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Today’s Football 2019/20 Season

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Chris O'Connor said:
Pep once again pointing to his winning the important one, the one he cares most about:- never mind the score it's the possession stats that do it for him (over 70%).

Went on to say Palace scored from all the chances they had, but this is happening time and again and with his teams' defence it will carry on happening. The whole world knows this and knows what's wrong!!!

Before the season started it was obvious City were losing Kompany and needed a replacement if long term injury struck the centre half position, they didn't strengthen and it did strike. The whole world knew a centre half needed to be signed!!!

Clownio Bravo isn't good enough as cover, add his occasional appearances to the mess at centre back and it brings calamity. The whole world knew City needed better than Clownio Bravo!!!!

So if the whole world knew a centre half and better reserve keeper should have been signed in the summer why didnt Pep act???

The reason Liverpool are a league or five better than City this season is because Klopp sorted out their long standing keeper and central defence problems a season ago, Pep knew he needed similar action last summer and did nothing.

Why are City failing (in relative terms) this year?? The Whole world knows why Pep!!!
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Can’t disagree that the defence is a big weakness but I do think there’s a cyclical nature to them having an off season relative to what they’ve done the last two years. Sustaining extremely high win percentages over a number of years is very difficult. United had fallow years between title wins.

The top sides are built towards hitting a peak at the optimum time. By definition, this isn’t something that reoccurs year-in-year-out.

In short, City are a declining force this season across every metric not just defending. They need a reboot to some degree.
 
Mat70s said:
Can’t disagree that the defence is a big weakness but I do think there’s a cyclical nature to them having an off season relative to what they’ve done the last two years. Sustaining extremely high win percentages over a number of years is very difficult. United had fallow years between title wins.

The top sides are built towards hitting a peak at the optimum time. By definition, this isn’t something that reoccurs year-in-year-out.

In short, City are a declining force this season across every metric not just defending. They need a reboot to some degree.
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Have to fully agree with you and a very good point it is incredibly hard to maintain such a high level season after season and I suppose to an extent the inevitable dip had to happen in the normal course of events.

City were purportedly after Harry Maguire when the money got silly (tbh even this isn't much of an excuse for City but understandable to pull out) so they recognised where they had to and urgently needed strengthening.

They therefore had a plan A (Maguire) but after pulling out seemed to not look elsewhere at least as decent cover, there was no obvious follow up and no plan b, it was left to chance and luck with injuries.

Liverpool tbf have been lucky with an injury free Van Dijk and a serious injury to him would have massively damaged them too.

I suppose it just goes to show something Ferguson always tried to do, which is never rest on your laurels but strengthen your weakest links from a position of strength (without anything like City's money and massive riches tbf), much better than waiting until your weaknesses have been brutally exposed and only then belatedly doing so.
 
Arsenal fans have been moaning about Mike Dean for years and I always thought he refereed us harshly but for an attacking team like Arsenal are to get only 5 penalties in 73 games from 1 referee smells dodgy to me .


 

Mat70s said:
Can’t disagree that the defence is a big weakness but I do think there’s a cyclical nature to them having an off season relative to what they’ve done the last two years. Sustaining extremely high win percentages over a number of years is very difficult. United had fallow years between title wins.

The top sides are built towards hitting a peak at the optimum time. By definition, this isn’t something that reoccurs year-in-year-out.

In short, City are a declining force this season across every metric not just defending. They need a reboot to some degree.
Click to expand...

Tbf Sir Alex's United side (without the wealth and advantages of City) did achieve three in a row

99, 00, 01?

And 07, 08, 09?

And back to back twice more.

just shows it's not even a standard way above he's being judged by but rather something achieved even in relatively recent history.

Ferguson was easily the best manager in the modern era and possibly of any era imo, easy to forget just how remarkable his reign was.

Perhaps it's tough on Pep being judged by the standards set by Ferguson, even with the obvious advantages Pep has
 
Chris O'Connor said:
Tbf Sir Alex's United side (without the wealth and advantages of City) did achieve three in a row

99, 00, 01?

And 07, 08, 09?

And back to back twice more.

just shows it's not even a standard way above he's being judged by but rather something achieved even in relatively recent history.

Ferguson was easily the best manager in the modern era and possibly of any era imo, easy to forget just how remarkable his reign was.

Perhaps it's tough on Pep being judged by the standards set by Ferguson, even with the obvious advantages Pep has
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That’s true - but had SAF encountered an opponent who was pushing very high points tallies it would’ve been more difficult to retain in the third season

In 2001 United won 11 fewer points than the previous season but still won the league. Pep’s current City will have a similar drop off but will be beaten to the title. The margins are far more unforgiving right now.
 
Mat70s said:
That’s true - but had SAF encountered an opponent who was pushing very high points tallies it would’ve been more difficult to retain in the third season

In 2001 United won 11 fewer points than the previous season but still won the league. Pep’s current City will have a similar drop off but will be beaten to the title. The margins are far more unforgiving right now.
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The league was far more even during the Ferguson years, especially in the 00s. There weren't at least 10 absolutely crap teams who could all feasibly go down. Look how tight it is, despite losing 10 games out of 22 we're only 5 points off 5th FFS! This Liverpool or City team would never be getting 90 points or more if put them in that era.

Klopp and Guardiola are excellent managers but will never be more revered than Ferguson, least not on these shores by neutrals.
 

Mat70s said:
That’s true - but had SAF encountered an opponent who was pushing very high points tallies it would’ve been more difficult to retain in the third season

In 2001 United won 11 fewer points than the previous season but still won the league. Pep’s current City will have a similar drop off but will be beaten to the title. The margins are far more unforgiving right now.
Click to expand...

Yes that's true, it's always so hard to make fair comparisons between different era's and different times.

Ferguson's greatest ever triumph being perhaps the season 2012/13 when he somehow won the league even with a team well past it's best and perhaps only the 5th or 6th most equipped to do so.

Winning that season possibly eclipsed all his previous three in a rows and points totals, truly remarkable only bettered by Ranieri taking a seriously unfancied Leicester to the same trophy years later.
 

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