Has it become obvious now that we can’t challenge for the league?

[Shimo]

It's been 3 years and there are no signs of the team under Ole building any kind of consistency in performances and results. It's the same thing over and over, we have string of good results and sometimes performances and then will have a blip, pressure will begin to mount questioning Ole and bam, he will get a big result sometimes followed up by another decent run. It is enough to point to and say it's a "process" - even though it's 3 years on.

Problem is that no way you can win the premier league when the league is won by teams that can through the whole season pull results week in and week out.

Thing is you cannot win consistently when most weeks you are depending on moments within a game of individuals producing rather than the team performing for entirety of games from game to game. When was the last time anyone can recall where we played 2 games in a row where we performed well as a whole team? I can't and certainly can't remember a game where I could see us play with a similar approach. One day it's Pogba playing as a left side attacker coming in and depending on the left back to provide width, then it's defensive midfielders with 2 wide attackers or another day with 2 #8s with a single holding player. There is no identity, it's just a new approach game to game and there is no way in hell to build a consistent league campaign. It may do okay in a cup competition at best.

 

[Luffy]

There's no doubt man utd screw up and drop 5 points against Villa and Everton. But the team is still improving and can only get better.

This season, Man City is without a potent central striker and Liverpool is still the same old stale team.

So the main challenger for the title is Chelsea.

Sit back and watch us get creamed by what you are saying the same stale old team. My guess would be at Old Trafford, unless the Scousers end our unbeaten run at Anfield. Wouldn't bet against it.

 

[Redlyn]

Bottom of the Big 4 with the easiest opening fixtures known to man. We should be 3 points clear... but alas.

 

[shaky]

Why are you saying 'Fair enough'. Your debater's point is hollow. Crush him already ffs.

Come on then. Crush me. Or, we could just gives Ole till the end of the season, like the general preseason consensus was anyway. Title challenge/trophies was a fair target for this season, and it remains thus. He's not getting fired mid-season anyway, so you might as well get on board until then and stop yer whining.

 

[Giggsy13]

Why are you saying 'Fair enough'. Your debater's point is hollow. Crush him already ffs.

Problem is that if I go full blown on them I might get another ban

 

[Giggsy13]

Come on then. Crush me. Or, we could just gives Ole till the end of the season, like the general preseason consensus was anyway. Title challenge/trophies was a fair target for this season, and it remains thus. He's not getting fired mid-season anyway, so you might as well get on board until then and stop yer whining.

Waste a season of Ronaldo? Seems a wise thing to do, keep Ole around until we’re 20 points off the summit

 

[therealtboy]

Get a tactician in and this team even with that "midfield" can win the league. Silva Rodri and De Bryune start for City, we can play Bruno, Pogba plus 1 in a cohesive 3. As long as we have actual tactics we have the sqaud to challenge.

 

[shaky]

Waste a season of Ronaldo? Seems a wise thing to do, keep Ole around until we’re 20 points off the summit

Who says we will be 20 off the summit? Cafe psychics at it again? He's not going anywhere this season, so sook it up and try to enjoy yourself.

 

[Flexdegea]

Throwing in the towel after 7 games. When did our fanbase become such a bunch of fannies.

I mean, City have always been clear favourites in my eyes, but that doesn't mean the season has to be written off so early. Enjoy it regardless of what happens, or whats the point

The sort of fantastic loyal fanbase we have on show at the moment in this thread, and across the spectrum, we deserve to win everything. Not a better bunch of fans about to be honest.


Fannies very fitting word.

 

[TMDaines]

 

[Zaphod2319]

November 7th, the start of the next international break it will be clear if there is a title run in Man Utd or if it is done.

 

[Chicharo]

November 7th, the start of the next international break it will be clear if there is a title run in Man Utd or if it is done.

+1

 

[Nicoseth]

Way too early to predict anything right now, but it's not looking great. We need to find some form and fast.

 

[el3mel]

Posters have eaten the OP alive in such thread on Reddit so I don't see the point of posting it here. It was a stupid comparison from the start.

The reality is we had 14 points out of 21 while having the easiest fixture list to start the season with in comparison to all our rivals who all played big games and yet either ahead of us or on same points.

