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I’m not feeling confident at all this season. The worst I’ve felt in a decade, no surprise why, but look at the facts.

Lost Rodri, Bernardo, Stones, Trafford, Ake and Reijnders.

Brought in a backup GK, Anderson and not much else yet.

Rumored to be losing several others.

Pep gone.

Combine this with losing the likes of KDB and Gundo in recent years. The treble team has been well and truly dismantled. The rebuild Pep began seems to have already been dismantled.

I’ve always thought Khaldoon and our board were the steps ahead, but the season starts in half a week and we’ve lost top top players with one very expensive prospect brought in. What the fuck is going on?

Looks like it.

In Kyle Walker we had the best RB too. The quality just doesn't seem to be coming in anymore

john@staustell wrote:Looks like it.

In Kyle Walker we had the best RB too. The quality just doesn't seem to be coming in anymore

The problem when you've scouted and signed players who have gone on to become not only world class individuals, but fit like a glove into a system where the sum of the parts is on its own formiddable, but as a system is near unbeatable over a long campaign, is that these are often generational talents.

I'm not sure honestly if the quality we have lost can even be replaced, so I do think we're in for a scrappy few years where we'll win stuff but maybe not consistently.

But we replaced Fernandiho with Rodri who looked shite for 2 years before he came good.....it takes time, and some of the players already here will kick on this year - I'm actually most looking forward to whether Enzo can get a tune out of players already here who had underperformed of late, players like Diaz, Grealish, Foden, Marmoush and can he help Haaland kick on etc, which is where Guardiola as a coach seemed to have become less effective in his latter years and just gave up on players.

Read something the other day:

Manchester City utilized an AI quality index and a 43-metric data analysis software to evaluate and eventually sign footballer Rayan Cherki as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne

Now, if we used an AI to build this squad in the past 3 years, then yeah, it all makes sense why we are right here now.

I understand we are living in a different era, but fuck me.

Buying 4 players for big enough money and selling them 18 months later says it all.
Needed a right back for yonks, and nothing being done about it. That's awful squad management.

Easy to see why some would be pessimistic.

Good news there is time and we do seem to be raising funds, hope we spend wisely.

Too many changes, in particular the manager, combined with a shortened pre-season due to the WC.

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned it, but maybe we should have declined to participate in the Charity Shield (after all, it's an invitational), and used the extra time that gave us to play an extra 2 pre-season friendlies, which would have given us more money, more time to let the squad gel organically, and more time to identify weaknesses in games with more flexibility regarding substitutions.

Arsenal played 4 pre-season games, 1 in Spain, the other 3 in UK/Ireland, with many of their WC players featuring in the last 2 of the games. We played 3 in SE Asia, which means that, as well as dealing with climate differences for the games themselves, and absence of players from the WC, the time zones and associated jet lag took an extra 3 or 4 days off the players' preparations, with most of those who played in the World Cup not getting a minute of football before the Charity Shield.

We need to be getting 12 points from our first 12 to show we've not lost the edge. I can see us getting 5 or 6.

If Maresca gets his wish and signs the idiot from Chelsea and the lad from Lille. we have spent just over a quarter of a billion in MF players to not be in decline. Will we gel this Season might be the question.

Hazy2 wrote:If Maresca gets his wish and signs the idiot from Chelsea and the lad from Lille. we have spent just over a quarter of a billion in MF players to not be in decline. Will we gel this Season might be the question.

I think he is after both of these too. The(supposed) fascination with signing the Argie twat is beyond me. I don't see him being the leader in the centre of the park and he comes across as a snide, mard arse. The Morrocan kid I have a lot more time for, clearly talented but will need time to settle. We need to be keeping Nico G as well for me as we have fuck all in the way of back up. Kova is and should not be a starter.

salford city wrote:

Hazy2 wrote:If Maresca gets his wish and signs the idiot from Chelsea and the lad from Lille. we have spent just over a quarter of a billion in MF players to not be in decline. Will we gel this Season might be the question.

