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With all four competitions now in play, where do you want Pep’s priorities? Can we try to compete for all 4? If that’s the plan, which matches would you rest players? The lineups this week should start to give us to insight on what the club is thinking.

Personally i want to go for all 4. I would field mixed teams vs burnley (fa Cup) and Bristol (league cup) this week in hopes of giving everyone enough rest before heading to the dipper. Hoping to sweak both and remain In the competitions.

If I had to choose one, I field the youngest against burnley, try to drub Bristol with the hope of getting a nice lead to field the youngester on the second leg. Giving the main guys some more time off before the champions league starts back up.

For me it's:

The league
Champions league
League cup
FA Cup

I priorities the league cup before the FA cup simply because we're only one round from a trip to Wembley.

I would play a very young/weakened team on Saturday, just hoping for the best. Likewise on Tuesday, since we have a chance to redeem ourselves if we fuck up. I want as strong a team possible against Liverpool.

f*ck the FAC and all those potential replays. leave it to yaya and the kids.

I agree with Noolie. I would put a decent side out in the league Cup but kids in the fa cup

I think we might jusy go out of the fa cup this weekend.

We've got a decent cushion in the league so ordinarily I'd want us to go after both cups, then maybe relax a bit against Liverpool. However, an unbeaten league season is history/legacy stuff - our form won't last forever but as it is, we've got the chance to set an unbreakable record.

I'd go after that at the expense of the FA cup for sure. League Cup is set fair as we shouldn't need to go full pelt to beat Bristol over 2 legs - the kids who performed in the last round should all be recalled.

Summary: Throw everything at an unbeaten league season with a record points total - aim to be the most dominant champions ever.

mr_nool wrote:For me it's:

The league
Champions league
League cup
FA Cup

I priorities the league cup before the FA cup simply because we're only one round from a trip to Wembley.

I would play a very young/weakened team on Saturday, just hoping for the best. Likewise on Tuesday, since we have a chance to redeem ourselves if we fuck up. I want as strong a team possible against Liverpool.

Good call, but I would put League Cup before CL as we don't need to worry about CL till mid Feb, could be in the LC final by then.

The PL is all but won. At the start of the season that would have been number one prority.

Next on the list are the three cup competitions. The CL would naturally take priority here. Whether the LC or the FA cup is the next priority probably comes down to the individual fixtures of whom we are playing and when.

We are in the semi finals of the LC with lower league opposition the only obstacle to a Wembley final. As such, surely this competition takes priority over the FA cup?

Thats not to say we disregard the FA cup fixture this weekend. As mentioned, the PL is all but in the bag barring an unheard of collapse. The next fixture is away at the dippers. I'd argue to go full strength in the cup on Saturday and the first leg of the semi. If a weakened team is to be played then surely its in a competition we are already miles in front?

nottsblue wrote:The PL is all but won. At the start of the season that would have been number one prority.

...

If a weakened team is to be played then surely its in a competition we are already miles in front?

Dare to dream. Ederson's penalty save against Palace was one of my favourite moments of the season. We'll probably lose a game in the league but I'd be gutted if we went meekly.

1) The League...with such a huge gap at present, we have a bit of slip up room if it becomes necessary.
2) The Champions League...Not just because nominally, it makes us the best team in Europe but because to win it would mean we have beaten the system, overcome the FFP, the dodgy draws and the other obstacles they have thrown at us. Holding that trophy aloft would be a massive two fingers at the old G14.
3) The FA Cup...Probably an age thing, but for me, the FA Cup is still that old football trophy, with a romantic history. Bert Trautmann's broken neck, Roy Clarke's 1955 quote of; "We'll be back next year to win it"...and we were. I still think the FA Cup is special.
4) The League Cup...Always was and still is a a very junior partner to the other trophies. Never one to light the fires. Useful to win because it's early in the season and outof the way before the pointy ends of the other comps.

\My hope is that we can land the League Cup and have such a sizeable lead in the table that in reality, when the going gets tough, we only really have to worry about the FA Cup and the CL....then a long rest before the Community Shield and the iconic team picture of City with 5 trophies, all at the same time.

(Maybe followed by pictures of a broken down, weeping Maureen boarding a bus at Trafford Bar with a suitcase in one hand and his P45 in the other, making his way to his visit his shrink, whispering under his manic breath; "I fucking hate Guardiola and City, they have stolen all my glory and humiliated me forever".

Dunne's Half-Time Pint wrote:

nottsblue wrote:The PL is all but won. At the start of the season that would have been number one prority.

...

If a weakened team is to be played then surely its in a competition we are already miles in front?

Dare to dream. Ederson's penalty save against Palace was one of my favourite moments of the season. We'll probably lose a game in the league but I'd be gutted if we went meekly.

