FINALLY PALACE GIVE US A RAY OF HOPE
Just when Antonio Conte threw in the towel even before the contest began, and just when Manchester United AND Jose Mourinho capitulated under the might of their noisy neighbours, and just when the chasing pack put their vehicles into reverse gear, Crystal Palace have suddenly given all of us neutrals and hopefuls a glitter of hope and a glimpse of what may happen in the premier league this new year, if teams approach City with belief.
But for a missed penalty in the dying minutes of the game (reminiscent of Van Nisteroy’s miss against the invisibles several years ago) we would have seen Manchester City suffer their first defeat of the season at Crystal Palace.
THE HIDDEN TRUTH
As for all the negative press and talk about Jose and United not pulling their weight, can we just address the real issues please?
United were a distant 6th last year and were several points behind Chelsea at season’s end. It doesn’t matter how you look at it, that was the score card, report card, assessment sheet and results for a United team that has been in decline since Sir Alex.
But what happened to Chelsea last year’s champions who are miles behind City?
What about Mauricio Pochettino’s team who have been a close second in past years?
What about Mr Klopp and the great Liverpool tradition? Has Arsene Wenger’s duty to Arsenal FC evaporated in thin air?
Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal have also been blown away but nobody is raising eyebrows… These teams have been the best in EPL for the past few seasons, challenging for honours and improving their squad and team.
Is it true then that we have all handed the sole responsibility of a title challenge to Manchester United and Jose Mourinho and just accepted that City have outspent and outfoxed all the contenders?
Are we looking at what happened in France when the Sheikhs threw money at it and have dominated ever since?
PSG have spent the Sheikh money and won the league title in France since 2012, save last season’s.Then they have added Mbappe and Neymar to an already expensive squad of superstars to challenge for the champions league.
Is that what is brewing at the Etihad as well?
WHERE IS CHELSEA’S CHALLENGE?
If the results in Paris are anything to go by, the signs are ominous for the pretenders in England.
Where is Chelsea FC? Last year’s champions with probably the 2nd best squad in EPL are 14 points behind already!
Chelsea are the disappointment for me. Last year’s champions, with the best squad in the league last season
So what happened? Lost only two players (Matic and Costa) but bought five players (Moratta, Bakayoko, Rudiger, Zapacosta and Drinkwater) but are already 14 points behind by halfway mark! Talk about throwing in the towel in the first round! Did Conte not say the league is impossible to win almost five weeks ago? Now that’s shocking!
WHERE IS POCHETTINO?
I think with the team that Tottenham have, and especially with what they’ve done last two seasons, they should be up there challenging City, so where is Pochettino and his team?
Why are they not been questioned as much as United? A team that has not lost any player in past two seasons but have only added good quality players (Aurier and Sanchez came in again this season)
We are still waiting for Tottenham’s first silverware under Pochettino.
WHERE IS KLOPP’S CHALLENGE?
Jürgen Klopp has spent money and has had time at Liverpool but is yet to deliver anything (a luxury that Jose has not been afforded) until date.
Where is Liverpool’s challenge as a big club? What happened to the responsibility of a top manager challenging Pep for the title?
Liverpool are as good as any team to challenge for the title (especially now that Nabil Keita and VanDyke are coming in) so shouldn’t be excused from the responsibility of winning the league or at least a trophy this season and next.
Jurgen Klopp has finally received the message on his phone: this Liverpool defence will not win titles, and he goes out to splash £75m on Virgil VanDyke. Kudos to him for making a U-turn on what he said he would not do: spend crazy money!
With the distance between him and Manchester City, I guess that maths was not so difficult to work out: he who spends wins…..
With Nail Keita and VanDyke, Liverpool are finally becoming title contenders, but the others would not stop spending too….
JOSE NEEDS TIME BUT MUST ACCEPT SOME RESPONSIBILITY
I sympathise with United fans and the English football neutrals in general and I feel sorry for Jose as well as his reputation of winning always precedes him. Yes! We all thought Jose (his track record of course suggests that) and United would be the ones to help us fight against the Sheikhs at Etihad and show them money doesn’t buy titles, but to engage Manchester City will not be done with just a great manager, it would be done with the might of Manchester united and lots of money.
To assess any squad and see where they are, just take the front 6 players of Manchester City and ask yourself, how many of them would walk into the United team, then do the reverse. Whichever team has more players fitting in the opposing team (and squad) tells the story of where both teams are.
It’s ironic that negative press re: Mourinho sells, but he is quite right in most of his interviews: United have been a bad team since Sir Alex Ferguson, recruiting has been terrible (non under Moyes really and sideways under Van Gaal)
Same under-performing players still doing the job the same way.. Let’s not forget that last year’s triumph in the EFL and EURO LEAGUE was down to Jose, Rashford and Zlatan
So United fans had better get behind their manager and allow him take them back to where they belong. As for some ex-players ranting and shouting, they say there is no smoke without fire, I’d only say they should be patient, ( their time and their friend’s time would come eventually) and if they truly love United, they should get behind Jose, especially after last season.
Well, if it’s Zaha now playing well, the press and pundits would say ‘oh he was young when he was at United’ but let it be Salah or Debryune (who like Lukaku or Zaha were also young and had to go out and play regularly to get better) it is Jose’s fault….
Yes some of the problems at United has to be the manager’s responsibility: he needs to reset their goals after the City loss (I’ve been there when your season’s goals are destroyed in one 90 minute game so early in the season), he needs to decide to get rid of players who can’t handle the pressure and quickly bring in new players that would help him close the gap on City. He also needs to get more out of his players.
He has addressed some of the issues and answered his critics against Everton yesterday.
PEP ALSO NEEDS MONEY AND WILL EVEN SPEND MORE
Yes we have had a Pep revolution, but it’s not so much about that but more of the money revolution with a fantastic coach.
Remember the so called Pep Guardiola won NOTHING last year when he had a slightly different set of players…
So he goes to the market to plug the holes in his squad and what a squad at his disposal! Kyle Walker, Mendy, Danilo, Silva, Ederson…
PEP GUARDIOLA’S DEPTH
Not many people would lose Jesus Gabriel and have Aguero on the bench to replace him..
How about David Silva out and Gundogan or Bernado Silva deputising for him?
Sterling on the bench, but you have Silva to play instead..
Gundogan goes off and you have Sterling to step in from the bench
Bernado Silva is tired, so Yaya Toure comes OFF the BENCH!
Pep is a fantastic coach as well, don’t get me wrong, but City have been building since 2008 when the rich Sheikhs took over. Their squad up until last season have won two league titles since 2012 and Pep has come and improved their team by buying expansively and wisely.
The bad news for the others? Pep would buy again in January and next summer….
Most teams in top six (except probably Chelsea) would lose a top player and panic, not Manchester City, as I’ve demonstrated above.
PALACE GIVE US HOPE
I have said it repeatedly after games against WestHam, Southampton, Huddersfield, Newcastle and Leicester that teams would get close and figure a way to beat them. Palace almost did yesterday, and thereby giving the premiership hope that this City team are beatable.
So come on Premier League, let’s have a photo finish to 2018!