We could've been, yes. Had we won tonight and against Arsenal then we were 100% in the title race.
Race for top 4 | Finito.
- Thread starter Andycoleno9
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No we weren't.
A good winning run and people suddenly put us in the title race then trying to act like it's disappointing we're not supposedly out of it.
This season's target is to finish in top4 and build solid foundation for the next season. Way too damn early to think about challenging for the league. Next season sure but definitely not this one.
Lose on Sunday, top 4 fight truly on!
This was going to be a night to forget no matter how many points it ended with. We can expect plenty more like this from ourselves and others with heavy schedules.
If we had won tonight and got a result at Arsenal we would have been firmly in the mix. Until the moment either of those things didn't occur, of course we were in the race.
No we weren't.
A good winning run and people suddenly put us in the title race then trying to act like it's disappointing we're not supposedly out of it.
This season's target is to finish in top4 and build solid foundation for the next season. Way too damn early to think about challenging for the league. Next season sure but definitely not this one.
Spurs play City twice and Fulham away in their next three games. No need for panic. This week was always going to be difficult, but the fixtures get better.
Arsenal didn't expect to be the title race at the start either, expectations change as the season goes on. When you go on a huge winning run, put yourself in the conversation then fall at the 2nd hurdle then I think people have a right to be upset about it.
What happens when you have charlatan cnuts as owners. There was some momentum building up, with owners who heavily invested we could have made a few additions in January and then who knows what would have happened.
We got the dutch Fellaini minus the affro instead!!
We got the dutch Fellaini minus the affro instead!!
Just like I said to the other poster, that's an "if". We weren't in the title race before today to act disappointed that now we aren't. Before today the point gap was 9 points, not 2 or 3.
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The owners aren't the ones who told Bruno to misplace every pass, nor told Rashford to avoid passing it at every possible opportunity.
Only Garnacho in the forward line with real pace. We could have done with someone lightning quick as Mudryk. Weghorst att full sprint was like 5km/h!!
We went on a 5 games winning run in the league, not 10 or something.
Before today the point gap was 9 points between us and Arsenal after that run so not sure what conversation we're talking about.
Sure surprising results happen but let's not act disappointed we're not challenging for the title when we were 6th and shit coming from last season. At least Arsenal were a top 4 challenger last year and were steady up developing. It's still early for Ten Hag's United to be considered a title challenger. Next season it's.
Looking on the bright side we still have to go to Arsenal and win, if we can't then it was never on and we also have to be able to win without our best players sometimes.
We’re still odds on to make top four, but that was one of our easier games left this season, so two points dropped.
Good thing is - whatever happens against Arsenal, and they are big favourites - Spurs go to Etihad and Liverpool play Chelsea.
We'll probably get top 4 by virtue of no other clubs (outside the current top 4) being anywhere near good enough to get it. We're still a very good side, mind.
I'm honestly baffled at the thought of Weghorst being the reason we lost that game. If I had to put it on particular players/moments, 4 of the 5 would be Rashford wasting opportunities/giving the ball away in the final 3rd in the 2nd half. People are constantly moaning about Antony, today included, but if Garnacho had replaced Rashford instead we'd likely have kept the ball a bit more and won that match.
That was the chance for some breathing space and we blew it. I expect we'll lose on Sunday and it will be a real slog from here on in.
We've given hope to Spurs, Liverpool and Brighton now.
We've given hope to Spurs, Liverpool and Brighton now.
Need to arrest this ASAP, make sure this is a one off. Result is a must against Arsenal, if not, reckon we will go into reverse.
We were in the title race before today. Until the "if" became an impossibility, then we were in the race.
I know what you are saying, but you have to seize your chances. Arsenal would have had virtually no expectation of challenging for the title this season and too would have just wanted top four. Rewind back to when Leciester won it too. It’s all well and good having a project, but there’s no guarantee someone else won’t hit a higher peak when you plan to hit yours.
No we weren't.
A good winning run and people suddenly put us in the title race then trying to act like it's disappointing we're not supposedly out of it.
