits reckon we will finish in the top four. I'd take that now...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45088530
I thought we were headed for sixth a few weeks ago, but Spurs and Chelsea have really not gone anywhere. I think City will win the title, Liverpool won't come that close in second, and then United, Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal will be around the same level.
 

#07

makes new threads with tweets in the OP
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Messages
23,258
No sure if this deserves a thread of its own or should be tacked on to something else. Will leave it to the mods. But 20 (I think) out of 24 pundits reckon we will finish in the top four. I'd take that now...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45088530
I'm surprised they've not mostly picked us out to finish sixth or seventh with some of the OTT coverage we've got recently.
 

Trizy

New Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Messages
12,009
Fairly sure most of us would agree with those predictions.

Dreading going to any top 6 team away this year. We won't have the same luck this time around.
 

Neo_Mufc

Full Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Messages
10,162
I have no problems with anyone writing us off at this moment. We've not even kicked a ball in the Premier League and we have been set in stone to finish in a poor position. We were lucky under the Fergie days, even if we started poor we ramped up before Xmas and went on ridiculous runs.

Things have changed. One game at a time for me, neither getting carried away but being realistic.

Phil McNulty another ABU wrote a wonderful piece about us after we were knocked out in the 05/06 CL by Benfica I believe.

Every Pundit especially those that played the game at a professional level has seemed to forgotten what it was like to make a mistake. Take no notice.
 

Canagel

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2016
Messages
13,888
It's hard to disagree with any of that really. We are entering the season as 3rd favorites. Expectations are much higher on Liverpool this time. Will be interesting to see how they cope with that pressure.
 

Greek9

New Member
Newbie
Joined
May 26, 2016
Messages
225
Supports
Panathinaikos
It's actually disgusting no matter what for a fan of a club who always fights for the title to settle for just top 4 even before the season starts, even if you truly believe you can't win the league why would you say something like that? downright pessimistic and pointless, ''I'd take top 4 right now' wtf? I wouldn't have a problem for a fan of Spurs or Arsenal saying it but come on really? I would imagine even in worst days with Moyes and Lvg people would still believe in a title win for each next season otherwise what's the point..

In no way would any of you truly take a top 4 place right now if you are given the choice, it's just worthless words and more Mourinho out agenda, meh..
 

Djemba-Djemba

Full Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
21,157
Location
Manchester
It's actually disgusting no matter what for a fan of a club who always fights for the title to settle for just top 4 even before the season starts, even if you truly believe you can't win the league why would you say something like that? downright pessimistic and pointless, ''I'd take top 4 right now' wtf? I wouldn't have a problem for a fan of Spurs or Arsenal saying it but come on really? I would imagine even in worst days with Moyes and Lvg people would still believe in a title win for each next season otherwise what's the point..

In no way would any of you truly take a top 4 place right now if you are given the choice, it's just worthless words and more Mourinho out agenda, meh..
Have you been in a coma for 5 years?

We haven't fought for the title since 2013. It's not being anti mourinho it's being realistic.
 

Cheesy

Bread with dipping sauce
Scout
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
36,181
Bit baffled at people willing to settle for top four right now. I wouldn't exactly have us down as favourites and if you asked me to put money on someone winning the title right now then I'd back City to the hilt, but football seasons can naturally be very strange - sometimes players you didn't think much of excel, and star performers suddenly recede into the background out of nowhere etc. On the basis of our pre-season activity I'd have us down as finishing 2nd or 3rd but I'm certainly not happy with settling for that.
 

RetroStu

Full Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
8,538
It's actually disgusting no matter what for a fan of a club who always fights for the title to settle for just top 4 even before the season starts, even if you truly believe you can't win the league why would you say something like that? downright pessimistic and pointless, ''I'd take top 4 right now' wtf? I wouldn't have a problem for a fan of Spurs or Arsenal saying it but come on really? I would imagine even in worst days with Moyes and Lvg people would still believe in a title win for each next season otherwise what's the point..

