ArsenaLOL

[Scutterbucketz]

[WestYorksRoyal]

Arsenal will surely start next season as overwhelming favourites. Settled team and manager with plenty of years left in them, with experience of getting over the line now. City will be adapting to life after Pep and Liverpool are miles off. You could even see them being the dominant force for 5 years or so, but football being football I expect a challenger will emerge or events will go against them somewhere.

I read on the Athletic that they'd been eyeing up the window between 2023 - 2027 as the point at which City and Liverpool would go through transitions given squad age, and they've been planning since 2019 to have a squad that peaked in that window. Very impressive long term thinking.

[BRO_BOT]

Arsenal will surely start next season as overwhelming favourites. Settled team and manager with plenty of years left in them, with experience of getting over the line now. City will be adapting to life after Pep and Liverpool are miles off. You could even see them being the dominant force for 5 years or so, but football being football I expect a challenger will emerge or events will go against them somewhere.

I read on the Athletic that they'd been eyeing up the window between 2023 - 2027 as the point at which City and Liverpool would go through transitions given squad age, and they've been planning since 2019 to have a squad that peaked in that window. Very impressive long term thinking.

Every squad has a long-term plan like that. Then largely unforeseeable things get in the way, and the survivors claim it as insight!

[Sutekh]

Arsenal will surely start next season as overwhelming favourites. Settled team and manager with plenty of years left in them, with experience of getting over the line now. City will be adapting to life after Pep and Liverpool are miles off. You could even see them being the dominant force for 5 years or so, but football being football I expect a challenger will emerge or events will go against them somewhere.

I read on the Athletic that they'd been eyeing up the window between 2023 - 2027 as the point at which City and Liverpool would go through transitions given squad age, and they've been planning since 2019 to have a squad that peaked in that window. Very impressive long term thinking.

Every squad has a long-term plan like that. Then largely unforeseeable things get in the way, and the survivors claim it as insight!

I’d say Liverpool are not miles off if they can get the right manager, generally the pieces are there, add a couple of wingers and a DM and we should have a decent contest.

[Vision]

Arsenal will surely start next season as overwhelming favourites. Settled team and manager with plenty of years left in them, with experience of getting over the line now. City will be adapting to life after Pep and Liverpool are miles off. You could even see them being the dominant force for 5 years or so, but football being football I expect a challenger will emerge or events will go against them somewhere.

I read on the Athletic that they'd been eyeing up the window between 2023 - 2027 as the point at which City and Liverpool would go through transitions given squad age, and they've been planning since 2019 to have a squad that peaked in that window. Very impressive long term thinking.

Every squad has a long-term plan like that. Then largely unforeseeable things get in the way, and the survivors claim it as insight!

I’d say Liverpool are not miles off if they can get the right manager, generally the pieces are there, add a couple of wingers and a DM and we should have a decent contest.

+ a goalkeeper and at least 1 centre-half (more than likely 2). Jury is out on the full backs too.

I think they're a fair way off tbh.

I think Pep leaves City's squad in a better shape than the ones Fergie* & Wenger left so the transition under (presumably) Maresca wll probably be a easier than Moyes & Emery found it at Man Utd and Arsenal respectively. If Chelsea can find any sort of coherent strategy then there is more than enough talent to challenge sooner rather than later.

*I know Fergie won the league that last season but that squad was really at it's end.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Agree City are in decent shape. A new core is emerging with Donnarumma, Guehi, Semenyo, Doku, O'Reilly and of course Haaland still has plenty in the tank. Maresca has a lot to work with and could hit the ground running.

[Sutekh]

Agree City are in decent shape. A new core is emerging with Donnarumma, Guehi, Semenyo, Doku, O'Reilly and of course Haaland still has plenty in the tank. Maresca has a lot to work with and could hit the ground running.

Just the 115 threats hanging over them, wonder in which decade, them being let off will be revealed

[BRO_BOT]

Every squad has a long-term plan like that. Then largely unforeseeable things get in the way, and the survivors claim it as insight!

I’d say Liverpool are not miles off if they can get the right manager, generally the pieces are there, add a couple of wingers and a DM and we should have a decent contest.

+ a goalkeeper and at least 1 centre-half (more than likely 2). Jury is out on the full backs too.

I think they're a fair way off tbh.

I think Pep leaves City's squad in a better shape than the ones Fergie* & Wenger left so the transition under (presumably) Maresca wll probably be a easier than Moyes & Emery found it at Man Utd and Arsenal respectively. If Chelsea can find any sort of coherent strategy then there is more than enough talent to challenge sooner rather than later.

