Top Four is going to be tough next season | In other news grass is green and water is wet

[Mr. Meeseeks]

I don't know, with some smart buys we can build a fantastic team this season. If talk of the likes of Verrati and Pogba are true and Mourinho at the helm, I don't think we can rule out the title.

But I agree, we should be sensible about it and target 4th

 

[don't sign old players]

This would send all the major fan forums into complete meltdown. Spurs finishing above Arsenal would make Arsene's undoing. If I was the betting type I'd put a small punt on WHU. I'd prefer us 4th and Pep 5th though.

Yeah, I agree. If WHU can just iron a few things out they can be dangerous. Their spirit is fantastic at times.

 

[Vicar of Dibbly]

Spurs don't have great strength in depth and with CL football and having to play your best 11 each gameweek will affect their league form. Drew 13 games last season, 8 were against Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton and Liverpool, I feel many of those draws could become defeats next season as all four will be stronger in my view. Can't see them taking 6 points from Shitty under Pep.

Tottenham finished with less points than what AVB had in a weak premier league, next season they will go back down the table IMO.

Neither do any of the other "top" teams have great strength in depth. So you feel that other top teams will be stronger but not spurs?? "Don't have" is present tense and I agree with that, but you are blatantly saying the other top teams will be stronger but spurs won't. Poch is well aware more strength in depth is need but I guess you know better.

 

[arthurka]

Grass is greener what the hell happened to Old Trafford?

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[Mark_Barca]

Neither do any of the other "top" teams have great strength in depth. So you feel that other top teams will be stronger but not spurs?? "Don't have" is present tense and I agree with that, but you are blatantly saying the other top teams will be stronger but spurs won't. Poch is well aware more strength in depth is need but I guess you know better.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United and Man City have have more strength in depth than Tottenham. The latter three will certainly all improve on the basis of a change in manager. Spurs can't attract top players and the other three can.

One of those teams might have a poor season, but I guarantee 3 of those 4 will finish above Spurs next season. Quote me next May on this!

 

[Vicar of Dibbly]

Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United and Man City have have more strength in depth than Tottenham. The latter three will certainly all improve on the basis of a change in manager. Spurs can't attract top players and the other three can.

One of those teams might have a poor season, but I guarantee 3 of those 4 will finish above Spurs next season. Quote me next May on this!

Well perhaps you can explain why LVG played a load of kids precisely because there was no depth to the squad. Also explain why Man City played a load of kids in the cup because there was nobody better. Changing a manager is by no means a guarantee of improvement, especially when 2 of them have no PL experience. Further, buying top players, again, is no guarantee of success, there have been many examples of that, especially in their first season in a new County, new league and new club. You are making assumptions based on nothing.

 

[Mark_Barca]

Well perhaps you can explain why LVG played a load of kids precisely because there was no depth to the squad. Also explain why Man City played a load of kids in the cup because there was nobody better. Changing a manager is by no means a guarantee of improvement, especially when 2 of them have no PL experience. Further, buying top players, again, is no guarantee of success, there have been many examples of that, especially in their first season in a new County, new league and new club. You are making assumptions based on nothing.

Rashford was the only 'kid' that played regularly and he only started 11 games..

Man United had numerous long injuries last season, how many did Spurs have?

You just need to look at all the squads and see Tottenham lack depth, you got very lucky last season with little injuries. Take away the first 11 and the players Tottenham have to come in are N'Jie, Son, Davies, Wimmer, Bentaleb, Mason, Trippier, Chadli and Carroll. Weak!

Look at the players your currently being linked with. Berahino, Janssen, Vazquez. Spurs are doing nothing next season.

 

[Vicar of Dibbly]

Rashford was the only 'kid' that played regularly and he only started 11 games..

Man United had numerous long injuries last season, how many did Spurs have?

You just need to look at all the squads and see Tottenham lack depth, you got very lucky last season with little injuries. Take away the first 11 and the players Tottenham have to come in are N'Jie, Son, Davies, Wimmer, Bentaleb, Mason, Trippier, Chadli and Carroll. Weak!

Look at the players your currently being linked with. Berahino, Janssen, Vazquez. Spurs are doing nothing next season.

Again you are talking present tense for spurs, but future tense for other teams, your arguments lack credibility.
As for players spurs are "Linked with", lol. So that's what you base your assumptions on....media bollox. OK. Just for the record, spurs are not being linked with Berahino, that was last summer as a last minute urgency, There is no further interest. Vasquez is also bollox. There may be interest in Janssen and also Batshuayi and there's nothing to suggest they won't do well. You've probably scoffed at other players that have turned out well.