I think he is after both of these too. The(supposed) fascination with signing the Argie twat is beyond me. I don't see him being the leader in the centre of the park and he comes across as a snide, mard arse. The Morrocan kid I have a lot more time for, clearly talented but will need time to settle. We need to be keeping Nico G as well for me as we have fuck all in the way of back up. Kova is and should not be a starter.

Kova has never been durable enough. Maresca has his hands full. Keeping Haaland and his dad on board while we rebuild will be another one to watch!!!!

We will get there but it'll take time probably, just this season the team has lost 3 world class players and it'll take some time to replace them completely.

People are just having Pep withdrawal symptoms, it's a new era and it'll be an exciting one.

Reports suggest Chelsea now want 130mill for Fernandez who is a massive risk, well no thanks.
Why not Scott or Wharton?

And the 115 as caking on the ice, or whatever it´s called.

Too early to arrive at a conclusion but if Enzo really wants to rely on Dias and Kovacic for the upcoming games then we are in the shit.

Let’s see how he sets us up against Bournemouth an if it’s similar to the other day then we really should panic.

In answer to the OP we have been in decline for a couple of seasons, some of the performances early last season were abysmal, remember the surrender to the rags. Pep fucked up in CL with team selection for Eintracht, I believe the executive were pissed off with him for that, it’s featured in the Prime documentary.
Therefore keeping fingers crossed we adopt a more modern direct style, the passing for passing sake days are over, have been for a while truth be told.

Redna wrote:And the 115 as caking on the ice, or whatever it´s called.

I suspect that with Masters spouting it yesterday, and Garlick today, they are building up to some sort of announcement.

Going to be an odd season.

We've been through some rollercoaster times before, brace yourselves for some interesting times.

At least people might shut up.

Harry Dowd scored wrote:In answer to the OP we have been in decline for a couple of seasons, some of the performances early last season were abysmal, remember the surrender to the rags. Pep fucked up in CL with team selection for Eintracht, I believe the executive were pissed off with him for that, it’s featured in the Prime documentary.
Therefore keeping fingers crossed we adopt a more modern direct style, the passing for passing sake days are over, have been for a while truth be told.

Pep's gone but I'd take a rerun of last season right now. 2nd and 2 trophies- I think everyone bar Arsenal fans would.
There were 3 abysmal performances last season, Rags away ( still beat them on aggregate), Bodo and Leverkeusen. With rags we had loads of defenders out and they should have been on 10 men early doors at 0-0, with Leverkeusen we were in a strong group position, he put the squad players in and they were terrible, he did the same at Newcastle in the FA Cup and they were great. Bodo was horrendous.
As i said on the match thread I wasn't particularly bothered about the result in Cardiff but i was the performance. More side and backward passes than ever.

stupot wrote:

Harry Dowd scored wrote:In answer to the OP we have been in decline for a couple of seasons, some of the performances early last season were abysmal, remember the surrender to the rags. Pep fucked up in CL with team selection for Eintracht, I believe the executive were pissed off with him for that, it’s featured in the Prime documentary.
Therefore keeping fingers crossed we adopt a more modern direct style, the passing for passing sake days are over, have been for a while truth be told.

Pep's gone but I'd take a rerun of last season right now. 2nd and 2 trophies- I think everyone bar Arsenal fans would.
There were 3 abysmal performances last season, Rags away ( still beat them on aggregate), Bodo and Leverkeusen. With rags we had loads of defenders out and they should have been on 10 men early doors at 0-0, with Leverkeusen we were in a strong group position, he put the squad players in and they were terrible, he did the same at Newcastle in the FA Cup and they were great. Bodo was horrendous.
As i said on the match thread I wasn't particularly bothered about the result in Cardiff but i was the performance. More side and backward passes than ever.

Finishing second flattered to deceive, other shit performances were, Spurs, Brighton, Everton away, what helped us was the fact nearly every other potential challenger performed worse, really poor league last season.
There was improvement in second half of season however before Christmas the consensus was we were in decline, iirc that’s when the Pep out debate started. Like I said fingers crossed we see a better more progressive type of football this season.

