Football 16-17

[eFestivals]

11 minutes ago, The Nal said:

I'm only referring to Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal dropping points

yep, but the points Liverpool dropped last night are likely to be at least matched when Utd play Chelsea.

It's no advantage to Utd unless Utd can do better against Chelsea than Liverpool did, and what's most likely is that last night's result saw Liverpool pull away from Utd rather than Utd get closer.

There's other matches in the mix of course, but last night can't be called advantageous to Utd in full context (unless Utd do beat Chelsea. Might happen, but probably won't).

[eFestivals]

3 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Imagine winning the league, getting to the last 16 of the Champions League (after topping the group) and getting relegated in 12 months. 

Leicester are doing better as defending Champions than the defending Champions managed by your manager. :P

 

[zahidf]

1 minute ago, eFestivals said:

yep, but the points Liverpool dropped last night are likely to be at least matched when Utd play Chelsea.

It's no advantage to Utd unless Utd can do better against Chelsea than Liverpool did, and what's most likely is that last night's result saw Liverpool pull away from Utd rather than Utd get closer.

There's other matches in the mix of course, but last night can't be called advantageous to Utd in full context (unless Utd do beat Chelsea. Might happen, but probably won't).

Chelsea are definitely winning the league. There toughest games left are City and Arsenal at home, UTD away. They havent dropped points against non top 4 teams in the last 3 months (unlike all their competitors) and there lead looks too high a mountain to climb.

As soon as Arsenal are out the running for winning anything, the pressure will be off and they will win all their games to get into the top 4

Spurs look like they are too good to drop off anytime soon for long periods of time, so i think they will be top 4 for sure

The last top 4 place is between liverpool and the Manchesters IMO. Now liverpool just have the league left, i think they will nab it.

[zahidf]

5 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

Leicester are doing better as defending Champions than the defending Champions managed by your manager.

 

Points wise, i think they are worse defending champions in years. Chelsea's were bad, but not as bad!

[eFestivals]

3 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Points wise, i think they are worse defending champions in years. Chelsea's were bad, but not as bad!

I watched 10 mins of the arsenal game on a US stream and then the Liverpool game o the same stream last night.

One of the pundits or commentators said Leicester were doing better than Chelsea were at the same point of the season. I haven't checked, but i presume that's correct (for before last night's matches, anyway).

[pink_triangle]

15 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Imagine winning the league, getting to the last 16 of the Champions League (after topping the group) and getting relegated in 12 months. 

 I would prefer that to 12 months stuck in mid table!

[eFestivals]

6 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Chelsea are definitely winning the league. There toughest games left are City and Arsenal at home, UTD away. They havent dropped points against non top 4 teams in the last 3 months (unlike all their competitors) and there lead looks too high a mountain to climb.

As soon as Arsenal are out the running for winning anything, the pressure will be off and they will win all their games to get into the top 4

Spurs look like they are too good to drop off anytime soon for long periods of time, so i think they will be top 4 for sure

The last top 4 place is between liverpool and the Manchesters IMO. Now liverpool just have the league left, i think they will nab it.

Yep, I can't see anyone but Chelsea winning the league. They'd have to have a serious dip in form for anything else to happen, and I just can't see it.

It's probably a mistake to rule Arsenal out of top 4, given how solid Wenger has been with that. 

And I can't see Utd making the top 4 at all. Their play has picked up, but not by enough to go past the teams above them.

[The Nal]

14 minutes ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

If you're saying that Liverpool are out of the title race (and I'm not saying they're not) then surely you're saying it's a one horse race now and everyone bar Chelsea is out of it. Unless you're putting massive importance on the single point that Spurs and Arsenal are above us. 

I'm not no, Chelsea are 9 points ahead. Can't see anyone catching them. 

Fully expect them to beat Arsenal at the weekend and their next 6 bringing them into April are Burnley, Swansea, West Ham, Watford, Stoke and Palace. 

