I'll place my hopes on Cavani bagging 25 in the PL for us instead, less likely to be let down there.
Is a league challenge really out of reach?
- Thread starter RedStarUnited
- Start date
OP said league challenge not whether we can win it. Answer is a Yes for me. We cant win but can be darkhorse contenders till around February/ March when the winners traditionally start to pull from the pack. Darkhorse conenders aren't expected to win but have a lottery chance to do so and can push the other contenders
The last couple years have done a number on us trying to keep expectations at the lowest even when hope is at its highest. Darkhorse contention is a modest realistic goal for progress
The last couple years have done a number on us trying to keep expectations at the lowest even when hope is at its highest. Darkhorse contention is a modest realistic goal for progress
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City don’t look great and Liverpool have regressed slightly - I think anyone can win it.
Yeah we can definitely challenge. If we're still in the race come April then anything can happen, especially this season.
It'll come down to a bit of luck with regard to who can keep their best players fit.
If we win the next game, we'll be two points short of the current 1st and 2nd. As far as the table goes, a league challenge is absolutely possible. However, given how this team forgets how to play football every other week, it seems highly unlikely that we'll remain within reach of the top. 3rd or 4th place is the only realistic expectation.
Again, we just have to fix the first half form. 2nd half, we are always going to finish very strong.
xG is the most pointless stat in existence. It doesn't take many factors into consideration.
A shot from 25 yards out for one player is not a good chance compared to a player who specialises in long range shots.
We have given up too many chances to the opposition in recent games. We need to tighten up on that. Had Armstrong shown a bit more composure at 2-0, he would have controlled De Gea's parry and tucked it home for 3-0. That's football for you.
Had the referee awarded WBA a penalty, we probably don't go up the other end and get one ourselves. We should have beaten WBA about 4-2. But they could have left with a point had things gone their way instead. Martial and Rashford missed 2 big chances.
Even against Istanbul, they missed some decent chances and didn't get much luck either (Ba free header, Višća cracking the post). 4-1 was slightly harsh.
We're good enough in attack to outscore most opposition, but shouldn't make a habit of giving up as many chances as we have been.
We're winning the league btw. Ole's juju remains undefeated.
Let’s see where we are in January before we allow our eyes to get big with dreams of a PL trophy. One match at a time, lads.
Our away form is a world-class team since the post lockdown
We could be in 1st now if we started decent with our home form and win all away games so far.
We could be in 1st now if we started decent with our home form and win all away games so far.
This will be the most condensed league calendar in history because of covid-19 lockdowns beforehand and the Euros afterwards. The champions will ul;timately be decided by the strength of second XI as much as the first XI.
I think the three best teams in terms of squad size are United, City and Chelsea. The club that wins the title will be the one that's luckiest with injuries.
We definitely have a chance. Woodward has played a master-stroke by being shit at selling the deadwood. His incompetence could mean our first PL trophy in years.
I think the three best teams in terms of squad size are United, City and Chelsea. The club that wins the title will be the one that's luckiest with injuries.
We definitely have a chance. Woodward has played a master-stroke by being shit at selling the deadwood. His incompetence could mean our first PL trophy in years.
Dark horse
Any team that loses to arsenal cannot win the title.
Agreed, I dont think people have quite understood the significance yet. They will in a months time, the scheduling is idiotic.
De Gea
AWB - Lindelof - Maguire - Shaw/Telles
VDB - Fred
Bruno
Greenwood - Cavani - Martial/Rashford
There is absolutely no reason why this lineup can't challenge for the league and be consistent enough. Fantastic team. On bar of every other rival around us.
Just more consistency and we can definitely push for it this season.
AWB - Lindelof - Maguire - Shaw/Telles
VDB - Fred
Bruno
Greenwood - Cavani - Martial/Rashford
There is absolutely no reason why this lineup can't challenge for the league and be consistent enough. Fantastic team. On bar of every other rival around us.
Just more consistency and we can definitely push for it this season.
But the point is that we have improved defensively ever since we lost 6-1 to Spurs and we did it consistently. Why am I not allowed to make this point? Why can you not accept it?
I don’t understand the idea of this thread when the answer is all too obvious. It may be too premature to make such comments after only 9 matches, but United, absolutely, absolutely don’t look like Premier League champions “material” . We are too reliant on moments of individual magic from Cavani/Bruno - Champion teams don’t function like that. Merely subtracting our points-total from the likes of Liverpool’s gives no proper insight into the season.
I’d happily take fourth at the moment and I hope we break into the top-two next season with a couple of sensible summer recruits.
The thread can be closed
Edit: On second thought, the thread can be kept open simply for the dose of optimism that is sorely lacking here.
I’d happily take fourth at the moment and I hope we break into the top-two next season with a couple of sensible summer recruits.
The thread can be closed
Edit: On second thought, the thread can be kept open simply for the dose of optimism that is sorely lacking here.
Its a narrative everyone loves. A poor summer coupled with a shite start to the season makes for easy articles and headlines.
They might yet be proved right as well, time will tell.
On the contrary, I think we have the 2nd best pts tally right now since Feb even when you count our 2 defeats this season and when you don't count our win against Southampton.I don’t understand the idea of this thread when the answer is all too obvious. It may be too premature to make such comments after only 9 matches, but United, absolutely, absolutely don’t look like Premier League champions “material” . We are too reliant on moments of individual magic from Cavani/Bruno - Champion teams don’t function like that. Merely subtracting our points-total from the likes of Liverpool’s gives no proper insight into the season.
I’d happily take fourth at the moment and I hope we break into the top-two next season with a couple of sensible summer recruits.
The thread can be closed
Edit: On second thought, the thread can be kept open simply for the dose of optimism that is sorely lacking here.
