I think we are going to need to take at least 4 points from our 2 man city games. There is a fear of other teams just writing games off against them.
One thing I have decided is I wont be panicking about every dropped point. If City are going to do what they've done the last 2 seasons them theres nothing we can do about it anyway and if they dont and it's a more normal season then we can afford to drop some points here and there. But looking at every dropped point like it may be fatal will just drive me crackers.
Yeah people still taking about West ham away and Leicster home draws costing us last year in January and February is crazy. We are dealing with something never seen before. The head to heads against city will be vital.
I know this isn't how everyone gets their enjoyment out of football and some need the belief that we're going to win the league at the start of the year to keep their motivation going for the season ahead but I've kind of accepted almost like it's a predetermined thing whether Liverpool will win the league or not. It doesn't stop the sometimes crushing lows when we do suffer after getting into a title race and fall short but I guess I've found ways to enjoy every game on it's own merits without having to expect Liverpool to win the league. I don't have any issue with anyone who's thought every year was our year since 1989 nor do I judge anyone that fears we might be relegated most years, following a soccer team or any sporting team should primarily about enjoying it yourself, not prescribing to what everyone else believes or thinks. We're all walking different paths, Liverpool just happens to be one intersection that we've all happened to meet at.
99 pts? Might not do... As I read somewhere here we need other teams to get better so they can take points off City. After just one game week it looks like that might have happened. A better United team is probably a good thing for us, we don't want city picking up 6 points from them derbies. Arsenal look better up top whatever about the back, Spurs have improved as have Leicester and Everton. Hopefully a few of these can take a point off city here and there. Brighton were the most improved team of the weekend, great energy and pressing, 3 at the back and really went for it! Only problem with them all improving is we have to play them too.
Judging by the last two seasons, Im assuming City will get between 95 and 100 points this season. I think we will find it difficult to replicate what we did last season but we will likely end up with a 'regular' title winning point haul. Somewhere between 85 and 90 which will leave us in second. That is a realistic and perhaps a bit pessimistic point of view. City may experience a drop off but they look like a machine and not many teams will take points off them. Our chance is really in the two games against them. We have to take a minimum of four points in them two games and everything else has to go relatively perfect if we are to do it.
We'll win it this year. Everyone knows City play it out from the back and 6 or 7 teams realistically (including us) will target Zinchenko as a weak link. It won't happen often but think they'll drop enough points outside our head to head matches, mainly "surprise" defeats rather than draws though.
Problem is Zinchenko won’t be left back over the season. They have brought back that other lad from PSV who will likely be first choice. Don’t know much about him.
Not sure he will be 1st choice, still looked pretty raw from the few games I watched of PSV last season. Good going forward but suspect against a team on the counter I think. Pep will need all his cynical fouling midfielders at their best
They bought that lad because he was home grown and cheap due to a buy back clause. He won't play more than a handful of games before they flog for 3 times the amount they bought him.
I see our game v City wraps up first half of season "big 6" fixtures. It'll only be City's second. Interesting and impressive from us. Hopefully the other so called big teams have improved on their early season form with Chelsea being a good example. For us to finally get this p0x of a troghy in the bag we'll need the others to start taking points off City. Let's look after Spurs and truck on.
It is a pox of a trophy, one of the ugliest and gaudiest you will see. For me it optimises what modern football is about. Having said that I can't wait till Hendo is lifting it and we can get the monkey off our back.
So that's 10 points from 4 x big six games and 3 pts off leicester as they'll have a part to play imo. Everyone will obviously. Onto Villa first and foremost but knowing they've got Anfield then Chelsea, Utd, Arsenal and Leicester before Chrimbo it'll be interesting.