Man City 21/22

[charlenefan]

5 games in, already dropped 5 points registering 0 goals scored in 2 of those games. Decision to go again without a recognised striker backfiring?

Where do the CAF reckon they'll finish this season? Anyone still fancy them to win the league?

 

[horsechoker]

Started badly last season but still won it comfortably. So probably top 3.

 

[charlenefan]

Started badly last season but still won it comfortably. So probably top 3.

I've long had a theory that they smelt the opportunity to win the league last season when they saw Liverpool collapsing, I don't think they go on the run they did if they didn't get that feeling

If they see Liverpool and Chelsea run away from them this season I don't think they pull that gap back

 

[SuperiorXI]

They have always had the capacity to go on insane runs and catch up to the leaders, I fully expect that to happen again. If we want to win we'll not only have to create a gap, but maintain it over the whole season, which is very hard...

 

[DWelbz19]

On the one hand there’s every chance this is the season Peptic finally explodes and leaves the club, but on the other it’s very likely they’ll go on another boring 20 game unbeaten run and win the league again. Yawn.

 

[Pep's Suit]

3rd or 4th.

I think City should have signed a striker but clearly they were turned down by Messi and Ronaldo. Then Mbappe and Haaland were impossible, Kane's not worth £160m and I think City struggling to sell one of their first team players was a big problem anyway.

 

[sebsheep]

They'll probably still win it.

 

[EtH]

I’m gonna say 4th unless they make a splash in January.

 

[Escobar]

They'll probably still win it.

Most likely. I just feel this year, the other teams will be stronger over the season, mainly Pool and Chelsea

 

[GMoore23]

Why they signed Grealish before Kane still baffles me. They were absolutely stacked in the wide attacking areas but had only Jesus as a striker .

 

[Pep's Suit]

Why they signed Grealish before Kane still baffles me. They were absolutely stacked in the wide attacking areas but had only Jesus as a striker .

I'm starting to think they were never signing Kane. After all their only official bid was 75+25 and the rest is what they told journos. It's a bit similar like what Real did with Mbappe - made only one official bid but then told their journalists how they tried and it was impossible bla bla.

 

[sebsheep]

Most likely. I just feel this year, the other teams will be stronger over the season, mainly Pool and Chelsea

I can see both of those teams potentially winning yeah. I think we have an outside chance but at the moment it's hard to see us being more consistent than all 3 of them over the season.

 

[Zen86]

They weren’t really that impressive last season, and they’ve spent over £100m without making the team much better. They won’t get away with doing what they did last year. I’m expecting Guardiola to start self-sabotaging and regularly chucking his toys out the pram.

 

[noodlehair]

First 5 games don't mean much. Even after 10 games last year supposedly Liverpool were going to run away with it

 

[Escobar]

I can see both of those teams potentially winning yeah. I think we have an outside chance but at the moment it's hard to see us being more consistent than all 3 of them over the season.

Unlikely imo, but let's see. Pool and Chelsea and City are potentially stronger, unless we go onto another crazy run like last season. So far, we have not been at our best, far from it.

 

[Varun]

They'll be right up there. impossible to say who'll win it because there's not much in it between the top 4.

 

[adexkola]

Their losses haven't been due to missing a top striker... They struggled to create quality chances against Spurs and Soton. How many goals has Kane scored for Spurs this season? Exactly.

 

[Offsideagain]

How that was a penalty yesterday I do not know. The Bitters didn’t get their usual deflection or dodgy penalty and looked vulnerable at the back. Saints will give most teams a game as they did us.

 

[Pep's Suit]

They weren’t really that impressive last season, and they’ve spent over £100m without making the team much better. They won’t get away with doing what they did last year. I’m expecting Guardiola to start self-sabotaging and regularly chucking his toys out the pram.

I don't think at this point it's easy to improve City's squad much. A pacy left-footed winger could be a good option for them but no obvious candidate. Some back-up fullback could be useful but maybe they hope Yan Couto or Porro will take that place next summer. They definitely wanted to replace Fernandinho with someone younger but again: no obvious candidate. Everyone was jealous when Pool signed Naby Keita or Thiago or when Partey joined Arsenal but it's a difficult position in PL. Centre-forward... if you don't sign a superstar you look at players like Schick and Vlahovic but they have to make sense financially.

 

[Pep's Suit]

Sounds like Stones and Laporte are out for another 2 weeks at least. Zinchenko's also out for few weeks and I don't know when Rodri and Gundogan will return. Chelsea, PSG and Liverpool next before int'l break, all three away so three draws would be nice at this point.

