EPL Title race 2018/2019

[Giggs86]

Crazy to think that Spurs have the chance to single-handedly finish City's season in a few days. And no, a domestic cup double won't cut it, if they fail to win the EPL this season would be a massive failure for them.

It can go either way really - either City put all their effort to salvage a title from this season and go to win every game, or they can't lift themselves up after today and end up losing points and the title.

 

[VeevaVee]

I think Pep's main aim will be to get them playing with a professional head at the weekend.

 

[charlenefan]

Updated fixtures

City v Spurs
Cardiff v Liverpool
Man Utd v City
Liverpool v Huddersfield
Burnley v City
Barcelona v Liverpool
Man City v Leicester
Newcastle v Liverpool
Liverpool v Barcelona
Liverpool v Wolves
Brighton v Man City

I hoped the games against Barca may impact Liverpool but there's little reason for them to tbh, they play the Friday before the Wednesday 1st leg and then after the 2nd leg it's the last PL game of the season (since when has that been a thing? UCL SF played so late into our league season)

 

[The Brown Bull]

Would be just like us to put in a performance and beat or draw with City and hand the title to the unmentionables.

 

[Member 115509]

This really is truly awful - sitting watching the major competitions play out and wanting results to go a certain way just so certain teams are denied trophies, meanwhile United are nowhere. Or rather harbouring outside hopes of top four.
The fact that if United put on a display against City and win, possibly handing the PL title to Liverpool, not being sure whether it would have been better for City and Spurs to win last night in regards to them meeting Liverpool in the final. and now this Saturday hoping City recover from last night's disappointment and beat Spurs. In some ways I just wish this season was already over.
City winning trophies is hard to look at, but the prospect of Liverpool winning the PL and/or the CL just does not compute.
Look on the bright side, at least the quadruple is gone, City can only do the domestic treble now...

 

[Antisocial]

Would be just like us to put in a performance and beat or draw with City and hand the title to the unmentionables.

I'm expecting a draw - useless result for which of us, disastrous consequences for all of English football

Though if Spurs get something this weekend then it's over anyway.

 

[njred]

I'm expecting a draw - useless result for which of us, disastrous consequences for all of English football

Though if Spurs get something this weekend then it's over anyway.

You do realize that if Spurs and united get something and hand Liverpool the league that Pep might just feck off and City could come back to the pack, which is the opposite of disastrous for the league.

 

[Oga on top.]

You do realize that if Spurs and united get something and hand Liverpool the league that Pep might just feck off and City could come back to the pack, which is the opposite of disastrous for the league.

Don’t you get it? This lot would rather that fake plastic club bought with oil money rule the league for the next 15 years than let us get our hands on the league this season (never mind any future seasons if/when Baldy fecks off).

 

[simplyared]

I've been thinking City all along. However after crashing out of the CL the way they did. Not only the VAR incidents but their general play over the 2 legs, I reckon them Scousers could snatch it now.

 

[Josh 76]

Crazy to think that Spurs have the chance to single-handedly finish City's season in a few days. And no, a domestic cup double won't cut it, if they fail to win the EPL this season would be a massive failure for them.

It can go either way really - either City put all their effort to salvage a title from this season and go to win every game, or they can't lift themselves up after today and end up losing points and the title.

If City can't beat a tired, injury hit, hungover Spurs this Saturday , then City deserve feck all

 

[Bestietom]

Looks like there is more than 2 teams who are in better shape than we are in the Premiership. There is a HUGE building job to be done here and it will take few windows.

A bold decision would be to offload Pogba, Lukaku, and Sanchez this summer along with a lot more. They are just not performing and we need to get rid of them before they ruin this whole club.

 

[Vadim]

I've been thinking City all along. However after crashing out of the CL the way they did. Not only the VAR incidents but their general play over the 2 legs, I reckon them Scousers could snatch it now.

You’re predicting the title race because of a two legged CL tie where anything can (and did) happen?

City in the league are a different animal. They’re cold, ruthless assassins. The two CL QF matches won’t effect their league form.

City didn’t even have to get out of second gear for their previous 3 or 4 league games and they’ve won them comfortably.

I’m not saying City will win the league. But write them off at your peril - it really wouldn’t surprise me if they won every single league game now.

 

[Buchan]

We shat on City’s coronation last season with the 2-3 comeback at the Etihad and restored some pride in the shirt so all things being equal, City deserve to beat us on Wednesday en route to winning the title by a point.

Sounds fair, right? I can live with that.

 

[GhastlyHun]

After taking the points vs Spurs today, I think City will see this through.

 

[breakout67]

I am confident Liverpool will win. Momentum is king in football and Liverpool have all of it. Typical of Baldy to mess up an away leg CL tie to put his season on the verge of failure.

