- This topic has 89 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 6 years ago by
.
-
Posts
-
“It was not that long ago when Utd, Liverpool Chelsea and Arsenal dominated the league, they were untouchable but few moaned about it”
The reason (in my opinion) that people are sometimes defeatist, is because deep down everybody knows/feels that Man City are better than any of those dominant teams.
“Of course Liverpool and others can win it, I do not understand why everybody is so defeastest. You should not be waiting for City to loose but make sure you win, that is what puts pressure on City.”
I think that’s what Klopp has going because there’s no other way to do it in this situation. The team can’t be distracted by other results. One thing I will say though is that the league is currently dominated by 5 really strong teams, not 6. Sorry utd fans on here but the league is not possible this season. Man city might drop 12 points from here til May, maybe!.. and that’s the current gap. Can Utd win every single game from here til the end of the season? Absolutely not. I don’t think they can win the next 5 game sin a row. That’s not me sitting here enjoying myself, that’s just how I see it, so again, apologies if that comes across in any other way.
So, who has a chance to win it if Man city prove mortal? Arsenal are a brilliant team and way ahead of where I thought they would be but I don’t think they are ready. For me they have a very outside chance but that’s all. Next season might be another story though. So, Spurs? I wouldn’t completely rule them out. They are quite comfortable in their project development, maybe a little too comfortable with the no deals in the summer but they’ve got to be taken seriously. So, I still think reasonably outside chance but more solid than the others for sure.
So, that leaves the top 3, who i think we’ll almost certainly see the winner come from. I think many on here want to calm down about Chelsea’s chances but I’m having absolutely none of it lads! People love to tip Liverpool as the sole challengers to City but it’s just not true at all. We’ve got 2 more points than them, which is nice but that changes to one less on a single off day. the top 3 are all undefeated and have really nice goal difference, with solid defences. So I think the difference in the chance to win the title between us and Chelsea is minimal. I’d give City a 70% chance of doing it and then the rest of us are taking our piece of the remaining 30.
I’m not TOO down about it because we’re moving forward and developing as a team but I do think that this is a season where we need to win something, anything. Will it be the PL? Maybe we’ve got a small chance. Whatever happens though, I hope it’s at least interesting. Nobody likes a one horse race.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Good post, Mak, and I’d agree with your percentages, though I’d put us marginally ahead of Chelsea, who are marginally ahead of Spurs who are comfortably ahead of Arsenal or anyone else.
But, and it’s an important but, we ARE still very much in it at the moment, and that’s what we have got to enjoy. Maybe City will concentrate on the Champions League in the New Year and take their eye of the ball, maybe David Silva will get injured (not that I am hoping for that at all), so there are variables that may affect those percentages. I’m loving it that we are having our most successful start to a season ever, and that’s not boring. It’s just frustrating that City are just so good. as you say no-one likes a one horse race, except the jockey on that horse!
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Mak, I would agree with you about Chelsea’s chances of being a credible title challenger if we had a decent striker but currently we don’t and until we solve that problem even achieving a CL place is in jeopardy.
Liverpool are currently a much better balanced team than Chelsea although I think their midfield doesn’t match their defence or attack and the squad still remains a bit thin in terms of real quality.
Any team that can finish above City this season will be a hell of a good team. But football is cyclical and history tells us nobody dominates for ever although I can see City being the dominant force in the PL for a while. I can also see them living on once KDB is back and match fit.
Liverpool getting eliminated in the round of 16 in the CL and City going all the way with some tough games in the Qtr and Semi Finals might give Liverpool an advantage.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
βIt was not that long ago when Utd, Liverpool Chelsea and Arsenal dominated the league, they were untouchable but few moaned about itβ
I think thatβs because there was always a proper challenge for the title. The title was never over in November/ December.
Put it this way, if we had Β£100 riding on it and I offered you the other 19 PL clubs and I took City, you wouldnβt take the bet.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
True Hightown & I do rate them a good side
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Alfie I think youβd struggle to find anyone to take that bet mate.
Mak I just cannot see us beating PSG away Or Napoli at home, they are an extremely well balanced & well drilled side. I think we will draw at home to them & lose at PSG which would put us in the dreaded Europa. Some keep saying our attack will click but I think Klopp is struggling to find a balance between defence & attack & we donβt have that link in midfield, too much same same in the middle IMO.
Anyway I need to forget c$ty running away with it & hope to see us go back to playing like last season. Itβs great to be defending better but I think we are just scraping games & it wonβt continue, Iβd rather see us have a full on crack like last season, at least we were good to watch._____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
I think you are right Oz, which makes itβs own point!
Iβd go as far as saying that iβve never known such heavy favourites for a PL title so early in the season.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Alfie
Under SAF Utd were always strong favourites most years.