 

[Spock]

It seems to me we have to wait until the transfer window closes to make firm predictions of the top four finishers.

United missed out on fourth place by a whisker but we've significantly upgraded our manager, so I'm confident going into the next season. But Arsenal, Chelsea and City will all make big moves. Tottenham have a fantastic manager and presumably have money to spend so they'll certainly be in the mix.

As for Leicester City, I have to assume that the fairy tale will end but we all thought it would end last December.

Liverpool, they probably toil in the 6-8 space but let's see what Klopp can do now that he's got his season in England behind him.

 

[Ruffian]

Spurs will spend the next decade behind West Ham, they may even flirt with relegation. Not until they have paid off their new stadium will they return to their level in English football. About sixth, and the odd Cup semi final.

The Spurs fan mentality is baffling. They think they're Barcelona when they have seven fewer league titles than Everton.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

I actually see it returning to consisting of the blue bloods for the most part, aside from Spurs continued progress making that fourth team difficult to name.

The real fight will be at the very top, and the Europa league spots. Stoke has evolved to play modern football, West Ham are solid, Everton now has a manager with an aptitude for the defensive side of the pitch. There's probably a team in there I'm leaving out, but I can't be arsed to research it.

 

[Vicar of Dibbly]

Spurs will spend the next decade behind West Ham, they may even flirt with relegation. Not until they have paid off their new stadium will they return to their level in English football. About sixth, and the odd Cup semi final.

The Spurs fan mentality is baffling. They think they're Barcelona when they have seven fewer league titles than Everton.

Coming from a Liverpool fan that's hilarious. Liverpool have finished behind Spurs in 7 of the last eight seasons, the one you did manage to finish above was all due to Suarez. You clearly know nothing about the stadium financing, but keep on hoping. All sounds like sour grapes to me. As for fan mentality, try reading RAWK, then you can join all the others saying this year is Liverpool's year, just as they've been saying for the last 20 years. LOL

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Going to be the most interesting season in a while. There are 7 teams who are going to think they have a realistic claim at the title.

 

[sunama]

Just out of interest - if we don't finish top 4, will you be calling for the Mou head ?

Of course.
The whole point of hiring Jose is that he is a winner.
If he can't win, by definition, he is not doing what he was hired to do and so should leave.

If we want 5th place, we could easily have kept LVG. He'd guarantee us 4th/5th place with boring football.
The whole point of hiring Jose is because we have greater aspirations.

 

[sunama]

Jose will be great, but we're in transition right now.

Transition is an excuse which lesser managers give for failure.
No other team who has changed managers uses the word "transition". Pelligrini arrived at the same time as Moyes and won the league. Jose also arrived and won the league in his 2nd year. Ranieri and arrived and won the league in his first year.
The transition excuse is for losers and we are not losers.

Jose is here to win. No ifs. No buts. He even stated in his tweet that we need to forget the last 3 years.
5th place. 7th place. 4th place. Transition. Jose wants us to forget all this nonsense.

Our fans need to raise expectations.

 

[AltiUn]

Coming from a Liverpool fan that's hilarious. Liverpool have finished behind Spurs in 7 of the last eight seasons, the one you did manage to finish above was all due to Suarez. You clearly know nothing about the stadium financing, but keep on hoping. All sounds like sour grapes to me. As for fan mentality, try reading RAWK, then you can join all the others saying this year is Liverpool's year, just as they've been saying for the last 20 years. LOL

People always seem to forget this but it should be a very clear indicator of the gulf in quality between the two teams, you have a younger team and a young and obviously very gifted manager. I've been critical of Spurs but I can see them with a shout of being in top four and if things go their way another title challenge. I think we'll make top four comfortably along with Arsenal, the rest I'm not sure of.

 

[Dumbstar]

Coutinho will stay, he's not good enough for Barcelona. All but signed Denis Suarez, no need for Countinho when they have Turan, Suarez, Rafinha in reserve.

People are forgetting Liverpool only finished 6 points from Man City and when you take into account the poor start under Rodgers and Liverpool focusing on the Europa league and playing reserve team in the last few league games they're not far off. The other teams will strengthen but so will Liverpool. 4/5 good first 11 signings and they have a decent squad capable of challenging for top 4.

There's many players at Sevilla, Villarreal, Valencia etc that would massively improve Liverpool. GK, CB, LB, DM are areas that should be addressed by Klopp.

