A really good move upward point wise ... Next year, another improvement and we're league challengers.
Improvement - 2015 vs 2016
- Thread starter LeTallecWiz
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And you think we won't?
As an example
United strengthened last year with over £150mill of spend, not including a very good free signing in Zlatan. They managed to improve by 3 points.
Arsenal spent nearly £100mil on players and managed 4 points
City over £180mill with an increase of 12 points
while we spend under £70mill on arrivals (and sold over £70mill worth of players) and managed to improve by 16 points.
I think we will but I also think the other 3 are able to spend more money on better quality players.
We really have to make sure that the sum of all parts is greater than the whole to challenge for the top 4. No more stupid purchases.
The thing is, its entirely possible they spend the same or even more again next season.
Crucial summer coming up for us.
It's blindingly obvious where we need to improve and I'm sure Klopp and others responsible at the club have identified the right people.
You'd hope the saving last year and no purchases over January coupled with some extra revenue, Champions league play off and a well regarded manager will mean we tie things up quickly and not mess about with our target players.
I'm hopeful of a good summer and really hope we keep our quality players on board.
You'd hope the saving last year and no purchases over January coupled with some extra revenue, Champions league play off and a well regarded manager will mean we tie things up quickly and not mess about with our target players.
I'm hopeful of a good summer and really hope we keep our quality players on board.
That was kinda my point, they have already spent massively and didn't get very far, that could of course change and they spend big again and land a few great players but then we may well do similar and improve again on our points tally
You've got that phrase the wrong way round. You want the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Sum of the parts being greater than the whole is what Man Utd is this season.
Like they did this past season ?
Here (despite your assertion to the contrary) you are still assuming that it's all about the players signed. However if this season taught us anything it's 'sum of the parts'. Klopp, Pochettino and Conte's systems simply worked better than those of Mourinho, Guardiola and Wenger so without a major change in tactics (though that does seem unlikely as they seem entrenched in their styles) it's entirely possible we could be just as competitive next season.
Maybe even more than just competitive since we have more holes to plug that those teams and the midfield diamond seems to be the system to overcome 10 men behind the wall proponents and will have a much larger squad to off-set injuries.
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How Klopp has not been lauded for this improvement is beyond me....
Ok, he shouldnt necessarily be in the frame for manager of the year, but jeez the media hardly give him credit for this with a threadbare squad at times and a defence that looks as strong as a chocolate teapot.
My question would be, assuming that we maintain form in the league next season, what is acceptable for us in the Champions League? It's been a long while and Rodgers completely messed that up when we had that 1 season in it. Last 16? To reach that stage and not compromise this league with the current squad feels a tall ask with how stretched out of their skin the squad was this year.
If Sanchez leaves I think they'll struggle to attract real quality. They have no Champions League, they don't pay crazy big wages and Wenger's stock has been falling year on year. Apart from Ozil who are players going to think "I'd love to play on the same team as him".
They pay pretty good wages, but I do wonder if they'd have more luck with a new manager in situ. You know how these footballers and agents love a "new project".
They had CL football last summer, and spent £90m on Shkodran Mustafa Millions, some Spanish no-mark striker and Granit "Red Card" Xhaka.
They consistently spend 100m+. Surely they've run out of money by now?
But I'm hearing they are signing Griezmann. Urgh.
Most of the Bitters I know seem to think they finished roughly where they expected to, and are happy with Koeman so far, especially after suffering that fucking clown Martinez in his last season.
What's interesting is the separation of the league. Chelsea and Spurs are in a league of their own, and had one and two spots sewn up very early. An 8 point gap between second and third is huge.
Then come City, Liverpool Arsenal and (nearly) United all in the 70-80 range; United to Everton in 7th is another big gap of 8 points, and then there's a gigantic drop off from Everton to Southampton with a gap of fifteen points.
Strange table indeed.
It's pretty amazing when factored in how early in the season Hazard was gagging for a move to Spain, and then Elephant Man's flirtation with the Chinese league.
Arsenal improve on last years points total which saw them finish 2nd.. and finish 3 places lower
OUCH!!!
OUCH!!!
I've literally just been to have my first proper look at the completed table, on the back of your comment. Very strange stratification indeed, if I wasn't such a lazy person I might go back a few years and see how odd those gaps really are. My comment on the Blueshite was really to do with their 14 point improvement when I thought they had pretty much treaded water all season.