Arsenal and/or Chelsea were there too.
One or two reversals is all it takes for any team to drop to third or fourth. The league is far from over. And that is the truth. Injuries happen. We have been without KDB all season. Overall he has been our best player. Ok we’ve done well without him but we could find Aguero or Stones or Silva injured etc etc. You never know what happens!_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Just to confirm Alfie’s point here are the latest SkyBet title odds.
Premier League Winner 18/19
Manchester City. 2/7.
Liverpool. 7/2.
Chelsea. 18/1.
Tottenham. 40/1.
Arsenal. 150/1.
Manchester Utd. 250/1._____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Adlab, your post further enhances the comments that C$ty will run away with it. Top of the league without your best player, you’ll only get better upon his return. Your squad is simply way too good with quality in depth. With ffp other teams can’t even get a sugar daddy to buy the top players any more so c$ty will probably dominate the foreseeable future as they only have to add a quality player or 2 each season to stay above the pack.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
I’m surprised that we are 7/2 but I suppose there will have been quite a bit of betting on Liverpool after the summer purchases. I’m not a gambling man but I think Chelsea represents “value”… well, not really but I certainly wouldn’t go near Liverpool for that return. I’d say we’ve maybe a 10-15% chance of winning the title.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Oz yob.
Take your point.
Tell me how else could ANY club break the UEFA cartel without MASSIVE investment ie City and PSG.
LIVERPOOL were luck to sell Coutinho for so much. But they invested all to catch up.
Wouldnt you rather have more clubs competing? Yes City are good now but in two or three years it maybe somebody else.It is impossible to generate sufficient funds organically without going into massive debt (which doesnt seem to count!).
There is a UEFA cartel and as with ALL industries members look to fight off the oppo. Just look at big business mergers of smaller players to gain market share. This has happened since the middle ages! By the way this was part of my Economics degree thesis nearly 50 years ago and nothing has changed.
FFP in its form is anti competetive and needs changing but it should allow new players into the market. For example if a wealthy individual bought Everton say, why shouldnt they be able to invest? Or if a Chinese billionaire bought say Spurs why shouldnt they buy world class players?
It is business and thats it. Not the game we grew up with.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Adlab itβs sad mate but like you say sport is no longer what it was, they really are just businesses now days. Players donβt really give a toss who they play for & a lot of the time it appears they donβt really give a toss if they win or lose.
Over here in Oz where I live Rugby League is the biggest sport but youβve got players jumping teams all over the place, even going to a so called bitter rivals club, they just donβt care. The only loyalty is from fans. Itβs sad to see._____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
No one is unbeatable. City are undoubtedly an extremely polished and professional footballing side but I thought Brian put his finger on a notable weakness in a previous post when he said City had no natural leader on the pitch – that was a big reason for them not winning the CL last year in my opinion. It really is up to the rest of the clubs to put pressure on City and test them out. The bar is only as high as the other clubs make it look and success is built on more than money.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Pretty sure FFP does allow initial heavy investment (which allows investment which wouldn’t break even). It’s just that you then have to divulge a proper business plan to UEFA to show how you will become a non-loss making club and it what period.
The rules are for newly taken over clubs, so that stops clubs from using the rule continuously. City’s problem is that they are now outside of that period and so can’t use the rule.
FFP is not the shambles or anti-competitive or illegal rules that people make out.
The FFP rules were given a thorough review by top EU lawyers who said they were fine, before they were implemented. We have had this conversation many times before and the links were put up at the time. I cannot be bothered to find them again as people only read what they want to read and ignore anything else.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Adlab – business are usually set up to make a profit. I wouldn’t call what you describe a business, as it’s not. Charity maybe, or something else, but someone pouring money into a loss making football club to beat someone else is not business.
If people understood the reason why the City owners are pouring money into the club the word business would not be used to describe the situation.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Alfie, good point in your first para but less try and steer clear of the politics as per the Ed’s request it raised its head recently and got very messy.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Alfie.
Lets qualify that as a”football business” The only owners that take money out … are?On a much more important matter we should discuss Fellaini’s haircut and its impact when he is brought on.
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Football as a business was your erroneous term used to describe Man City. I just pointed out the error. Not sure what that has to do with Mike Ashley.
I am, however, quite worried that you being a chartered accountant have never come across the concept of a business owner taking money out of their profit making business!
_____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
Mike Ashley! Lol
Thats sort of the point. Football is unlike any other business. Nobody really makes a profit apart from a cosmetic one. Unless you sell a player for a significant amount which disguises reality as clubs dont trade players._____________________________
React below π
*hover/click on the number below the reaction to see who reacted
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.