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Totally Unofficial 2017/18 Premier League Thread (NWT)

BTB said:
What's the basis for the belief that United will be materially better this year than last year? I see a team with a lot of depth but I honestly don't know who Mourinho's first 11 are and I'm not convinced that the first 11 will be better this year than last. Somebody [DV7] tell me why I'm wrong.
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United dropped so many points vs the weaker sides in the Prem last season because we didn't convert the many chances we created. Lukaku will finish those chances off as he is a flat track bully. Those points won will propel United to near the top of the table.

And the best GK in the league is at MUFC. That helps turn 2-2 draws into 2-1 wins.
 
deacvision7 said:
United dropped so many points vs the weaker sides in the Prem last season because we didn't convert the many chances we created. Lukaku will finish those chances off as he is a flat track bully. Those points won will propel United to near the top of the table.

And the best GK in the league is at MUFC. That helps turn 2-2 draws into 2-1 wins.
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Not sure that Lukaku is going to score many more goals than Ibrahimovic did. The bigger problem at United last year wasn't the striker, it was the attackers behind the striker who didn't chip in with goals. It's the same group this year, so if you think United are going to add the 25-30 goals they will need to be near the top, you are predicting that group is going to add those. I just don't see it. I can see United getting 10-15 of those goals and being in the top 4 comfortably, but I don't see those 25-30 you will need to compete for the title.

And from what we saw last season - having the best GK in the league turns 1-2 losses into 1-1 draws :plos:
 
Just to add to that - here's last seasons goal totals:

Tottenham - 86
Chelsea - 85
Man. City - 80
Liverpool - 78
Arsenal - 77
United - 54

United has to find 25 more goals, minimum. And it's not like that was a one off problem ... 15/16 United scored 49 goals. In 14/15 it was 62. In 13/14 it was 64. The reality is that the attackers currently at the club don't score goals, and haven't scored them in the past either. It's the worst attack of the top 6, and by a pretty substantial margin. Replacing Ibrahimovic with Lukaku improves it a little bit maybe, but United needs a lot more than a little bit. They need a massive improvement, and I just don't see where it's magically going to come from.

It's a title contending team in every area but the attack. They just won't score enough goals to keep up. I'll give them, generously, 70 goals this season. That gets them 3rd/4th with a stingy defense, but no higher.
 
deacvision7 said:
Pogba will get double digits this season. Mkhi as well.
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He's never scored double digit league goals in his career (8 is his highest). Mkhi has done it once outside of Ukraine (11 in 15-16 for Dortmund). There aren't a lot of prolific goal scorers anywhere in the team other than Lukaku. There's no Alli/Son or Hazard/Pedro or Mane/Salah/Firmino or Silva/KDB/Sane ... and there's where the lack of goals comes from.
 
So someone with more patience than me want to track down last year's best and worst predictions? Predicions are dumb if we don't check and see how we did.
 
FWIW - I think City absolutely walks the league this year. They'll win it by 8+ points and never really be pushed down the stretch. They are just substantially better than any other team in the league. Maybe Spurs can push them a bit if they have Chelsea's luck from last season and literally have 0 injuries, but that seems highly unlikely (see: Trippier already).

City are going to score 90+ goals and just stroll to the title.
 
timdunkandthefunk said:
Also, I'm super sad that James Richardson left the Football Weekly podcast. I guess I'll have to check out his new pod.

Max Rushden is good though so I'll keep listening to FW twice a week.
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Yeah, I've been pleased with it so far. Barry and the guests always did more for me than JR TBH.

The not-veiled-at-all references to Richardson and Ian MacIntosh in the first pod were fantastic
 
Only prediction I'll make is I think Huddersfield stays up. Wagner is a beast, their style should translate well to the division and they've bought well. I also suspect Spurs will miss out on CL at Wembley, maybe that'll be a good thing in 12 months time.

Burnley seem the only team that isn't really up for competing financially in the division, think they're doomed. Still too early to say who the other two will be
 
It's time again!

 
1. Man United
2. Man City
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Spurs
6. Liverpool
7. West Ham
8. Stoke
9. Watford
10. Everton
11. Leicester
12. Bournemouth
13. Southampton
14. Crystal Palace
15. Newcastle
16. Brighton
17. West Brom
18. Burnley
19. Swansea
20. Huddersfield
 
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