In no way would any of you truly take a top 4 place right now if you are given the choice, it's just worthless words and more Mourinho out agenda, meh..
We are Arsenal now though.
 

reddaz71

New Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2015
Messages
960
Location
Cheshire
Dont see any agenda there,most of us probably agree that we are in a battle for 3rd/4th.
 

luke511

Full Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Messages
6,887
If we were to sign a proper right winger this summer the vast majority would have us up there challenging, very frustrating times.
 

Djemba-Djemba

Full Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
21,157
Location
Manchester
It's not about being delighted to finish top 4, I'm gutted that's what I think our best will achieve this season but I'm just being realistic.

You can't look at our squad or the way our manager is behaving and be confident of a title challenge.
 

groovyalbert

it's a mute point
Joined
Feb 14, 2013
Messages
9,608
Location
London
If we were to sign a proper right winger this summer the vast majority would have us up there challenging, very frustrating times.
If we'd completed the Sanchez deal this summer instead of in January, the same could probably be said.

Basically - the mood around here could change very quickly even if that does currently appear a long way off.
 

Adisa

likes to take afvanadva wothowi doubt
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
50,311
Location
Birmingham
By default, we should be top four. Lets assume we aren't finishing ahead of City, so only Spurs, LIverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea can finish ahead of us.
Arsenal are still not good enough imo.
Chelsea will have teething problems and the EL could cause them issues.
Spurs finished behind us and are even having a worse window.
Liverpool will finish ahead of us imo.
Unless something catastrophic happens, we should be finishing top four.
 

Klopper76

"Did you see Fabinho against Red Star & Cardiff?"
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
19,721
Location
Victoria, BC
Supports
Liverpool
I hate when everyone is predicting us to have a good season. Always ends in tears.
 

Acole9

Outstanding
Joined
Feb 17, 2013
Messages
12,503
I met Alex Scott at Heathrow airport a few months ago, bit stuck up.
 

Zoo

Full Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
29,716
They all have Liverpool in the top 2 but if Klopp fails to finish there most of them will make excuses for him. That's guaranteed.
 

stepic

Full Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
8,662
Location
London
Liverpool won't win, no chance. they barely made the top 4 last season, you don't go from that to title winners in one season, and I don't care about the CL excuse last year. anyone predicting anything but a city win are delusional. the rest is up for grabs. I think we have a decent chance at 2nd again but that's about it.
 

Massive Spanner

Give Mason Mount a chance!
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
27,891
Location
Tool shed
Surprised so few have Chelsea up there. They've made some good signings and Sarri is a quality coach. Think they'll either pip us or Spurs to top four. Can't see City or Pool dropping out.

Also can't get over the amount of people who'd be happy with top four. When did we turn into Arsenal? If Mourinho doesn't mount a serious title challenge this year, he can, to put it kindly, feck right off.
 

Klopper76

"Did you see Fabinho against Red Star & Cardiff?"
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
19,721
Location
Victoria, BC
Supports
Liverpool
Liverpool won't win, no chance. they barely made the top 4 last season, you don't go from that to title winners in one season, and I don't care about the CL excuse last year. anyone predicting anything but a city win are delusional. the rest is up for grabs. I think we have a decent chance at 2nd again but that's about it.
We went from 6th in 2013 to 3 points from winning it in 2014. Chelsea finished what 10th in 2016, then went on to win it in 2017. It can happen (not that I think we will win it).
 

Massive Spanner

Give Mason Mount a chance!
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
27,891
Location
Tool shed
I hate when everyone is predicting us to have a good season. Always ends in tears.
You have arguably the best first XI alongside City now and the third best squad (after Utd and City). Anything short of a title challenge now will be a massive failure and Klopp should have serious questions to answer. He got all the big money players he wanted in the positions he wanted, time to show up.
 

Massive Spanner

Give Mason Mount a chance!
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
27,891
Location
Tool shed
Liverpool won't win, no chance. they barely made the top 4 last season, you don't go from that to title winners in one season, and I don't care about the CL excuse last year. anyone predicting anything but a city win are delusional. the rest is up for grabs. I think we have a decent chance at 2nd again but that's about it.
Eh... City did last year, quite spectacularly.
 