[The Nal]

6 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

I watched 10 mins of the arsenal game on a US stream and then the Liverpool game o the same stream last night.

One of the pundits or commentators said Leicester were doing better than Chelsea were at the same point of the season. I haven't checked, but i presume that's correct (for before last night's matches, anyway).

Fake news! Chelsea were on 28 point this time last year, Leicester are on 21. 

[big__phil]

Dreadful night for Arsenal last night, with the first half being as poor as it gets. Starting slowly is one thing that's blighted us for quite a while now, but it's not normally that bad. Credit to Watford, but to be fair it was hardly blisteringly good football that tore us apart in first 45 - just dreadful team and individual play on our part.

We will get in the top 4, of that I'm certain. What I'm not certain of is the shape of the team that will do it. Giroud and Ramsey both started last night, and both came off (Ramsey was injured, to be fair). I expect we'll have Iwobi and one of Walcott/Lucus/Welbeck taking the wide positions now, with Sanchez up top and Giroud on the bench. The question then is who plays alongside Xhaka when he comes back in. I hope it'll be Elneny, though I'm not sure. We have not properly had balance in the middle since Santi got injured.

Chelsea will win the league by a margin (I would have said that before last night as well), and they really deserve to. Conte is doing a terrific job. The way he shut down the Costa stuff was class. Any other manager would have sold him and replaced him with someone worse, for the sake of 'squad unity'. A fantastic piece of man management to bring him back in.

[thetime]

Yeah it's a one horse race.

More interesting is down the bottom, a few teams getting some nice results and a few getting dragged in.

Leicester in the mix, Bournemouth slowly getting dragged in last month or so. Even burnley who are 9th could be dragged in with a run of poor form.

[zahidf]

3 minutes ago, big__phil said:

Dreadful night for Arsenal last night, with the first half being as poor as it gets. Starting slowly is one thing that's blighted us for quite a while now, but it's not normally that bad. Credit to Watford, but to be fair it was hardly blisteringly good football that tore us apart in first 45 - just dreadful team and individual play on our part.

We will get in the top 4, of that I'm certain. What I'm not certain of is the shape of the team that will do it. Giroud and Ramsey both started last night, and both came off (Ramsey was injured, to be fair). I expect we'll have Iwobi and one of Walcott/Lucus/Welbeck taking the wide positions now, with Sanchez up top and Giroud on the bench. The question then is who plays alongside Xhaka when he comes back in. I hope it'll be Elneny, though I'm not sure. We have not properly had balance in the middle since Santi got injured.

Chelsea will win the league by a margin (I would have said that before last night as well), and they really deserve to. Conte is doing a terrific job. The way he shut down the Costa stuff was class. Any other manager would have sold him and replaced him with someone worse, for the sake of 'squad unity'. A fantastic piece of man management to bring him back in.

Ramsay was booed of and played really badly. I think he should be sold really: he is a good player but just doesnt fit the team

[thetime]

12 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

And I can't see Utd making the top 4 at all. Their play has picked up, but not by enough to go past the teams above them.

Over egging it a little don't you think? Win tonight and Utd are 3 points of 2nd. It really wouldn't take much to get into the top 4.

[zahidf]

14 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Fake news! Chelsea were on 28 point this time last year, Leicester are on 21. 

And its worse for leicester: Chelsea were ok getting rid off jose to steady the ship. Who on earth is brave enough to get rid of uncle claudio after last season?

[The Nal]

8 minutes ago, thetime said:

Over egging it a little don't you think? Win tonight and Utd are 3 points of 2nd. It really wouldn't take much to get into the top 4.

Utd could be 15 points clear of 5th with 5 games to go and Neil would say they haven't a hope.

[thetime]

Has there ever been a team get relegated in the top flight after winning the league.

I remember Leeds were pretty close in 1992, escaping by a point or 2.

 

[eFestivals]

13 minutes ago, thetime said:

Over egging it a little don't you think? Win tonight and Utd are 3 points of 2nd. It really wouldn't take much to get into the top 4.

like the teams around, you win some and lose some.

