We are 2nd in the league and deserve to be there. Agree?

[Deery]

As good as they should be, how good is that? Are we being better or worse than we should be, or not as good as we should be but still a slightly better not as good as we should be than teams below us?

Well considering they walked the league last season champions is probably as good as they should be that’s how good they should be, I think we’re as good as we should be with the way we’ve played maybe next year we’ll be better with the squad getting bigger and young players emerging. We aren’t that much ahead of anyone else you go on like we’re miles in front we’re not.

 

[RUCK4444]

They bottled the top 4 last season and the chance to overtake us twice this season I think it has to be said, Liverpool lost some of their midfield as well and didn’t have their front 3 regularly for large parts of the season as well as their CB’s, not that I want to defend Liverpool but injuries have affected them.

Yes but you can’t say just because Leicester had chances to jump ahead of us but didn’t that we don’t deserve to be 2nd.

That’s like saying we had a chance to stay 1st in the league so we deserve to be ahead of City.

If my auntie had balls she’d be my uncle

 

[laughtersassassin]

We deserve to be second but it's not as great as it sounds on paper.

I think that's a reasonable statement on things.

Our leaky back four, defending from corsses/corners and inabilityto score or beat the best teams are big concerns.

Concerns that if we are being honest have been evident since early on in the season but have shown no signs of improving.

 

[Ali Dia]

This is one of my least favorite myths, the league can and does regularly lie. This assumes that luck balances out over a season but that's not how luck works. Many teams have vastly overperformed/underperformed based on what would be expected due to luck and bad refereeing decisions.

For instance it only takes a net result of 3 big refereeing decisions over a season and you can +/- a variance of 18 points in position, that's the difference between a top four place and a 12th place finish in a lot of seasons.

For what it's worth i think you've been comfortably worthy of a top 4 position, but i wouldn't say you're by far the second best team in the league.

ya that’s about right. We had a few softish decisions last year and not so much this year. Teams have figured our big players out and we didn’t add any quantity to our first team since Bruno. On the other hand our younger lads have another years experience . After the summer window everyone would have said top 4 is what we are playing for this season and continuing the slow rebuild. So Ole is still currently performing above expectations even if the last month or 2 have been hard. You wouldn’t think it on here though!

 

[anant]

Would be third if Arsenal hadnt beat Leicester a home which was unexpected . Probably will be third if we lose to City on Sunday.

Would be first if we beat Palace, SHU, Everton, WBA, Leicester, Arsenal which was unexpected

 

[Nick7]

We arent chasing 1 spot this year though. 1 team may go on a tear and overtake us but 3 teams arent coming from the pack and putting pressure on us.
Look at this Wednesday, a draw in Liverpool v Chelsea and we win v a weak Palace side and we are comfortably clear of both, with 11 games left.

And if we lose to Palace like we lost to Sheffield United?

 

[SwedishFish]

Yes. We've been more stable in churning out results and the table reflects that. Still some ways to go to fully compete for the title all the way but a season that shows the strides we've made since last season.

 

[Water Melon]

We will see where we are at the end of the season. The OP is saying that we deserve to be 2nd, so, if God forbid we finish below that level, it means we will have underachieved. I also believe that we are the strongest team in EL, so not reaching the final will mean that we bottled it as well.

 

[laughtersassassin]

ya that’s about right. We had a few softish decisions last year and not so much this year. Teams have figured our big players out and we didn’t add any quantity to our first team since Bruno. On the other hand our younger lads have another years experience . After the summer window everyone would have said top 4 is what we are playing for this season and continuing the slow rebuild. So Ole is still currently performing above expectations even if the last month or 2 have been hard. You wouldn’t think it on here though!

Nah most agreed top 4 and a trophy would be good. Just top 4 is very meh.

Ole said he was happy with the summer and while I know he kind of has to say it to keep the owners happy.

But yeah he can't be given leeway for a mediocre summer because most of our summers are mediocre.

Have to win a trophy. Or atleast make a final.

For the second season running we are arguably the strongest team in the EL. So no excuses not to win It or get very close. It can't always be put down to being unlucky

 

[charlenefan]

The table doesn't lie

 

[Kag]

More or less, yes. Second is the pinnacle of what this existing squad can achieve. With the right financial backing, we are in a good position to improve further. I don’t think the club have it in them, sadly.

