Sure but going from Saunders to Lurch (with the new Defense) is a huge difference. Now we have to make sure it's Lurch.....
Season Predictions
- Thread starter dannd23
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dannd23
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Maybe overly optimistic, but if we improve our GA by ten, and then score 5 more goals, we are already +6.
I'm the optimistic type in general, but I really believe we're gonna do a 180 with our defense. Time will tell!
This is the most optimistic post in here. The addition of Brillant will drop our GA by 15??
Newsflash, we still have a below average defense. We probably still have one of the worst defenses. Brillant is not Ciman, he's not Van Damme. Our other CB starter might be Ethan White, who was literally Philly's 4th CB last year and was essentially cut.
At fullback, I still have seen extremely little from Iraola, and I'm excited for Matarrita primarily for his attacking ability. Allen is injured and Martinez has looked quite shaky.
Saunders can stop shots, but has massive distribution difficulties. Johansen looks like he may be starting caliber, but he's far from the next Hamid or Ousted.
And on top of all that, Vieira hasn't seemed to concerned with having a true CDM out there. I think collectively we are all getting nervous that, with just one preseason game left, our starting XI and formation seems to still be up in the air, unless Vieira pulls something out Saturday at the last minute.
I voted 50 points with a +0 goal differential at 54/54. That would have placed us 5th of 20 for GF last year, and 16th of 20 on defense. And I consider this my homer prediction. We could easily be just as bad defensively (58 GA, t-18th) or worse, and regress to the mean offensively due to less PKs (e.g. four less goals for 45 total, t-11th), which would put our GD at -13. In other words, terrible.
Our team isn't fixed until it goes out there and shows that it's fixed. Expect the best, but plan for the worst.
dannd23
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Not just Brillant. The fact that we have him, Iraola, and whoever else starts for a whole season together. Our back line last year was attrocious. Jeb Brovsky, Chris Wingert, and Josh Williams started the first half the season. What is so crazy to think that with many additions on defense, a better team overall, and consistency(hopefully) on defense can improve our GA by 10-15?
I don't mean to be the bad guy, but you're hanging your hopes on our defense improving due to the play of "whoever else."
It's kind of funny that people give Europe shit for having an anti-American bias, yet at the same time, we all assume our defense is going to be amazing just because we brought in some international players. There's no guarantee Martinez is better than Josh Williams, for example, just because he's South American.
dannd23
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I say whoever else because I'm not convinced Matarrita is going to play LB yet. I think you maximize our team's ability and athleticism if you play him at LW and Maerinez at LB. I like what I have seen of him in limited time. in regards to CB, if it's Ethan White, he will be fine. He was Philly's started until he got injured and then it became tough for him to regain form. Am I optimistic? Yes. Is our defense going to be better? Definitely. 10-15 goals better? Maybe not. Let me believe bro. Haha.
Posting on mobile so not elaborating as well I should.
To quote, or at least paraphrase something I wrote numerous times last summer, I never want to tell someone to be less optimistic, but I am interested in quantifying how optimistic you are. I like optimism.
Not really a prediction, but I'm starting to worry about Lampard. Until a day or two ago, I figured they were just keeping him wrapped in cotton for the preseason, but after not even dressing the past couple games, I wonder if he might really be hurt.
It would simplify some of the lineup issues if he's out, but only having two DPs would be an unneeded handicap. Had been expecting meaningful contributions from him this year.
It would simplify some of the lineup issues if he's out, but only having two DPs would be an unneeded handicap. Had been expecting meaningful contributions from him this year.
I am thinking a bit more about this issue given the Tweet below.
Unfortunately, a good response needs to be thoughtful. Here is the long version.
We are going to be better at most positions this coming season over last season. This is because we have either (1) upgraded the spot in the off-season or (2) will get a full season out of the mid-year roster upgrades. That said, there are still clear issues and other questions. The back four should be better, but still might not even be average given the center backs. Do we have the needed depth behind and around Villa at forward? Do we have the players necessary to support Pirlo in defense without sacrificing offensive efficiency?
