This is honeztly a shit race. England doesnt deserve a 4th spot
Top 4 Race 19/20 | duffer: "We [Chelsea] are getting 3rd. Despite what the lunatics in here think, Man United are not all that."
- Thread starter Andy_Cole
- Start date
Right on the money. I still think we will comfortable make top 4. Chelsea have overachieved with their team while we have been unlucky. These things tend to even out and it won’t be long before we hit a good run. I’m confident the only game we are losing to a against Liverpool but I also trust them to also beat Chelsea. Right now we just have to be patient.
Chelsea will get 4th. They are shit and a work in progress but they have more pieces in the puzzle than the rest. Kante Kovacic n Jorginho is actually a decent midfield. Compare that to ours. 
If Chelsea go in the market they will leave us behind.
We need a takeover so badly. We are just slipping into obscurity otherwise.
If Chelsea go in the market they will leave us behind.
We need a takeover so badly. We are just slipping into obscurity otherwise.
At this point it might be between Arsenal and West Ham in the end with manager bounce effects.
I think United would have shook on only dropping one point combined to Chelsea, Spurs and Wolves this weekend.
Problem is the injuries to Pogba and McTominay and Chelsea have top class midfielders in Kante, Kovacic, Jorginho
Man. United being comfortably 4th will probably mean finishing in the low 70s points (so to be 4-5 ahead of Chelsea and any other challenger). Need to win 13 out of your last 17 (16 if you're writing off Liverpool).
It''s Chelsea's to lose. They could be up with Leicester and Man. City if they stopped gifting relegation teams three points at Stamford Bridge like Bournemouth.
Worth remembering for all the deadly on the counter attack stuff Man. United still have only won three away games all season, still got to go to Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Leicester so pretty tough away schedule left.
This is such a confusing/infuriating year for top 4 predictions!
Before the season: We're a work in progress, but we have as much of a chance as Chelsea, Spurs or arsenal, given these teams' issues.
After the opening day: Ole's at the wheel! We'll give Pool and Shitty a run for their money!
After 9 games: We are so shit we'll be lucky to get in the top half! Ole out! Lampard is brilliant, Arsenal are better than expected and Spurs will find their form at some point.
After 16 games: He has turned it around! Ole in! We'll definitely catch fat Frank. Arsenal are going down!
Now: We are shit, we'll be lucky to make top 6! Arteta is turning into Pep the 2nd, Chelsea are over their slump. Let's hire Brendan Rogers!
End of the season: 6th place? Next year will be our year!
Before the season: We're a work in progress, but we have as much of a chance as Chelsea, Spurs or arsenal, given these teams' issues.
After the opening day: Ole's at the wheel! We'll give Pool and Shitty a run for their money!
After 9 games: We are so shit we'll be lucky to get in the top half! Ole out! Lampard is brilliant, Arsenal are better than expected and Spurs will find their form at some point.
After 16 games: He has turned it around! Ole in! We'll definitely catch fat Frank. Arsenal are going down!
Now: We are shit, we'll be lucky to make top 6! Arteta is turning into Pep the 2nd, Chelsea are over their slump. Let's hire Brendan Rogers!
End of the season: 6th place? Next year will be our year!
It is a great league for the neutrals and Liverpool fans.
Our thin squad is going to hurt sooner rather than later. Last time Mctominay was out we struggled big time.
Rashford or Martial injured too and we will stop scoring goals.
Oles management is not going to lift us out of this.
Chelsea don't deserve to be in top 4 but the team below them are even worse than them so they will get that 4th spot by default.
Yes hopefully, though won't count any chickens.
If any of the teams all the way down to 15 ish get on a run of good results they'll be able push for 4th.
We need sort our home tactics / form. If we can marry our away form with home we'll be able wrap 4th up.
Big if though, we've been woeful at the bridge recently.
Very interested to see if we setup differently in next PL home game or go in the market in Jan.
Need solve the problem, mainly that we just can't score much or at all against teams sitting in against us.
I will be surprised big time if you guys don't sign anyone this January. It will be a huge missed opportunity to increase the gap even more as I already mentioned the teams below Chelsea are in a bigger mess.
You say that but all the English teams have made it through to the knock out stages this season. Liverpool and City could go deep this season again.
If we don’t buy we have no chance of top 4. Team that can’t win more than two games in a row is never going to make it. Top four will probably be as it is now.
What you're saying sounds totally logical but Chelsea haven't won back to back league games since the start of November.
Spurs haven't won more than two back to back in the league all season.
I'd agree signings at least 2 top quality impact players are required if United are to stand any chance of finishing 4th. No signings as I expect to be the case and I reckon United will finish the season with 60 to 63 points and probably 6th for a 2nd season running. Chelsea should finish 4th, having their rough patch now but still 5 points clear and if Jose doesn't finish the season in at least 5th and ahead of this United team it will only confirm further that he's well past his best.
