The Manchester Title Race

[charlenefan]

Man Utd
28 April - Man City away
5 May - Swansea home
13 May - Sunderland away

Man City
28 April - Man Utd home
5 May - Newcastle away
13 May - QPR home

 

[adexkola]

Dont know why because who would back Norwich to be the ones that put an end to City's unbeaten start but I was quite down heartened yesterday seeing them score another 5 goals, pick up another 3 points and although I felt slightly better after seeing us pick up 3 points at a place we haven't managed to win at for 4 years we're still asking ourselves when we'll find real some form, when will Rooney start scoring again (are the two actually linked to one another) and when will City start dropping points consistently?

That's a long sentence

 

[Randall Flagg]

If they are still 5 points (or more) clear after our game at Newcastle (4/1) it will be very difficult to catch them

 

[Gazza]

City have 7 points from their 3 toughest away matches so far. Chelsea away isn't what it used to be, City will be favourites for that one, leaving Arsenal away as the remaining difficult away fixture for them, and that's not till after February. Meanwhile, they are still to play Arsenal, ourselves, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs all at home.

I'm not down about it, and I'm not pessimistic for United's future, but I think this year's title is going to end up at City. I think we'll have 2nd place all to ourselves after Christmas, at least.

 

[De Selby]

If they are still 5 points (or more) clear after our game at Newcastle (4/1) it will be very difficult to catch them

Don't know about that.

I'd still fancy our chances if we're 5 points behind them with 5/6 games remaining. They'll get jittery.

 

[RK]

5 points would still be almost nothing at that stage (January). If we were ahead by 5 I wouldn't be comfortable, 1 slip up and there'd be one result in it, which is even more significant if there's a head-to-head match late in the season.

 

[peterstorey]

I don't recognise this super Man City that the media keep banging on about. The games I've seen them play this season

Napoli home- lucky to get a point
Bayern away - well beaten
Villareal home - lucky to win
Villareal away - won easily against depleted side
Napoli away - beaten
Liverpool away - lucky to get a point
Arsenal away (LC) - lucky to win in 90 mins

In most of these games while the front 4 have looked good (Silva outstanding and Aguero & Balotelli very dangerous), the CM and defence have looked anything but world beaters. Should see what they're made of in the next couple of weeks in the league.

 

[De Selby]

They're beating teams they should beat.

Wait until March/April and we'll see how good they really are.

 

[Sarni]

They're beating teams they should beat.

Wait until March/April and we'll see how good they really are.

5-1 at WHL and 6-1 at OT are result you normally expect from a team like City?

They have been excellent so far. It's not only that 5-point gap but also the gulf in the quality of performances that makes them favourites, by some distance, in my view.

And I didn't even expect them to challenge at the start of season. They've really improved massively.

 

[Claymore]

Its quite funny in a way to see all the sudden posts about Man City now compared with a few months ago. Most seemed to be saying it would be 3-5 seasons more before they challenged for the title and I think reality is setting in without exactly what is going on over there!!

That said...... Its still early days and Arsenal, Chelsea and even Liverpool have pulled off before or looked good and not won the title. I mean last season Arsenal were our main challengers most of the season but fell away towards the end, eventually come 4th place. It was almost as if they let Chelsea and City slide right in there.

I still think we could win it and might as we are playing some shocking stuff at times but still picking up points, riding high. Imagine what happens if we click again. Teams are fearing City at the minute because of the star names they have in the eleven and on the bench, because of all the goals they're whacking away or the top scorers charts being dominated by them and because they whacked us 6-1 at Old Trafford but that won't last forever. Someone will beat them and that'll be it, everyone else will grow a pair again.

Remember when the papers and pundits were putting out the message that De Gea was awful at long shots and rubbish? Well everyone seemed to shoot at him from silly distances for a while. Same thing with City, the media are creaming over them right now and have them down as some monster team, so teams brick it against them. Could be true but we'll have to see in May, not now.

They will win it very soon IMO, always thought that as its just too much money not too, its Chelsea and Blackburn put together on steriods but when exactly they win it I don't know. Hopefully not this year at least.

 

[Bross]

Chelsea away is not an easy fixture at all despite their relatively poor form. And then they meet an Arsenal team in excellent form. We really should catch up a bit on them in the upcoming two rounds. I dont think they will get 6 points.

Wolves at home should be cannon fodder for us regardless of form. QPR a bit trickier but we are still a comfortably better side than them and should get all the points, especially seeing how we have found our away winning form again.

Even after those two fixtures we have an easier run of games.

