Will we ever be a top performing club again?

I don't buy any of this Leicester is a one-off business. They'll be in the top 4 next season. The so called big 4/5/6 are no longer entitled to the top 4. Expect more managerial turnover in the richer clubs over the next few seasons, as rich owners not being able to cope with their teams underperforming will want instant changes. Perhaps both Manchester clubs will be in transition (I hope). It's going to be fairly close among the top 8 with a few points between them. For us to be in the top 4 we'll have to muscle out one or both Manchester clubs, Spurs or Arsenal. It's possible!

 

I'd only agree based on last season the "so called elites" don't have a right to anything.

But to expect no reaction at all from them???

The gap from first to eighth should be over 20 points... and will be.

It was this year!!!!

Anyway... the target as always for top 4 will be 70 points+/-3

If Leicester can manage it fine but it's up to anyone thinking they will to put their money where their mouth is.

 

Of course its possible. Leicester have radically changed the landscape. Just a couple of years ago,you would have been called deluded and by many from this board

Leicester has shown (or more accurately reminded people) the recipe for the title. A solid settled defence with a good GK, a tireless combative midfield with a some one who get the ball back like Kante, a playmaker like Mahrez and a willing lethal runner like Vardy as a striker. The most important ingredient was the team spirit. No one played for himself. And obviously a bit of luck with injuries and suspensions.

If Klopp gets these in place, these is no reason why we can't win the title next season. The title should be a realistic target.

The only reason I cannot see Leicester staying in the top 4 is that they are likely to lose some key players to the big clubs.

 

Leicester kept the same team throughout the season, they did not rotate often and will not be able to do that with CL football, can they buy well and manage both I think they can to some degree but I don't expect them to win the PL again. If I had to guess I'd say Leicester will fight for a European place next season and no more than that. I do think they'll do well in the CL though, 1/4 finals maybe.

 

This is where they have been fortunate. A settled team especially the defence and GK. I think they could do well in the CL if they have only one top team in their group (only 1 Spanish !).

 

Where to start with that....

Firstly, you say the 'big clubs' let themselves down, but surely it was the other clubs who just managed to compete on the same level as them?

The wages comment is a red herring, Falcao was on £250k a week, did he add value at that? Toure is on £220k a week and he was largely mince last season. Rooney £250k a week, was he better than Vardy or Payet? Paying massive wages guarantees nothing, as the clubs who can 'only' offer £100k can still outstrip most of Europe, that's the point - they can therefore have better quality than was even remotely possible 5 years ago.

Blackburn bought the league under Jack Walker back in the day, so as a comparable to what Leicester have just achieved it's a nonsense.

What City, United and the rest do this summer in terms of their spending remains to be seen, but as United and your lot have proved in recent years, spending massive amounts of cash guarantees nothing.

 

So what's your excuse?

 

What last season showed IMO is that resources/money are insufficient and that the key ingredient is how they are used. So it is the team spirit + manager (who is key to team spirit) together rather than just players.

A top manager plus top players surely have a greater chance.

 

I agree and hope that Klopp looks to build a team very much like Leicester, a team with no egos, a team that works for the shirt and each other. I don't want some big name who comes along thinking he can demand big wages and has the right to start every match because of who he is.

 

Roberto Martinez

 

Wanna bet?

 

#scapegoat

 

Chelsea last season are a great example. Won the league at a canter the previous season and yet their team of superstars fell out with the manager and tanked for 4 months to ensure his demise - despite still being paid their multi million pound salaries by the club who's shirt they wear.

So their awful season was purely down to attitude and not ability.

On a lesser scale my clubs players did the same under Martinez, downed tools and waited for the inevitable.

Meanwhile supposed lesser sides, knuckled down, worked for each other and left nothing on the pitch week in and week out.

Ability means nothing without complete application, especially now the gap in ability between the sides with the supposed best players and the rest has significantly narrowed - and that is the salient point. We're no longer talking about Europes finest taking on UK based relatively average players and home growns. We're talking about the supposed best in Europe taking on sides littered with Internationals from around the globe, and that means the margins are very small. If the supposed super stars don't put in 100% they have no advantage, they can't coast games like they maybe could a few years back.

 

No mate, he's simply a flawed manager, who failed to get the best out of what he had at his disposal

 

I think we can win the title a couple of times in the next decade. We could have won it a couple of times in the last decade. I don't think we're going to see domination like we did in the Man Utd era and before that...our era. I still think it will be dominated by the big/rich clubs though, each year the title being won between them. We no longer have the big 4, now there are 6/7 clubs who can challenge (I haven't even included a team like Leicester in that bracket), including ourselves. We've seen us finish 2nd only to finish 7th and below 2 years running...Chelsea's fall this year...It's unpredictable.

Next year, ourselves and Chelsea play without Europe, so I expect both clubs will be disappointed if they don't challenge for the title and a domestic cup.

 

1. no.. if cheslea did not let themselves down i don't know what it was.. if utd didn't seriously let themselves down by just playing felliani all the time alone! city imploded after pelligrini call was made.. arsenal ... so.... yeah....

