Who would you accept beating us to top 4?

[Lee565]

We can probably accept that the top 3 will more than likely be man city, liverpool and spurs come the end of the season but it's hard to find good reasons why it would be acceptable the likes of Chelsea or Leicester to get 4th place over us let alone the talk of some fans being ok with finishing 6th when taking everything into consideration.

the only one that I maybe find acceptable is arsenal on the basis that Emery has had more time at arsenal to build his side and had a relatively decent net spend this summer as well on transfers.

 

[U99ted]

Chelsea were 3rd last season btw.

And I wouldn't really accept anyone beating us to top 4. A club like ours should be there at minimum even in a transitional period, and then kicking on to better things.

 

[Charlie Foley]

We can probably accept that the top 3 will more than likely be the same as last season come the end of the season but it's hard to find good reasons why it would be acceptable a team in the top 3 last season would finish ahead of us.

 

[UnofficialDevil]

If we dont make top four the manager should be sacked. Any manager that takes the job at Man Utd should be asked to get a minimum of top 4 whether in a transition period rebuild or not.
You get a full summer transfer window with a known budget to buy and sell players as you wish in order to get the team ready to reach a minimum of top 4.

 

[haram]

Nobody.

 

[Lee565]

Chelsea were 3rd last season btw.

And I wouldn't really accept anyone beating us to top 4. A club like ours should be there at minimum even in a transitional period, and then kicking on to better things.

I keep thinking spurs finished 3rd last season

 

[Cheshire Red]

It's between United - Chelsea - Arsenal for 4th place. Keep faith in Ole and we will do it.

 

[shamans]

Look at our wage bill please. It's embarrassing enough that our goal is top 4 and not winning the league

 

[marukomu]

Leicester, Wolves, Everton and Norwich.
No Liverpool or City in CL next season.

 

[Amerifan]

City/Liverpool
Spurs

* Chelsea were third last season, but have a new manager, a young squad, no transfers (save Pulisic), and no Hazard.
* Arsenal have a stable manager, three transfer windows in, and a stable squad. On paper Arsenal should get 4th, but something’s just not right at Emirates.
* We have a new manager, a young squad, and are rebuilding.

I expect one of these three teams will be 4th.

 

[Lentwood]

We won't make top four, we have absolutely no chance, nil, zero, nada, not a cat in hells chance.

The sooner we all accept that and enjoy this season as best we can for what it is, the better

 

[stu_1992]

I would have a hard time accepting either Arsenal or Chelsea finishing ahead of us. Liverpool/City/Spurs are a given unfortunately.

Arsenal have improved this summer, but I still think their defense alone leaves them vulnerable to finishing outside the top 4. People talk about Pepe being a big singing but it remains to be seen how he does here for them.

Chelsea seem to be doing better now after a terrible start, but given the young and unproven nature of their team, I would expect their form to be all over the place this season. A little bits similar to ourselves but I expect it will be a little worse for them. Especially as they have Champions League to contend with too.

 

[Greck]

City, Liverpool, Spurs. The other top 6 reams I can tolerate although I think Chelsea and Arsenal are nothing special. I mean how many people really knew Tammy Abraham before the season began? We could pip one of them if our lot (manager incl) had their shit together. Leicester, Wolves and the lesser teams finishing above us would be an abomination

 

[Wilt]

Christ, the OP’s thread title says it all. Have we really sunk to this level?

Of course the correct answer should be, fecking nobody!

 

[charlenefan]

If we dont make top four the manager should be sacked. Any manager that takes the job at Man Utd should be asked to get a minimum of top 4 whether in a transition period rebuild or not.
You get a full summer transfer window with a known budget to buy and sell players as you wish in order to get the team ready to reach a minimum of top 4.

