2021/22 Expectations

[Vesper 28,801]

3 minutes ago, Blue Armour said:

but didn't want to be that guy.

I am that type of girl though

[Tomo 21,733]

45 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Unless people are mighty confident that Werner will score 20 in the league and Kai 10-15, I don’t understand how anyone can predict us to significantly improve our league position with the squad as is. Will they (and Pulisic, and Ziyech, and Mount) improve? Yes. Enough to make up 20 points on City? Not in my opinion.

I'm fairly confident Kai's numbers will go up. Last season he moved in a pandemic, caught the thing (and unlike most footballers not aysmptomatically) and then returned in the middle of the Lampard meltdown period (who to add insult to injury didn't know what the hell to do with him). He only really had two months fully fit and under Tuchel and he produced his best football.

I think it's next to impossible for him not to improve without all those above obstacles. He will have a (close to) full pre season, will (hopefully) not be struck down by Covid and will have a full season under a manager who clearly knows how to utilise him, I'm not exactly sure how anyone can look at those factors and come to the conclusion he won't have a better season this time round.

Werner is a bit more complex, while I'm not under any illusion he will suddenly become cool as ice infront of goal the sheer law of averages should mean a healthier tally next season. Although not to the same extent as Havertz, Lampard's use of him was a problem.

If we can get a close to sure bet forward fine, but there's not many of them out there, especially as we will likely have to break up a hugely promising system to accommodate said striker (the type of short termism Mou was slated for). For example, two years ago almost everyone on here was adamant Luka Jovic was the striker we needed.

Infact (I've asked this a few times now but no one has yet given me an answer) did any of our even slightly realistic options outside of Haaland score more last season than Werner and Havertz do the year before they signed for us?

Edited July 16, 2021 by Tomo

[Superblue 6,370]

32 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Unless people are mighty confident that Werner will score 20 in the league and Kai 10-15, I don’t understand how anyone can predict us to significantly improve our league position with the squad as is. Will they (and Pulisic, and Ziyech, and Mount) improve? Yes. Enough to make up 20 points on City? Not in my opinion.

Maybe we don't need Werner and Havertz to produce those numbers.

Firstly, I don't think it's completely unrealistic though if that were to happen because both have shown capability of this in previous seasons (albeit not in the Premier League).

But if you didn't include Tammy (who if we didn't buy another striker you'd have to believe Tuchel would retain) then our current other 6 'attackers'  of Werner, Havertz, Pulisic, Mount, CHO and Ziyech scored 24 Premier League goals between them, so 4 on average. I would be dumbfounded if they did not improve quite considerably on those numbers between them all next season. It shouldn't be unrealistic to expect across those 6 players to double that tally to average 8 Premier League goals each. It would only take one or two just to hit double figures to likely reach that let alone expecting someone to hit 15-20 goals minimum.

[NikkiCFC 7,950]

59 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Unless people are mighty confident that Werner will score 20 in the league and Kai 10-15, I don’t understand how anyone can predict us to significantly improve our league position with the squad as is. Will they (and Pulisic, and Ziyech, and Mount) improve? Yes. Enough to make up 20 points on City? Not in my opinion.

Gap on City is just 7 points if you count only TT time.

Timo/Kai have conversation rate of big chances 20-25%. If they go 55-60% which is still nothing special just average the gap is closed.

Our best bet is to have same amazing defense like last season and big part of job is already done.

[Pizy 18,368]

I commend your guys’ optimism but I still think we’d be living very dangerously if we don’t invest in a forward of some sort. What happens if Kai or Timo get a lengthy injury? Without Giroud we’re now very thin up top and I don’t particularly care to see more false 9 or Tammy wandering around like he just learned to walk yesterday.

[Superblue 6,370]

3 minutes ago, Pizy said:

I commend your guys’ optimism but I still think we’d be living very dangerously if we don’t invest in a forward of some sort. What happens if Kai or Timo get a lengthy injury? Without Giroud we’re now very thin up top and I don’t particularly care to see more false 9 or Tammy wandering around like he just learned to walk yesterday.