The teams below City are a much of a muchness. I’ve said as much for ages now. Even then, City will eventually fall back towards the pack, as most teams often do.

We don’t lose many football matches. I think this is a quality that goes unnoticed, especially when you can see just how easy the teams around us appear to be losing. Hopefully it stays that way.

 

[Zlatan 7]

Well considering they walked the league last season champions is probably as good as they should be that’s how good they should be, I think we’re as good as we should be with the way we’ve played maybe next year we’ll be better with the squad getting bigger and young players emerging. We aren’t that much ahead of anyone else you go on like we’re miles in front we’re not.

I don’t go on at all, I fully see we can improve lots and it’s close as shit to get top four never mind challenge for the league. I just don’t like the comments that were only where we are because other teams are not as good as they ‘should’ be because of problems yet we have our own problems, but great, I’ll take that all day.

I agree Liverpool could be doing better, but they aren’t and they wernt before the injuries so imo there’s no should be about it

 

[bsCallout]

Definitely deserve to be. We've made progress all round as far as I can tell, what would really help is for a forward of ours to have a purple patch.

This team with a top CF could do great things.

I didn't expect us to be second at this point in the season. Still plenty to play for which will determine how good our season has been and next season, like every season, we will have to take another step forward.

 

[Bastian]

We are currently best of a relatively poor bunch (excluding City of course) where every team is enormously inconsistent (bar perhaps West Ham who are playing well above expectations). We are perhaps better positioned than most in terms of depth, even if there's a drop in quality and we've been (knock on wood) uncharacteristically lucky with injuries.

I'd take 2nd quite easily, but there's some way to go.

 

[RashyForPM]

We deserve to be there, not because we’ve been great, but because we’ve been decent while the rest have been average to awful. Still need a new CB, DM and RW to be title winners though, and manager if we don’t get top 3 and a trophy. If we do, give Ole one more year to fight for the title and a new contract having backed him in the summer with clever recruitment.

 

[Ali Dia]

Nah most agreed top 4 and a trophy would be good. Just top 4 is very meh.

Ole said he was happy with the summer and while I know he kind of has to say it to keep the owners happy.

But yeah he can't be given leeway for a mediocre summer because most of our summers are mediocre.

Have to win a trophy. Or atleast make a final.

For the second season running we are arguably the strongest team in the EL. So no excuses not to win It or get very close. It can't always be put down to being unlucky

Even If the owners had gone out and just got Sancho and filled that 1 major hole in the squad I think the realistic target would still have been to get top 4 (with 1 eye on a challenge if our players hit form and the stars aligned) knockout stages of the CL and just keep building. The cups are luck in the latter stages but obviously the more quality and freshness you have increases your chances of winning and I think we are still too lacking in creativity, leadership and graft outside of hoping Bruno fixes it to make the hardest step up this year. Also last year in the cups we were flogging that 11 to absolute death while still trying to remain in the top 4. The fact we caught up in the league and went that far in the cups was a miracle in itself.

The organisation pretty much stood still after all of that so even if Liverpool spontaneously combusted (one can dream) City and Chelsea are not messing around. Top 4 is actually good if you’re going to insist on being so indecisive in the market. We have to chase the same player for at least 2 summers to get them (maguire... still chasing Sancho, haaland etc) and it takes us forever to sell a player too. when you’re up against teams that are actually serious about winning at any cost you’ve got to pull the finger out and take a few risks to kick on or else just accept that this is what owners want to do with their asset. top 4 and a slow slow build with an emphasis on youth. The slow build has my head wrecked but there’s nothing the fans can do about it.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

Not really deserving with our big game record I guess. Of course what would you claim as deserved?

We got the second most points, but it may not last with our current form. Of course if other teams keep dropping points to we can grind our way into top 4.

I think we probably end in second though unless Liverpool suddenly improve a lot.

 

[cyberman]

And if we lose to Palace like we lost to Sheffield United?

Well if we lose every other game it will be a challenge but our rivals are more likely to drop points than we are.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Yes, definitely. The team with the 2nd most amount of points in the league always deserves to be 2nd.

 

[SadlerMUFC]

It's higher than most expected, especially considering Ole wasn't backed by the board this past summer. Of course 2nd place still isn't good enough, but it's a step in the right direction...

 

[groovyalbert]

Yes - but those below us have higher ceilings/more room to improve than we do. With everyone at their best/all players available we struggle to crack top 4.