Harry Dowd scored wrote:

stupot wrote:

Harry Dowd scored wrote:In answer to the OP we have been in decline for a couple of seasons, some of the performances early last season were abysmal, remember the surrender to the rags. Pep fucked up in CL with team selection for Eintracht, I believe the executive were pissed off with him for that, it’s featured in the Prime documentary.
Therefore keeping fingers crossed we adopt a more modern direct style, the passing for passing sake days are over, have been for a while truth be told.

Pep's gone but I'd take a rerun of last season right now. 2nd and 2 trophies- I think everyone bar Arsenal fans would.
There were 3 abysmal performances last season, Rags away ( still beat them on aggregate), Bodo and Leverkeusen. With rags we had loads of defenders out and they should have been on 10 men early doors at 0-0, with Leverkeusen we were in a strong group position, he put the squad players in and they were terrible, he did the same at Newcastle in the FA Cup and they were great. Bodo was horrendous.
As i said on the match thread I wasn't particularly bothered about the result in Cardiff but i was the performance. More side and backward passes than ever.

Finishing second flattered to deceive, other shit performances were, Spurs, Brighton, Everton away, what helped us was the fact nearly every other potential challenger performed worse, really poor league last season.
There was improvement in second half of season however before Christmas the consensus was we were in decline, iirc that’s when the Pep out debate started. Like I said fingers crossed we see a better more progressive type of football this season.

Everton away we played well bar a crazy 10 minute spell when Guehi did the back pass and Nico G was abysmal. Spurs away, cheated by the ref. We got way more points last season than the season before, won 2 trophies and got further in the CL so it definitely wasn't a decline.

stupot wrote:

Harry Dowd scored wrote:

stupot wrote:

Harry Dowd scored wrote:In answer to the OP we have been in decline for a couple of seasons, some of the performances early last season were abysmal, remember the surrender to the rags. Pep fucked up in CL with team selection for Eintracht, I believe the executive were pissed off with him for that, it’s featured in the Prime documentary.
Therefore keeping fingers crossed we adopt a more modern direct style, the passing for passing sake days are over, have been for a while truth be told.

Pep's gone but I'd take a rerun of last season right now. 2nd and 2 trophies- I think everyone bar Arsenal fans would.
There were 3 abysmal performances last season, Rags away ( still beat them on aggregate), Bodo and Leverkeusen. With rags we had loads of defenders out and they should have been on 10 men early doors at 0-0, with Leverkeusen we were in a strong group position, he put the squad players in and they were terrible, he did the same at Newcastle in the FA Cup and they were great. Bodo was horrendous.
As i said on the match thread I wasn't particularly bothered about the result in Cardiff but i was the performance. More side and backward passes than ever.

Finishing second flattered to deceive, other shit performances were, Spurs, Brighton, Everton away, what helped us was the fact nearly every other potential challenger performed worse, really poor league last season.
There was improvement in second half of season however before Christmas the consensus was we were in decline, iirc that’s when the Pep out debate started. Like I said fingers crossed we see a better more progressive type of football this season.

Everton away we played well bar a crazy 10 minute spell when Guehi did the back pass and Nico G was abysmal. Spurs away, cheated by the ref. We got way more points last season than the season before, won 2 trophies and got further in the CL so it definitely wasn't a decline.

It was the 0-2 Spurs defeat I referred to, we could go on all day, Forrest home, Sunderland away etc I alluded to the fact it was a poor league, dippers were shit, Chelsea up & down, rags were terrible until Carrick, awful standard. That’s why comparing points to previous season is just kidding ourselves. All I want is a good progressive style & entertaining football, that was sadly lacking for long spells last season.

And it's the term " decline" that I'm alluding to. I don't think it was a poor league. Teams at the bottom getting points from teams at the top makes it a more competitive league. Arsenal a pen off winning the CL, Villa winning the Europa, Palace winning the Conference. All 5 English teams getting past the group stage of the CL. Forest getting to the Semi of the EL. Think we'll have to beg to differ, I hope you're right and it's more exciting this season, have to go a long way though to be better.