Top 4 race 2016/17

Tottenham actually haven't got as bad a schedule as everyone else over the new year. They've got 3 day gaps between each games, bit lucky there.
 
GlastonSpur said:
Of course the league table always lies ... as it did last season I suppose.
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Yeah this only applies after 38 games really doesn't it, as so much changes during a season. Are you not aware that a team could have a wank start, but then pick up pace and play great football, better football than the teams above them? Take Juventus last season for example. Just because Arsenal and yourselves are above us in the league, doesn't make your team better at this moment in time. After 38 games if this is so, then yeah you are right.
 
After doing permutations and combinations of results for all teams in the top 8, I'm taking it one game at a time. We are 6th and hopefully we'll be 1st soon.
 
Ruffian said:
Tottenham have been very consistent this season and last. Posters have no right to be so snobby about them.
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:rolleyes:

Consistently below Arsenal. Comes Februrary when Arsenal did their usual routine so would Tottenham adjust accordingly.
 
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I'm still confident of a top 4 finish.

Arsenal's annual implosion seems well on track.

Just got to continue grinding out good performances and results. We are playing well right now, need to keep building on this and try to put together a similar run to Chelsea. Obviously that won't be easy, but a good run of games will put us right back in the frame.
 
VanGaalEra said:
Tottenham actually haven't got as bad a schedule as everyone else over the new year. They've got 3 day gaps between each games, bit lucky there.
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On the contrary we've got a terrible schedule, the worst of everybody.

We have to play Watford after they've had 5 days off compared to our 3 and then Chelsea in a quick turn around wil also benefit from an extra day and we will be playing our 3rd game in 7 days and they will be playing their 3rd in 9.
 
I have borrowed Essien's calculator and done the calculations and Spurs will finish at least five points clear of us.
 
Any time United win and at least one team above drops points, it's a decent matchweek

Said before that if we focus on us and get a run going then a passage into the top 4 will open at some point
 
VanGaalEra said:
Not really sure what to make of that result for us.

Well, 5 days ago we were 10 behind Arsenal and now are only 4 behind them.
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It's a good result, I'd hate to see Arsenal win the league & I really believe we can hunt them down and finish ahead of them.
 
Ruffian said:
Tottenham have been very consistent this season and last. Posters have no right to be so snobby about them.
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I'm looking at the table with a bit of confusion. We've been struggling for form all season and yet are only 1 point behind Arsenal who in the main have played well, 1 point behind Liverpool (allbeit with a game in hand) and just 3 behind City in 2nd and with a comparable goal difference.

Somehow we are right in touch at the moment.
 
The top 4 race is a mess, the title race less so. Chelsea are pretty much nailed on for the title
Every team below Chelsea can lose form and drop points. You see Man City drew many games at home and were battered by Leicester. Liverpool are complacent (see games against Bournemouth and west ham) and have trouble defending. Tottenham lack the killer instinct ie: Not enough goals. Man United had a lot of trouble early on,but i do expect the recent form to stretch for long because of the players' quality. Don't even need to talk about Arsenal seeing as we all know what they're like. But no team has enough consistency (Be it form/quality/mentality/fitness) to be guaranteed of top 4 spot
 
SirAF said:
It's a good result, I'd hate to see Arsenal win the league & I really believe we can hunt them down and finish ahead of them.
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Part of me wishes they eventually fall out of top 4, but that means Liverpool have a chance. Torn.

SirHenryPercy said:
On the contrary we've got a terrible schedule, the worst of everybody.

We have to play Watford after they've had 5 days off compared to our 3 and then Chelsea in a quick turn around wil also benefit from an extra day and we will be playing our 3rd game in 7 days and they will be playing their 3rd in 9.
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Interesting, didn't think of it that way!
 
NK86 said:
They will get a hammering against Chelsea. Hazard and Costa will actually tear their defense which has looked very shaky of late
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Why didn't they hammer them three weeks ago at Stamford Bridge then? Spurs even had Rose and Alderweireld missing from the back four.
 
Ruffian said:
Tottenham have been very consistent this season and last. Posters have no right to be so snobby about them.
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I don't think anyone would mind them, if they didn't have such an obnoxious poster on here.
One who struggles to understand that Tottenham's current level, with their best team in 25 years is a level we class as failure. Yet he still reckons it's some sort of changing of the guard.
 
A draw will be an acceptable result for Chelsea at shite hart lane.

I doubt anyone reasonably expects Chelsea to hammer spurs these days.
 
Sandikan said:
I don't think anyone would mind them, if they didn't have such an obnoxious poster on here.
One who struggles to understand that Tottenham's current level, with their best team in 25 years is a level we class as failure. Yet he still reckons it's some sort of changing of the guard.
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This seems a bit odd as this thread seems to be full of Utd fans getting very excited about having a chance of making the top 4, a race we are also in.

Weird that many of you are getting so excited at the prospect of failing by making the top 4.
 
SirHenryPercy said:
This seems a bit odd as this thread seems to be full of Utd fans getting very excited about having a chance of making the top 4, a race we are also in.

Weird that many of you are getting so excited at the prospect of failing by making the top 4.
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Oh we accept it's very much a building block.
But excited isn't the right word. It's like the Europa, no one is "excited" as such about getting through rounds like the champions league, but you make the best of it as part of a process.
 
