2024/25 Season

[danperkins]

Our play only started to drop off in March. Suggests we probably peaked earlier in the second half of the season. The past 2 months we have definitely looked leggy in our play. The main takeaway is resilience in our play that we can grind the results. It does feel like we can dominate the league in the near future if we have a good summer.

I think other teams' fans dont see us smashing teams and think we are not a good side. But who cares?

[Charly]

Even then we’ve scored the most goals. Conceded second least. Scored two or more in something like all bar four of our games… there’s just been noise against us actually being good all season.

In many ways, they may be right. We are not "great", its just their teams are so completely ****e. The thing is, the backbone is there, and I think Slot just needs to bring in a couple of players to knit it all together. I think they are about to experience what "great" actually is next season.

I think its the play in the box which is a bit disjointed at the moment. None of our strikers are playing particularly well. Im guessing Slot will get one big signing in there to replace Nunez. I think that is the one to look for. Will it be a traditional striker or a deeper Firmino type. If it is a striker, I would expect an attacking midfielder to be the "missing link" in there (As good as Dom is, he is not really a play maker, and I think that is the one thing we need to really mix it up). Then just an opportunity to rest and rotate, and the joys of seeing Manchester City relegated to oblivion... I think then I will be happy

[Tatterdemalion]

I'm obviously looking forward to Sunday. It will be my 6th title as a self conscious fan. I think my TV set up is ****ed so not sure I'll be able to watch, but we just need a point and it will be at home. I think it's going to be a great day. Seems to me that Slot is a decent tactician. I said early on in the season - perhaps better than Klopp - and got pelters for that. Hopefully he listens to the recruitment staff, which given the changes in the background seems likely, so I trust the recruitment will go well. I'm very optimistic about a period of dominance, on the assumption that Slot is more likely to rotate than this season. Between him and Benitez, there is probably equilibrium.

I hope those of you who can go on Sunday have a superb day. I expect the rest of us will have a great day.

[red g]

I'm obviously looking forward to Sunday. It will be my 6th title as a self conscious fan. I think my TV set up is ****ed so not sure I'll be able to watch, but we just need a point and it will be at home. I think it's going to be a great day. Seems to me that Slot is a decent tactician. I said early on in the season - perhaps better than Klopp - and got pelters for that. Hopefully he listens to the recruitment staff, which given the changes in the background seems likely, so I trust the recruitment will go well. I'm very optimistic about a period of dominance, on the assumption that Slot is more likely to rotate than this season. Between him and Benitez, there is probably equilibrium.

I hope those of you who can go on Sunday have a superb day. I expect the rest of us will have a great day.

You would like to think that Slot has given a profile in several postiions and we have been working away all season finding targets.

If Slot can make someone else's tea better imagine what he can do when he has all his type of players in.

[Doc_Piptorious]

You would like to think that Slot has given a profile in several postiions and we have been working away all season finding targets.

If Slot can make someone else's tea better imagine what he can do when he has all his type of players in.

Doubt it. Have a feeling he drinks that Yorkshire tea muck

[calvoboy]

In many ways, they may be right. We are not "great", its just their teams are so completely ****e. The thing is, the backbone is there, and I think Slot just needs to bring in a couple of players to knit it all together. I think they are about to experience what "great" actually is next season.

I think its the play in the box which is a bit disjointed at the moment. None of our strikers are playing particularly well. Im guessing Slot will get one big signing in there to replace Nunez. I think that is the one to look for. Will it be a traditional striker or a deeper Firmino type. If it is a striker, I would expect an attacking midfielder to be the "missing link" in there (As good as Dom is, he is not really a play maker, and I think that is the one thing we need to really mix it up). Then just an opportunity to rest and rotate, and the joys of seeing Manchester City relegated to oblivion... I think then I will be happy

I honestly think the league is stronger than ever. When you look at the quality of the managers we have in the league now, and the calibre of the teams on their day. I don't think there's a team in the top 15 that you'd feel confident about beating away from home.

We've just been crushingly brilliant for most of the season. Not as exciting and heavy-metal as under Klopp. More of a boa constrictor than a cobra, but just as deadly. We find a team's weakness and then just keep going at it until we beat them. Particularly second half when Slot's had time to assess what we're up against.

We lost on penalties after extra time in the Champions League to probably the best team in Europe this year, then lost a league cup final the weekend after against a dangerous Newcastle team who were beginning to peak and were desperate to win. The FA Cup was our one ****-up, but was as a result of an unlikely penalty against us rather than a complete failure.

