Really? For the second time in a day?
Literally us in 1996, we scored 73 all season & again when we trailed Arsenal by 8 points in March 2003, scoring 74 all season.
Free scoring we weren’t, damn efficient though.
Race for top 4 | Finito.
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Really? For the second time in a day?
Literally us in 1996, we scored 73 all season & again when we trailed Arsenal by 8 points in March 2003, scoring 74 all season.
Free scoring we weren’t, damn efficient though.
It’s just nice to be talking about the possibility of being in the mix isn’t it!
Really? For the second time in a day?
Literally us in 1996, we scored 73 all season & again when we trailed Arsenal by 8 points in March 2003, scoring 74 all season.
Free scoring we weren’t, damn efficient though.
That was almost 2 goals a game, highest scoring team in the league. That was free scoring for that period. Now we are hitting 1.5 goals a game and somewhere around 6/7th in scoring.
It was 1.92 goals per game, just 0.4 more than us for this season.
We are actually at 1.64 goals per game since the Brentford result.
It wasn’t our free-scoring that was key in 1996 nor 2003, it was how efficient we were. Efficiency is the same reason we’ll go third if we win our game in hand v Leeds at home, despite having a shocking start and not being a free scoring side.
United are efficient as feck currently.
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Don’t waste your time. He will keep arguing twisting stats. I believe he thinks he’s the smartest person in this stupid world. Such people find refuge in skepticism as the way to protect themselves from fear of failure.
Don’t waste your time. He will keep arguing twisting stats. I believe he thinks he’s the smartest person in this stupid world. Such people find refuge in skepticism as the way to protect themselves from fear of failure.
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We are actually 10th for goals this season, 8th in xG. 4th in xG conceded.
Only if you ignore that a bunch of teams have played one more game than us & that one side has played 2 more.
You add our average goals per game to our total for 1 more game and we are still 10th. Could go to 5th in xG though
No doubt, that defence is earning us the points. In 1993, we were the highest scoring side, and 3rd meanest defence. 2003, we 2nd highest top scorers, meanest defence.
You will not make up the 11 point gap relying this heavily on 1 side of the game. Now take a look at who we are trying to chase down, conceded as many goals all season as we have since Brentford, 2nd highest scorers in the league.
Am I the only one who went like “Liverpool Surely a team that is down 2-0 away against BRENTFORD after 45 minutes cannot be considered a top 4 candidate??? Brentford!????” — and then thought better of it? 
Surely a team that is down 2-0 away against BRENTFORD after 45 minutes cannot be considered a top 4 candidate??? Brentford!????” — and then thought better of it? What a start of the new year, hopefully they don't give this away!
We score fewer than 2 goals per game, in fact we've scored more goals per game in the big games than the smaller games... The point is that we are 10th in goals for this season and would remain in 10th if we scored more 2 goals in our next game. It's obviously a problem area, and it's obviously nowhere near enough. Which is fine. We've shown great progress and it comes in stages. But to claim we can win the title this season... Despite being 10th in goals for (irrespective of games played), then yeah, it's a reach.That makes no sense though does it?
Not all games are equal.
If you look at xG, then there are very much 2 tiers for the top half. City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle are by a distance the top 4 in xG (roughly 2xG/game), while the next tier of Spurs, United, Brighton, Brentford, Fulham are all on about 1.5 xG per game. Before thinking of the title, we need to start creating more.
This weighted chart shows it well IMO.
To finish in top 4, we will need reinforcements up top. Without, I believe we'll fall just short.
Who do you think will replace us? Liverpool and who?
It really all depends on Martial staying fit. He stays fit and it keeps Rashford on the left where he's at his best, adds a much better focal point in the middle, and allows Garnacho to continue coming off the bench in a super sub type role (which is what he's best suited for currently).
I don't know what reinforcements we could get that would really tip the needle either way, especially given we aren't going to spend heavily. Felix would certainly help I guess.
I think our defensive stability will be worth much more than a few extra goals. Reinforcements up top would simply take us up another level.
That said, I’m certain Antony will get better and better and I expect Sancho to come back with something to prove.
Could hardly have asked for better results over the last couple of days.
Come on ETH keep the pedal firmly down please.
Come on ETH keep the pedal firmly down please.
Our top four rivals have a lot more problems than we have. They wish their problem was cover for the 9 position
This weekend has been a quality week for us. City draw, Chelsea draw, Newcastle draw, spurs lose and Liverpool lose. Come on united let’s push on!!
Its up for grabs and the Dippers, Spurs and Chelsea (in all honesty even Arsenal) will drop many points between now and May. Liverpool losing never gets old its just a warm fuzzy feeling every time
Wowzers!
In no particular order:
Arsenal
City
LFC
Newcastle
I'm just maybe being pessimistic. I just feel we lack goals.
Martial staying fit is what worries me. If we could keep all our players fit as are, then I'm confident. But unfortunately, it won't work this way.
I don't disagree. Just fitness of our players worries me.
Arsenal will reinforce. So will Newcastle. City are City. Both Lfc and Chelsea have brought in new players.
This is what worries me.
Would we take 7 points in our next 3 league games? Be great to come out without losing a game. On another note, Liverpool are going to have many more of these games, just a shame someone bunged the Leicester guy some cash.
As good as it looks for us, Liverpool seem intent on spending money, so I think it'll go to the wire, especially if we stay in the Europa
Looking like Liverpool are going signing a midfielder now as well.
We'd be daft to not get in a striker this window.
Top 4 should be on for us. I'd hate to lose it because we don't strengthen in this window and then pick up an injury or two in our already threadbare striker options.
Let's take advantage of the lead we have and strengthen the squad
We'd be daft to not get in a striker this window.
Top 4 should be on for us. I'd hate to lose it because we don't strengthen in this window and then pick up an injury or two in our already threadbare striker options.
Let's take advantage of the lead we have and strengthen the squad
Who says Newcastle will reinforce and Chelsea’s are buying players more for the summer than now.
I’d say you’re being really pessimistic, Liverpool and Chelsea’s issues goes beyond personnel that can be fixed by a January signing
Well Im disturbed to hear Martial is still regarded as an asset. The guy has talent but he slows down this team by 30% and even his Forest goal was a keeper error
Absolutely. If we make it through the next 3 relatively unscathed, we've got a decent run in the league until we face Liverpool at Anfield in March.
Hopefully you're correct.
Hahaha, maybe.
If we can manage to keep our best players fit, I have no worries. Our depth in squad is what worries me.
Cant have a much better GW than this one. 3 points while only Arsenal won, City, Newcatle and Chelsea draw and Spurs and Liverpool lost.
Cant have a much better GW than this one. 3 points while only Arsenal won, City, Newcatle and Chelsea draw and Spurs and Liverpool lost.
Today was the start of a new GW but yes been some good results for us
Are you sure about that? Newcastle, Arsenal and City certainly don’t. Liverpool and Chelsea maybe do? Although neither of them have as obvious a gap in their squad as we do up top.
EDIT: Actually, yeah. Chelsea also in need of another striker.
Wait...wait
. You are really saying that 11 points with 22 (!!) games to play is too big to catch? In PL? Where bottom table clubs can beat top clubs?And on top of that, this is not City or prime Liverpool. Arsenal so far was the best team in the league but they don't have some amazing team and depth.
We lost 8 points lead with 4 or 5 games to play, remember?
Newcastle, Liverpool and Chelsea probably do purely by virtue of them not being as good as us.