I know what you mean but I'd rather have an extra pot on the sideboard than put a lot of focus on remaining unbeaten in the PL. I know it isn't a like for like comparison, but the further we go in the CL, the tougher the fixtures will become in the PL. Rotation in March and April will be key. Assuming we go deep in the FA cup as well and the dream of staying unbeaten will very likely remain a dream. I would rather have the LC on the sideboard, still have a considerable lead in the PL and be in the CL quarters and FA cup come March. If we have lost in the PL then so be it.

If we have 2 or 3 pots on the sideboard come May then that's what will be remembered. Especially if we have won the PL with a few records into the bargain

john68 wrote:1) The League...with such a huge gap at present, we have a bit of slip up room if it becomes necessary.
2) The Champions League...Not just because nominally, it makes us the best team in Europe but because to win it would mean we have beaten the system, overcome the FFP, the dodgy draws and the other obstacles they have thrown at us. Holding that trophy aloft would be a massive two fingers at the old G14.
3) The FA Cup...Probably an age thing, but for me, the FA Cup is still that old football trophy, with a romantic history. Bert Trautmann's broken neck, Roy Clarke's 1955 quote of; "We'll be back next year to win it"...and we were. I still think the FA Cup is special.
4) The League Cup...Always was and still is a a very junior partner to the other trophies. Never one to light the fires. Useful to win because it's early in the season and outof the way before the pointy ends of the other comps.

\My hope is that we can land the League Cup and have such a sizeable lead in the table that in reality, when the going gets tough, we only really have to worry about the FA Cup and the CL....then a long rest before the Community Shield and the iconic team picture of City with 5 trophies, all at the same time.

(Maybe followed by pictures of a broken down, weeping Maureen boarding a bus at Trafford Bar with a suitcase in one hand and his P45 in the other, making his way to his visit his shrink, whispering under his manic breath; "I fucking hate Guardiola and City, they have stolen all my glory and humiliated me forever".

I think Pep wants to go big time this year.
Did anyone ever managed the local treble: League, League Cup, FA in the same season?

Imho, I think he is going after exactly that, wants the UCL also, but he is not prepared to sacrifice any trophy and we might see him go full gear versus Burnley.

If – and that's a huge fucking if – we do collapse, I can only see two teams that are capable of putting together a run strong enough to come close to us: Chelsea and Liverpool. Beating the Scousers would more or less kill them off, which is why I want us full strength for that game.

Sod all these crazy permutations. Injuries can happen when you least expect them . Just aim to win the next game. What ever it takes, the rest will fall into place.

zuricity wrote:Sod all these crazy permutations. Injuries can happen when you least expect them . Just aim to win the next game.What ever it takes, the rest will fall into place.

this

Pep knows best !
A couple of nice home fixtures v Newcastle & WBA after the dipper game at Anfield gives us more breathing space in the PL . You can never second guess what team Pep will put out as last night proved , he will go strong with home advantage on Saturday in the FA Cup v Burnley and then go all out on Tuesday v Bristol City to kill the tie in the 1st leg . Regards the CL this season is possibly our best chance of actually getting to the final and with us coasting the PL this gives us and Pep the greatest chance of going all out for it .................... things are looking pretty decent to be fair

Im am giddy as fuck , quite an exceptional few months ahead it must be said !

If anyone has read the first pep book about his first season at Bayern, one of his biggest regrets was relaxing when the league was sewn up as the lethargy crept into the cl and cup comps and they played shit from then on. I honestly think he’s gonna go hard at everything rotating when he has to.

mr_nool wrote:If – and that's a huge fucking if – we do collapse, I can only see two teams that are capable of putting together a run strong enough to come close to us: Chelsea and Liverpool. Beating the Scousers would more or less kill them off, which is why I want us full strength for that game.

I agree. Beat Liverpool and I think that is all resistance gone.
We’ll beat Chelsea at home. We’ll hammer United at home.
As long as we stop the nearest contenders from taking points from us it won’t matter if we have a hiccup against any of the rest.

Just don’t lose against the Scouse.

The League obviously.
Then I'd rather we won the FA cup than the Champion's League - I really despise the competition and it's organisers - it has nothing to do with football other than using it as a tool to make money through sponsorship (or more accurately it has nothing to do with the fans who follow football). UEFA would probably be perfectly happy to completely eliminate fans altogether just as long as they could still sell their share of corporate hospitality tickets to make a little money on the side.

Bollocks to the domestic cups - the glory is in the league and champions league titles

We have a good enough squad with an interesting mix of second tier senior players and talented youngsters we can use in the cups, I actually like to see what we’ve got in the locker in cup games.