 

[Nicoseth]

Yes. We had a slow start but then played some great stuff. We've been the 2nd most consistent team in the league.

 

[ivaldo]

Yes I'd agree. Not a very strong league and current form were not 2nd best but over the course of the season yes, we should be second

What makes you say it isn't a strong league?

 

[kouroux]

Table doesn't lie. Well deserved despite all the issues and the referees fecking us over and over again.
It just remains to be seen whether this is where we'll finish come the end of the season

 

[Matt851]

We deserve to be second but we are only one point ahead of leicester and four ahead of west ham

Unfortuantely we havent got ajy closer to the top team in the league which points to us being 'least shit'

 

[shaky]

Yes - but those below us have higher ceilings/more room to improve than we do. With everyone at their best/all players available we struggle to crack top 4.

When does any team have everyone at their best though? You could say if we had DDG, Cavani, Pogba etc all playing at their previous best level, we would be competing for everything, and with our young players, we also have a very high improvemnt potential too. Realistically though, no team is that much better or worse than how they have been in the past season. Players might get better with age, regain lost form from years gone by or come back from injury at the previous best levels but all these factors are just as likely to not happen as they are to happen.

 

[Nicoseth]

We deserve to be second but we are only one point ahead of leicester and four ahead of west ham

Unfortuantely we havent got ajy closer to the top team in the league which points to us being 'least shit'

This is a very negative way of looking at it. In that case, Liverpool are behind both the teams you mentioned - are they now shit? Did anybody think we would win the league this year? No. Did most people - me included - think we'd be second at this stage? No. But we are, and have improved from last year. The squad is getting better, the deadwood is largely gone. We are on the right track.

 

[Leftback99]

Miles behind City and marginally better than the rest is about right so far. However if the league started tomorrow I'd still expect us to finish behind Liverpool and Chelsea based on the squads.

 

[SER19]

What makes you say it isn't a strong league?

Arsenal have been terrible, spurs very inconsistent, Chelsea were terrible under lampard,Liverpool one of the worst title defenders ever and we've won 2 in 7 and are still second. Most big teams are hit and miss and City have a sub team stronger than about 14 teams in the league

 

[ivaldo]

Arsenal have been terrible, spurs very inconsistent, Chelsea were terrible under lampard,Liverpool one of the worst title defenders ever and we've won 2 in 7 and are still second. Most big teams are hit and miss and City have a sub team stronger than about 14 teams in the league

That could just as easily be attributed to the strength of the league though. Europe might be a better barometer.

 

[Roboc7]

We’re closer to 9th than 1st in terms of points, personally I don’t see much difference between 3rd last season and 2nd this season, miles off the pace either way.

However if we finish second we will deserve to, I don’t think it means much though.

 

[Skåre Willoch]

Yes.

 

[Bilbo]

Of course we deserve to be 2nd. Why wouldn't we be? We have the 2nd most points in the league. Weird thread

 

[Dve]

Yes I'd agree. Not a very strong league and current form were not 2nd best but over the course of the season yes, we should be second

Based on results in international matches, I´d say the English PL is pretty strong - at least compared to anybody else.

 

[James35]

We deserve to be second because of our points, we also deserved third last season as that is where we finished.

We can only say we are the second best team though if we finish in second place, I certainly wouldn't say we are the second best team though. Liverpool are clearly a better team just decimated with injuries, I don't think we are a better team than Chelsea either squad wise.

Also we were the second best team in 17/18 as the final table showed.

 

[Dve]

What’s so funny

Your whole post is funny. "We would have been third if....". Also we would have been first if...

 

[AltiUn]

For the first half of the season, definitely. Second half of the season, not so much, and sadly I think that'll show on the table as the season progresses.

 

[brzez]

I'm fecking my wife but I'm lucky that George Clooney doesn't want her.

Am I doing this right?

 

[Zlatans Knee]

I don’t think that Ancelloti, Mourinho, Klopp or Rodgers would swap their squads for ours. So the fact that we are second is bloody impressive. To be honest I am not sure how we are. We have strikers who don’t score (or run all the much), midfielders who can’t pass, defenders that either can’t head or can’t run and a dodgy goalie. I think Shaw has to be the only player who performs well in every match.

 

[BluesJr]

Just find it incredibly hard to get excited or be content with that. It’s so far from where we should be.