 

[hill16bhoy]

After taking the points vs Spurs today, I think City will see this through.

Loads of ball to be played yet. De Bruyne's absence will be a big blow for Manchester City, it means Silva who looks past it will likely come in.

Fernandinho can't be fully fit otherwise he'd be starting these games. Sane's freezing out has been bizarre.

Manchester City looked very tired and vulnerable today and got away with it in a big way when Walker clearly handled the ball. Guardiola went with eight of the same starters today to Wednesday night's game against Tottenham. I think we're really seeing who he trusts and doesn't trust now, and the players he trusts are going to be tired going into next Wednesday.

Meanwhile Liverpool just have to keep doing what they're doing, and that's keep winning. The pressure of being hunted is usually a lot greater than they pressure the hunter feels.

 

[Irwin99]

There might be a silly game where one of the teams drops points in an 'easy' fixture but City passed a big test today and if they beat us on Wednesday then I don't see how Liverpool can be favourites anymore. The pressure could end up affecting Liverpool more because Spurs and United were the two teams most likely to take points from City.

Be funny if it comes down to goal difference drama

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

I can see a draw tomorrow which basically would gift it to City big time.

Can go either way though, but I do think that City will win it in the end.

 

[charlenefan]

Loads of ball to be played yet. De Bruyne's absence will be a big blow for Manchester City, it means Silva who looks past it will likely come in.

Fernandinho can't be fully fit otherwise he'd be starting these games. Sane's freezing out has been bizarre.

Manchester City looked very tired and vulnerable today and got away with it in a big way when Walker clearly handled the ball. Guardiola went with eight of the same starters today to Wednesday night's game against Tottenham. I think we're really seeing who he trusts and doesn't trust now, and the players he trusts are going to be tired going into next Wednesday.

Meanwhile Liverpool just have to keep doing what they're doing, and that's keep winning. The pressure of being hunted is usually a lot greater than they pressure the hunter feels.

Silva past it?

Oh and don't buy in to what the Sky pundits were trying to project, while Spurs had their counter attacks today City saw the game out comfortably with releative little danger

 

[hill16bhoy]

There might be a silly game where one of the teams drops points in an 'easy' fixture but City passed a big test today and if they beat us on Wednesday then I don't see how Liverpool can be favourites anymore. The pressure could end up affecting Liverpool more because Spurs and United were the two teams most likely to take points from City.

Be funny if it comes down to goal difference drama

Liverpool have never been favorites, well at least not since the two draws against Leicester and West Ham reduced the gap to three points when it could have been seven.

I think Liverpool are the more likely of the two to cough up points in a "silly" fixture, ie. one of the two away ones against Cardiff and more likely Newcastle - I don't see us dropping points at home.

I think City dropping points at Old Trafford is more likely than Liverpool dropping any points however - but that certainly doesn't mean it's a likelihood.

If City win at Old Trafford, it's hard to see them slipping up from there, especially with no Champions League distractions anymore.

I'd rate the probability of dropped points as follows:
Liverpool at Cardiff: 20%
City at United: 40%
Liverpool at home to Huddersfield: 2%
City at Burnley: 20%
Liverpool at Newcastle: 30%
City at home to Leicester: 10%
Liverpool at Newcastle: 30%
City at Brighton: 10%
Liverpool at home to Wolves: 15%

 

[GhastlyHun]

Cardiff have a snowball's chance in hell to get anything from Pool.

 

[Canagel]

The derby will decide where the title is going.

 

[CognitiveNeuro]

City are 8/15 to win the title now.

Unless Man United get something against City, which I highly doubt, City are winning it.

Coming from a Liverpool fan, City will win it.

 

[Ronaldo's Mum Eh?]

Liverpool are going to win the title. Cardiff no chance in hell. That game is going to be 3, 4-0 liverpool.

 

[andyish]

Put quite simply, I don’t think Utd are good enough to take anything off City.

And they will bulldoze everyone else to a 98 point winning total.

No shame is coming second by a point to that!

 

[marukomu]

Newcastle denying the scousers would be the best meltdown. Sir Rafa gets the order wrong.

 

[Daysleeper]

I’m sure Rafa will do Liverpool a solid

 

[prateik]

We'll will get something from the City game.. If Pool win their games, its theirs.

 

[Josh 76]

I am confident Liverpool will win. Momentum is king in football and Liverpool have all of it. Typical of Baldy to mess up an away leg CL tie to put his season on the verge of failure.

Liverpool can't win it, City can only lose it now.

 

[soccerMad]

Liverpool can't win it, City can only lose it now.

Agreed. It's their's to lose, City.

It is a matter of who will blink first. There is no more margin of error. Who ever lose point first would have given the other side the motivation and momentum to go on to win the title.

On paper, don't think we can take points off City.

But this is football, never say never.