 

[TMDaines]

Looking at the underlying data, City are really starting to emerge as the strongest team in the league. Only six games in, but that’s an elite level defence that nobody else is close to. They keep the ball and give virtually nothing away. The xG suggested that City would win at Chelsea today and that’s what they did.

 

[LoneStar]

How is Grealish playing for them? Has he been as influential as someone like KDb or Sterling(?) ?

 

[Winrar]

They looked like losing against Soton just last week but as always it's impossible to completely write these off.

I thought Chelsea would comfortably beat them but the exact opposite happened.

 

[Pep's Suit]

How is Grealish playing for them? Has he been as influential as someone like KDb or Sterling(?) ?

He's been good. Would give him 7-7.5 out of 10 overall and definitely much, much better than Sterling of last 18 months or so.

 

[Yorkeontop]

One goal conceded in the league thus far! If that stinginess holds up they should be fine.

 

[FootyGirl88]

Tweet

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[Cascarino]

I wouldn’t call them pricks. They were promised the world with Pep and it’s looking like 3 titles in 6 years and no CL with the biggest investment splurge the sport has ever seen. 3 in 6 is great but they that’s the type of success rate they had pre Pep.

3 titles in 5, we're in October and they're 5 points off top.

Even then 1 title win has a pandemic asterisk next to it and that was won based off of defensive minded football. It’s 2 seasons in 6 years that they’ve played really fantastic football with a drop off in offensive play in the other 3 (4h and counting)It’s an argument to have when Pep leaves and we can fully assess his time at City but I honestly think he has, by and large, flattered to deceive with his style at City bar those 2 season. I honestly think that explains the empty seats these days.

If that season they played defensive minded football, then every team that has ever played in this league is defensively minded. You could argue it was dull (I'd disagree) but definitely not defensively minded.

As to the entertainment value of watching the side, it's going to come down to subjectivity so I can't really argue with your opinion! But as a neutral I think they're great to watch and have been most of the time. I'm not sure empty seats have anything to do with Guardiola, that's always been the case.

 

[cyberman]

3 titles in 5, we're in October and they're 5 points off top.



If that season they played defensive minded football, then every team that has ever played in this league is defensively minded. You could argue it was dull (I'd disagree) but definitely not defensively minded.

As to the entertainment value of watching the side, it's going to come down to subjectivity so I can't really argue with your opinion! But as a neutral I think they're great to watch and have been most of the time. I'm not sure empty seats have anything to do with Guardiola, that's always been the case.

False 9 and the compact way they played last season was very efficient but it’s a step down and a step away from Peps usual standard. I understand it’s a Covid season and the madness that brought so there is an asterisk next to it to be fair to them.
I just don’t see this City team winning the league this year and if they do then my point is gone but it’s looking more than likely it’s 3 in 6.
I honestly don’t remember many empty seats under Mancini or Pellegrini? Not to this degree anyway

 

[Irwin99]

They'll get done on the counter against us again If Palace can do it so can United.

Pep's work has been fantastic but I do wonder what this City side would look like with a different manager.

 

[Dec9003]

They have a radio ad on at the moment trying to sell tickets, they’re the champions and can’t even sell out their own ground. I’m sure it being Halloween weekend is the excuse for yesterday’s turnout.

 

[FatTails]

They have a radio ad on at the moment trying to sell tickets, they’re the champions and can’t even sell out their own ground. I’m sure it being Halloween weekend is the excuse for yesterday’s turnout.

Such a mismatch between the quality of football, players, and manager on one hand, and the size of the club on the other.

Farcical.

 

[snk123]

They have a radio ad on at the moment trying to sell tickets, they’re the champions and can’t even sell out their own ground. I’m sure it being Halloween weekend is the excuse for yesterday’s turnout.

Heard this so many times but I'm sure you know that no one outside of Utd cares about any of this. City are a massive club now and a better destination than Utd for most of upcoming players. Burying our heads in sand (pun intended) won't help. We need to win titles again.

 

[Maluco]

Heard this so many times but I'm sure you know that no one outside of Utd cares about any of this. City are a massive club now and a better destination than Utd for most of upcoming players. Burying our heads in sand (pun intended) won't help. We need to win titles again.

Of course it matters. No one is watching and far fewer people care when City do something. General apathy towards their league wins.