My predictions, maybe a bit biased and hopeful, but not unrealistic imo:

Man City
12 December - Chelsea away 0p
18 December - Arsenal home 1p
21 December - Stoke home 3p
26 December - West Brom away 3p
1 January - Sunderland away 1p
3 January - Liverpool home 3p
14 January - Wigan away 3p
22 January - Spurs home 1p
31 January - Everton away 3p

Total 18p

Man Utd
10 December - Wolves home 3p
18 December - QPR away 3p
21 December - Fulham away 1p
26 December - Wigan home 3p
31 December - Blackburn home 3p
4 January - Newcastle away 3p
14 January - Bolton home 3p
22 January - Arsenal away 0p
31 January - Stoke home 3p

Total 22p

Im not seeing us losing points at Fulham and City at Sunderland necessarily, but Im pretty sure both teams will slip up against "easy" opposition somewhere along the line of this run of fixtures.

In any case we should catch up some during this period. If we dont its looking a bit bleak as we have a lot tougher schedule once this batch of fixtures is done.

 

[Danny1982]

I think the gap between us and them has widened since the last time we made a similar thread, although the conclusion of the thread was similar..

 

[De Selby]

5-1 at WHL and 6-1 at OT are result you normally expect from a team like City?

No-one expected that, but there are mitigating circumstances in both results: Spurs had a severely depleted midfield (Krancjar was in there who's a carthorse & a half fit Modric) & we had the sending off which, as we all know, changed the dynamics of that match completely.

 

[RK]

Chelsea away is not an easy fixture at all despite their relatively poor form. And then they meet an Arsenal team in excellent form. We really should catch up a bit on them in the upcoming two rounds. I dont think they will get 6 points.

Wolves at home should be cannon fodder for us regardless of form. QPR a bit trickier but we are still a comfortably better side than them and should get all the points, especially seeing how we have found our away winning form again.

Even after those two fixtures we have an easier run of games.

My predictions, maybe a bit biased and hopeful, but not unrealistic imo:

Man City
12 December - Chelsea away 0p
18 December - Arsenal home 1p
21 December - Stoke home 3p
26 December - West Brom away 3p
1 January - Sunderland away 1p
3 January - Liverpool home 3p
14 January - Wigan away 3p
22 January - Spurs home 1p
31 January - Everton away 3p

Total 18p

Man Utd
10 December - Wolves home 3p
18 December - QPR away 3p
21 December - Fulham away 1p
26 December - Wigan home 3p
31 December - Blackburn home 3p
4 January - Newcastle away 3p
14 January - Bolton home 3p
22 January - Arsenal away 0p
31 January - Stoke home 3p

Total 22p

Im not seeing us losing points at Fulham and City at Sunderland necessarily, but Im pretty sure both teams will slip up against "easy" opposition somewhere along the line of this run of fixtures.

In any case we should catch up some during this period. If we dont its looking a bit bleak as we have a lot tougher schedule once this batch of fixtures is done.

These kind of predictions always end well...

 

[KingMinger22]

Its quite funny in a way to see all the sudden posts about Man City now compared with a few months ago. Most seemed to be saying it would be 3-5 seasons more before they challenged for the title and I think reality is setting in without exactly what is going on over there!!

It's not that funny really as City have made the most impressive start to a Premier League campaign by any team ever.

Every game they are literally raping their opposition. They have the strongest first XI in the league - in terms of pure quality, by some distance imo - and the best squad. We, however, have SAF but I do not think that will be enough this season.

They deserve no real plaudits as they have simply lavishly spent and spent until they got to this level. That said, it doesn't take away from the fact that the players on the pitch have been playing exceptionally well.

I expect them to smash records this season but in the medium-term Fergie will rise to the challenge. He'll need cash though!

 

[RedDevilCanuck]

If Spurs' key defenders stay fit it could actually be a 3 horse race and I really wouldn't count Chelsea out yet.

Is sounds weird but Spurs actually look really good and they can create chance after chance at will it seems. They should really go in for some defensive cover because the rest of the squad is pretty deep and there is loads of attacking talent.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Next two league games are important. We have to win both our games because this is our best chance to cut the gap for awhile.

 

[Sunny Jim]

TBH i expect us to drop only two points (Arsenal away) from these fixtures.

 

[Sunny Jim]

My predictions, maybe a bit biased and hopeful, but not unrealistic imo:

Man City
12 December - Chelsea away 0p
18 December - Arsenal home 1p
21 December - Stoke home 3p
26 December - West Brom away 3p
1 January - Sunderland away 1p
3 January - Liverpool home 3p
14 January - Wigan away 3p
22 January - Spurs home 1p
31 January - Everton away 3p

Total 18p
.

