Do we have a special top 4 race this season?

[Fortitude]

- Arsenal resurgent.
- A Spurs side who people expect big things from.
- Chelsea spending a small fortune.
- United... really needing to get back in the CL.

It's a bit of cliche at the start of the season, but is this one looking like something rather special?

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Genuine question what qualifies as a special top 4 race?

 

[duffer]

No.

 

[charlenefan]

No

 

[Red the Bear]

It looks like it but someone always falls off hard so I'll be very surprised if it's any more competitive from last years race by the time January rolls around.

 

[Mogget]

Genuine question what qualifies as a special top 4 race?

Have we ever had a season where there's been 4 teams competing seriously for 2 CL spots? Maybe that's what he means.

Also Liverpool could arguably get dragged into the CL fight so that's 5 teams competing for three spots.

I'm gonna go against the grain and say yes to OP's question

 

[Skills]

I'm not convinced by Spurs now. I thought they'd be a lot better than they've shown.

They do have Kane though which counts for a lot.

 

[FPL addict]

Not sure the top 4 will be much different apart from maybe Arsenal replacing either Chelsea or Spurs but the top 6 could be a huge bunfight to get any sort or European football.

Newcastle, Brighton , Man Utd and maybe West Ham all trying to cram into 5th or 6th by season end I suspect.

 

[duffer]

In 20/21, with two weeks of the season left there was about 6 sides who could have finished 3rd and 4th.

 

[Mr Smith]

Special is a vague term. The word I would use is competitive

 

[Skills]

Not sure the top 4 will be much different apart from maybe Arsenal replacing either Chelsea or Spurs but the top 6 could be a huge bunfight to get any sort or European football.

Newcastle, Brighton , Man Utd and maybe West Ham all trying to cram into 5th or 6th by season end I suspect.

West Ham will finish bottom half. If Potter gets Brighton into the Europa League he's a miracle worker.

 

[Rnd898]

Have we ever had a season where there's been 4 teams competing seriously for 2 CL spots? Maybe that's what he means.

How about 20/21? Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester and West Ham all finished with 65-69 points in places 3-6 and it was a very close call till the end with three of them going toe to toe in the last gameweek.

Also I'd point out the 16/17 season where City, Liverpool and Arsenal all finished on 75-78 points on places 3-5 and Arseanl missed out by just one point despite finishing the season on a five match winning streak. You lot fell of the wagon towards the end by collecting just 5 points from your last 5 games and ended up missing out by 7 points but it was a close 4 horse race till about gameweek 33-34 and then went on to be a close three way race to the finish line. You ended up winning the UEL that year so ended up making it to the UCL's anyway.

 

[Attila]

I don't think we are in the race for top 4. We should focus on winning the Europa League this season.

 

[phelans shorts]

It looks like it but someone always falls off hard so I'll be very surprised if it's any more competitive from last years race by the time January rolls around.

Last January the top 4 race was tighter than a ducks arse. It was April it all fell apart

 

[Red the Bear]

Last January the top 4 race was tighter than a ducks arse. It was April it all fell apart

Was it?
I say it was only between spurs and arsenal by then , our form was just horrifying by then.

 

[phelans shorts]

Was it?
I say it was only between spurs and arsenal by then , our form was just horrifying by then.

December/January we were absolutely still in it. Spurs were lagging a bit (had a couple of covid games in hand if memory serves.

It was our form the last two months that opened the gargantuan gap.

 

[Red the Bear]

December/January we were absolutely still in it. Spurs were lagging a bit (had a couple of covid games in hand if memory serves.

It was our form the last two months that opened the gargantuan gap.

So at most that makes it a 3 horse race, not exactly the most exciting of top 4 races, especially as it seemed it was turning into a race of who's lees shit.

Pluss we were just abhorrent by that point, I think most of subconsciously knew that the only way to make it was to fluke enough wins, so going off by form alone it didn't really look good for us by then.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

No. Only way we get CL is to win the EL.

 

[phelans shorts]

So at most that makes it a 3 horse race, not exactly the most exciting of top 4 races, especially as it seemed it was turning into a race of who's lees shit.

I mean, Chelsea were also heavily involved in it for the majority of the season. They started fast and dropped into it, dropping points fairly regularly in the season.

 

[Red the Bear]

I mean, Chelsea were also heavily involved in it for the majority of the season. They started fast and dropped into it, dropping points fairly regularly in the season.

Chelsea if memory serves had opened up a very nice lead and they never became outright bad in any period during last season so there really wasn't that much of chance of them falling out, its surprising it got as close as it did.

Still last season was relatively exciting in this regard so the current season will do good to be as close as the one before it.

 

[Judas]

No. It'll be the same as always. Seemingly no one will want 4th and teams will be tripping up over themselves not to get it, and in the end someone will just about do enough.

 

[wangyu]

How is it special when it is about the same 6 teams trying to breach the top 4?

 

[FPL addict]

West Ham will finish bottom half. If Potter gets Brighton into the Europa League he's a miracle worker.

On todays evidence you are right about West Ham but wrong about Brighton...they are a very good side.

As I said, Newcastle cant be written off for top 6 either.

 

[bond19821982]

No. If anything only top spot is guaranteed. The rest of the 5 teams will compete for 4 places.

 

[mu4c_20le]

Thought you meant special olympics

 

[avgp_1]

As things stand, top 4 will be pretty straight forward as is usually. One of Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea will drop out and finish 5th. The real battle will be from 6th onwards.

 

[giorno]

Nope. In a few months City and Liverpool will be out of sight and we'll have the usual 3-way for the final 2 top 4 spots, as usual

 

[tomaldinho1]

No

 

[Skills]

Us and Liverpool in it as well?

3 spots up for grab after City?

 

[André Dominguez]

Being special isn't always necessary a good thing, isn't it?

 

[Bebestation]

I absolutely love this league even when we are shit.

It’s just the most interesting football there is.

 

[TheGame]

It’s the same teams as always so nothing special. Can’t see anyone out of the usual top 6 making an impact to get in.

 

[Rightnr]

It'll be special if Liverpool fall out of it.

 

[Judge Red]

The relegation fight between us, Liverpool, Everton and West Ham is where the special is at.

 

[rooney2009]

if we get Anthony, FDJ, Gakpo and a RW in the next week or so, we should be going for top 2 not top 4

 

[Strelok]

Imo it's safe to exclude us from the top 4 fight this season. We should focus on building our squad and implement ETH style instead I think. It'll be a long bumpy road with the players making mistakes, bad results so imo it's best to have basically no expectation this season.

 

[Trex]

Its too early to speak even a side like Arsenal that's started well could be the worst of the lot. A league season is a marathon.

 

[Damien]

Early days but City, Arsenal and Spurs looking like the top three with fourth spot being between us, Chelsea and Liverpool. Both Chelsea and Liverpool have looked underwhelming so far.

 

[RedSky]

Never underestimate the usual Arsenal collapse mid season Damo.

 

[horsechoker]

I think things will even out. Let's not forget the world cup could change the momentum. Imagine kane and son get injured for example.

The only thing I'm certain of is City will be top.