A sensible post. One thing people are overlooking: Klopp and his coaching staff have already had time to put their influence on the club from training methods to playing style. Granted new players will be coming into this setup who have not seen this yet but it won't be a case of new players AND completely new management as with City, Utd and Chelsea.

 

[don't sign old players]

Of course.
The whole point of hiring Jose is that he is a winner.
If he can't win, by definition, he is not doing what he was hired to do and so should leave.

If we want 5th place, we could easily have kept LVG. He'd guarantee us 4th/5th place with boring football.
The whole point of hiring Jose is because we have greater aspirations.

SAF took us to 2nd place in 88 and for 3 years we continued languishing. SAF is the goat.
Relatively speaking the team wasn't much different in quality to now. It's a big ask I reckon.
Jose needs time. If we're not going to let him settle, I don't think he has huge chance of succeeding.
Obviously if he produces a complete disaster of a season without showing many positives, he won't survive. Of course we should get back to the top asap. That's what it's all about.
But just look at our team. Degea and Martial aside, every other player is subject to having a good portion of fans questioning their value.
Any realistic suggestions that are made about how the team can be transformed into title contenders are disagreed with by the majority.
Don't you agree that Jose is confronted with a tricky situation?

 

[sunama]

Do you think that it would be okay for Guardiola, who is taking over MCFC (who finished on similar points to us), to finish in 4th or 5th? Almost certainly: no. Probably sackable.
Do you think if a top manager took over Madrid, PSG, Bayern, etc, that 4th/5th place would be acceptable? No.
So why is it that fans think its "okay" for MUFC to have standards below the likes of Spurs, MCFC or even LCFC? No other team goes into transition, except for us, which is why I say that "transition" is an excuse for failure.

Lets not forget, Jose probably has access to one of the biggest transfer budgets in the history of football.
Woodward, less than 12 months ago, put in World record bids for Muller AND Neymar. With Jose at the helm I am positive, he'd be willing to go even higher.
Most managers would kill to be in this position.

Jose (like Fergie before him, but unlike Moyes/LVG), would be distraught if we finish in 4th/5th next season.
He will probably target 3rd place in his first season. In his second season, 1st place has to be the target.
5th or lower: he'll probably be sacked (just like LVG & Moyes).

 

[don't sign old players]

I think we can win the league and that's always our main aim.

 

[Gol123]

United - With Jose as manager they will not doubt be rejuvenatedone for next season and a lot of their players will improve, although some may drop off as well. A big transfer budget allows Mourinho to create a team quickly and he has a good pre season to assess his squad. A young squad with a couple of major flaws and a good amount of room to develop. A dead cert for top four although not likely to be as rosey as United fans are imagining.

City - Also have a big budget and are willing to spend. Pep is the best league manager out there and knows how to create a dominating team to win leagues. They will no doubt by a few more players before the transfer window ends. Lots of star power but lacking cohesion and also quite an old squad with key areas needing replacing. Favourites for the title IMO.

Arsenal - Mentally poor and Arsene seems to be settling for average at the moment. Some key areas that need to be addressed in this window, and DM a CB and a Striker. They have done great business so far and they look like they are finally going to sign all the players necessary to cover their weaknesses. Have a god blind of young talent, experienced heads and players in their prime. Potential dark horses in my opinion.

Liverpool - Have an average squad and still question marks over their manager. Still, they have money to spend and are looking in the right areas to spend it. Klops style can take them far but I suspect a cup run is more likely. They need a better defence and to get Sturridge fully fit. If they achieve that they are as good as any side in the league. Klopp has had time to assess his team and will no doubt look to make the necessary replacements. A top 4 challenge seems certain.

Tottenham - They have a very young squad with lots of potential for growth. They aren't making much noise in the transfer market though and don't have a lot of individual star ability in their team. Still the most cohesive and together side that has single playing style that they work towards. I think that Pocchettino will struggle with juggling CL football and that they will drop off a bit against the behemoths around them. A top 4 finish is very much on the cards.

Chelsea - Have a lot of star players but also have a lot of weak players and positions. The team is a bit of a mishaps mash of styles which affects the teams playing style. There is no order and cohesion in the side. I have no doubt that the star players will be back with a vengeance next season. Conte is an unknown in the league and has the least time to prepare his side. However, I do think he will bring a lot of much needed order to the team and sort out the contrasting styles going on. Anywhere from a title challenge to mid table is possible at the moment.