TBH i don't think City will lose point to either Chelsea or Arsenal. Both teams have been poor defensively recently and you need a watertight defense to get anything from playing Shitty.

 

[kps88]

We're in uncharted territory when it comes to predicting City's title chances. No one knows how well they'll keep their nerve in the run in which, imo, is still the most important part of the season for them. It'll be the first time for many players.

 

[Crustanoid]

Of course they were going to win it at some point with all that chucking money around, and the bloated reserves they now have. The only thing which makes their financial doping marginally better than Chelsea is that they genuinely attack teams and produce entertaining football. And I like Mancini as a manager

 

[Rooney24]

I would still be fairly confident in our chances even if we were still 5 points behind them going into April.

Pressure is a funny thing in football and can do strange things to a football team as we have found out to our cost in the past and also to our benefit. But it doesn’t really come until April. Let’s see how City handle that before surrendering the title in December!

 

[Maajid]

If they are still 5 points (or more) clear after our game at Newcastle (4/1) it will be very difficult to catch them

I don't think so. After all if we hadn't had that penalty given against us, everyone would be saying "it's just three points" and "what does City's dominance count for if they're within a loss away from being caught?" It's balanced on a knife edge as far as I'm concerned. One loss may end their aura of invincibility because we have to remember that they're not used to being in this position.

 

[Number7]

If we get a bit closer to them I think they'll get twitchy. They shat themselves in the last 25 minutes at Anfield and that was then their lead at the top was guarenteed. If we're breathing down their necks we could maybe see that more against lesser opposition.

 

[kps88]

If we get a bit closer to them I think they'll get twitchy. They shat themselves in the last 25 minutes at Anfield and that was then their lead at the top was guarenteed. If we're breathing down their necks we could maybe see that more against lesser opposition.

That was at Anfield with 10 men. We were hanging on at the end at Anfield with eleven. It was a very good point for them. Don't think we can take anything positive from that.

 

[finneh]

We just need to concentrate on our form/results at the moment. If we get 19 points out of the next 21 I'd expect us to be a point or two behind worst. History tells us that they have to go through a hairy patch and we need to be right behind putting pressure on them when they do. If we are 5+ points behind going into Jan/Feb I'd say they will be huge favourites; they will go into games knowing that not winning isn't terminal.

The problem that I see is we aren't playing very well and on current form games away at QPR, Fulham and Newcastle are not even close to bankers.

 

[RedSky]

Being honest, they're on a completely different level to us at the moment.

If they manage to push their way through December and still be ahead then I think its looking pretty grim. All inexperienced teams struggle through December and normally drop points, its when we begin the famous United push.

Still, anything can happen in football. We simply need to up our own form if we want to be anywhere near them and still in the CL/FA Cup.

 

[Crustanoid]

It reminds me a bit of when Chelsea's extreme buying policy finally started working. We're a bit too average this year as we were in 2003-6. If we are to catch them, we are going to have to really improve our act.

 

[finneh]

It reminds me a bit of when Chelsea's extreme buying policy finally started working. We're a bit too average this year as we were in 2003-6. If we are to catch them, we are going to have to really improve our act.

I feel we will need our record points tally to win it this season; 93 at least.

 

[Number7]

I'm sorry but what the feck? We've won 10 out of 14 games. We've won at Everton, Villa, Bolton - places we haven't always done well in the past few seasons. A point at Anfield is an improvement too. We've beat Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal at home. There's about 2 players in our ENTIRE SQUAD who haven't been injured at some point and we've had to change things round a lot because of it. Average? feck off.

 

[finneh]

I'm sorry but what the feck? We've won 10 out of 14 games. We've won at Everton, Villa, Bolton - places we haven't always done well in the past few seasons. A point at Anfield is an improvement too. We've beat Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal at home. There's about 2 players in our ENTIRE SQUAD who haven't been injured at some point and we've had to change things round a lot because of it. Average? feck off.

Presumably average in reality, not on paper. To quote a commentator phrase: we're getting results whilst not playing well.

 

[RedSky]

I wouldn't discount Spurs btw. They're pretty much out of Europe and will only have the FA Cup as a distraction. Their fixtures:

Spurs:
11 December - Stoke Away
18 December - Sunderland Home
22 December - Chelsea Home
27 December - Norwich Away
31 December - Swansea Away
3 January - West Brom Home
11 January - Everton Home
14 January - Wolves Home
22 January - Man City Away
31 January - Wigan Home

I think they could get as much as 24 points from those. Depends on the squads fitness mind you, they tend to pick up injuries at this point in the season.

