You mean a few more? No Gerrard, Sturridge or Enrique for us atm.
The Title Race 2013/14
- Thread starter Buchan
- Start date
You mean a few more? No Gerrard, Sturridge or Enrique for us atm.
I dont underrate them but with the managerial trouble at Spurs, think they can only pull together next season. Everton are the bigger threat but I dont think their squad is good enough.
Thinking in terms of squads may be quite misleading though. Didn't you think that United are a dead cert for a top 3 finish just 2 months ago? Well, teams play, not lists of individuals. Everton do not fight on several fronts, they do not play in Europe. If they avoid an injury crisis, they could play 21 league games without much problems. And Spurs could actually be lucky with some random manager. Grant almost won the CL with Chelsea. There are too many hypotheticals but I wouldn't exclude either Everton or Spurs from the battle for a top 4 finish. I can see one of them finishing above us or Chelsea who are far more threatened to drop out of the top 4 than many peopле seem to realise. Mourino is the unspecial (and unlucky) one this time around. Watch them closely, they lack spirit.
Everton perhaps, you make good points about them. But not Spurs for me, they wont be in the top 4.
Regarding Chelsea, they can only get better and with Mourinho, think they'l get enough points specially at home.
Of course both Everton and Tottenham will play a part in the top 4 battle. Everton have actually been the most consistent of all top 4 contenders IMO except maybe Liverpool, you basically know what you get with them these days. They had a sluggish start when they couldn't finish off their chances but since gameday 5 or 6 they've been stellar solid and have a good chance of making Europe IMO.
Even in far more predictable seasons than this one, it is impossible to see how things will change 5 more games down the line. Since this is the thread for it though - my prediction:
1st: City (by at least 6 points)
2nd: Arsenal
3rd: United
4th: Chelsea
5th: Liverpool
1st: City (by at least 6 points)
2nd: Arsenal
3rd: United
4th: Chelsea
5th: Liverpool
I'd say Carrick, Van Persie and Vidic are arguably more influential for us than Gerrard, Sturridge and Enrique are for you. If you lost you know who then it would get interesting.
What makes you think Newcastle, Everton & Liverpool will drop away so much?
Can't really see any evidence to support that at the moment, we are as you were after the weekend, the only thing being that we have put a bit of clear water between us and (
) 9th.Thats pretty much the only thing we don't lack. We lack a fecking goalscorer, and a CB.
I'm not saying we will win the title but i think a lot of you are really underrating the involvement we could have in the battle for a top 4 place.
We have the best defensive record in the league and we have only lost 1 game, whereas everyone else has lost 3+. After 17 games i would contest the idea that it's just a superb run of form and we will tail off as we haven't just been performing in the smaller games. I would say that our squad isn't as deep as many teams in the league but i wouldn't say it isn't good enough. Throughout this season most of our substitutions have been game changing, and we only have the FA Cup as our other competition.
We have the best defensive record in the league and we have only lost 1 game, whereas everyone else has lost 3+. After 17 games i would contest the idea that it's just a superb run of form and we will tail off as we haven't just been performing in the smaller games. I would say that our squad isn't as deep as many teams in the league but i wouldn't say it isn't good enough. Throughout this season most of our substitutions have been game changing, and we only have the FA Cup as our other competition.
Apparently we are sure to land Falcao in January now. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/chelsea-beat-real-madrid-race-sign-46m-striker-104837049.html
Because everyone is shit this season it's been the most open title race in years. There's probably five teams in the hunt, and none of them are great really.
I think City and Arsenal have shown signs of greatness, Liverpool to a lesser extent, whilst we have shown consistency and grit.
Everton too have shown the making of a very good team. Im not sure that 5 teams being in it means none are great, they just all have at least one weakness.
Everton too have shown the making of a very good team. Im not sure that 5 teams being in it means none are great, they just all have at least one weakness.
I don't think so but you are supposed to know your team better than me. Don't tell me however that Everton's CBs are better than Chelsea's. Your team doesn't defend particularly well as a whole, it's not only about individual mistakes. That's surprising for me for Mou's teams are normally quite good defensively wise. Anyway, I predicted already at the start of the season that Mourinho is going to stuggle this time around and I'll stick to my gut feeling even if Chelsea win tonight. I sense something wrong in your team and it doesn't boil down to (lack of good) players at certain positions. Maybe I'm wrong though, time will tell.
If anything he has done remarkably well to be 3 points off the top, with such awful options and imbalance. It clearly is lack of personnel.
You're definitely not getting enough credit for how well you have done so far. Only 2 points off Liverpool and look at the media praise for them. Probably helps you if anything.
Oh don't be so ridiculous.
Awful options and lack of personnel? Why don't you dip into your fourteen players on loan?
Chelsea have a better squad than Arsenal, so yeah Chelsea can't really use that excuse. They do lack a striker though, arguably the most important ingredient in a title challenge.
Our first target is the 6th position going into the new year, we just need a slip up from Spurs and Newcastle for this, and hope we reel in at least three points off the 6 point gap with Everton 
Heady days. The important matches also include FA and Carling cup
Heady days. The important matches also include FA and Carling cup
I think if we do miss out on Top 4, we can point the finger at the two home losses to Everton and Newcastle. I have a feeling those dropped points will come to bite us at the end of the season.