 

[Noc-Z]

We've just gone 3 years without winning the Premier League. The last time that happened was between 2003 and 2006 and it was followed by three league titles in a row...I'm optimistically expecting that again!

 

[gav81]

We've just gone 3 years without winning the Premier League. The last time that happened was between 2003 and 2006 and it was followed by three league titles in a row...I'm optimistically expecting that again!

Except then we had finished 3rd, 3rd, 2nd rather than 7th, 4th, 5th. The last team Jose managed that had finished so low in the previous season was Uniao Leiria, and he didn't turn them into champions. Jose's first seasons have only ever seen a mild improvement or continuation from his predecessor. It is his second season record that is phenomenal with a clean sweep of league titles.

There is no doubt this is Jose's biggest challenge yet based on the squad he is inheriting, competition in the Premier League and expectations at United.

It's hard to predict other than that it won't be easy, and I'd be no more surprised to see us finish outside rather than inside the top four.

 

[Flytan]

Which is why I hope we focus on the League and don't play many starters in the Europa league. I honestly feel like Leicester won't finish top 4, but Spurs and City will be better. Arsenal always competes for top four. I think West Ham is a serious threat.

 

[Ruffian]

Coming from a Liverpool fan that's hilarious. Liverpool have finished behind Spurs in 7 of the last eight seasons, the one you did manage to finish above was all due to Suarez. You clearly know nothing about the stadium financing, but keep on hoping. All sounds like sour grapes to me. As for fan mentality, try reading RAWK, then you can join all the others saying this year is Liverpool's year, just as they've been saying for the last 20 years. LOL

This is what you boast of? Finishing above us during our worst period since the 60's? Do you really think Liverpool fans would crow about finishing above you while winning nothing? Do you think we would regard that as a success? Do you think Arsenal fans are happy to just be in the top four every year? Big clubs have big expectations, middling clubs gurgle with delight over trifling achievements.

You're correct, I know next to nothing about your stadium financing. I know that Pochettino expects the immediate future to be tough. I know you couldn't buy any significant back up for Kane in January. I pretty much know you will not spend 100 million in the coming window on much needed squad strengthening. There is no miraculous way of financing a new stadium that will allow you to spend big on the best players. Such an undertaking would adversely affect Man Utd and Madrid. Spurs fans need a reality check.

 

[Dobbs]

SAF took us to 2nd place in 88 and for 3 years we continued languishing. SAF is the goat.
Relatively speaking the team wasn't much different in quality to now. It's a big ask I reckon.
Jose needs time. If we're not going to let him settle, I don't think he has huge chance of succeeding.
Obviously if he produces a complete disaster of a season without showing many positives, he won't survive. Of course we should get back to the top asap. That's what it's all about.
But just look at our team. Degea and Martial aside, every other player is subject to having a good portion of fans questioning their value.
Any realistic suggestions that are made about how the team can be transformed into title contenders are disagreed with by the majority.
Don't you agree that Jose is confronted with a tricky situation?

In terms of the gap between where a team should be and where it actually is this could be his toughest job yet. Throw in the competition and I agree with you. It's mightily tricky.

 

[Larseno]

Talk of the the title but let's not run before we can walk - there are only four Champions League qualification places and a number of teams that can realistically compete for it:

Us - 5th last season, better manager and will strengthen this summer

Leicester - 1st last season, but may lose key players and their squad may struggle to juggle Europe

Arsenal - 2nd last season, lots of experience, will probably strengthen in key areas, always finish top four

Spurs - 3rd last season, will probably strengthen, good manager and already have experience of European squad football

City - 4th last season, will probably strengthen massively, better manager now

Liverpool - 8th last season (but partly due to putting eggs in Europa basket), good manager, will strengthen, NO EUROPEAN DISTRACTIONS

Chelsea - 11th last season but their squad is better than that, new manager, will strengthen, NO EUROPEAN DISTRACTIONS

That's already SEVEN TEAMS with only four places and that's before ruling out any surprise package like we had last season - West Ham, Everton, etc

It's going to be very competitive!

(NICE TITLE TAG )

Have been thinking this for months now. Its gonna be tough and thats why I think it was absolutely 100% correct to fire LvG. I dont think he has what it takes to get the right type of players. He would have doomed us IMO. That (sorry my language) bull shit about keeping the squad small to give youth the chance will not work when opposition steps up and get better managers and strengthen their squads. Potentially this is gonna be a hell of a season.