(Not hypothetical anymore) Leicester win the league!

GLaDOS

I thought I heard there was a Jamie Vardy film coming out...

citytillidie

The Talking Bread wrote: »

Southampton's evolution to winners next season, providing they keep their best players, would be much less shocking than that of Leicesters. They have been knocking around the top 6 last two years and could be in for european football next season (guaranteed if Liverpool win the Europa, I think?)

They have incrementally moved up the table now, literally, 8th, 7th 6th in last 3 seasons and have seen some excellent players come and go. I think this summer is huge for Southampton's future. The money is there now and the club foundation is very solid and with the attraction of European football, and the clubs ambitious league performance, as well as a(nother) excellent manager ant the attraction of European football, this could be the first season in a while The Saints can keep their best players and invest in a few top players also.

The crux of their squad next season could be Sadio mane, Pelle, Long, Wanyama (still unbelievably only 24), Tadic, Jordy Clasie, Rodriguez, Van Dijk, Bertrand, Davis, Ward-Prowse, Romeo, few young players coming through like Juanmi, Gallagher, Reed and Saegar.

One loss in their last nine league games is brilliant form to finish a season and it was that sort of conclusion last year that Leicester built up momentum and confidence (albeit different circumstances)

Next year clubs like Southampton, West Ham and even Watford will be the most likely to put it up to the big clubs. It sounds like a cliche but the amount of confidence, awareness, ambitiousness and eagerness the so called middle clubs will start the next season with after seeing what happened with Leicester is going to be huge.

Overall though Next season will be very unpredictable and so so different to this one, in fact so different to any season over last decade if you ask me.

So many changes .
Liverpool will be up there (but I cant envisage they will finish higher than third or fourth at best)

Chelsea can only improve but again a top 4 will be their target and barring a complete turnaround they wont challenge again next season, even with Conte.

Arsenal will be contenders again and this Summer will define the clubs next five years. The Wenger issue is huge and he is the one all the failure is being directed at. Its a catch 22 with Wenger. His resignation (as it will only be) needs to happen, and I think now is the best time. You have to feel sorry for him. In one way it seems he was has ambitions to finish his Arsenal carreer on a high with the Premier League and for a lot of Arsenal fans it appears that is the only definition of success.
Fans often forget that their are 5/6/7 other teams challenging every season realistically for the top positions and although Wenger hasnt got them over the winning line in years, defining finishing where he has every season as failure is silly talk.
But on the other hand, probability wise, if you take all the last ten seasons collectively, a team like Arsenal would be 1/3 shots or less to pick up a title at least in that period so in that respect you could consider his last decade as a failure.
A centre back, (Stones) a a midfielder like Wanyama/Pogba and a centre forward in the crux of Lewandowski (who they are increasingly being linked with as he wants to move to England), a bit more battle and a solution to their injury issues is what they need. Wenger could easily oversee that.

United, like Arsenal, have a lot of issues to look at this Summer and again a lot depends on Van Gaal issue. Van Gaal is definitely leaving next Summer anyway and, unlike Wenger, there is not much emotional ties nor built up consistency attached to him, it would seem so getting rid of him is not a hard decision.
Its probably clear at this stage Mourinho is taking over and that will most likely mean players like Mata and Fellaini will be shown the door. Its completely impossible to know what will happen with them but I dont agree that they have been that bad this season at all. They have had some bad injuries, been unlucky in some games, invested in their future for the first time in years by playing young players like Martial, Fosu Mensah, Rashford and lingaard regularly, have shaw to come back, will have Schneiderlen playing more regularly hopefully, Schweinsteiger might f off hopefully, Mourinho may play Rooney as part of a front 4 (4 from Rashford, Martial, Griezmann, Memphis, Lingaard, Rooney, Renato Sanches ) (schneiderlin (A.N. Other) , darmian and Shaw (Fosu Mensah) on the wings and Smalling and Blind (back up with A.N. Other) at the back.
With best keeper arguably atm in the world and, arguably, the brightest young player in Martial, with a few more alterations in the squad, they should be challengers.

City, likewise, especially with the likely probability of no Champ League and a new coach and without the burden of YaYa, if they make a few more as well as Aguero and De Bruyne having an injury. I dont rate Pep as highly as many have I am going to say, Brilliant manager but out of the three positions he has had this is by far the hardest so I genuinely dont think his appointment automatically will mean great improvement for City.

Spurs season will be less successful next year, probability wise. Fantastic first 11 but like Leicester they have had a freak low injury-wise season and with the other top clubs surely to improve, balancing champions league football may impact on them. Not guaranteed but I feel, although they may be in top 3 favourites, they may not necessarily improve. Last three games has shown players for the future like Dier, Delle Alli, and Walker and even kane can let their emotions get the better of them. Whilst this is great when you are on a role and brilliant performances are building your confidence, a bit of pressure clearly didnt have a positive effect on them last few games.
I backed them at 16/1 in January to win the league and it was a great bet I feel and they were the unluckiest losers in years for the League in a freak season but I think next season may be a bit of an anti climax for those who are confident they will be the top team next year. They may also have a despondency about them after coming so near whilst at the start and even in the midst of this season their wasnt as much expectancy on them, relatively speaking so they went about their games in the shadow of others like the fairytale of Leicester, the disappointment of City, the strangeness of Uniteds bipolar season, the carcrash of Chelsea and the once again anti climax of Arsenal. More expectancy and more pressure on them next year may have a yielding effect.

Too much said about Leicester so I wont bother but we all know deep down they will be doing superb to merely get into the top 3 or even 4 next season.



Long and short although this season was a fairytale, it lacked a lot also and next season will be moreso an epic war film in the manner that it genuinely, on the face of it will be a lot closer.

God, that was a long post!!!!

A prize (and apology!!)for anyone who gets down this far!!!!!!

They were in Europe this season and did not take it seriously

fyfe79

The Talking Bread wrote: »

The fact your even suggesting that this is in any way not to happen is odd!! There will be dozens of books, reviews etc on this over next year!

Well, I was replying to GreNoli who used the word "hope", maybe I should have quoted

The Talking Bread

citytillidie wrote: »

They were in Europe this season and did not take it seriously

why do you say they didnt take it seriously! They were extremely unlucky to go out to midtylland who are a decent side that reached last 32 and beat United in first leg. Southampton played strongish teams in their four Europa games. Koeman really is eager to get them into Europe again.

Harry Palmr

Scenes in Leicester City this evening.

eagle eye

ScienceNerd wrote: »

I thought I heard there was a Jamie Vardy film coming out...

That won't happen until after he comes off the bench in the final at the Euros and scores the goal to win it for England.

Great scenes

A Dub in Glasgo

K-9

Paul Kimmage made a couple of interesting points on newstalk on Sunday. One of the doctors employed by Leicester has some history according to Kimmage, but he doesn't think they are doing anything different to what others are doing.

Seve OB

K-9 wrote: »

Paul Kimmage made a couple of interesting points on newstalk on Sunday. One of the doctors employed by Leicester has some history according to Kimmage, but he doesn't think they are doing anything different to what others are doing.

FFS :rolleyes:

chopperbyrne

Paul Kimmage accuses everyone of being drug cheats in fairness.

Seve OB

chopperbyrne wrote: »

Paul Kimmage accuses everyone of being drug cheats in fairness.

but mainly just when they win something

K-9

chopperbyrne wrote: »

Paul Kimmage accuses everyone of being drug cheats in fairness.

Just waiting for a golfing drug scandal, there'll be nothing left for him to watch.