This season's target is to finish in top4 and build solid foundation for the next season. Way too damn early to think about challenging for the league. Next season sure but definitely not this one.
Liverpool have been miles off it and City have stumbled too, so that’s created an opportunity. The odds are both City and Liverpool will have more points at this stage of the season next year and a title challenge will be more difficult using them, the most consistent sides in recent seasons, as the benchmark.
Didn't know a 9 points gap is now considered being in a title race.
Even if we lose on Sunday. We still have a cushion for top 4, having played City and Arsenal twice. Liverpool still have to play both of them. They are the only team I fear getting into top 4, from the teams who are not in the top 4 already.
Nah I don't think we are, we'll easily finish top four, 3rd I reckon. That'll exceed my expectations for this season anyway, I knew we wouldn't have the squad depth for a title challenge.
You set a primary target for the season before you start. If something happened and you managed to achieve more than the target you put for yourself, great, but you shouldn't be disappointed when you couldn't achieve more than the primary target. That's like getting your hopes up just to get disappointed by the results you would have actually been content with at the start.
To those who genuinely thought we’d challenge for the title- we have a paper thin squad in terms of quality attackers up front. We were never going on a Leicester like fairy tale run. There was a one in a million chance of that happening as Arsenal are leaps ahead in terms of performance and consistency.
I’m just glad we didn’t lose today. Avoid defeat at Arsenal and we’re still on track for CL football next season.
I’m just glad we didn’t lose today. Avoid defeat at Arsenal and we’re still on track for CL football next season.
It's not really a thing this year. Even us drawing here and losing vs Arsenal isn't a big deal as we'd still have a 6 point lead with an easy 2nd half of the season to come (without Arsenal or city to play).
It is. Especially so when it could have been 6 points, prior to a game against the league leaders.
Even if we lose its not in danger. We are on pace for 78 points this season, and we'll have played city and Arsenal twice after this weekend. We are comfortably in the top 4 spots and will finish the season comfortably there too IMO.
You realize Arsenal played one game less than us, right ?
Yes.
Away from home, I think we will drop a lot of points this season and we’ll do well to secure top four. We still have -4 GD after 10 games, and still have to go to 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th and 9th. Beating the fodder will present its own challenge too.
I trust us at home to perhaps win every league game left, but not away. That will be where we continue to stumble.
I trust us at home to perhaps win every league game left, but not away. That will be where we continue to stumble.
It was 9 point before tonight. With head to head game and they need to play City twice. With 20 games left.
It was title race for sure. And still is. In which they have a big lead.
18 games played vs 18 games played the point gap is 9 points.
Yeah if we had won today it would have been 6 points but they still had an additional game to be played.
That's no challenge. You're lying to yourself.
Hello darkness my old friend 
It's not a title race when you need them to lose at least 3 games while you not losing points for you to catch up. When this actually happens we can consider ourselves in the title race, otherwise it's not. Way too big of a gap to make up. We need them to collapse and us to go an unbeaten run to catch up.
We could have gone into the game with Arsenal 6 points behind them. Win that and it's 3 points, having played a game more. Even if it remained at 6 points following the Arsenal game, there would still be everything to play for. Being in a race doesn't mean being guaranteed or favourites to win it.
Think too many got sucked into the "title race" excitement at the weekend, but the bottom line is we are still a huge work in progress with a desperately thin squad in key areas especially while also still being in all 4 competitions. I mean hell our first subs tonight were Scott McTominay and an 18 year old. Even if we won and then beat Arsenal, it's a title race only in technicality for me. Tonight was annoying given the control we had and seemed to lose later on, and then conceding in the last minute to a wondergoal, but I'm still thrilled with how we look as a team and refuse to get overly angry over hiccups that are bound to come (no matter how frustrating they are in the moment)
Yeah the way we performed tonight it's difficult to see us getting much from Liverpool, Newcastle, Spurs, Brighton. Also Leeds and West Ham. We're banking on the home games for top 4.
Going out the Europa to Barcelona would probably help us.