Chelsea have played;
Arsenal Away
Spurs Away
Liverpool Away
City home
With Arsenal improving and Spurs under Conte, they have got those two tricky fixtures out of the way. Sometimes wining the title is the about the luck of the fixtures.
PL Title Race
- Thread starter adexkola
- Start date
Arsenal Away
Spurs Away
Liverpool Away
City home
With Arsenal improving and Spurs under Conte, they have got those two tricky fixtures out of the way. Sometimes wining the title is the about the luck of the fixtures.
Chelsea have already done:
Dippers (a)
Le Arse (a)
City (h)
Spurs (a)
I wouldn't say they've had it easy.
Also, I remember reading somewhere Newcastle away is Chelsea's second worst away ground (after Anfield) since the start of the PL if you go on the number of seasons Newcastle have been in the league (I think they've only missed 3 or 4.) So, for them they've also struck off their bogey ground.
I think I heard somewhere Elland Road was the ground with our weakest record (well I say that if we stick to stadium and not just a certain away fixture I'm sure Highbury will take the crown but the Emirates has majorly boosted our record away to Arsenal).
But yeah our record at Newcastle is generally rotten.
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Bump.
Still a long way to go, but a few significant updates/factors:
First sign of a wobble from Chelsea. Dealing with several injuries and a lack of form from Mendy
Gap between top 3 and the rest more pronounced
Is it too late for United to rejoin (probably yes)
Liverpool and City both claiming top position on Saturday, and poised to go on deep runs.
Still a long way to go, but a few significant updates/factors:
First sign of a wobble from Chelsea. Dealing with several injuries and a lack of form from Mendy
Gap between top 3 and the rest more pronounced
Is it too late for United to rejoin (probably yes)
Liverpool and City both claiming top position on Saturday, and poised to go on deep runs.
Until recently I fancied Chelsea to be able to grind out results in close games better than the others, early on in the season they looked to have that next level efficiency that Liverpool had in 19/20. It looked like they could open up a decent gap at one point but they've threw away points against Burnley and United where they dominated, and now a poor showing at West Ham.
City are obvious favourites at this point.
It still baffles me how Liverpool are this good. They've barely refreshed the squad since their breakout 18/19 season and they seem to lack the depth that City/Chelsea have, and with their high energy playing style you'd think they'd need the depth more than anyone. Still think ultimately the quality in depth will be the difference so I don't think Liverpool will win it, but I can't wait for Klopp to leave so they return to being crap.
City are obvious favourites at this point.
It still baffles me how Liverpool are this good. They've barely refreshed the squad since their breakout 18/19 season and they seem to lack the depth that City/Chelsea have, and with their high energy playing style you'd think they'd need the depth more than anyone. Still think ultimately the quality in depth will be the difference so I don't think Liverpool will win it, but I can't wait for Klopp to leave so they return to being crap.
Looks like that on the face of it, but that's only because our starting XI players (especially GK, defense and attack) are so freaking good that it's almost impossible to replace them with any sort of consistency.
Before 18/19 we bought Alisson, Fabinho and Keita, two of which are nailed on starters now when fit (and both in their prime aged 29 and 28). It's just the offseason after our breakout year that we only signed Minamino (who provides good depth these days). After that it's been Tsimikas (great back-up), Thiago (starter if fit) and Jota (perfectly interchangeable with any of the front 3). Last offseason it only was Konaté I believe but again solid depth added to the defense (and much needed).
We have great back-ups for every one of our four defense spots, and more than capable back-ups for our midfield (only problem there is the likes of Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita, Jones, Elliott, ... have been constantly injured on and off). The weak area is our attack but through some magic or whatever, Salah and Mane seem to stay healthy forever. If one of them goes down, let alone both together, we are fecked.
Agreed that City are favourites at this point, think they also only have Mahrez going to the AFCON compared to Salah, Mane and Keita for us (and Mendy and Ziyech for Chelsea)? Even though Liverpool looks most imposing right now I'd say, I think City will be more consistent over the course of the entire season.
Ziyech has an ongoing feud with the national team coach. He hasn't been selected for the last couple of internationals.