 

[Eirik Raude]

It's not that funny really as City have made the most impressive start to a Premier League campaign by any team ever.

Every game they are literally raping their opposition. They have the strongest first XI in the league - in terms of pure quality, by some distance imo - and the best squad. We, however, have SAF but I do not think that will be enough this season.

They deserve no real plaudits as they have simply lavishly spent and spent until they got to this level. That said, it doesn't take away from the fact that the players on the pitch have been playing exceptionally well.

I expect them to smash records this season but in the medium-term Fergie will rise to the challenge. He'll need cash though!

Why haven't there been any focus on this in the media?

 

[Sunny Jim]

Of course they were going to win it at some point with all that chucking money around, and the bloated reserves they now have. The only thing which makes their financial doping marginally better than Chelsea is that they genuinely attack teams and produce entertaining football. And I like Mancini as a manager

yeah, some good points.

I know it's city but they play well, entertain and have so many likable players.

Mancini is a genuine gentleman, always speaks higly about United and Ferguson, handles their primadonnas well - so yeah, it's really annoying but i do have some positive feelings towards them.

 

[marjen]

I don't recognise this super Man City that the media keep banging on about. The games I've seen them play this season

Napoli home- lucky to get a point
Bayern away - well beaten
Villareal home - lucky to win
Villareal away - won easily against depleted side
Napoli away - beaten
Liverpool away - lucky to get a point
Arsenal away (LC) - lucky to win in 90 mins

In most of these games while the front 4 have looked good (Silva outstanding and Aguero & Balotelli very dangerous), the CM and defence have looked anything but world beaters. Should see what they're made of in the next couple of weeks in the league.

So you've watched them once in the league this season, in basically their worst performance, against a Liverpool-side excelling against superior opposition..

I think they've been the best team in the league.

Thing is, they've got so much quality up front, that they can set the rest of the team up to contain. And they're so good at keeping possession, that they can afford to attack with both full backs. Hence, teams are finding it difficult both to score and defend against them.

As of now, I'll probably have them as favourites for the league. We are the only real contender, but need to get our acts together for the christmas period. Central midfield might finally cost us this season.

 

[peterstorey]

So you've watched them once in the league this season, in basically their worst performance, against a Liverpool-side excelling against superior opposition...

I thought 7 games, one live, was quite a lot. How many have you seen?

 

[Sunny Jim]

So you've watched them once in the league this season, in basically their worst performance, against a Liverpool-side excelling against superior opposition..

I think they've been the best team in the league.

Thing is, they've got so much quality up front, that they can set the rest of the team up to contain. And they're so good at keeping possession, that they can afford to attack with both full backs. Hence, teams are finding it difficult both to score and defend against them.

As of now, I'll probably have them as favourites for the league. We are the only real contender, but need to get our acts together for the christmas period. Central midfield might finally cost us this season.

tbh i watch City nearly as often as United. City are very methodical in their approach to game, sometimes get a little bit lucky with opposition errors that help them to break the deadlock but all in all thye've been brilliant the league. Silva and co make havoc in the final third, Komapny and co are watertight defence and Toure links both departmens very well.

 

[marjen]

I thought 7 games, one live, was quite a lot. How many have you seen?

Yeah, that wasn't my point, more the fact that in Europe they've not looked as assured as in the league. Getting into the rythm of european football is an excercise in gaining experience IMO, most teams struggle in their first attempt at European football.

I've watched them about 8 or 9 times in the league this season, none in Europe except for highlights. They just look so solid IMO, and a quick peak at their results this season, all wins but two draws in difficult away matches, shows that they're a fine team.

I think they'll be too strong. What do you think? Do you reckon we're still in with a chance, our relatively poor options in CM taken into consideration?

 

[marjen]

tbh i watch City nearly as often as United. City are very methodical in their approach to game, sometimes get a little bit lucky with opposition errors that help them to break the deadlock but all in all thye've been brilliant the league. Silva and co make havoc in the final third, Komapny and co are watertight defence and Toure links both departmens very well.

Silva will often come up with something that unlocks the defences they face, even with the opposition putting 10 men behind the ball.

When you put enough pressure on a team, odds are they'll make a mistake or two. We haven't really been able to turn the screw on teams the same way, save for, ironically, Newcastle, where we somehow didn't win.

 

[Commadus]

This recent spate of City posts says more about us than City. There is no point worrying about City what they will do and if they drop points. We just have to keep winning. In January things may have turned around.