Can Solskjaer get this team within 5 points of the champion of England?

mariachi-19

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Jam tomorrow with Ole. Trouble is, tomorrow never comes with him. How long does he need to keep improving? City, Liverpool and Chelsea will also improve. FFS, we are below Brighton in the league and could be below a few more in a fortnight. Obviously, I hope we are not, but nothing points to us being six points better off in two weeks time.
Have Chelsea improved? Maybe they have since Frank, but all they have really done is solidify their defence and stop leaking goals.

similarly if we did the same right now, we’d probably be equal top of the league as well… Everton and last week are both games where we don’t make basic errors and we are on 19 points…
 

Crashoutcassius

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What are you basing that on? All evidence points to the opposite. Conte just won the italian league and previously won the PL with vastly inferior squads to ours and Tuchel just won the CL and Chelsea are sitting top of the league. Of course they could. Our squad talent/depth wise is the best in the league with Chelsea's. Only Liverpool have a superior attack on paper and that's arguable. But they are better/more effective because of the coach and the fact they've been playing every game together for the past 4 seasons or so.
Because City and Liverpool are the best sides in the history of this league on the numbers, so Conte won it in the past, so did ranieri. So he won an Italian league. United were top of league a few days ago. None of this proves they would be able to challenge the best teams in the history of their league when they are getting 99 pts.
 

wolvored

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Who knows. Probably not. It isn't like I don't think there is something coming from Newcastle in the future but thinking it will be next season already seems pretty far fetched to me. If you think about City, before it was Silva, Aguro and Toure, it was Robinho and Santa Cruz. Before they become some sort of challenger to us, they'll must take the Wolves/Westham level first.

Plus it seems like the PL clubs are pretty clear in that they don't want a pure gold rush happen again.
They buy a couple of top players in Jan another 4 in the summer at least. They get a manager say even at potter level and they will be a vastly improved side, although I think it will be a big name. I think they will be challenging for top 6 minimum, maybe even top 4. This Sheikh I read is worth £380 billion on his own
 

wolvored

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It is a never ending Saga. Every year this position or that position needs a new player. You could give him 11 new players and still something is missing. Other managers do not get to buy so many new players to win something. Klopp did with the crunch of the team left behind. I mean James F Milner and Jordan Henderson? Would anyone believe that before they went there and started playing like that? Ole has now got a WC winning CB and England's CB. A WC winning midfield player. One of the world's best players who has won every individual honours around. All internationals playing for good footballing countries. Yet something is missing. By the time next year they will say now Ronaldo is too old.
We have players who are good enough to beat any team. Even City and Liverpool. If we get things right. Sometimes we do get it right. Most times we don't. That is the problem. And too many excuses.
Exactly. I have said this many times. If you had a competent manager and experienced coaches, with this squad we should be doing so much better.
 

NZT-One

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They buy a couple of top players in Jan another 4 in the summer at least. They get a manager say even at potter level and they will be a vastly improved side, although I think it will be a big name. I think they will be challenging for top 6 minimum, maybe even top 4. This Sheikh I read is worth £380 billion on his own
Yet we don't know how and how much he is willing to spend. Who his advisors will be. How lucky they will be with their transfers. What timeframe there is until a certain point is reached. I don't think, your scenario is impossible. But from a Newcastle point of view, Top6 or even Top4 would be absolute best case scenario. And what are the odds for that?

Actually it doesn't really matter, I find it pretty interesting myself how a team gets built more or less from scratch. Feels a bit like Pro Evo master league. We should look for ourselves, there is enough to work on before thinking about potential new challengers.
 

Foxbatt

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Have Chelsea improved? Maybe they have since Frank, but all they have really done is solidify their defence and stop leaking goals.

similarly if we did the same right now, we’d probably be equal top of the league as well… Everton and last week are both games where we don’t make basic errors and we are on 19 points…
Have Chelsea improved? Well they are the current CL winners. isn't that an improvement?
 

hobbers

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Don't worry lads, we're just a mere Haaland and Rice away from having a team that Ole can steer comfortably back into the top 4.
 

Daengophile

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I think not with our inconsistencies.

At the very least we need to be impregnable at the back, disciplined in the middle and organised up front
 

amolbhatia50k

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I don't like these sort of conditions. If I see Ole coaching this team like a top class manager can be expected to do then I'll have faith in him. As I haven't haven't that in 3.5 seasons, I don't.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Don't worry lads, we're just a mere Haaland and Rice away from having a team that Ole can steer comfortably back into the top 4.
It's only fair that he's allowed to spend 200 million in Jan. It's not HIS team yet.
 

iHicksy

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Because City and Liverpool are the best sides in the history of this league on the numbers, so Conte won it in the past, so did ranieri. So he won an Italian league. United were top of league a few days ago. None of this proves they would be able to challenge the best teams in the history of their league when they are getting 99 pts.
This makes absolutely zero sense. You can't use absolutes in football based on past numbers/stats. Football isn't played on a spreadsheet. You know we finished above Liverpool last year right? Are you aware teams come and go in cycles based on the quality of the team and manager. There's absolutely no reason that those managers couldn't come in and start a cycle of dominance with united because we have an excellent squad. By your "logic" everyone should just not bother because Liverpool and city have put up some decent numbers.

