Next Season, will it be much tougher

[littlebig]

What say all you wise folk whether next season will be much tougher than last?

Last season was arguably a weak league (relatively speaking), with Arse imploding at the start of the season, Chelsea players dire under AVB, Liverpoo just very poor. Even scum, albeit with a decent points tally, didn't have a great season.

The saying goes that it's even tougher to defend champion status. With the top teams all strengthening this summer and other elements like our involvement in CL, lower ranked teams upping their games against us and the press at the ready with the knives I reckon we're in for a nerve shredding 2012/2013 season.

The positives, as I see it, will be that the players will have one more season under their belts playing together, the confidence of being champions and Mancini will have more crucial Prem manager experience.

What say ye?

[Ajardine]

I agree, Liverpool may pick up form with a new manager. Chelsea, scum and Arsenal have all invested in their squads. I still believe we have the best squad in PL, best manager and best fans!
I'm looking forward to a big season next year, hope we defend our title like warriors!

[london blue 2]

We are by far the best team in England so I expect us to be there or there abouts come may. We're still improving, the others must be bricking it.

[halnone]

I still don't see arsenal contending for trophies next year, and I also don't see Liverpool challenging for the title. Chelsea and the rags are the only ones that will threaten us.

we've already shown that our squad is miles better than the rags after beating them 7-1 (if you add up both games) in the league.
as long as we don't fuck it up and lose to the likes of Norwich or west brom repeatedly we should be able to retain the title.

I think Chelsea are the only club that could stop us, but they still need to sign a few more players, which I think they will before the season starts.

[mr_nool]

If we start strong I reckon we will see a lot of teams just putting out the boots when they play us. Especially at Eastlands.
They've all been doing it against the rags the last years, but we are now the ones close to invincible.

[ashton287]

saying goes that it's even tougher to defend champion status. With the top teams all strengthening this summer and other elements like our involvement in CL, lower ranked teams upping their games against us and the press at the ready with the knives I reckon we're in for a nerve shredding 2012/2013 season.

I don't see how this is any different from the season just gone by. The scum spent like 60 million, arse got a few players in and liverpool spent like crackheads on dole day. We were in the CL, The shit teams played out their skin to try and stop us while rolling over for the scum and when in the last 3 years haven't the press been standing behind us smiling with their dicks in one hand and chloroform in the other?

Chelsea are spending big but that can easily backfire. See -Torres, bridge, Santa cruz, jones, Henderson, Carroll, Adam and FUCKING JO.

We might have tevez for a whole season, nasri will be a better player next season and yaya won't be gone for 6 weeks in the middle of the season. I think that's an extra 10 points right there. Add to that savic might be fucking up for someone else (please god I hope it is true) and we will walk the league.

[Ted Hughes]

I'm more worried about our own extra workload than the oppo.

We need a couple of players if we are to compete in the Chump's Lg and the Prem imo. Tevez will be a huge bonus but Lescott is another year older (with his dodgy knees) and has just played extra games.

Silva is looking the same tired player now as he did 2nd half of the season with City & imo we need another option. He is struggling to play at his top level for 90 mins or even 70 mins. I would rather see him underused than overused. If we can get him playing every game at 100% he will be POTY. Otherwise he will be on & off.

If we had been in the semis of the Chump's Lg, imo, we wouldn't be champs now. Hazard was a big miss but hopefully we have something else lined up when everyone comes back from holidays/Euros etc.

[Chinners]

Funny isn't it. All last season I was being told the first is the haredest to win ... now it's the second time .... utter bollox, I'm confident we will be a much improved outfit this season and pish it by April

[Ted Hughes]

Funny isn't it. All last season I was being told the first is the haredest to win ... now it's the second time .... utter bollox, I'm confident we will be a much improved outfit this season and pish it by April

Provided we don't get a couple of injuries (or suspensions) of the kind I mentioned. In which case there's no chance we can compete in both competitions. Last season, when we picked up injuries, we stopped competing in any competitions until some of those players came back.

[city72]

Funny isn't it. All last season I was being told the first is the haredest to win ... now it's the second time .... utter bollox, I'm confident we will be a much improved outfit this season and pish it by April

Exactly my thoughts, the first was supposedly the hardest as we lacked THE WINNING MENTALITY, now all of a sudden thats bullshit and its harder to defend the title!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[getdressedmctavish]

Same as Ted. Dave worries me. He's back to playing infront of defenders instead of getting in amongst them, and he's gonna be fucked.Tevez I worry he's just along for the ride and will never get that killing pace again. Ofcourse Balo must be a plus, surely he will come back from the euros bursting with confidence as will Lescott.Deffo need some more players. We looked bloody thin on the ground at times last year. And we,ve learned Jimmy is never gonna be good enough.Cb, 2 cmf's and a wide man.Please, Bob

[carolina-blue]

If it gets any tougher than going one up then coming from behind to win with practicly the last kick of the season I dont think my ticker could take It .