Players that participated in league wins like a Clichy or a Nasri are afterthoughts. Their careers, just notes on the page of a very sterile presentation.

Even players who become club legends, where you can’t ignore their legacy, players like Aguero and Silva, imagine how much bigger their legacies would be if they had done what they did for United instead of City?

We are a mess right now but what we do as a club will always matter way more than what City do.

We need to get our act together, but City are in a false position of relevance because of the money they have. They don’t have the history, culture and prestige of Manchester United. You can’t buy that, and it shows every time they celebrate a title to a smattering of applause.

 

[Dec9003]

Heard this so many times but I'm sure you know that no one outside of Utd cares about any of this. City are a massive club now and a better destination than Utd for most of upcoming players. Burying our heads in sand (pun intended) won't help. We need to win titles again.

Not sure what you're waffling about, most fans of other teams find the champions of England struggling to fill their ground amusing as well. Massive club.

 

[Cascarino]

False 9 and the compact way they played last season was very efficient but it’s a step down and a step away from Peps usual standard. I understand it’s a Covid season and the madness that brought so there is an asterisk next to it to be fair to them.
I just don’t see this City team winning the league this year and if they do then my point is gone but it’s looking more than likely it’s 3 in 6.
I honestly don’t remember many empty seats under Mancini or Pellegrini? Not to this degree anyway

You could be right, early days though regarding the league.
About the seats I'm not sure, I remember them being well below capacity at times with both those managers, they used to practically give away seats in the CL.

 

[Tottenhamguy]

Journalist knew what he was doing here intentionally mixing up the players name to get a answer.

 

[TheLiverBird]

KDB is out of form

That has been their biggest problem imo, not the fact they haven’t got a striker

They didn’t have a striker for pretty much all of last season and won the league

If KDB doesn’t start firing on all cylinders then maybe a Jan acquisition of a striker may happen.

But either way they’ll still be there or there abouts in the fight for the title.

Let’s see how Chelsea do when the pressure mounts and for all of Liverpool’s consistency still going unbeaten, let’s see how the injuries go, every team gets injuries but it’s all folks go on about with Liverpool’s Title chances, Firmino, Keita and Ox out although Fabinho and Thiago I believe are now back in the mix and Jota is looking up for it

Either way, City Chelsea and Liverpool are the only Title contenders imo and it’s way to early to point to which one will be the champions

 

[Bearded One]

KDB is out of form

That has been their biggest problem imo, not the fact they haven’t got a striker

They didn’t have a striker for pretty much all of last season and won the league

If KDB doesn’t start firing on all cylinders then maybe a Jan acquisition of a striker may happen.

But either way they’ll still be there or there abouts in the fight for the title.

Let’s see how Chelsea do when the pressure mounts and for all of Liverpool’s consistency still going unbeaten, let’s see how the injuries go, every team gets injuries but it’s all folks go on about with Liverpool’s Title chances, Firmino, Keita and Ox out although Fabinho and Thiago I believe are now back in the mix and Jota is looking up for it

Either way, City Chelsea and Liverpool are the only Title contenders imo and it’s way to early to point to which one will be the champions

I agree with you that it’s hard to tell who will win at this point. The three teams are really good. The only thing that could stop Liverpool from challenging is a long injury suffered by one or few of their key players as they have a thinner squad compared to the other two. Maybe Chelsea is showing signs of slowing down but they are very capable of winning the title. City have the experience and capability to retain the title and at this point I’d say they are the likeliest of the three. Just scary what their team would have been if they had a reliable goal scorer. Yes they won the league last season without a reliable goal scorer but their rivals have stepped it up this season.

There is a false narrative that their team would be worse with a real center forward. They need one especially in their very tough games only that the striker must be one that is versatile enough to be involved in build up play not just a poacher. Pep has played with people like Lewandowski and the Bayern team was not worse for it. I’m glad they don’t have a reliable scorer even though I now wish they got Kane who appears to be in a decline because they’ll be going all out for Halaand in the summer.

City’s best run last season came at a time when De Bruyne was injuredso I’m not sure his dip in form is their main issue. They seem a little inconsistent this season which is their main issue imo.

 

[dal]

Liverpool will win it I feel, City seem to lack that bit of intensity which just shows us how much off the pace we are.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Liverpool will win it I feel, City seem to lack that but if intensity which just shows us how much off the pace we are.

Agree. Liverpool have a stronger team than Chelsea and without a CF I see City missing out on the league. They're still in a very good place in general though even if this could could a lull of a year.