Sandikan said:
Oh we accept it's very much a building block.
But excited isn't the right word. It's like the Europa, no one is "excited" as such about getting through rounds like the champions league, but you make the best of it as part of a process.
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Wrong, I know a couple of Utd fans who are very 'excited' at the prospect of being in the top 4.
 
SirHenryPercy said:
Wrong, I know a couple of Utd fans who are very 'excited' at the prospect of being in the top 4.
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I think the phrase for them is "small time". :lol:

There will be United fans out there who think Moyes should have got "More time", or that think our play this season is worse than under LVG.
So 2 randoms with those thoughts aren't much concern.
 
SirHenryPercy said:
On the contrary we've got a terrible schedule, the worst of everybody.

We have to play Watford after they've had 5 days off compared to our 3 and then Chelsea in a quick turn around wil also benefit from an extra day and we will be playing our 3rd game in 7 days and they will be playing their 3rd in 9.
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It looked better for you on paper before you mentioned that, its scandalous that you can have three games in a row with a genuine disadvantage like that, which isn't even caused by being in another competition. Chelsea game is going to be the one to watch.
 
Sandikan said:
I think the phrase for them is "small time". :lol:

There will be United fans out there who think Moyes should have got "More time", or that think our play this season is worse than under LVG.
So 2 randoms with those thoughts aren't much concern.
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Like most of the people in this thread then.

Especially those who write things like 'it's the hope that kills you!'
 
LouisDanGaal said:
It looked better for you on paper before you mentioned that, its scandalous that you can have three games in a row with a genuine disadvantage like that, which isn't even caused by being in another competition. Chelsea game is going to be the one to watch.
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Obviously no advantage to Southampton, but definitely to Watford and Chelsea have been handed a significant advantage.

But it is what it is and we just have to get on with it.
 
SirHenryPercy said:
Like most of the people in this thread then.

Especially those who write things like 'it's the hope that kills you!'
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It's forum people. You get a large cross section. Views will peak and trough like you wouldn't believe.

2 weeks ago, top 4 was "Impossible" to some. Now it's suddenly "a given" for others.

Some of us who are a leetle less knee jerk, realise we need to overtake 2 of 5 strong teams above us.
Because Arsenal have lost 2 in a row, they're suddenly the ones we're "definitely" going to overtake, despite them never failing to make the top 4 under Wenger, despite the fact that their defeats were 2 tough aways, and despite the fact they've been in really good form generally.

Really don't know how it'll go. One thing's for certain, we need to get 6 points and re-assert that we can win back to back home league games first! Are Sunderland and Boro any worse collectively than Burnley and Stoke (at the time we played them)? Probably not, so it's not a given.
 
Sandikan said:
It's forum people. You get a large cross section. Views will peak and trough like you wouldn't believe.

2 weeks ago, top 4 was "Impossible" to some. Now it's suddenly "a given" for others.

Some of us who are a leetle less knee jerk, realise we need to overtake 2 of 5 strong teams above us.
Because Arsenal have lost 2 in a row, they're suddenly the ones we're "definitely" going to overtake, despite them never failing to make the top 4 under Wenger, despite the fact that their defeats were 2 tough aways, and despite the fact they've been in really good form generally.

Really don't know how it'll go. One thing's for certain, we need to get 6 points and re-assert that we can win back to back home league games first! Are Sunderland and Boro any worse collectively than Burnley and Stoke (at the time we played them)? Probably not, so it's not a given.
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I'm not arguing your top 4 possibilities which are clearly possible.

I'm disagreeing with your statement that if you get top 4 you will all view it as a failure. In the real world I think you'll all be ecstatic.
 
SirHenryPercy said:
I'm looking at the table with a bit of confusion. We've been struggling for form all season and yet are only 1 point behind Arsenal who in the main have played well, 1 point behind Liverpool (allbeit with a game in hand) and just 3 behind City in 2nd and with a comparable goal difference.

Somehow we are right in touch at the moment.
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It's an odd table, as we're only 4points off 4th having thrown away ridiculous points when we only drew after battering Stoke and Burnley and comfortably being the better team v Arsenal and West Ham. Not to mention the late throw away v Everton. 10 wasted points, so even 4 of those and we're in the mix
 
SirHenryPercy said:
I'm not arguing your top 4 possibilities which are clearly possible.

I'm disagreeing with your statement that if you get top 4 you will all view it as a failure. In the real world I think you'll all be ecstatic.
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I said your current level is what we'd class as failure. You're currently 5th, so that is failure for even the moderate aim of top 4!
 
Now that we have dropped out from the title race we can have a nice run 'til Chelsea smash us at the Bridge.
 
Arsenal are the kind of team that can drop points to anyone after a small dent in confidence.
 
VanGaalEra said:
That would be ideal! Though I just noticed Arsenal have a nice set of fixtures coming up

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Funnily enough I think Arsenal are more suited to playing away rather than at home.
Pulis football and the physicality they serve up wouldn't be Wengers first choice to halt the slide
 
It's an easy run on paper, but the thing is when the big teams are beating you it's always there in the back of your mind. The players will have the Everton and City defeats fresh and their confidence has to be built up again... Arsenal are not strong mentally they very much rely on their confidence.

I expect them to do well with 1 or 2 twists till Chelsea.. Can't see anything but a Chelsea win at the bridge though.
 
We are more close to 2nd than 2nd place team are to 1st. So anyone from 2nd to 6th could finish anywhere. Its going to be a good race, The only team sure of a place in top 4 is chelsea and they will win the league. Everything else is open.
 
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