So we are building up a run right now. We need to keep doing it and it should be a good challenge.
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Cavani and others help us basically reach new heights in term of pts tally on top of that consistency we already have secured.
You have to look at the season in perspective - Just because 6-1 happens in one of the first parts of the season, it could have happened later too. The 6-1 defeat to Spurs could also have been a 4-1 defeat to City next week (keeping in mind that we were a bit out of form when we met Spurs, hence saying 4-1 here instead of 6-1)
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Because it's putting Ole in a good light, and God forbid! We are actually improving every day. As long as rotation is done well, we should be winning lots of games this season.
It's interesting, but it's also interesting that the stat starts at February. That's like and oddly strange 9-10 month period
Taking it a month further back, it would include
Lost 0-2 to Burnley at home
Lost 2-0 to Liverpool away
Won 4-0 over Norwich at home
Lost 2-0 to Arsenal away
It also includes a period where City, Liverpool could afford to drop off a bit as they had nothing to play for, where we needed to give 110% to get to CL
Isn't the pt that in the last 23-24 games, we are basically the 2nd best team in the league, and have sustained that for now?
That's a sample large enough to recognize that we are not lost or whatever, but preaseason did have an effect on us.
Even if you include all the losses, I believe we are still the 3rd best ranked team in term of pts for as soon as Ole started. Basically, we have room for improvements, but they are happening.
Edit: So yes, we are 3rd over 2.5 seasons or 68/69 games since Ole took charge.
Could it be better? Absolutely, we have conceded too many unfortunate draws and losses.
But would we challenge for top 3? Yes, we should, based on the last 2.5 seasons.
Spurs are the outliner right now, so Jose is doing a good job.
Is that going to be sustainable? Let's see.
| Rank | Club | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pts per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Liverpool | 69 | 54 | 10 | 5 | 159 | 65 | 94 | 172 | 2.49 |
2 | Manchester City | 68 | 48 | 6 | 14 | 164 | 59 | 105 | 150 | 2.20 |
3 | Manchester United | 68 | 35 | 17 | 16 | 118 | 77 | 41 | 122 | 1.79 |
4 | Chelsea | 69 | 35 | 15 | 19 | 119 | 89 | 30 | 120 | 1.74 |
5 | Spurs | 69 | 32 | 16 | 21 | 118 | 79 | 39 | 112 | 1.62 |
6 | Leicester | 68 | 33 | 11 | 24 | 115 | 80 | 35 | 110 | 1.62 |
7 | Wolves | 69 | 29 | 21 | 19 | 90 | 78 | 12 | 108 | 1.57 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 69 | 29 | 18 | 22 | 102 | 88 | 14 | 105 | 1.52 |
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You have to look in perspective that we lack match fitness which the reason of our poor start & shit performance and we know this is not some kind of point I just came out to suit my argument because we actually have seen thread talking about our match fitness issue months ago before and we weren't the only teams that suffered from it because PSG, City & Inter also had poor start.
You can think of it as excuse but it's becoming valid reason now since there are difference between pre Spurs games and post Spurs games. It's not coincidence because it's already 6 league games in a row and we are the best xGA in those last 6 league games.
You just can't write scripts like this.
The other poster specifically referenced xg against, which was cumulatively awful after the Spurs game. He cited the WBA game as a further example and that stated we were lucky against them.
Against WBA dominated possession, passes, shots taken, shots on target, xg and practically every stat you can think of, hence why I also referenced my eyes. As you say, if anything we were unlucky not to win by more.
You seem to be agreeing and disagreeing at the same time due to what I would consider an irrational problem with xg but I'm not going to get into the merits of it, other then to say it's very useful but not the be all and end all and not perfect by any means. There's a whole thread about that.
We actually aren't giving up many chances at the moment and haven't done in the league since Spurs. We have one of the meanest defences since then in terms of goals conceded and are giving up the least amount of chances according to xgA.
Ole lucky again? Ok, it's funny how he keeps being so lucky.
Since Bruno Joined us, we're just 1 point behind Pool and have played a game less and 3 points ahead of City. Not too bad I'd say considering how toxic the forum has been over the past year or so
Some people are lucky in life, some aren't. Take you, for example, a peasant like myself who posts on a football forum.
Ole clearly practices necromancy.
Its gonna be a very open season for sure but at the same time that could mean we finish 10th. It depends on how lucky we get with injuries. I don't think we need a Liverpool level of injuries to derail our season; based on the last few matches it would be enough for us to lose Bruno and Cavani and the title challenge would be gone.
We are playing better and better, since our tough start, and we have a slim chance to challenge for the title. But so does 4-5 other teams. After Liverpool and City, I believe Chelsea have the best chance (having bought half a new team with star players). Since we have had so little reinforcements, I believe everything from third and up will be an overachievement by the team. 4-6 place is realistic to go for. But if there is still a chance to win it, I will dream of the title coming back. And I enjoy watching the team fighting to get back where they belong, and the ups and downs are part of that. Hope you all enjoy supporting your team to : )
This is the campaign that Sir Alex won by default numerous times regardless of the quality he had at disposal. When rival clubs had reached their zenith or were struggling with injuries, he would know how to do just enough to win edge the title. Unfortunately Solskjaer isn’t Sir Alex.
Yeah, we'll probably get something like two points from the next five games now.
I don't really think we have what it takes to challenge for the title; we'll probably have a few dreadful runs of form.
Ole is free to take up his phone and call Sir Alex for support, I think.
On paper we have every chance. No one is standing out like Liverpool did last season. It's up to the team to produce on the pitch. In reality another top 4 finish is the the minimum requirement, but we can dream.