That's a very outdated way of looking at it. It's not a top 4 anymore it's a top 6 and as it appears a given that the top 3 will be City, Liverpool and Spurs you are then guaranteeing 2 of only the 5 teams to ever win the PL will miss out on the top 4. Man Utd might be the biggest club in the country but both Arsenal and Chelsea are a hell of a lot more established PL teams than the 'new kids on the block' City and Spurs so it's embarrassing for any of the 3 not to be in the UCL

The way the squad was left in the summer meant Top 4 was far from a cert, we levelled up the defence no end but left ourselves relying on 2 players to have the season of their lives to score us the goals.

If the club has brought into Ole's philosophy of waiting for the right players then they have to look at the bigger picture beyond just this one season

 

[wolvored]

Nobody is the acceptable answer. We should be striving to get back into the top 4 otherwise the slight chance we have of signing the quality players like Sancho will be lost and we will be left with paying over the odds for players a step or two down from the very top quality and/or hoping we can get lucky again like with James

 

[Leftback99]

Is this another manager bashing thread?

Like before the season, the 5 teams that finished ahead of us last season and still have better squads. What has changed?

6 (maybe 7) into 4 doesn't go. Someone has to miss out.

 

[charlenefan]

To answer the OP I'd anyone (so City, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal) but Chelsea, for them to loose the player that single handily got them into it last season and not be able to replace him and then to hire a rookie manager and still finish above us would be a massive embarrassment for everyone at the club - the board, the manager and the players

 

[bosnian_red]

I think we're around the same level as Arsenal as 4th/5th best side in the league but capable of getting 3rd with a bit of luck and Spurs not playing to their max. So its anyone's guess who finishes 4th, but it depends on how we finish in whatever position we finish in whether I'll be ok with it or not. We can only focus on ourselves, so if somebody has a freak season like Leicester and finishes ahead of us but I still felt we had a decent season, I'd be ok with it.

 

[Spaghetti]

That's a very outdated way of looking at it. It's not a top 4 anymore it's a top 6 and as it appears a given that the top 3 will be City, Liverpool and Spurs you are then guaranteeing 2 of only the 5 teams to ever win the PL will miss out on the top 4. Man Utd might be the biggest club in the country but both Arsenal and Chelsea are a hell of a lot more established PL teams than the 'new kids on the block' City and Spurs so it's embarrassing for any of the 3 not to be in the UCL

The way the squad was left in the summer meant Top 4 was far from a cert, we levelled up the defence no end but left ourselves relying on 2 players to have the season of their lives to score us the goals.

If the club has brought into Ole's philosophy of waiting for the right players then they have to look at the bigger picture beyond just this one season

United
City
Blackburn
Arsenal
Chelsea
Leicester

 

[charlenefan]

United
City
Blackburn
Arsenal
Chelsea
Leicester

Ah you can always count on someone on the internet to jump on a mathematical error

 

[Greck]

Is this another manager bashing thread?

Like before the season, the 5 teams that finished ahead of us last season and still have better squads. What has changed?

6 (maybe 7) into 4 doesn't go. Someone has to miss out.

Chelsea lost one of the best player in the league and an experienced manager. Their starting XI is meh on paper. Go back to the match day thread when their lineups were announced and you'll see people realising they are nothing special

 

[Leftback99]

Chelsea lost one of the best player in the league and an experienced manager. Their starting XI is meh on paper. Go back to the match day thread when their lineups were announced and you'll see people realising they are nothing special

They finished comfortably above us and won the Europa league. They lost their best player but replaced him with Pulisic and also brought good players back from loan which everyone ignored. Their starting 11 isn't worse than ours.

 

[Johan07]

I am far from sure that Spurs are a given for top3. They have not looked good so far and to go into a season with key players like Eriksen and Aldeweireld not signing new contracts is far from ideal.
Hell, I dont think City or Liverpool have impressed so far either. Liverpool looks seriously shaky at the back with this new offisde-trap thing they seem to be trying out.
Its too early to say anything yet anyways, but this idea that top-three is a given does not reflect the football that has been played so far this season IMO.

