Should finish Liverpool/City/Chelsea/Leicester. Chelsea and United are better teams than Leicester but their points advantage over United is too big to overcome. Rashford is a big loss as well.
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
Yep the titles in the bag for Liverpool, dont loose any sleep over it, a few years back it was city breaking their duck in the prem, you soon get used to accepting it.
i think united will finish 5th if we get Rashford, McT and pogba fit and sign Fernandes
i think united will finish 5th if we get Rashford, McT and pogba fit and sign Fernandes
It's competitive because the quality of the top teams has dropped. Liverpool are great. City are great on their day but inconsistent. Leicester are good. Then you have the rest.
Rashford's loss is infuriating looking at the fixture lists.
Chelsea's next four:
Arsenal (H)
Leicester (A)
United (H)
Spurs (H)
United's next four:
Burnley (H)
Wolves (H)
Chelsea (A)
Watford (H)
Couldn't ask for a better chance to get in the top 4 but we'll piss it away.
Chelsea's next four:
Arsenal (H)
Leicester (A)
United (H)
Spurs (H)
United's next four:
Burnley (H)
Wolves (H)
Chelsea (A)
Watford (H)
Couldn't ask for a better chance to get in the top 4 but we'll piss it away.
I'm actually surprised how poor Man. United are away from home despite all the pace they have.
Just 3 away wins all season. We (Villa) had worst away form in league up to NYD yet we've won at Burnley and Norwich aswell. Failed to score in six away games aswell so half of them.
Stil got to go to Leicester, Chelsea and Spurs. Think the excellent performance and win at Man. City has created a bit of false perception there.
Chelsea have 7 away wins and still go to go to Bournemouth so will fancy their chance of getting 9-10 away wins this season.
Just 3 away wins all season. We (Villa) had worst away form in league up to NYD yet we've won at Burnley and Norwich aswell. Failed to score in six away games aswell so half of them.
Stil got to go to Leicester, Chelsea and Spurs. Think the excellent performance and win at Man. City has created a bit of false perception there.
Chelsea have 7 away wins and still go to go to Bournemouth so will fancy their chance of getting 9-10 away wins this season.
Can't see us get top 4 with all our injuries and no signings. Europa league is a better bet since we might have player coming back to help us there in the future.
If we get 1-2 players late it might help us though, but I doubt it.
If we get 1-2 players late it might help us though, but I doubt it.
Pretty sure that we'll have the chance to go above Chelsea by the time we play them. There's no way they're getting 6 points from Arsenal and LCFC away and they just lost to Newcastle. Let's just win the next 2 and it'll be all to play for when we play them.
And they have some hard fixtures before the end of the season :
Arsenal (H)
Leicester (A)
United (H)
Spurs (H)
City (H)
Liverpool (A)
Sheffield U (A)
While we have :
Chelsea (A)
City (H)
Spurs (A)
LCFC (A)
Sheffield U (H)
Pretty confident of overtaking them at some point.
March could potentially be a tricky month for us with Everton away, City at home, Spurs away and Sheffield United at home. Our final fixtures after that aren't too bad (in theory) with Leicester away as the final game of the season looking to be the toughest fixture. Getting through these next nine weeks or so is key.
What makes you count Arsenal and Sheffield as harder than say Wolves and Palace? Based on the table I would not do that.
Had a proper look at our fixtures the other day. After the City and Spurs double header early March we have a really nice run in. If we can stay within 3-5 points of Chelsea at the start of that fixture run I fancy us to overtake them
We got very lucky that everyone else fecked up making some real ground towards securing top 4. It's not over.
Just need some god damn consistency.
Just need some god damn consistency.
You’re not wrong, but hopefully United can get the six points from the home games before the winter fortnight break and then get a few players back from injury, and, I pray, a signing or two.
Besides Liverpool, every other top 6-7 times (yes I am including Mancity and Leicester) have really tried their best to feck it up so we have a chance to get top 4. If we do not get it, we really only have ourselves to blame. Mark my words, this will be the lowest top 4 required points tally since Leicester won the Prem... might even be lower than that year
Well, Arsenal is Arsenal.
And you're right, I could have added wolves, but I thought that since we both play them home, it's not gonna be much of a problem than sheffield.
Definitely wide open for 3rd and 4th, we seem to be playing like we now have nothing to play for.
This has happened twice in the last few years, a CL place begging to be taken and the team bottling it.
It is still there for the taking this season.
In the bag for Leicester now. 14 points clear with 14 to go* and the likes of United, Wolves and Spurs not even hitting 1.5 points per game so far.
At this rate they need 7 more points. If Spurs, Wolves or us (haha) go 2 points a game from now until the end of the season they only need 1 a game to equal us. It will take a proper meltdown for them not to do it.
*Wolves can go 11 behind them by beating Liverpool, seems unlikely.
Chelsea still slightly vulnerable, especially if Wolves do pull of a surprise.