 

[Dve]

Or is it still far too early in the season to come to such a conclusion?

Now that we after 7 games already are behind City on goal difference, it´s probably time to give up.

 

[big rons sovereign]

I would love to know what you are on u f you really think it's out of us and Chelsea for the title

Do you post anything other than abject misery?

 

[Dve]

We'd need to turn consistently average to consistently good. I just don't see that from this team and management right now.

Oh, every season we see teams running into a period of bad form; these things change quickly and it never looks good while you are there. Last season, City dropped a lot of points before Christmas, Liverpool seemed totally unable to win games in a period after Christmas, while Lampard needed most of the season to "bed in the new players". There are signs that Chelsea have lost a bit of momentum already and a win against Liverpool is probably all it takes to jump past them on the table. It´s actually a good thing that we are playing our rivals now.

 

[wolvored]

Do you post anything other than abject misery?

No I'm being realistic

 

[lex talionis]

“Obvious”
“Can’t”
“Challenge”

The question is filled with hyperbole. We’re obviously the favorite to lift the PL trophy, but it is clear we can challenge for the PL. Whether we will remains to be seen.

 

[glazed]

It was obvious the moment we failed to buy a quality DM. Though even if we had it was only ever an outside possibility because of the huge advantage an elite level high press team has. There are now three of those in the PL. Once there are four, the United business model will collapse.

 

[Rockets Redglare]

We also had the greatest manager to ever grace the game, it isn’t comparable in the slightest.

 

[big rons sovereign]

No I'm being realistic

Endlessly spamming threads with misery is not realism.

 

[passing-wind]

Ole's career as a manager at any recognisable level has shown he's not someone to build consistency. The club are approaching a situation where the quality of the manager pales in correlation to the quality of the team.

Well done to Ole for allowing the team to progress to where they have but he's incapable of furthering the development. Fernandes, Ronaldo, Pogba, Varane these types of players are beyond the mentality of the managers calibre. The club need a coaching staff to utilise the players not survive games for 90 mins.

 

[redrobed]

Glazers need to back Ole in January transfer window with a couple of juicy DM’s. If they can’t even give Ole a bit of money to spend in the market I don’t see how we compete with Chelsea/City.

 

[van Persie]

You can't challenge for the title with central midfielders like ours. The fact that our entire organization couldn't address this need is extremely worrying. It's the core of the team and great team are always been built around there.

You look at our line-up and we look good at the back.. great up front, but they are not one unit thanks to our midfield not being able to hold the team together. McTominay and Fred is nothing more but squad players in a team that wants to challenge for the Premier League title. We have one great central midfielder and we don't even have the players to play him in the middle of the park. Pogba.

Also. People love to bring up Liverpool doing it with Henderson, Milner etc. but that's where Trent and Robertson played a massive role in them controlling games.

 

[Sviken]

You can't challenge for the title with central midfielders like ours. The fact that our entire organization couldn't address this need is extremely worrying. It's the core of the team and great team are always been built around there.

You look at our line-up and we look good at the back.. great up front, but they are not one unit thanks to our midfield not being able to hold the team together. McTominay and Fred is nothing more but squad players in a team that wants to challenge for the Premier League title. We have one great central midfielder and we don't even have the players to play him in the middle of the park. Pogba.

Also. People love to bring up Liverpool doing it with Henderson, Milner etc. but that's where Trent and Robertson played a massive role in them controlling games.

City play without a striker and shit midfield (aside from De Bruyne), Liverpool as well, as you've mentioned. Fergie won the league with Tom Cleverley in midfield... I mean, let's not make excuses and call it what it is. Fred isn't a world beater, neither is McTominay, but under a strict system in which they know what to do, they'll be able to do a serviceable enough job. We also have a midfielder that can actually control a midfield and make a pass sitting on the bench, so there's that as well.

 

[r1z3mu]

Deep inside even "Ole in" supporters know that we will not challenge PL, CL or any other prestigious trophy this season. We might get lucky (FA cup) but I doubt. And DM will not fix our tactical gaps. This is not being negative - this is current state of this club. As long as we stay in top 4 there will be no changes this season.