 

[Treble]

City looked leggy and lost KDB. Which gives hope to Liverpool. City's chance is that we are not likely to be fresher than them come Wednesday. Everton away will be hard and physically draining, Everton are among the teams that run a lot.

If City manage to win 98 pts without having KDB (in top form) for most of the season, that would be some achievement. That would mean that they dropped only 3 pts after Christmas. Doesn't seem likely to happen, would be quite unbelievable.

 

[Speedy30]

I think at this stage, it's more likely that City win out than drop any points. They're too good to drop silly points at this time of the season and Pep will be desperate to win the league after what happened in the UCL.
I would have loved us to win it after so long but the fact that we're pushing City this far is testament to Klopp and our recruitment over the last couple of years. We have a chance of winning the Champions League which is a great consolation prize but we have to go up against one of the best sides in the world to win it. We've got where we are on merit and I can't see us falling away next season as many on here would hope. I do however think that the competition next season will be stronger. Spurs and Chelsea will strengthen, Man Utd will have to improve and City will chuck money anywhere they like in order to try and get further than the quarter finals of the UCL for once under Pep.

 

[Treble]

I think at this stage, it's more likely that City win out than drop any points. They're too good to drop silly points at this time of the season and Pep will be desperate to win the league after what happened in the UCL.
I would have loved us to win it after so long but the fact that we're pushing City this far is testament to Klopp and our recruitment over the last couple of years. We have a chance of winning the Champions League which is a great consolation prize but we have to go up against one of the best sides in the world to win it. We've got where we are on merit and I can't see us falling away next season as many on here would hope. I do however think that the competition next season will be stronger. Spurs and Chelsea will strengthen, Man Utd will have to improve and City will chuck money anywhere they like in order to try and get further than the quarter finals of the UCL for once under Pep.

Depends on the end of the season. If you win nothing after such a season, it's hard to predict the repercussions. You will make the top 4 easily but whether you'd challenge again is anyone's guess.

 

[Manchester Dan]

I am confident Liverpool will win. Momentum is king in football and Liverpool have all of it. Typical of Baldy to mess up an away leg CL tie to put his season on the verge of failure.

Momentum in what sense? City have won 14/15 League games on the bounce and turned an -7 point gap into a +1 point gap and have an FA Cup final waiting for them. Hard to argue that ‘Liverpool have all of it”.

 

[Speedy30]

Depends on the end of the season. If you win nothing after such a season, it's hard to predict the repercussions. You will make the top 4 easily but whether you'd challenge again is anyone's guess.

Can't argue with that. I think Klopp is a great motivator though and if anyone can lift a team back up, it's him.

 

[Havak]

Don’t you get it? This lot would rather that fake plastic club bought with oil money rule the league for the next 15 years than let us get our hands on the league this season (never mind any future seasons if/when Baldy fecks off).

Would you expect anything else? I'd be surprised if you'd rather United win the League than City.

 

[OhGee]

Que Sera Sera, whatever will be will be. Liverpool have the easier run in of the two but there are some tricky games - Cardiff a in a battle with Brighton and need a result to keep their hopes alive. Relegation battle teams play like their lives matter and it is an away fixture so it will be an interesting game. The Spanish waited may have a point to prove against his former restaurantees so who knows. Wolves is still hopeful of a Europa qualification and if Arsenal or Chelsea win Europa this year then their chances increase- they’re very good at parking the bus against the top 6 teams...

 

[Treble]

Took a look at the best ever seasons at club level in the big leagues, especially the second halfs of the seasons.

Madrid 11-12 dropped only 6 pts in the second half of the season and won the title with 100 pts.

Barca 09-10 and Juve 13-14 dropped 7 pts and won respectively 99 and 102 pts.

Barca 12-13 dropped 10 pts and won 100 pts.

So, if City win 3 and draw 1 of the last 4 PL games, they will have the best ever second half in a season with 38 games (at least across the big leagues). How likely is that to happen? Hard to tell but they will struggle at OT, imo, maybe at Burnley too.

 

[Halds]

I was hoping the CL defeat killed their momentum. They aint dropping points from now on.

And with the CL distraction I can't see us winning the rest anyway. So even if you should nick a point midweek, it's not gonna be enough for us.

 

[GuybrushThreepwood]

While City are clearly a long way ahead of United, and have 5 wins, 1 draw and just 1 defeat from their last 7 league matches and Old Trafford, and United haven’t won a big match at Old Trafford
so far this season, that match is still going be hugely difficult for City.

Going to Old Trafford knowing that they will most likely have to win there, and that a draw wouldn’t be good enough, is just a huge and very difficult level of pressure, and I’m not sure if they will be able to handle that. We’ll see though. Last season had City drawn at Old Trafford, it would have been a positive result as they would have maintained an 8 point lead over United and that was only in December.