Which is? Knock the ball around until Bruno does something? Or just play Counter-Attack?We do.
After reading this I had to say I agree which shows you how far we are off being top. The only changes I would make areThing is that City will probably get more points next season than they did this. They started very poorly and then reverted to their 100pts a season form. Liverpool (unless Van Dijk comes back not the same player) will vastly improve next season. Chelsea will get more points next season than this.
We could make 2 decent signings (for example Bissouma and Sancho lets say for argument's sake) and improve by 10 points on this season and still be 2/3 and a way off city.
City have consistently bought well and aggressively for a few seasons now. Their depth is ridiculous. You could make an argument (not that I would necessarily agree with all of it) that the below is true:
Ederson > De Gea/Henderson
Cancelo > Shaw
Dias > Maguire
Stones > Lindelof
Walker > AWB
Rodri > Fred
Gundogan > Pogba
KdB > Bruno
Sterling > Rashford
Aguero > Cavani
Mahrez > Martial
Fernandinho > Matic
Foden > Greenwood
B. Silva > James
Laporte > Bailly
Zinchenko > Telles
Mendy > Williams
Torres > Diallo
Without reading all of the stuff in between...I do believe that the league is the best gauge of where you are as a team but are we actually the second best team in England?
City will always be right there purely because of the financial doping they benefit from.Thing is that City will probably get more points next season than they did this. They started very poorly and then reverted to their 100pts a season form. Liverpool (unless Van Dijk comes back not the same player) will vastly improve next season. Chelsea will get more points next season than this.
So 1 player out of an entire squad. I think my point very much still standsI disagree with Shaw.
I think we can certainly challenge without spending insane amounts of money this summer.I think we are on the cusp of something special.
That kind of summer should really see us kick on but I can’t see us spending over 100 million. We’ve been fairly consistently around the 70 mark any year we make CL. Hopefully we go for it this summer thoughI think we can certainly challenge without spending insane amounts of money this summer.
I think the below is not an unrealistic summer and shows we aren't miles off being able to sustain a title challenge and accrue ~85 points next season
Henderson
AWB
Pau Torres (£40m)
Maguire
Shaw
Bissouma (£30m)
Pogba
Bruno
Sancho (£70m)
Greenwood
Rashford
Sell:
Lingard £30m
Dalot £15m
It's of course wrong to think like this - because we could just as easily have drawn 4 games instead of won them - but I do think about Sheffield U at home, WBA away, Leicester away and Everton at home which just felt so unnecessary.We've draw 9 games this season in the league. If we'd won 4 of those we'd be 6 points off City with a game in hand right now. That's how close we could have been with 8 games left to play. We need two big signings to improve the starting XI next season or we won't be challenging for top spot.
This is the game where we played a back 5 and spent most of the game trying to nullify them. A team that regularly starts Fred and McTominay is not a team that's designed to be on the front foot.We won at Paris against this same PSG..
The grass is always greener!Not sure we are better than Chelsea. They seem like a team with a manager with a clear vision. We don't , still, and we hope for moments of inspiration.. Bruno, Pogs... sometimes Rashford/Greenwood. What we should be building is a proper footballing unit.. where we know how they will play. Bayern, City, Liverpool, Ajax.. these teams have that, of course all teams have up and down form...but they have a clear style. We do not and I wish we would hurry up and define one.
totally agree with the elite striker thing: this time last year I said martial and rashford wouldn't score enough league goals to give as a realistic opportunity of the title - that said,I though the scousers would be ahead of us!I agree but even if we look back over the last 2 months in 6 games against, Arsenal, liverpool, Chelsea, Sheffield United, CP and WBA we have scored the grand total of 2 goals in those 6 games. 13 points dropped which would put us ahead of City.
If we had a Kane, Halaand, or Lewandowski we would be top of the league now and still in CL.
We are just missing an elite striker.....that's it and those 6 games are the proof of it.
to be fair, you sometimes have to give new players (especially if they haven't played in the PL before) at least one full season to see how they go. That said, of course, Chelsea don't give many people much time! I still think Werner and Havertz will come good - quite what's happened to Kante I have no idea. It's almost as if he'd signed for us!The grass is always greener!
Since they won the premiership in 16/17 you've finished above them in all but one season and will this season too probably. They just shipped 5 goals against west brom and still can not get the best out of Werner, Ziyech, Havertz or Pulisic. In fact their only attacker that is currently operating at the levels the caf demands is Mount. If Tuchel was Ole, the would be saying "this is the new manager bounce, we're scraping games, players are not developing as we'd expect for the cash paid out!"
I couldn’t agree more, which is why I think VdB will also come goodto be fair, you sometimes have to give new players (especially if they haven't played in the PL before) at least one full season to see how they go. That said, of course, Chelsea don't give many people much time! I still think Werner and Havertz will come good - quite what's happened to Kante I have no idea. It's almost as if he'd signed for us!
This version of Liverpool sure with no CBs sure, but a fully fit Liverpool squad is better than us.How good? I'd say we're very good. Our current position is a fair assessment of where we're at. City obviously superior to anyone else. Convinced we're better than Liverpool. Chelsea may have a stronger squad but not much in it. In Europe 2nd tier!
It's tight at the top still and a few more games to go so we don't know how it will end. Tomorrow if we win we can probably be guaranteed top 4. If we lose things will start to get difficult.If we somehow contrive to fall out of the top 4, I think the answer will be very different.
Our squad depth is quite a lot worse than Chelsea. They are basically City lite - they lack any true world class players but can pretty much send out two teams of near equal strength. Our second eleven is far worse and we rely heavily on four key players (of which only Shaw has a somewhat adequate back up). We probably have the 3rd best first 11 but the 4th best squad. Frankly, if Ole gets us 2nd plus Europa he has performed miracles in such a congested season.How good? I'd say we're very good. Our current position is a fair assessment of where we're at. City obviously superior to anyone else. Convinced we're better than Liverpool. Chelsea may have a stronger squad but not much in it. In Europe 2nd tier!
I wouldn't call it a miracle. When Arsenal Liverpool and Chelsea have all had big problems the door is very much open for a second place spot.Our squad depth is quite a lot worse than Chelsea. They are basically City lite - they lack any true world class players but can pretty much send out two teams of near equal strength. Our second eleven is far worse and we rely heavily on four key players (of which only Shaw has a somewhat adequate back up). We probably have the 3rd best first 11 but the 4th best squad. Frankly, if Ole gets us 2nd plus Europa he has performed miracles in such a congested season.
It would take a monumental collapse for that to happen. I think at worst we finish 3rd but I still fancy us for 2nd.If we somehow contrive to fall out of the top 4, I think the answer will be very different.
I try to be optimistic, and yeah the numbers look good...but when did we last actually play well? City?It would take a monumental collapse for that to happen. I think at worst we finish 3rd but I still fancy us for 2nd.
Ok you are right, we are deservedly the 2nd best side. Despite what some on here think there is slow but steady improvement taking place.They might be still Dre. Better then us, no.