 

[Strelok]

City play without a striker and shit midfield (aside from De Bruyne), Liverpool as well, as you've mentioned.

Wtf Rodri, Gundodan, Fabinho, Fernadinho, Thiago are shit, ok

 

[wolvored]

Endlessly spamming threads with misery is not realism.

Oh is that what I do just because my view doesn't agree with you It's called a forum mate not let's all agree everything is going great

 

[kthanksbye]

The way we were playing last season, it was already clear to me that our coaching is not good enough for us to challenge for the title, that has not changed even with the signing of Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane.
Our home form was below par, we finished 2nd because of our away form, record comeback win is well and good in empty stadiums, but it's going to be different gravy when the opposition is a goal up with fans backing them.

Do we need a couple of central midfielders? Yes.
Should we be playing better football with the current squad that we have? Also yes.

I don't think Ole's job is in trouble, it should be, but our board just does not have that competence. We're going to give him till the end of this season and if somehow we finish top3/4, I don't think he'll be going anywhere, which is sad because this group of players are capable of being special under the right coaching.

Also, just out of curiosity? what qualifies as "challenging for the title"?
For me, we should be mathematically in it till GW35. Which means losing the title with a maximum of 9 points.

 

[mitchmouse]

I do hope the rumours of Cavani leaving in January prove to be unfounded. We cannot afford to let such quality players go

 

[RkkMan]

You can't challenge for the title with central midfielders like ours. The fact that our entire organization couldn't address this need is extremely worrying. It's the core of the team and great team are always been built around there.

You look at our line-up and we look good at the back.. great up front, but they are not one unit thanks to our midfield not being able to hold the team together. McTominay and Fred is nothing more but squad players in a team that wants to challenge for the Premier League title. We have one great central midfielder and we don't even have the players to play him in the middle of the park. Pogba.

Also. People love to bring up Liverpool doing it with Henderson, Milner etc. but that's where Trent and Robertson played a massive role in them controlling games.

They had Milner playing at LB in the 17/18 season not Robertson. They also had Karius as their GK that season as well as Can next to Henderson and they made it to a CL final but Ole needs 2 world class CMs alongside 9 other world class players and a world class coaching staff for us to show some semblance of a football team

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Glazers need to back Ole in January transfer window with a couple of juicy DM’s. If they can’t even give Ole a bit of money to spend in the market I don’t see how we compete with Chelsea/City.

Just sell van de Beek and use that money.

 

[big rons sovereign]

Oh is that what I do just because my view doesn't agree with you It's called a forum mate not let's all agree everything is going great

That's a mature response.
Says everything really.

 

[laughtersassassin]

To compare Ferguson to Ole is the biggest false equivalency possible.

 

[giggs-beckham]

Who says we will be 20 off the summit? Cafe psychics at it again? He's not going anywhere this season, so sook it up and try to enjoy yourself.

Are you not psychic predicting that he'll be going nowhere this season? Things can change quickly in football and this rough patch feels different.
We seem to have gone backwards and the pressure is higher with the stellar additions.

 

[wolvored]

That's a mature response.
Says everything really.

What's your problem? Don't read what I put if you don't like my views and you need to grow up.

 

[Von Mistelroum]

Honestly I would be more concerned about getting top 4 this season. I think we’ll struggle.

 

[BorisManUtd]

We started the season in great style against Leeds but then against Southampton and Wolves our problems were exposed again, can't win and perform week in week out, we'd be even in worse situation overall if we weren't so lucky against Villarreal.

Leeds and West Ham (even though it was only a late winner from Lingard and penalty save by DDG) have been only 2 games I was happy with so far. Liked the first half against Everton, though we were vulnerable on counter as usual. Of course there are games where the team won't play well, will get lucky, but after about 10 games this season there were only about 2-3 games where you can say by our performance that we are title challengers. And we had easiest fixture list so far. Tough games begin after international break and I'm worried.

 

[Withnail]

Why are you saying 'Fair enough'. Your debater's point is hollow. Crush him already ffs.

What is this? Mortal Combat?