Hope so, that would be huge.
We'd be on 7 league wins in a row, 6 points ahead of City, with some very winnable games coming up in the next couple of months.
Top 4 race 2016/17
- Thread starter Yorkeontop
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Hope so, that would be huge.
We'd be on 7 league wins in a row, 6 points ahead of City, with some very winnable games coming up in the next couple of months.
Looking like it's going to be the Manchester clubs fighting it out for 5th place for the next few weeks, at least.
The next 4 games are huge for us, I'd take 8 points right now.
After that we have very decent fixtures.
In absolute terms I agree. However, my concern is more that we just don't seem good enough against the other top four contenders. It's very worrying given that most of the other top four are winning against all the weaker teams.
At the end of the season these head to heads are what will decide the Top 4 and so far we've only managed to beat Spurs at home with Chelsea remaining out of current top six to come at our place. Liverpool are more points behind league leaders than we are from top 4, it's a shit result for both teams.
We still have to play Spurs, City and Arsenal away though and it doesn't look like draws will be enough in those games.
Our hindrance will be our lack of goals, we create many chances but our finishing is abysmal. It really is.
Our lack of free kick goals is also very concerning, we can't have scored more than a couple at best?
We're still very much on for top 4, but logically speaking we were playing a sub par Liverpool side today at home, we still have to go to Emirates, WHL and the Etihad (City will be up for it against us). It looks increasingly like the top 6 sides head to head will be the decider, so it was critical we kept our run going today and we failed.
All we can do is pick it up again and take it game by game. We literally have to rely on others. Win today would've potentially put is in a position to leapfrog City. It's far from over for top 4, but the title is out of reach for me. Plenty of twists yet, but we're due more dropped points aswell.
Our lack of free kick goals is also very concerning, we can't have scored more than a couple at best?
We're still very much on for top 4, but logically speaking we were playing a sub par Liverpool side today at home, we still have to go to Emirates, WHL and the Etihad (City will be up for it against us). It looks increasingly like the top 6 sides head to head will be the decider, so it was critical we kept our run going today and we failed.
All we can do is pick it up again and take it game by game. We literally have to rely on others. Win today would've potentially put is in a position to leapfrog City. It's far from over for top 4, but the title is out of reach for me. Plenty of twists yet, but we're due more dropped points aswell.
Of course four points are not that much to make up in 17 games but look at the form of other contenders in Top 4. They are not dropping any points and dispatching weaker sides with ease so ultimately it's going to come to these H2H in Top 6 and at the moment we are yet to put a convincing performance vs any of the top 6. To makes thing tougher for us we play 3 of the current top 6 away from home.
Are people still happy Spurs beat Chelsea last week?
Yep!
Yeah, that was bizarre.
Europa League will kill our chances of a Top 4. Too many teams has been trying to focus on both but failed. We need to win most games that are left so can't afford to rest players. Though, if the Top 4 looks impossible come april we can then change focus to EL for that extra lifeline to get to CL.
Of course not. It was only a good result if we managed to beat Liverpool, and had a sliver of a hope of catching Chelsea. Now that we failed to do our part, it was a terrible result for us.
Their form is irrelevant. At some point they will drop points so we need to worry about our own form and wet the bed if we within striking distance.
We also have 4 winnable fixtures next. Let's look at the table then.
feck no. Was a god awful result for us
Thankyou. Was so fecking stupid.
At the beginning of the season I thought both Manchester teams would do it into top 4 and while United is still behind City, Guardiola is doing his best to challenge for that 6th place spot. Still think Spurs and Arsenal are finishing outside top 4.
Last year Arsenal, Spurs and City were roughly level on points midway the season. Then Arsenal and Spurs pulled away and chased Leicester while City barely hung on to 4th.
I expect the same this year, but with Chelsea in Leicester's position and Liverpool also in the mix.
Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will be hard to beat to 4th.
I expect the same this year, but with Chelsea in Leicester's position and Liverpool also in the mix.
Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will be hard to beat to 4th.
Simply put if we are to make top 4, we will need to get results in the away fixtures against the top 5 - City A, Spurs A and Arsenal A. Probably going to need a minimum of 1 win and 2 draws out of these fixtures to have a chance of top 4.
If we see out the job against Hull and if the rearranged City game doesn't take place before the Chelsea game on the April 15th, the next 9 games are very winnable. So indeed, lets look at the table then
With our game away to City likely to be postponed until late in the season too.
It's a mental blow also. If we had won we would have been so so close, but now even with 19 of 21 points we are 4 points behind with a crap goal difference and need to win another 6 games in a row to be in top 4, and then the difficult fixtures with away games at city, arsenal and spurs still to come.
Only 5 points off the second place, a lot can still happen. We have to start winning against the top teams though. Europa League could prove vital this season.
We'll have to get some points away to City, Arsenal and Spurs if we want to have any hope of finishing top 4. The odds are heavily against us. We are not nearly good enough in the big games, which means 6th is about our level. It's a depressing realization.
What is frustrating for me, is just thinking of some of the points we dropped early in the season. In particular some of the big decisions we did not get from referees.
We are still in this though, and still have a good shot at getting in the top 4.
We are still in this though, and still have a good shot at getting in the top 4.
Looks great for Liverpool if they get positive results from those games. After game week 29 they have an easy run in.
With our game away to City likely to be postponed until late in the season too.
Yep, and they've got a great record vs the top 6 so far this season too (unbeaten). They'll be looking up rather than down.
With our game away to City likely to be postponed until late in the season too.
If the City game is delayed we can have a strong run in the league and hit the big games with points in the account and momentum. It's a fantastic season for the Premier League whoever you support.
Yeah that's true. Though it is still not ideal potentially facing three away games in a short space of time especially if we're still in Europa.
United are still in it when it come to Top 4 but I still can't see any of the current Top 4 slipping out. As an Arsenal fan I am afraid that we will bottle our big games and if United overtake us at that point then it'll be over. The positive thing is our scoring, we have scored 3 or more in over half of our games. Need to keep that going.
Don't think it's that easy. The top 6 are taking a lot of points from the rest of the league so more sides are going to be in a relegation battle at that time.
I would rather play them now than when they're really battling.
Win our next game and we'll gain ground on Tottenham or City or both.
Our focus should be on automatic qualification for the Champions League, nothing more at this moment in time.
Our focus should be on automatic qualification for the Champions League, nothing more at this moment in time.
Not only do Liverpool get their difficult games out of the way sooner and 3 of those 4 are at home they have no European football to worry about. Arsenal and Spurs are the ones we have to catch.
I still think the Europa League is our best chance of CL football.
I still think the Europa League is our best chance of CL football.
Agreed. Our early season woes have come back to haunt us.
I don't think there is any shame missing out to be honest. 6 very good teams, and at this point you can't call who the 2 to miss out will be. I would personally look at the Europa League and go all out in that.
Remember finishing 4th won't guarantee CL anyway. City could just as easily just concrete on getting far in the CL, I'm not suggesting they will win it, but, I wouldn't rule it out (with the right draw). Worse teams have got to the final, then it's a lottery.
You guys still think the title race still on? In theory, 12 points is nothing at this stage.
In general? Very much so, I'd say. We get Swansea at home before we host you guys, and you have to play Arsenal after you've visited Anfield. Seven points is a comfy lead but there's still a lot of football left to be played.
True, however worth remembering while you have Swansea, we have Hull.
Long way to go yet. It honestly feels like anything could happen over the coming months. Expecting everyone above us to drop points at some stage and the only team I'm not expecting to go into free fall is United and Liverpool.
Yeah of course, I'm expecting the difference to be 7 points when it's Liverpool-Chelsea, but if (big if of course) we win that game, four points with 15 games or so to go is not an insurmountable deficit.