*I know Fergie won the league that last season but that squad was really at it's end.

Not really! He'd have also reinforced the squad in the summer and not just bought faLOLaini

Looking back on it seems obvious to point out that various players didn't cut it, but at the time the following were all highly rated. They'd just won the league and were a little unlucky in CL; they were beating RM until Nani got sent off.

Prospects: Januzaj (18), Powell (19), Keane (19), Lingard (20), Zaha (20)

First teamers under 25: Phil Jones (21), de Gea (22), Fabio & Rafael (22), Welbeck (22), Smalling (23)

First teamers over 25: Evans (25), Chicharito (25), Nani (26), Rooney (27), Young (27), Valencia (27), Fletcher (29), RVP (29), Carrick (31), Evra (35)

Done: Vidic, Ferdinand, Scholes, Giggs, Berbatov

[From Despair To Where?]

I’d say Liverpool are not miles off if they can get the right manager, generally the pieces are there, add a couple of wingers and a DM and we should have a decent contest.

+ a goalkeeper and at least 1 centre-half (more than likely 2). Jury is out on the full backs too.

I think they're a fair way off tbh.

I think Pep leaves City's squad in a better shape than the ones Fergie* & Wenger left so the transition under (presumably) Maresca wll probably be a easier than Moyes & Emery found it at Man Utd and Arsenal respectively. If Chelsea can find any sort of coherent strategy then there is more than enough talent to challenge sooner rather than later.

*I know Fergie won the league that last season but that squad was really at it's end.

Not really! He'd have also reinforced the squad in the summer and not just bought faLOLaini

Looking back on it seems obvious to point out that various players didn't cut it, but at the time the following were all highly rated. They'd just won the league and were a little unlucky in CL; they were beating RM until Nani got sent off.

Prospects: Januzaj (18), Powell (19), Keane (19), Lingard (20), Zaha (20)

First teamers under 25: Phil Jones (21), de Gea (22), Fabio & Rafael (22), Welbeck (22), Smalling (23)

First teamers over 25: Evans (25), Chicharito (25), Nani (26), Rooney (27), Young (27), Valencia (27), Fletcher (29), RVP (29), Carrick (31), Evra (35)

Done: Vidic, Ferdinand, Scholes, Giggs, Berbatov

LOL

[BRO_BOT]

+ a goalkeeper and at least 1 centre-half (more than likely 2). Jury is out on the full backs too.

I think they're a fair way off tbh.

I think Pep leaves City's squad in a better shape than the ones Fergie* & Wenger left so the transition under (presumably) Maresca wll probably be a easier than Moyes & Emery found it at Man Utd and Arsenal respectively. If Chelsea can find any sort of coherent strategy then there is more than enough talent to challenge sooner rather than later.

*I know Fergie won the league that last season but that squad was really at it's end.

Not really! He'd have also reinforced the squad in the summer and not just bought faLOLaini

Looking back on it seems obvious to point out that various players didn't cut it, but at the time the following were all highly rated. They'd just won the league and were a little unlucky in CL; they were beating RM until Nani got sent off.

Prospects: Januzaj (18), Powell (19), Keane (19), Lingard (20), Zaha (20)

First teamers under 25: Phil Jones (21), de Gea (22), Fabio & Rafael (22), Welbeck (22), Smalling (23)

First teamers over 25: Evans (25), Chicharito (25), Nani (26), Rooney (27), Young (27), Valencia (27), Fletcher (29), RVP (29), Carrick (31), Evra (35)

Done: Vidic, Ferdinand, Scholes, Giggs, Berbatov

LOL

He's still playing in the prem for Everton

[From Despair To Where?]

Not really! He'd have also reinforced the squad in the summer and not just bought faLOLaini

Looking back on it seems obvious to point out that various players didn't cut it, but at the time the following were all highly rated. They'd just won the league and were a little unlucky in CL; they were beating RM until Nani got sent off.

Prospects: Januzaj (18), Powell (19), Keane (19), Lingard (20), Zaha (20)

First teamers under 25: Phil Jones (21), de Gea (22), Fabio & Rafael (22), Welbeck (22), Smalling (23)

First teamers over 25: Evans (25), Chicharito (25), Nani (26), Rooney (27), Young (27), Valencia (27), Fletcher (29), RVP (29), Carrick (31), Evra (35)

Done: Vidic, Ferdinand, Scholes, Giggs, Berbatov

LOL

He's still playing in the prem for Everton

I was thinking of his less than stellar twin brother who also broke into the United first team around the same time.