 

[TheReligion]

I think I'd accept City, Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal finishing in the top 4 at a push. All have had longer with their current managers and longer to implement their styles and squads. Chelsea should be a direct comparison to United this term given the circumstances and a good gauge of where we are in my opinion.

 

[John Blund]

We won't make top four, we have absolutely no chance, nil, zero, nada, not a cat in hells chance.

The sooner we all accept that and enjoy this season as best we can for what it is, the better

If we don't then Ole's failed half his mission this season. This season I expect rebuilding, and CL for next season. CL next season means at least 4th place or winning EL. Spurs look surprisingly weak. Arsenal the same. We won't compete with City or Liverpool - we all knew that.

 

[acnumber9]

The idea Spurs are locked on for top three bemuses me a little. It can only be by people who don’t actually watch them play.

 

[Spaghetti]

Ah you can always count on someone on the internet to jump on a mathematical error

You are saying that the problem was mathematical? You can’t count to six?

I assumed you had forgotten one of the teams that had won it and was reminding you in a non patronising way. But if the problem was just counting to six, that’s something else!

 

[GlastonSpur]

The idea Spurs are locked on for top three bemuses me a little. It can only be by people who don’t actually watch them play.

Spurs are certainly not locked in for top 3, nor for top 4 either. There's too much competition for any such certainty and football matches often hinge on fine margins.

Having said that, I predicted we'd finish 3rd at the season start and I'll stick with that.

 

[Random Task]

Spurs are certainly not locked in for top 3, nor for top 4 either. There's too much competition for any such certainty and football matches often hinge on fine margins.

Having said that, I predicted we'd finish 3rd at the season start and I'll stick with that.

There's very little to choose between United, Spurs, Arsenal, and Chelsea from what I've seen so far this season. Inconsistency will be an issue for our clubs all season long, making it impossible to predict the top four at this stage.

Squad-depth will prove to be crucial, as it usually does.

 

[tenpoless]

We can't finish outside of top 4 consecutively, it'll hurt us. So no thanks.

 

[acnumber9]

Spurs are certainly not locked in for top 3, nor for top 4 either. There's too much competition for any such certainty and football matches often hinge on fine margins.

Having said that, I predicted we'd finish 3rd at the season start and I'll stick with that.

They probably will by virtue of the fact they have two great goal scorers and for me that’s the big difference between Spurs and those below them currently. General performances have been poor for a long time but the rest of us have been equally poor.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

I keep thinking spurs finished 3rd last season

It’s okay I can’t even remember who managed Chelsea last season.

 

[Shark]

Although I get the reason why optimism has gone up slightly due to us finally winning a game of football 1-0, but I'm still not really convinced we're any good. Will take us going on a run of wins before I'm anywhere near convinced we can finish 4th.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Probably Arsenal.

 

[Offside]

I agree, if Arsenal or Chelsea finish above us it's a pretty desperate situation. Thought the same last season.

 

[Steven-UK]

This thread alone shows exactly how far we have fallen..... and we have now accepted it.

 

[charlenefan]

You are saying that the problem was mathematical? You can’t count to six?

I assumed you had forgotten one of the teams that had won it and was reminding you in a non patronising way. But if the problem was just counting to six, that’s something else!

And I knew that would be your reply as well

 

[ArjenIsM3]

Based on squads alone I'd say this will be the table.

1. City
2. Liverpool
3. Spurs
4. Chelsea
5. United
6. Arsenal

 

[Greck]

They finished comfortably above us and won the Europa league. They lost their best player but replaced him with Pulisic and also brought good players back from loan which everyone ignored. Their starting 11 isn't worse than ours.

Pullisic is no Hazard replacement in quality. He's a promising youngster from another league. That's it. Hazard has been amongst the league's best for 3 to 4 years running. He doesn't even begin to make up for what Chelsea lost in hazard

 

[Henrik7]

It's a sad state of affairs that this is even being asked, but I think Utd will get 4th place. Was thinking it was between Utd and Arsenal, but it looks as though Arsenal are in for a bit of a rough ride this season.