Massive Spanner

Give Mason Mount a chance!
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
27,891
Location
Tool shed
that City team was much better than 4th in reality though, this Liverpool team isn't. they've improved this summer but not enough to get past City, no chance in hell.
oh ok sorry, I didn't know we were making up guff to support our arguments. Cheerio.
 

Bestietom

Full Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2013
Messages
8,021
Location
Ireland
I do agree that we will finish in the top 4 with what we have atm. If we were to add a couple more top players we would be up there challenging, and this is what we all really expected this season, to be honest.
 

Havak

Pokemon master
Joined
Dec 26, 2006
Messages
7,613
Location
Salford, Manchester
The 'doom and gloom' of our Summer Window is so hard for some people to grasp. It isn't good enough for us to win the title and that is about where it ends, IMO. Too many people are thinking this makes us terrible and likely to finish 4th or 5th out of nowhere. Realistically, Spurs, Chelsea, and Arsenal have not really strengthened and even if any particular party thinks they have, there is no way it is enough to justify them making up the gap on United when they are in no way weaker than last season. Only Liverpool have arguably strengthened very well and even then they have to make up a fair enough gap on us from last term (and for what it's worth, I think United will finish on more points this season than last, even if it doesn't get us a better result).
 

stepic

Full Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
8,662
Location
London
oh ok sorry, I didn't know we were making up guff to support our arguments. Cheerio.
think it's fairly accepted that the City team that finished 4th was much better than the position indicated. in any case, i wasn't talking about City, was I? I was talking about Liverpool, and Liverpool will not go from barely making the top 4 to title winners.
 

Tiber

Full Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Messages
10,231
Unless Liverpool are worse than I expect, I think we will be in a battle with Chelsea for third.

City will win the league by a mile.
 

ash_86

Full Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
6,337
Officially we're the underdogs. It's Jose's favorite state to be in and i think we'll do very good this season.
 

Massive Spanner

Give Mason Mount a chance!
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
27,891
Location
Tool shed
think it's fairly accepted that the City team that finished 4th was much better than the position indicated. in any case, i wasn't talking about City, was I? I was talking about Liverpool, and Liverpool will not go from barely making the top 4 to title winners.
You said "you don't go from that to title winners in one season", when clearly you can, plenty of teams have done that. City being a great recent example, they improved by 22 points. It doesn't matter if they were much better than that, you're only as good as your league position.

You can't make a statement like that and then when someone gives an example that completely rebukes it just make stuff up to try support it.
 

Adisa

likes to take afvanadva wothowi doubt
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
50,311
Location
Birmingham
Imagine Liverpool actually win the league?
I would cry...literally.
 

stepic

Full Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
8,662
Location
London
You said "you don't go from that to title winners in one season", when clearly you can, plenty of teams have done that. City being a great recent example, they improved by 22 points. It doesn't matter if they were much better than that, you're only as good as your league position.

You can't make a statement like that and then when someone gives an example that completely rebukes it just make stuff up to try support it.
City finished 4th when Leicester, one of the greatest underdog stories in living memory, won the league. Liverpool finished 4th when City, one of the actual best teams in living memory, did it. there's a difference. or is that making stuff up too?
 

Inter Yer Nan

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Messages
6,380
Location
Los Angeles, CA (from UK)
Liverpool won't win, no chance. they barely made the top 4 last season, you don't go from that to title winners in one season, and I don't care about the CL excuse last year. anyone predicting anything but a city win are delusional. the rest is up for grabs. I think we have a decent chance at 2nd again but that's about it.
Leicester (2016) and Chelsea (2017) but I understand your point. Liverpool have far more expectation than they did and are a bigger scalp for opposition so they will be under more pressure than ever and they don't really do well under pressure nor does Klopp hence why when they've had expectations they have fizzled out so early in the season before going on good runs under minimal pressure.