I also find it laughable that you discount Conte beating both of these so called amazing sides to the title but use city and pool as evidence as to why he couldn't do so with a better squad at United.
 

Max_United

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Have Chelsea improved? Maybe they have since Frank, but all they have really done is solidify their defence and stop leaking goals.

similarly if we did the same right now, we’d probably be equal top of the league as well… Everton and last week are both games where we don’t make basic errors and we are on 19 points…
Nobody in their right mind would suggest that we are somehow unlucky to be on 14 points. We were outplayed by Wolves and won against West Ham thanks to last minute wonder strike and missed penalty. xG table has us on 12.74 points with ~+3 goal difference. And we have not played a top team yet. I mean almost every team can say "if we were very lucky we could have had X points and be on top".

If you do not rate Tuchel's achievements much as he only "solidified the defense" then you must be damning in your critique of Ole surely? Since he failed to do that in 3 years and after spending more than 150m on it - we were leaking goals even with Varane in, and without him it has become even worse.
 

Foxbatt

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We could be in 8th or 9th by end of Sunday if we don't win.
 

AndySmith1990

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You can never predict anything with absolute certainty in football, but I'd be genuinely shocked if we finished within 5 points of the eventual winners. Tbh I'd be shocked if we finished within 10 points. I'm expecting us to be ~20 points behind at best. Liverpool and City are simply superior teams, and judging by the last couple months you can probably add Chelsea to that list.
 

sunama

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To be honest I have massive doubts about Tuchel's ability to have Chelsea within 5-10 points of the champions this season... So yeah if this is the standard by which Ole is being judged then best to let him go now.
I have 3 issues with your statement.
1, Tuchel has won the CL trophy for Chelsea just a few months back. Reigning CL Champs.
This buys him some credit.
2. Chelsea are leading the EPL right now, which buys him more credit.


3. And just a few minutes ago I saw the scoreline of their current match:


Now, what reason should Ole be given credit and/or more time?
He has a team of Galactico class players, probably the most expensive first XI and we are going into matches as underdogs.
 

sunama

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We’ve already been “back into the top 4” for the last 2 seasons :confused:
Top 4 is not some mythical achievement to be proud of. As a manager of MUFC, if all you can finish is top 4, you should be fired.
The top 4 trophy was brought about by Arsenal and their policy of targeting a position in the first round of the CL. They would then rest players in the CL, so they could qualify for next year's CL, by finishing top 4 in the EPL.
Top 4 is not an achievement to be celebrated.
 

mav_9me

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On current evidence we'll struggle to be within 5 points of the top four and thats no exaggeration.
Agreed. It's going to be a dog fight for us.

To be honest I have massive doubts about Tuchel's ability to have Chelsea within 5-10 points of the champions this season... So yeah if this is the standard by which Ole is being judged then best to let him go now.
I think you'll be wrong.
 

LARulz

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Arsenal are level on points with us (game in hand I know) but they've already got City, Chelsea and Spurs out the way
 

adexkola

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I have 3 issues with your statement.
1, Tuchel has won the CL trophy for Chelsea just a few months back. Reigning CL Champs.
This buys him some credit.
2. Chelsea are leading the EPL right now, which buys him more credit.


3. And just a few minutes ago I saw the scoreline of their current match:


Now, what reason should Ole be given credit and/or more time?
He has a team of Galactico class players, probably the most expensive first XI and we are going into matches as underdogs.
1. Has nothing to do with winning a league competition. Well done to Tuchel.
2. Yes. If they are still leading convincingly after the Xmas period I'll buy more faith in him
3. Lads, it's Norwich
4. Where on earth have I argued for Ole being given more time or credit?? All I said is that I rate Tuchel much higher than Ole and I still have doubts about the former, so what do you think I think of Ole?
 

Foxbatt

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1. Has nothing to do with winning a league competition. Well done to Tuchel.
2. Yes. If they are still leading convincingly after the Xmas period I'll buy more faith in him
3. Lads, it's Norwich
4. Where on earth have I argued for Ole being given more time or credit?? All I said is that I rate Tuchel much higher than Ole and I still have doubts about the former, so what do you think I think of Ole?
Lads it was Sheffield last year.