I think we are good enough to move up from 8th in the east to around 4th or 5th - maybe 3rd if things break well. I will stick with my earlier prediction of 52 points.
Thinking specifically of positions.
F: Villa = Villa
F: Mullins/Shelton/Taylor > Nemec/Mullins/Shelton
M: Poku > Grabavoy
M: Lampard > TMac/Ballouchy
M: Mix = Mix
M: Pirlo > Jacobson
M: Bravo > Calle/Alvarez/Velazquez
RB: Iraola > Allen/Wingert
LB: Matarrita = Angelino/Brovsky
CB: Hernandez = Hernandez
CB: Mena/Brillant > Facey/Wingert/Watson-Siraboe
GK: Saunders/Johansen = Saunders
Unfortunately, a good response needs to be thoughtful. Here is the long version.
We are going to be better at most positions this coming season over last season. This is because we have either (1) upgraded the spot in the off-season or (2) will get a full season out of the mid-year roster upgrades. That said, there are still clear issues and other questions. The back four should be better, but still might not even be average given the center backs. Do we have the needed depth behind and around Villa at forward? Do we have the players necessary to support Pirlo in defense without sacrificing offensive efficiency?
I think we are good enough to move up from 8th in the east to around 4th or 5th - maybe 3rd if things break well. I will stick with my earlier prediction of 52 points.
Thinking specifically of positions.
F: Villa = Villa
F: Mullins/Shelton/Taylor > Nemec/Mullins/Shelton
M: Poku > Grabavoy
M: Lampard > TMac/Ballouchy
M: Mix = Mix
M: Pirlo > Jacobson
M: Bravo > Calle/Alvarez/Velazquez
RB: Iraola > Allen/Wingert
LB: Matarrita = Angelino/Brovsky
CB: Hernandez = Hernandez
CB: Mena/Brillant > Facey/Wingert/Watson-Siraboe
GK: Saunders/Johansen = Saunders
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It is not just Brillant's european pedigree that makes him better. Just watching him, he is better in all facets of the game than any of our CBs were at any time last year.
Haha, I think I have gone back and forth a bit less:
- Excited when he signed
- Annoyed when he stayed in Manchester
- Optimistic when he arrived and ready to like him when he proved himself
- Still waiting.....
I like the way you broke it down. Only one change from me:
M: Mix played centrally > Mix played out wide out of position
It's gonna take 15 goals to move me off your second bullet point, and even then I'm still rooting for spontaneous combustion once the season is over.
Dreaming_NYC
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Lol well we haven't lost to Toronto yet! We will have to wait for the home opener to make that call
I can't figure out where all these wins are coming from to get to 50+ points. Our schedule is Brutal! Looking at the schedule when it first came out I wrote this:
We are not going to win all the "easy" games, and we will surely win or get points from some of the "hard" games, but enough to cancel out that schedule? Toronto is better than last year, Maybe DC will be worse. Which other team is worse than last year? NE? maybe? Squeaking into the playoffs is the likely best result we can hope for. If we do better than that it'll be a miracle.
We are not going to win all the "easy" games, and we will surely win or get points from some of the "hard" games, but enough to cancel out that schedule? Toronto is better than last year, Maybe DC will be worse. Which other team is worse than last year? NE? maybe? Squeaking into the playoffs is the likely best result we can hope for. If we do better than that it'll be a miracle.
Hopefully the people who are off can learn how off their prediction skills are.
You guys all crack me up with labeling of teams as easy/hard. It's a moving target because NYCFC has improved, so nobody has any idea where the line is drawn for a team supposedly being easy versus hard. There are probably a bunch of other teams' supporters saying the exact same thing about us based on last season, and many of our unfortunate results were tactical/substitution errors by the former emperor and his cronies. We're going to come out a 180degree different team in both attitude and ability.
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