Before the season started I had Liverpool down as the distant 4th behind United, Chelsea and City. I wasn't certain how they'd bounce back after a down year, and how Van Dijk would look coming back from such a devastating injury. There wasn't much transfer activity to speak of either. Just Konate I think? The proof is in the pudding though. They're an unbelievable attacking force, while the defense isn't as strong as it was 2 years ago, it's solid enough to not be a problem.
If I was to revise my preseason predictions now based on the first 14 games, I'd have City as the favourites, with Liverpool hot on their heels and Chelsea doing their utmost to not lose ground.
/thread
See you next year
City are gone....
It might be a while before City drop six points.
There is no title race. Ole last year might have given them a bigger ask than any of the hyped up big 3 this season
It's been done ever since Chelsea dropped off. Liverpool were never going to compete because they signed no attackers in the summer, they have 0 attacking depth.
You what? Pool have lost 2 games and are only 6 points off first.
Were Utd ever that close after about October?!
Are they losing Salah and Mane to the cup of nations too?
Ok Pep. We got it, you are great. Now please feck off and go to Italy or international football.
If it's not us, then I'd like City to win the UCL. Finally, Pep will feck off.
Feck that. Pretty much every other team in the CL except for Pool, then the tournament getting cancelled, and then City winning it is my order of preference
It’s genius by Ole, letting Klopp destroy him so he takes that fake confidence on and costs this talented Liverpool side another league title. If not it would have been 1 win in 6 games after the West Ham defeat and the third placed team from last season would have been exposed sooner.Don't worry, Ralf will do better than even Ole. I have my fingers crossed.
Am I doing this correctly?
I'd take them winning it if it meant Guardiola leaving. He's making the league uncompetitive.
Utd were 4 points off top (and above city) on Boxing Day last year
If Pep leaves, then Liverpool will walk the league every season
Which means they would go for ten Hag in the summer, would be bad timing for us. Pep can wait another season for a CL win. Best even, he doesn't win it next season either and just gives up on football in general.
City play twice before Liverpool play their next game away at Chelsea. Gap could be 12 points by the time they kick another ball.
Also Mané and Firmino contributions have decreased. Salah and Jota are carrying the brunt of the attack.
What are peps intentions btw? Does he want to stay at city long term, or is it to win the CL then feck off?
Now watch tomorrow City losing points to Brentford haha
Looks like another procession for Pep
we have a good record v Utd, taken more pts off them since prem began than any other side has, brill record v Everton at home, and Spurs in general...
ST James', Villa Park, Highfield Road, Highbury. I dreaded all those, yes, even coventry away. Days of dublin, McAllister and huckerby etc, they had a few yrs late 90s ish ; where they did well against us at theirs, but were shite at the bridge
Im pretty sure we have a pretty rotten record at anfield too.. especially pre-Roman
They wouldn't. Klopp will probably leave in two seasons and their strikerforce and VVD are around 30 now so will likely decline 5-10% soon.
if guardiola leaves pool will be winning more leagues. no thanks
Surprises me that people are ready to crown the champions so early in the season despite supporting a club that has managed to come from behind to win titles in the past, with far less than half a season still to play. It's still a two horse race.
Given that we've finished runners up to City twice in last 5 years, once under Jose and once under Ole suggests this isn't the case at all.
Liverpool are a good team. City are a great one.
Congratulations City
Makes sense if he goes once they win the CL. Nothing more to do unless he wants a shot at the FIFA CWC. He's won the lot domestically, broken some records along the way.
Still think it puts Klopp's achievement of winning the PL in good light though.
It was still a 3 horse race last time I checked. Chelsea and Liverpool are on identical points.
Whoever said that cheats don't win needs to be punched in the face.
Gap to Liverpool maybe, but we have a game against Brighton before then. We should be able to go into the Liverpool game only 9 behind.
There's something really depressing about our next 3 fixtures being Brighton, Liverpool and City when half our team is fecked. Better hope our physios work some magic! At least after those we'll know for sure whether our vague hopes for the season are worth clinging onto.