Saying this very cautiously but it's starting to take a bit more shape I think. Before January I would have said virtually any of the teams from 4th to 10th could get the 4th spot but I'm seeing Wolves drop off the pace a bit, Spurs need a hell of a run, Arsenal I don't think will pull the points back and neither will Everton. Not sure about Sheffield United realistically either
Straight fight between Manchester United and Chelsea?
Straight fight between Manchester United and Chelsea?
Still feel like Chelsea will get this. I think the game at Stamford Bridge will be key. Must win game for us I think. Ole has a good record against Chelsea so we could hopefully win it.
Hopefully we can start beating the smaller teams a bit more too. I fear though we will get smashed by Pool next week. A win would be a massive boost though.
Hopefully we can start beating the smaller teams a bit more too. I fear though we will get smashed by Pool next week. A win would be a massive boost though.
Chelsea back in control really. 5 point gap, you've got Liverpool away next week while Chelsea have Newcastle away (so decent chance it will increase) and then Chelsea- Man. United start of next month.
Still Chelsea did lose games over xmas so it's not set in stone they'll just stroll to 4th especially when CL starts up.
It really needs a collapse from Leicester to open up a second spot to have any chance. Chelsea's squad is too strong while we have key injuries.
Liverpool
Man city
Leicester
Chelsea
Can't see anyone else getting in really.
Man city
Leicester
Chelsea
Can't see anyone else getting in really.
Well, they play arsenal the week after, while we play Burnley at home. Even against Newcastle, i wouldn't bet on them winning, they lost easier games this year.
Agree. Depressing, isn't it?
Leicester down to 3rd, can they caught?
Chelsea have Arsenal, Leicester, United and Spurs as their next 4 games. 3 of them are at home but that's a tricky list.
Maybe the top 4 is a lot more open than I might have thought.
Maybe the top 4 is a lot more open than I might have thought.
Regardless of what happens tomorrow, United would have already shook on the outcome of this weekend: Chelsea lost, Spurs drew, Arsenal drew and City drew, all in games they were odds on to win. United have their most difficult fixture of their season and at worst only lose GD to their main rival for top four. At best they can get unexpected gains in a freeroll game.
I’ve not mentioned Wolves, but if lose to top four to them then we have fecked up too much to ever expect it anyway.
I’ve not mentioned Wolves, but if lose to top four to them then we have fecked up too much to ever expect it anyway.
Everyone is shite
its always been open. top 4 has much more twists than a title race. Much more points are dropped. 8 or 10 points in january is really not as bad as it seems. the club coming 4th isnt winning 6 games on the trot . Also if 5 players are vying for top 4 they all have to play each other and therefore must lose points.
It's looking like a repeat of last season's shambles of a top 4 race where every team was seemingly determined to throw it away. In fairness it's just a really competitive league at the moment (excluding Liverpool). Could be the lowest points total in sometime that gets 4th.
"the top 4 is lava..."
Exactly. This is what so many people fail to realise when they have a meltdown after dropping points and saying Top 4 is gone.
The very definition of a top 4 race is inconsistency. That's why these teams are in a battle for 4th and not 1st.
It's standard practice to drop stupid points.
I think people (myself included) are realising that the inconsistency seems to be becoming more common place as opposed to top 4 races from a few years back where the teams often looked a lot better and stronger and could put decent runs together. Maybe i'm not remembering past races right but I don't remember it being this ridiculous years ago. I mean last year's top 4 race was farcical in terms of the losses and dropped points that United, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea were having toward the end of the season. This season looks like it could be a repeat.
Spurs finished with 71 points lsat year before that pool with 75 and 76 and before that city with 66 . I have seen nothing thus far to show 4th place finishing any higher or lower than high 60s to low 70s which is where it almost always is We just probably didnt notice as we were competing for the title
Aside from the Wolves, it had been pretty much the perfect match day for us. Which means that we have no chance against Liverpool, we always bottle those 
I still like that we have realistic chances at this point, hopefully Rashford's injury news are fake.
I still like that we have realistic chances at this point, hopefully Rashford's injury news are fake.
Yeah I just had a look and you're right. It just seems a more unpredictable league than ever when perhaps that's not really the case.
I think we thought Chelsea would do better after the bright start they had. Then they lost to West Ham, Bournemouth and Southampton at home. Everton too when they just had sacked Silva and now Newcastle.
We haven't been great, but got some big wins against Spurs and City and have then won some of the easier games we have had too.
Everyone apart from Liverpool have been really inconsistent.
It's there for the taking
If we don't strengthen the midfield in this window its fecking criminal
If we don't strengthen the midfield in this window its fecking criminal
Anything can happen.
Leicester still have to play City, Wolves and Everton and Arsenal.As I said it's still wide open.
Liverpool has already won the league and I have come to terms with it. It will still hurt the day it is confirmed though. But the rest of the league is wide open. Even 2nd place is still reachable with how poor City's defense is. I said this a few weeks ago and I believe it now more than ever. Leicester will struggle to keep a top 4 spot. They had a great run beating up on all the small teams, but now with Ndidi out they are in real trouble. 3rd place for us is a realistic finishing spot, however our board has to act and bring in reinforcements in midfield and attack, especially now with Rashford out...