I agree though - get a striker that suits us and as good as we've been this year we could be on the verge of greatness next year.

[BG1973]

As dissappointing as it was, the CL (and fa cup) exits have definitely helped us though, and at same time hindered Arsenal.

I think we would have got there in the league anyway but it's one of the reasons for this 'odd' and one horse season.

[memzey]

I honestly think the league is stronger than ever. When you look at the quality of the managers we have in the league now, and the calibre of the teams on their day. I don't think there's a team in the top 15 that you'd feel confident about beating away from home.

We've just been crushingly brilliant for most of the season. Not as exciting and heavy-metal as under Klopp. More of a boa constrictor than a cobra, but just as deadly. We find a team's weakness and then just keep going at it until we beat them. Particularly second half when Slot's had time to assess what we're up against.

We lost on penalties after extra time in the Champions League to probably the best team in Europe this year, then lost a league cup final the weekend after against a dangerous Newcastle team who were beginning to peak and were desperate to win. The FA Cup was our one ****-up, but was as a result of an unlikely penalty against us rather than a complete failure.

I agree though - get a striker that suits us and as good as we've been this year we could be on the verge of greatness next year.

I completely agree. Below is the post I made on this subject in the Darwin thread (not sure how we meandered on to the subject there):

It seems to me that there is some confusion among pundits about this season. They seem to conflate the lack of a title race with a lack of general quality in the league. The two are not the same, to my mind at least.

We point to leagues like those in Scotland, France and The Netherlands and consider them as being weak due to the inability of middling and lower teams to take points off of those at the top. The result being that Celtic, PSG and Ajax almost always win their respective titles but appear poorly conditioned, as a result of too many easy league games, for elite European football. This season in the EPL couldn't be further from that set of events. If you look at the table now, after 33 games, and compare it to last season at the same point, virtually every position from 9th down has more points than last season, sometime by quite a bit. This shows that the league this season has been very strong and competitive all the way down.

The part that doesn't scan so well is that we have been denied a proper title race as one club has appeared immune to dropping points unnecessarily which has resulted in a yuuge gap between 1st and 2nd. That doesn't mean the league this season wasn't competitive or, was in some way, worse than previous years. No, it means we blew the competition away so decisively that the spectacle of the league title became worse. This is an entirely different scenario to what is being levelled against us.

[spud_gun]

As dissappointing as it was, the CL (and fa cup) exits have definitely helped us though, and at same time hindered Arsenal.

I think we would have got there in the league anyway but it's one of the reasons for this 'odd' and one horse season.

As I type Arsenal have only played two extra games in the Champions League

Their league form dropped off well before they 'decided to concentrate' on the Champions League. The run at the end of Feb start of March where they were beaten by West Ham and drew with Forrest and Man U is where they really messed up their 'title challenge'

[Buzzo]

What do people think the points difference will be in the final league table between ourselves and arsenal?

My guess is +6.

Arsenal need to claw back a few PPG for this.

[Exiled_red]

Arsenal need to claw back a few PPG for this.

Depends on what we do when the title is wrapped up. Could take our foot off the gas and have a few slip ups.

But also Arsenal have some tricky fixtures, Bournemouth between two CL semi final legs, then us (how easy or difficult for them could depend on where we are at (see above), Newcastle who are chasing CL and Southampton which should be an easy one. But also depends on how they reach to either making CL final or getting knocked out.

[DerKrampus]

Just saw this on the BBC Sports pages comments and it made me chuckle, not sure if posted before -

"In your heeeaaadd, in your heeeaaaaddd, Arne, Arne, Arne"

[Buzzo]

Depends on what we do when the title is wrapped up. Could take our foot off the gas and have a few slip ups.

But also Arsenal have some tricky fixtures, Bournemouth between two CL semi final legs, then us (how easy or difficult for them could depend on where we are at (see above), Newcastle who are chasing CL and Southampton which should be an easy one. But also depends on how they reach to either making CL final or getting knocked out.

I can see us dropping points once it’s done for sure. But I also don’t see Arsenal winning 4 from 4 and we will not lack any motivation when we play them with the seasons narrative at stake.

[Norbs]

I can't see us dropping any points after we've won it. The pressure will be off, it's been like a chain around the player's necks, IMO.

I think we end up on 94pts and a GD close to 60

[Irishnev]

To finish above 90 points is a statement, while more common in the City cheating era very few sides have done before hand it so it would give a level of validity (not that it’s needed though) to our achievement. I agree with Norbs that if/when we win it that the team can play freely and it might help.