Nah I don't see it. City will be well clear of the rest, Liverpool might compete, but don't think next season will go down to the wire.
Having processed everything a bit, have a few thoughts. Arteta failed this season, no doubt, he said the goal was T4, and when he didn't achieve that, moved the goalposts. He's here for the foreseeable future though so it is what it is.
I also think the squad is in pretty good shape, although it could be a lot better if he managed certain situations better.
That being said, we have a core of good young defenders (hopefully Saliba is given a chance), a world class DM (if he can stay fit), and a pool of really good young attackers. We also have the money to invest in the squad. Do I trust Arteta and Edu to make the required signings to take us up a level? Not really, I have big reservations. But let's see...
Fair assessment.
I for one am hopeful that Arteta and Edu have done significant homework, all things considered. They probably had Europa League as a potential outcome when they decided to let Auba and AMN go, and leave us with a very thin squad, capable of breaking down. The question for me is whether they have gone to their targets and got the needed assurances with that possible reality, and made sure their budget would meet potential new demands.
It comes back to what we do in the summer, its a biggie.
We really need Lokonga to have a break out season next year and take a step forward. He's got talent, he just looked lightweight and inexperienced this year in the PL. Could go either way but it would be a massive lift it he finds his feetTo me this season boiled down to what happened in the summer, not January. If we brought in a CF/CM as opposed to Ramsdale, Lokonga and Taveres we'd have gotten 4th sewn up. That's what makes me worry about Arteta, to me it seems like he makes ego signings as opposed to using the window to maximise what the club can put out on the pitch. I hope this summer is different.
I assume Ten Haag will overturn the 11 points between us and Utd. It's embarrassing.