More than that is the silly 7 points dropped to West Brom, Saints and Cardiff. With those points we would be right in the mix even with losing to Newcastle and Everton.
Southampton Draw? It's a bit hard to say we missed it because of a lost match, this early in the season. We've plenty of matches to catch up to, but the kicker is we're expecting other teams to drop points in other matches.
I disagree. Points lost are points lost, regardless of where they come from. I would even argue that losing those two games has been a wake-up call for us and we've been much more solid since then.
But if we really want to find some needless point loss, we dropped 4 points in the last minutes to Southampton and Cardiff, those are THE pointlessly lost points, pun not intended.
Not for me, if we win our next two games we could be within three or so points of top four after 19 games, I think those two games have ended any slim title chances we had but if we play how we know we can from here on out (i.e title winning form) then we will finish top four.
I agree that points lost are points lost, and yes conceding a late goal against Southampton and Cardiff was frustrating, but I was just looking it from the point of view of the current table i.e. Everton and Newcastle being on top of us. Had we won against them, we would be sitting on top of them and there would be less doom and gloom. But you could argue that if we had won against West Brom at home (*breathes heavily*) and not conceded late goals, we would be sitting around the top anyway. I suppose it doesn't really matter who you drop points against at the end of the day. I just looked at it from the POV of Everton and Newcastle sitting above us.
Of course, still half a season to go and all that.
Of course, still half a season to go and all that.
Do you have stats as to how many points did you have at this point in previous 2-3 seasons?
I do think Everton's place in the table right now is more impressive than Liverpool. Infact the only game you lost was City away, a match up most team would be happy to take a point from. You also do not have any one in same kind of form as Suarez.
2011/2012 - 20 points.
2012/2013 - 30 points.
In terms of last season we have 2 more wins, 2 less draws and 1 less loss. We have actually scored 1 less but we have conceded 6 less goals too.
It's clear that Moyes left us with a very good squad and Martinez has been able to build on it so far by his style of football and getting the best out of everyone.
I do think real test for both Pool and Everton will come when their form drops and they go through a bad period. It is a cliche but how you bounce back from such a period establishes your credentials. Arsenal are going through such a period now. I don't think the result today is critical for them but, if they can string up another run of wins regardless of a loss today, is.
will be hard to know what to wish for tonight.
We don't really want Arsenal winning and stretching the top of the league back to 10 points over us, but then we don't really want Chelsea to win a tough away game, and be 8 over us, pushing us back to 7points off top.
A draw?
We could have been 15 points off top recently, so 8 is a bit of a bargain...so hopefully that's not back up to 10.
We don't really want Arsenal winning and stretching the top of the league back to 10 points over us, but then we don't really want Chelsea to win a tough away game, and be 8 over us, pushing us back to 7points off top.
A draw?
We could have been 15 points off top recently, so 8 is a bit of a bargain...so hopefully that's not back up to 10.
Same could be said of Arsenal who also lack a striker.
Who's to say we will? Rodgers has had us getting these results for a calendar year now.
Results from last season have no relevance now. There was no pressure then compared to what you will have this season. But yeah you are probably on track on for record point total title win with no blips
Of course not, there will be blips, see Newcastle, Southampton and Hull. You didn't say blips though, you said "bad period." To me that sounds like a run of several bad results and I don't think we'll go on one.
We will see where you are after the next two matches.
The next two matches are no way season defining. I would take 2 points at the moment even though we'd likely drop out of the top 4 (though I think we'll beat City). No club realistically goes in with these as must win games. Anything gained here is a bonus.
As long as your main man stays fit, and playing as he is, Pool will be in shake-up for title - I would place then as equal favourites due to no europe although who knows what end of season pressure might do to team and manager. City my other equal favourite like us have Europe and Carling Cup which will become much more important if we play each other in final which is very possible if not probable. Chelsea are not playing very well but will keep in mix because they have manager and players who have been there before. Then its us or the Ars that depends on injuries If rooney and RVP play most matches together I think we will gather enough points to make the rest very worried by season close. Arsenal need someone to score the goals even when pressure mounts. Can't see the other teams doing enough for top 4 place.
Let's have a compromise title winner. Everton.
For the 2012/13 season, you had 27 points from a possible 51 points. You had 6 wins, 9 draws and 2 losses. Everton scored 28 goals and conceded 21 in return with a GD of +7 and were 4th place.
For the 2013/14 season, you have 34 points from a possible 51 points. You have 9 wins, 7 draws and 1 loss. Everton have scored 29 goals and conceded 16 with a GD of +13 and you are 4th place.
I was doing it by date rather than games played. But you are right, after 17 games we were only on 27 points. We were in 5th though according to the BPL site. Spurs were 2 points ahead in 4th.
Since we are talking about 17 games into the season:
In any case, Martinez has done a good job, and also Lukaku has done wonders for the morale of the team too. They have a decent setup to be honest.