2. Wages. oh look you manged to find a couple examples... how nice. theres a reason why rooney is on 250k per week and thats cos he held utd to ransom as they knew how good he was for them. Theres a reason city won leagues with yaya i nthe team.. he's fallen off the cliff but when bothered like in 2013/14 he was well worth it. the wages are the wages, the point is honestly you can have a payet for about 2 years max but then the money kicks in. Look at what may just happen to leicester... and look what did happen to southampton. Now... theres no assurance you can keep unearthing yet another gem to replace the flow of players out the door. Kante, Mahrez... in demand... Alderweirld ****ed over southampton for what.. peanuts? same for lovern.. so would southampton be where they are with lallana and co? dunno but if you constantly have to replace players you tread water

3. Absolutely blackburn bought the title... absolutely. 100% but they could not sustain it could they? thats the point. Leicester didn't buy it but the point is about sustaining it in the face of the "sol called elites" it assumes nobody is going to react and come back strong. Clubs with 50 mil for one player compared to leicesters 5-10mil.. clubs with the ability to rob half leicester's side if they feel like it.. I find the assumption that they won't improve amazing cos that s what this amounts to.. its a desire to have a changed world where somehow anyone down to accrington stanley could win it if only they'd just believe.

4. clubs managed to compete on same level. the evidence shows spurs competed on exact same level and ended up 3rd.. ergo at least 2 sides were worse that last year. 2nd was 71 points. thats abnormal, not unheard of but abnormal. wet ham and southampton got a whopping 63 and 62 points... thats not competing at a higher level thats about the suusal. the fact is cheslea got 50 points... if thats not letting yourself down i don't know what is. If Utd getting 66 after only getting 70 the year before is not consistently under performing fine... but city only getting (by scrapping 1-1 last day hilariously) 66 thats is gross under performance.

Sorry but ALL three big clubs (city, utd, cheslea) grossly under performed. for that I have no doubt. All 3 sacked managers at various times. Arsenal were frnakly arsenal. so ended up 2nd despite not deserving it.

Well done leicester what a dream but to expect this side to repeat the trick....Frankly all leicester need is one injury or just inability to cope with 2 games a week over 6/8 weeks and they could be far enough off the lead tat they revert to settling and resting on laurels.

Morgan.. huth... they need kante and drinkwater minding them and ensure they just need to clear crosses. I really hope they do well in europe as 1st seeds and get out of group but the fact is they could take a couple drubbings and be out. Hopefully ranieiri can use all his experience to help them use their game to do well.. but its all confidence.

I can see utd going all out in the league, they have enough u21s to get through europa then dump it so i expect mourinho to focus on fortress old trafford and I simply cannot see then not getting north of 70 points.

City will be interesting. they've so much work to so.

Arsenal are the club i look at as potentially falling apart yet they've moved on a DM! if wenger stays they will be in top 4.

Chelsea will have a lot of work to do i think. They need a striker with pace. that will define them. I can see them at least 6th but with hazard and willian i could see them top 4 too.

Spurs will probably continue bottling cups to focus on league but it'll be interesting to see where they end up 5th or 4th?

That's 5 clubs leicester have to match up to. 5 clubs that could pick their bones before august.

never mind everton or LFC... or west ham...

 

You're talking way too much sense this morning.

 

the one thing is see is all this tv money will end up flushing through into wages. the 6/7 into 4 is an equation that historically never worked. If you are the side in 5th you are likely to dump your manager and keep chasing the 4th.

clubs will all end up paying vast sums to greedy players and agents and really... hunger and desire is where you can't answer.. yes leicester had it.. but keeping it is another matter. even cheslea showed evidence of it in hazard and matic in particular. Clubs will try have bigger squads i suppose but when leicester shovel 80-100 k at 5/6 guys we will see what hunger there is.

thats my view on it.

 

I think I saw an interesting piece on mourinho and how his top top success game with pre millenial players.. guys born when things were slightly different.. players who would respond to him.

I find it interesting that leicester had morgan at 32, huth who could have sat on his arse but had the hunder. fuchs, mahrez (from rough area in france) vardy.. all guys who were of an age or of an experience type.

I also think about coquilen at arsenal. he came in full of hunger season before last then last season was utter tosh at times thinking he was it. will kante fall for this?

Is it the case that these ultra cossetted kids in academies just don't understand the concept of leaving nothing behind them?

Is mourinhos problems at cheslea down to lads like matic who should have worshipped him but didn't try? like hazard... or is it less about mourinho and more about general cockyness?

 

sensible.

so why assume that guardiola and mourinho have no idea who to put the team spirit into the team....

why assume its exclusively down to small clubs like leicester to have it?

I mean I could assume Liverpool could have mega team spirit and the crowd on side but i know for a fact half the players still don't have the application and talent. so can LFC win the league with the current players just cos ranieiri showed it was possible... nope.

would the team spirit really be the same... nope.. not like leicesters. it can be.

Will leicester's survive the wage increase and comings and goings? they can prove that... I'm on the side of i doubt it.