Klopp has made a massive improvement if you consider who he's had unavailable and for how long this season. I think if he'd had the full squad all season, we really would have been there or there abouts for the title.
Unless there's some sort of massive relapse, then you'd expect some sort of improvement for next season after a decent or better transfer window, so maybe 80+ points isn't off the table next year.
I don't expect us to do anything in the champions league, but would like to see a good go at the league next season and maybe a cup.
Unless there's some sort of massive relapse, then you'd expect some sort of improvement for next season after a decent or better transfer window, so maybe 80+ points isn't off the table next year.
I don't expect us to do anything in the champions league, but would like to see a good go at the league next season and maybe a cup.
Wow if Chelsea do the same they could break all kinds of records.A really good move upward point wise ... Next year, another improvement and we're league challengers.
136 points!!
White Klopp deserves credit for our improvement, he also needs to share the responsibility for the squad being what it is this season, i.e. short in numbers and cover. Let's look at the senior squad at the start of the season (excluding keepers and after he banished Sakho):
CB: Matip, Lovren, Klavan, [ Gomez ]
FB: Clyne, Milner, Moreno
CM: Henderson, Can, Lucas
CM: Lallana, Wijnaldum, Grujic
WF: Mane, Coutinho
CF: Firmino, Origi, [ Sturridge ], [ Ings ]
Gomez and Ings were coming back from ACL injuries so their contributions were likely to be suspect earlier on in the season anyway. With Sturridge's injury history in the seasons prior, it was always going to be rather risky to count on him as a solid contributor.
So with us playing predominantly 4-3-3, the squad was basically staffed to cater for, in general, at most one injury per position. In the case of wide forwards, we didn't really have any backups unless we took someone from another line and pushed him out of position. We knew all along that Mane was going to miss out on the games in January. The whole Matip issue was confusing and suggests carelessness and/or incompetence somewhere in the organization that didn't spot the potential tripwire. And yet we didn't plan for any of that.
For all our lamentation that we were unlucky with injuries, we've also glossed over the fact that we were very lucky that between Clyne and Milner, they missed only three league games combined. I think it's safe to say we probably won't have finished 4th if either of them, flawed as they are in certain aspects of their game, had missed a few more games each.
So yes, there was good improvement in some areas, but we really need to learn lessons from this season both on and off the pitch.
CB: Matip, Lovren, Klavan, [ Gomez ]
FB: Clyne, Milner, Moreno
CM: Henderson, Can, Lucas
CM: Lallana, Wijnaldum, Grujic
WF: Mane, Coutinho
CF: Firmino, Origi, [ Sturridge ], [ Ings ]
Gomez and Ings were coming back from ACL injuries so their contributions were likely to be suspect earlier on in the season anyway. With Sturridge's injury history in the seasons prior, it was always going to be rather risky to count on him as a solid contributor.
So with us playing predominantly 4-3-3, the squad was basically staffed to cater for, in general, at most one injury per position. In the case of wide forwards, we didn't really have any backups unless we took someone from another line and pushed him out of position. We knew all along that Mane was going to miss out on the games in January. The whole Matip issue was confusing and suggests carelessness and/or incompetence somewhere in the organization that didn't spot the potential tripwire. And yet we didn't plan for any of that.
For all our lamentation that we were unlucky with injuries, we've also glossed over the fact that we were very lucky that between Clyne and Milner, they missed only three league games combined. I think it's safe to say we probably won't have finished 4th if either of them, flawed as they are in certain aspects of their game, had missed a few more games each.
So yes, there was good improvement in some areas, but we really need to learn lessons from this season both on and off the pitch.
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In case anyone needs a reminder
Then, there's tactics, luck with injuries and suspensions etc.
What represents success next season?
Needs to be better than this season of course, so my expectation is that Klopp builds the squad to be capable of a title challenging, top 3 finish in the league, final 8 in the CL, plus a trophy.
FA cup would be nice.
Needs to be better than this season of course, so my expectation is that Klopp builds the squad to be capable of a title challenging, top 3 finish in the league, final 8 in the CL, plus a trophy.
FA cup would be nice.
In case anyone needs a reminder
Then, there's tactics, luck with injuries and suspensions etc.
I think Spurs have spent like 130mill over the last 2yrs, but their net spend always looks good.
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