Title Race

[Woland]

It's not like the money isn't there. We were about to blow a hundred million on a little underperforming blob of shite from Brighton, and if my maths are right we've still got fifty million in change.

I'd still be surprised if we brought a forward in. We've got loads of good ones and it's only a few games. Throwing someone new in, no matter who, would be a bigger risk I think.

 

[Markeh]

If we did I’d be interested to understand why we didn’t “pull it out of our arse” in the summer when the vast majority of sensible Money transactions take place.

Squad is the Squad and it’s fucking good. We are top of the table, part of the reason being, apart from Chelsea, everyone is complying to the financial rules.

circumstances change with arses you know, sometimes new things can be pulled out

yea it’s good, i think I’m just dreaming of Suarez again

 

[bluebell]

I agree upfront isn't the issue, we have solutions in the squad. DOM could be switched to the RW is an example.
#6 and a CB for me remains a priority for me. Getting Nat back is one solution, We could look at the South American market and get players on loan. Matip should be deregistered because he is out for the season which just gives you more flexibility

 

[Dreambeliever]

You have totally missed the point. I guess that's why you're called Dreamy. And naming a youngster who has only played in 8 PL games in his life? If you want to play that game then we still have TWELVE players on the books that won the PL in 19/20, won the CL, FAC and LC, and have contested the PL closely most seasons since. That's tons of experience for us too. It still doesn't mean that history is a predictor of the future (this season) as every winning team eventually fails to repeat.

City now have players at the level of an aging Walker, or good players, but not elite as others were in previous seasons; such as Akanji, Alvarez, Gvardiol, Grealish, Nunes, and Kovacic (and I won't even bother with Lewis who you used as evidence of experience and has just 8 starts to his name). Just below the first team level you also have players such as Bobb (5 PL games), Lewis (12 PL games over 2 seasons), Ortega, Gomez and Phillips who are not going to contribute much at all.

The key takeaway is that some of their key players are on the decline and / or suffering major injuries (KdB 32 & Walker 33) or not playing at their previous levels (Ederson, Dias, Ake), the evidence for which exists in their constant defensive lapses not witnessed to this extent since we strolled the PL. This City squad is nowhere near the level of those previous seasons you are harping on about, where they either ran away with it or pipped us to the post.

So whilst City are undeniably still in the title hunt (and of course they could win it) the constant repetitious, and frankly ridiculous, assertion by some posters (you can put your hand up) and media commentators that it's possible, nay likely that City will go on a 20 game winning run in the new year, is a strawman argument based on historical data but totally ignores current form, current squad composition & ongoing injury issues (now exacerbated by age and will necessitate a reintroduction period) that have annually affected certain players (KdB & Haaland) as well as other factors that I listed above.

Contesting vs winning is not even remotely the same.

 

[Buddha]

Plenty of talk of Arsenal looking for a striker

Big Dom Solanke, no less…

 

[Brizzle]

We’ve been here before. We know what happens if we do nothing in Jan or end up with too little too late.

Yep. Let’s not end up needing Ali to score from a corner to save our season.

reinforce now whilst we are top of the table.

 

[Frogfish]

Contesting vs winning is not even remotely the same.

So finishing 2nd by one point, or losing a CL final counts for nothing as far as you are concerned? The gap in experience between them is that wide? Fuck me. Dreamy by name dreamy by nature.

 

[Dreambeliever]

So finishing 2nd by one point, or losing a CL final counts for nothing as far as you are concerned? The gap in experience between them is that wide? Fuck me. Dreamy by name dreamy by nature.

Winning and almost winning are miles apart. Winning 3 in a row is even greater again. Most of our current team have not won a league title in England.

 

[Frogfish]

Winning and almost winning are miles apart. Winning 3 in a row is even greater again. Most of our current team have not won a league title in England.

OK here is the extension of your logic ... City will, from now on, never not win the PL again, because they are the only team with the experience necessary.

Look at how risible that argument is.

 

[Whaddapie]

@Dreambeliever

Pat, are you a Daniel Day Lewis-type character actor, unable (or unwilling) to shed this relentless, exhausting SCM persona that you've created for yourself until the job's done, or can you unzip and step out of him at the end of each day, and be a more normal, reasonable person, until it all starts again, next time you log on?

 

[Halmeister]

Hang on @Halmeister is dead ? Be real ? Or are we saying Thiago type dead ?

I'm still alive, guys. Though the reds practically bored me to death tonight.

Be arsed with this gang of Arsenal twats winning the league. We're shit.

 

[Dreambeliever]

OK here is the extension of your logic ... City will, from now on, never not win the PL again, because they are the only team with the experience necessary.

Look at how risible that argument is.

While they are allowed to run unchecked and be as corrupt as they are it will be very tough. That’s not an extension at all by the way.

 

[Dreambeliever]

@Dreambeliever

Pat, are you a Daniel Day Lewis-type character actor, unable (or unwilling) to shed this relentless, exhausting SCM persona that you've created for yourself until the job's done, or can you unzip and step out of him at the end of each day, and be a more normal, reasonable person, until it all starts again, next time you log on?

When there is enough evidence to change my current view. Currently there is not.

 

[The Nomad]

When there is enough evidence to change my current view. Currently there is not.

That was a politician type answer.

Was an 'or' question
Answer - waffle.

 

[Dreambeliever]

That was a politician type answer.

Was an 'or' question
Answer - waffle.

I’ve said all along I didn’t think we could win the league this season. I expected us to drop a lot more points, just maybe not against Utd. We’ll continue drop points but overall are trending very much in the right direction.

 

[rurikbird]

Jose has no respect for Arsenal…

 

[Fabio]

I'm still alive, guys. Though the reds practically bored me to death tonight.

Be arsed with this gang of Arsenal twats winning the league. We're shit.

Up the Villa

 

[King Binny]

Premier League Leaders At Christmas And Eventual Champions

 

[Dreambeliever]

City completely changed the game.

Being top at Xmas in recent years hasn’t been as conclusive as previously.

Kinda glad we aren’t top if we aren’t going to win it.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Last 6 season 50:50 chance of going on to win the league when top at Xmas.

 

[tombrown]

Pre 2004, being top at Christmas nearly guaranteed NOT winning the league.

 

[Dreambeliever]

We can’t contend if we continue being one of the teams with the most draws in the league.

 

[Judge Jules]

Well, the table suggests we can, but I'd agree that we'd be better off not running that risk.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Shame West Ham are incapable of getting anything away to a top 6 side under Moyes but it’s nice to be top on St. Stephen’s Day.

 

[binomial]

We can’t contend if we continue being one of the teams with the most draws in the league.

Well as it stands, halfway through the season, it's proving to be otherwise.

Winning double the games you've drawn usually helps.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Well as it stands, halfway through the season, it's proving to be otherwise.

Winning double the games you've drawn usually helps.

We are on track for 84 pts.
That won’t win the league. We need more wins.

 

[binomial]

We are on track for 84 pts.
That won’t win the league. We need more wins.

Who's on track for more?

More wins would be much welcomed of course but we'll be in the title picture till the end, the 1 and only thing that comes inbetween that is a bigger injury crisis than the 1 we have.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Who's on track for more?

More wins would be much welcomed of course but we'll be in the title picture till the end, the 1 and only thing that comes inbetween that is a bigger injury crisis than the 1 we have.

City will still get 90pts.

 

[Fabio]

City will city and they're comeback will be inevitable

All we can do is win and maintain a buffer

 

[binomial]

City will still get 90pts.

At the start of the season you'd have said they wouldn't get any lower than 45 at the midway stage......

Truth is without KDB and without Rodri, they've proven to be a vastly different side.