I agree there is risk attached to it, but beyond Haaland what striker's are out there we could buy that we're all going to be confident will bang in goals consistently?

The striker depth on the market is extremely poor in my opinion. We'd be taking potentially a bigger risk buying a player that isn't one of our top targets and hoping it pays off.

[Blue Armour 4,278]

3 hours ago, Superblue_1986 said:

I agree there is risk attached to it, but beyond Haaland what striker's are out there we could buy that we're all going to be confident will bang in goals consistently?

The striker depth on the market is extremely poor in my opinion. We'd be taking potentially a bigger risk buying a player that isn't one of our top targets and hoping it pays off.

Yeah, I'll have to admit we're in a hard place. No realistic good options out there.

It's either Haaland,..or worse, Kane? Don't think the latter will happen anyway.

Dearth of forwards. Funny how a few seasons ago, there was a shortage of good fullbacks when Cole left., and now there's plenty in the English national team alone.

Now it's the same situation but with strikers.

 

[Syltherin 25]

Super Cup Winner

Club World Cup Winner

FA Cup Winner

Top 3 at the league

Semifinalist Champions League

Higher Goal Stat than last Season

[Pizy 18,368]

7 hours ago, Superblue_1986 said:

I agree there is risk attached to it, but beyond Haaland what striker's are out there we could buy that we're all going to be confident will bang in goals consistently?

The striker depth on the market is extremely poor in my opinion. We'd be taking potentially a bigger risk buying a player that isn't one of our top targets and hoping it pays off.

Barca are seemingly desperate to offload Griezmann. I’d 100% take a punt on him even if it’s just a loan with buy option like we did with Higuain.

[Laylabelle 9,351]

Finish top 4 without relying on others/some mad panic at the end!

Win the FA Cup this time! 2 finals and 2 losses..be nice to win it again

Super Cup...club world cup. They'll be nice too.

 

[NikkiCFC 7,950]

How can anyone say top4? 

We have been top4 last 3 seasons. Plus all the investments and just won CL. We absolutely have to fight for title. I am tired of giving up on league in December. 

[Pizy 18,368]

16 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

How can anyone say top4? 

We have been top4 last 3 seasons. Plus all the investments and just won CL. We absolutely have to fight for title. I am tired of giving up on league in December. 

Can we count on Leicester totally collapsing for a 3rd straight season to allow us to sneak into the top 4 on the last match week?

[Tomo 21,733]

2 hours ago, Pizy said:

Can we count on Leicester totally collapsing for a 3rd straight season to allow us to sneak into the top 4 on the last match week?

I don't know why all this "other teams fucking up has helped us" is considered ground-breaking. Further down the league you go the more you rely on it. 

Infact unless you get 109 or more points you're technically at the mercy of other teams not doing their job.

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

As things stand we should be contending for both the league and CL. 

[LAM09 6,744]

4 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

As things stand we should be contending for both the league and CL. 

I don't know how that's possible with Abraham, Bats, Broja & Werner as our CF options. 

If nothing notable changes, we'll have to hope a number of our other attacking options have the seasons of their lives in terms of output to be competitive in both.

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

14 minutes ago, LAM09 said:

I don't know how that's possible with Abraham, Bats, Broja & Werner as our CF options. 

If nothing notable changes, we'll have to hope a number of our other attacking options have the seasons of their lives in terms of output to be competitive in both.

Since Tuchel has been appointed, only City managed more points than us (7). 
 

Our attackers should do better this time around. Add the fact neither Liverpool, United, or City are adding quality at ST, our competitors are standing still. (United won’t challenge anything with Ole). 

[Pizy 18,368]

23 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

As things stand we should be contending for both the league and CL. 

We ain’t getting remotely close to the PL title with our current squad. I’d bet my account here on that.

 

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

Just now, Pizy said:

We ain’t getting remotely close to the PL title with our current squad. I’d bet my account here on that.

 

See post above.