You're not going past.

[eFestivals]

4 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Utd could be 15 points clear of 5th with 5 games to go and Neil would say they haven't a hope.

and you can spend 8 month of the season saying Moyes is doing OK.

[The Nal]

7 minutes ago, thetime said:

Has there ever been a team get relegated in the top flight after winning the league.

I remember Leeds were pretty close in 1992, escaping by a point or 2.

 

Man City, pre war. Scored 80 goals, conceded 77.  

[big__phil]

20 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Ramsay was booed of and played really badly. I think he should be sold really: he is a good player but just doesnt fit the team

I'm not one to pick fights with fans of the same team as me, but it doesn't strike me as productive to boo your own players. Think you might be right about him not really fitting the team, in that season where he scored all those goals he ran in to space which is now occupied by Ozil. Ironically Wilshere is probably better suited to this current Arsenal team that Rambo is.

[mjsell]

40 minutes ago, big__phil said:

Dreadful night for Arsenal last night, with the first half being as poor as it gets. Starting slowly is one thing that's blighted us for quite a while now, but it's not normally that bad. Credit to Watford, but to be fair it was hardly blisteringly good football that tore us apart in first 45 - just dreadful team and individual play on our part.

We will get in the top 4, of that I'm certain. What I'm not certain of is the shape of the team that will do it. Giroud and Ramsey both started last night, and both came off (Ramsey was injured, to be fair). I expect we'll have Iwobi and one of Walcott/Lucus/Welbeck taking the wide positions now, with Sanchez up top and Giroud on the bench. The question then is who plays alongside Xhaka when he comes back in. I hope it'll be Elneny, though I'm not sure. We have not properly had balance in the middle since Santi got injured.

Chelsea will win the league by a margin (I would have said that before last night as well), and they really deserve to. Conte is doing a terrific job. The way he shut down the Costa stuff was class. Any other manager would have sold him and replaced him with someone worse, for the sake of 'squad unity'. A fantastic piece of man management to bring him back in.

Cech, Bellerin, Mustafi, Kosc, Monreal. Walcott, Elneny, Ox (Santi if fit), Welbeck, Ozil, Sanchez - would be my current team.

However I wouldnt be too upset if Ozil gets dropped and we play Iwobi left, Welbeck up top and Sanchez with a free role. (obviously never going to happen)

Edited February 1, 2017 by mjsell

[big__phil]

8 minutes ago, mjsell said:

However I wouldnt be too upset if Ozil gets dropped and we play Iwobi left, Welbeck up top and Sanchez with a free role.

If you play Sanchez up top you'd be crazy not to play Ozil behind him - all his best games for us this year came from that combination. When he scored all those goals before Christmas it was because Alexis was dropping deep, which made space for Ozil to run in behind. In my mind we need to get back to that system.

My 14/1 bet on Leicester going down looks pretty good at the minute - they're now generally 5/1 or 9/2. Just a shame I only put £3 on it!

[zahidf]

11 hours ago, eFestivals said:

yep, but the points Liverpool dropped last night are likely to be at least matched when Utd play Chelsea.

It's no advantage to Utd unless Utd can do better against Chelsea than Liverpool did, and what's most likely is that last night's result saw Liverpool pull away from Utd rather than Utd get closer.

There's other matches in the mix of course, but last night can't be called advantageous to Utd in full context (unless Utd do beat Chelsea. Might happen, but probably won't).

And it came to pass that UTD couldnt beat Hull at home and remain in 6th 4 points behind top 4

[zahidf]

11 hours ago, thetime said:

Over egging it a little don't you think? Win tonight and Utd are 3 points of 2nd. It really wouldn't take much to get into the top 4.

The problem does seem to be that no one team can get points when all their rivals drop points. That gap is a big one when you need to rely on other teams to screw up.

[Wooderson]

13 hours ago, The Nal said:

Great results for City last night. 

Yep.