At this rate they need 7 more points. If Spurs, Wolves or us (haha) go 2 points a game from now until the end of the season they only need 1 a game to equal us. It will take a proper meltdown for them not to do it.
*Wolves can go 11 behind them by beating Liverpool, seems unlikely.
Chelsea still slightly vulnerable, especially if Wolves do pull of a surprise.
Effectively 15 points given our goal difference.
Interestingly even though our form dropped, no one higher than Southampton had a higher PPG so the chasing pack haven't got any closer to us.
Interestingly even though our form dropped, no one higher than Southampton had a higher PPG so the chasing pack haven't got any closer to us.
https://www.skysports.com/amp/footb...op-four-after-missing-out-on-transfer-targets
Fat Frank isn't confident any more.
If Bruno can hit the ground running, we have a great chance.
Fat Frank isn't confident any more.
If Bruno can hit the ground running, we have a great chance.
I don't know if this is his attempt at mind games or putting pressure on the board but the fact is that they are massive favourites for top four finish.
If there's mind games going in from Frank, it's to try and take pressure off the Chelsea players.
He is probably genuinely surprised at a lack of signings. Why fight so hard to overturn a transfer ban if you are not going to sign anyone? Seems a massive waste of time, effort and money.
Having said that, I'm not sure who we could've realistically signed this window.
He's falling into the Mourinho trap; clearly trying to protect his own reputation but forgetting that negativity breeds negativity. If that's going to be his approach I can see them falling away quite quickly.
We are favourites for Top 4 now. No excuses.
Chelsea still favourites for me. If our new signings settle and we can get players back, who knows, but I think all the teams are still going to drop loads of points, but Chelsea have the upper hand due to already having that 6 point cushion.
Current market prices for a top four finish:
Leicester 1.15
Chelsea 1.50
Spurs 6.00
United 7.00
Leicester and Chelsea are overwhelming favourite. Any claim to the contrary is just false.
Leicester 1.15
Chelsea 1.50
Spurs 6.00
United 7.00
Leicester and Chelsea are overwhelming favourite. Any claim to the contrary is just false.
And that's about right, Chelsea's lack of new arrivals is not an excuse. We'll be missing two of our best players for the next few months. and they have a 6 points advantage on us.
This is without talking about LCFC, they have a 14 points advantage over the 5th placed team....
Anybody who has Pogba and Fernandes coming in for them are favourites, theyre the type to get you 4 or 5 wins on the bounce.
Chelsea really needed a forward spark, if theyre 6 points ahead after this nightmare run of games for them then i would be incredibly shocked.
Chelsea really needed a forward spark, if theyre 6 points ahead after this nightmare run of games for them then i would be incredibly shocked.
I don't see why Spurs should have better odds than us.
That one is certainly debatable. I don't see any evidence of Spurs being a better team than United and the remaining fixtures are pretty similar.
Lack of goal threat. If Martial is injured we'll struggle to score at all.
I see us getting top 4. As the only team to have really strengthened this January and having a stronger squad than the team we are competing with, we have become clear favorite despite being 7 points(atm) behind Chelsea.
I was shocked how Chelsea didn’t sign anyone despite appealing their January transfer ban. I thought they will go crazy this window. Strange decision. It will cost you top 4.
Wolves are consistent, but they don’t have a top squad. Spurs is a mystery to me and only through the share genius of Mourinho will they be able to make top four. He will have to pull a pochettino to accomplish that.
I was shocked how Chelsea didn’t sign anyone despite appealing their January transfer ban. I thought they will go crazy this window. Strange decision. It will cost you top 4.
Wolves are consistent, but they don’t have a top squad. Spurs is a mystery to me and only through the share genius of Mourinho will they be able to make top four. He will have to pull a pochettino to accomplish that.
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Chelsea still the clear favourites for 4th. They didn't really need to strengthen their squad to finish 4th. Remains to be seen how these two signings do for United, still need McTominay, Pogba back to mount a serious challenge. Tough run in of fixtures and Rashford not likely to play much, will be a surprise if United finish 4th tbh.
Pulisic and RLC coming back and finding form for us will be huge.
RLC is back in training with the first team by the way.
RLC is back in training with the first team by the way.
So yet another change to get closer to TOP 4. It will end up as always I am afraid - we are 100% dropping points against Wolves today.
Beat Wolves and avoid defeat to Chelsea and I'll fancy our chances
Are Sheff Utd or Wolves in the race as well?
Imagine Sheffield United getting it. 
5 points off Chelsea now.
5 points off Chelsea now.Who you dropping from midfield to give Loftus Cheek minutes?
Mount needs a rest more than any player ever.
Mount. Dont get the hype tbh. Been poor for ages, there is a talent there but i dont think hes deserving to start every week. Kovacic far better IMO, especially with the ball
RLc is a long long long way from starting games too though, he's going to be played U23 first, Lampard has said he looks short and off the pace still
Kovacic/RLC Jorginho Kante. Even then i suspect Mount will be used wide left to cut inside, again though, doesn't suit him.