[dazby]

Next season the rags won't win as many so that will be easier. Chelsea will do better. That will be harder. Injuries play a massive part. Hopefully we'll make some Chumps League progress. That will be harder.

Now that we are at the top table it seems that as long as you win 1 trophy you've had a successful season. Now that we've won the league and FA Cup achieving this should be easier. We have a winning culture which should lead to more success.

[DoomMerchant]

Next season the rags won't win as many so that will be easier. Chelsea will do better. That will be harder. Injuries play a massive part. Hopefully we'll make some Chumps League progress. That will be harder.

Now that we are at the top table it seems that as long as you win 1 trophy you've had a successful season. Now that we've won the league and FA Cup achieving this should be easier. We have a winning culture which should lead to more success.

i can't imagine CL progress could be harder than last season....iirc it had been like 10+ years or something where a team didn't get out of their group with a points total like ours.

i think the League is going to be hard to win EVERY season...and this season will be no different. As well as we did last season, we had some stretches we can improve upon, so for as much as Arsenal "can" or Chelsea "will" do better or the Rags "will" do worse, we've got the same amount of positive upside or negative downside at our disposal.

basically, if we're challenging for the league title come March/April then we've done a fantastic job in that season League-wise. We're all hungry to keep piling on some trophies, and i think for the next 5 years or so, the focus and priority has to be in this order:

League
CL
FA Cup
League Cup

i'd contend that winning the Europa League would be easily a notch below any of those and i wouldn't even try and put any energy into it, ever if we get knocked out of CL in the group. It isn't worth it.

[sheikh it all about]

We now have a great squad which includes a healthy proportion of young guys who are still improving. Key players now have a season or two under their belts. Barring an unexpected rush of transfers we won't have to assimilate another big bunch of newcomers.

Last season we experienced the relentless pressure of life at the top. No let-up. The need for results, week in week out, even when form dips. It's what the rags have done for years. But, despite some scary moments, we did it! We showed real character to the rest of the world and that fact alone should give us a big boost next time round. Psychologically, we are in a new place. So are u*d, but in a different way. Their collapse during the run-in must surely undermine their confidence. Not to mention the 6-1. Oh sorry, did I mention it? Both teams crossed important boundaries last year.

Obviously there will be a serious challenge from several teams, not least the swamp dwellers and a reinvigorated Chavski. The Champs League could be a major distraction that stretches resources. We will always have the capacity to shoot ourselves in the foot with player disputes, red cards, etc. Add in sod's law plus the unexpected and there are a number of threats. Overall, who knows if it will be easier or tougher? Either way we have a great chance to do it again.

[branny]

Don't know whether it'll be easier or harder.

All I will say is we will be in better shape than we were last season. Nasri and Aguero have a season under their belts. We'll have 4 strikers to choose from instead of 3. We've been dealt a better hand with the fixtures especially after cl games. The cup draws were unkind to us last season apart from Birmingham and hopefully we won't be on the end of so many poor reffing decisions and if Balotelli's got his Italian head on.........

[everyonehatesus]

we pissed it this season for the top 2 places, people seem to forget that the scum played Ars and Chelski when they were at rock bottom. that will not happen again this season, so I would say even on last seasons finishings if scum drop 3 points to those this season that would ba a gap of 6. I dont see how Liverpool can improve enough to become close to us, chelski will be better and so will Ars. I also cant see the scum doing as well, they havent as of yet increased their team with top players that they lacked last year.

[Patrick]

Im with Chiniwigs on this - the first is the hardest

in the last two years we have seen City become a team with a winning mentality - the every thing we have envied all those years

Better than that though we slammed scum 1-6 - and then 1-0 when the chips were down - then just to add the cherry choked them with defeat just as they were beginning to celebrate

In all the great seasons of bottling the run in Baconface did a Keegan

Last season we learned to win - they learned to lose

[Beefymcfc]

Im with Chiniwigs on this - the first is the hardest

in the last two years we have seen City become a team with a winning mentality - the every thing we have envied all those years

Better than that though we slammed scum 1-6 - and then 1-0 when the chips were down - then just to add the cherry choked them with defeat just as they were beginning to celebrate

In all the great seasons of bottling the run in Baconface did a Keegan

Last season we learned to win - they learned to lose

I don't think they learned to lose mate, gracefully anyway. Taggart whinged and groaned about any and all decisions that went against them and that transfers down to the players. Even Charlton said he didn't recognise us as Champions and also the words to the effect 'We won our Championship' came from the corridors of the Swamp. They only lost because of the officials.

Everyone apart from the Rags saw what happened last season, exactly as you describle, but their deluded minds will not accept that they lost. In their minds they were robbed.

[Rag_hater]

I am of the opinion that teams tend to raise their game to play the CHAMPIONS so,I think every game we have to approach as the last game.This rolling over stuff I am not a believer off.Nobody and I mean nobody would not be happy at beating the CHAMPIONS.
So I think it will be tougher.