You're 12 points clear and have dropped 7 points all season. The title is done unless you lose 4 games and draw another 3/4 and one of Us/Chelsea/Liverpool win every remaining game.
15 games left, you'd have to drop points in 7-8 of them and one chaser maintains perfect form. Or 5 defeats on the bounce to make it interesting. Not happening.
I agree with this..
I cannot see how they are going to drop 13 points and we win the rest of the games.
If we continue to struggle to maintain the level of consistency that we been reaching in the first part of the season (1) and play more like we played against Liverpool on a reuglar basis (2), then it might just be possible. Remember all we need to do is lose against United, City, Tottenham and Arsenal (or 1 other team who capitalises on our weakenesses) and that points lead goes up in smoke. Now of course we might end up going back up in terms of peformance as we have done at times since late November, however as long as the strength in depth issue remains in place, I struggle to see how it can be done.
Likewise as we are going into this part of the season as we are now, United in contrast are likely to have serious boost to their ability to win games with Sanchez and in turn their ability to win games on a consistant basis (essential if you are going to catch us up) (3). Hence why I felt City should have been more willing to prevent United hijacking the deal in the first place, simply because the combination of our declining performance and United's extra boost might just be the pefect storm that turns the title race around.
Anyway all we can do is see how both teams far in the next few rounds of games, what I can say though is that with all that is happened, I feel the title race is certainly not as "over" as it seems even a few weeks ago and likewise if City do win the title at the end of all this, the points victory it certainly not going to be as big as has been at times.
(1) Especially the likes against Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham
(2) Remember that the Season for us is only going to get tougher from here with a League Cup Final (assuming of course we don't f**k it up against Bristol City, which I now see as a real possiblity considering their recent record), the FA Cup run and the Knockout Rounds of the CL alongside the remaining half of the Premier League Season.
(3) Look I absolutely agree that Manchester United face a huge task in the second half of the season with having to catch up with City while still competing in the FA Cup and (especially) the Champions League as well. In other words you cannot really afford to lose/draw in any more games then you already are (In some respects this seasons Premier League Title race is a lot like a La Liga's title race, in the sense that for the 2-3 teams that are realisically able to win it, it is really comes down to which team screws up the least above all else). My point however is that having Sanchez will make it eaiser for United to screw up less than you have done in the first half of the season.
@1Manchester welcome to the caf. You raise some good points but I do think overall it sounds like you expect City to be a perfect team and that's never been how football has worked, specially not how City approach it.
To be fair, I expected us to draw and even lose games this season across all 4 of the comeptitions City are in. However I felt it was more likely we would lose to a team such as United, Chelsea and Spurs Domestically and teams such as Barcelona, Real, Bayern and Jueventus in Europe (simply because they are all either on our current level or better squad wise). What I did not expect was that Liverpool of all teams (which as I have said before have a lot of issues with their squad) to be the first to beat us (2) and to do with the help of our fatigue issues as well.
That was why I was so disappointed about the loss to Liverpool, not just the fact that we failed to do what the Invincbles managed in the League (if not in the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League) though this defeat, but in the way we lost (in terms of City's performance) and to which team we lost to. Reguardless though the best thing City need to be doing is learning lessons from this game, in particular the lessons our transfer department need to be learning.
(1) Lets not forget both the 2003-2004 Arsenal team and the 2004-2005 Chelsea team both lost 6 games in all competitions, this is despite the fact they have been among the least defeated Premier League teams of all time.
(2) Although at least they did so by outscoring us, which is kind of the only way to beat a team with the attacking potential of City. So fair play to them for adopting that stratagy against us, it is however such a shame they have no counterparts to their "Fab 3/4" when it comes to their goalkeeping/defence and midfield areas as well. Otherwise it might have actually have been their year instead...
Na the league is yours this year chap. Just a shame we dropped 3 stupid points in the derby as well as those 3 draws over Christmas or the race would really be on now.
Let's not forget the loss against Huddersfield and the draws against Liverpool and Stoke (games you should have all really have won) alongside them as well.
Anyway, enjoy your title and make the most of it because shes coming home next season.
Well from my personal opinion it all depends on which of us and Chelsea has the best transfer window above all else. Although if Chelsea continue to go downhill in terms of trasnfer policy (1). I can say with some confidence that the title will remain in Manchester next season, which club though is another matter...
(1) The problem for Chelsea is less who they bought (Caballero, Rüdiger, Zappacosta and Drinkwater were all reasonably good transfers, Bakayoko on the other hand was a dud purchase and in turn the jury is still both out for both Morata and Barkley), it is more who they didn't get and who they are now aiming to get.