This season provided us with the opportunity of winning the league, but it seems we have blown it. I can not see it in my dream Aston Villa or West Ham beating Man City at home or getting a point each. It has been a vicious circle since we lost to Chelsea at home. I think we are still going to come second this season, if we can at least get a draw from Newcastle's game. Next season, United and Tottenham are going to be in similar situations we have been this season. United not Europe. Tottenham not in Europe. The main teams contending the league next season are going to be. Man City. Liverpool. Chelsea. Arsenal Everton Tottenham Man United. United are not going to be saddled with European games so also Tottenham, and they are going to play less games. I would not be surprised if the two of them are surprised packages next season. Our toothless defence have already done the damage this season: hope we find solutions next season!.
United and Spurs will BOTH have new managers, I really don't think they will be a huge threat if we are sensible this summer. Also Everton will stay the same seeing as they will lose Barry, Lukaku !!, and Deolufeo (sp?)
Liverpool fans having been saying for weeks that not having European football has not been a factor in your success this year so why should it help others next year????
wasting your time mate, all rival fans want to do is say how ****e we are and we wont get top 4. said the same for this season and as of this minute we are top, strange logic with the ****e squad we have, but there you go, don't want to give credit it seems. all you have done is listed the same teams what was expected to this year, and look what happened, wasn't we supposed to be in 6th?
The question in the title of this thread is wrong. The league will not be any tougher next season than it was this. You still have the same number of games to play against opposition of varying quality - that will be the same as it always is. The question should surely be, "Will the season be tougher next year?". I believe the answer to that will be yes. Not solely because of the Champions League but also because the expectations for us will be higher. We will be under intense scrutiny to see if we can repeat our performances of this season and to prove that our development was not a flash in the pan. Opposing fans and some lazy journos will tell us that City and Chelsea will strengthen, that United will spend massive amounts, Arsenal will actually spend money again and that Spurs will recapture their vibe. All of that may or may not be true. But we also will be improving our squad over the Summer. Add the imports to a team that has had the experience of this season and a hunger to take the final step and we will present a formidable challenge to any side. Therefore the League will be no harder than this season. However, the season itself will be hard with a whole load of different challenges.
I'm with Dave on this, other teams will improve but so will we so lets not get caught up in this crap. We'll be up there again next season.
Us needing to go on a 14 game winning streak but only going on an 11 game winning streak is not "the season providing an opportunity", it is Liverpool going on an amazing run and being up among the billionaires entirely through their own efforts. TBF I welcome Everton, Spurs and Man Utd hopefully not being so **** next season and maybe taking some points off Chelsea and City for once FFS
It is a minor thing, but the argument was mainly morons like yourself suggesting Liverpool would struggle with our current squad in Europe when the point was if we were in Europe our squad would have been designed for that in the first place. Comparing Man Utd's squad designed for domestic+European football only playing domestic football is not the same as comparing Liverpool's squad designed only for domestic football to playing domestic+European football
Yes other teams will strengthen, but I would hope so will we. CL means we can actually land some of the targets we've been missing out on.
No it was morons like you pretending you'd have bought another load of quality players if you'd have finished in the Europa league spot last year.....
And? You said 'for once' as if they never do when in fact all 3 took points off us. More talking nonsense I see
Why will it be tougher? Yes, Mourinho and Pellegrini will have their first year foundation and will undoubtedly spend but BR will have (I hope) learned a lot from this season, especially the run and we should spend too. There is still 3 & 1/2 months to go until next season kicks off. During that period we will see what we do in the off season, who comes in, how the team bonds in preseason and how BR sets up his team. There is no reason we cant challenge again next season. I will say going on another 11 game steak will be unlikely but not impossible, and as others have said, if the league is more competitive then perhaps rival points will be dropped and it might not need 80+ points to win the league next year. I am absolutely gutted with last nights performance, but credit must go to BR and the team. We have over achieved our targets this year, but make no mistake we deserve to be where we are and hopefully we can improve in the summer and be right back up there next year.
to assume we will and nobody else will is cocky IMO in 2006 we went on such runs twice and got only the fa cup then turned in torres and got 2nd in 2009 then it all went to pot, however back then it was 4 for 4 places and now its 7 for 4... we cannot go assuming utd won't come roaring back nor that arsenal will simply float along and implode in feb just cos they do it every year. it will be tougher; but stating it will be tougher is not being negative
