Table before MD 18
Premier League holiday fixtures (Mon 26 Dec - Wed 4 Jan)
- Thread starter top1whoisman
- Start date
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Chelsea 7 points
Arsenal 9
Liverpool 7
City 7
Spurs 5
United 7
Which would mean:
Chelsea 50
Liverpool 44
Arsenal 43
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City 43
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Spurs 38
United 37
Arsenal 9
Liverpool 7
City 7
Spurs 5
United 7
Which would mean:
Chelsea 50
Liverpool 44
Arsenal 43
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City 43
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Spurs 38
United 37
Predict we will be in top 4 come January 5th, and not far off 2nd placed team (most likely Liverpool).
Really confident that we will be taking all points during these fixtures. Normally, you would be worried about West Ham away as it is where fatigue may kick in and the home crowd would treat it like a cup final. However, the game will be played on the neutral ground and West Ham is bit shit at the moment.
Really confident that we will be taking all points during these fixtures. Normally, you would be worried about West Ham away as it is where fatigue may kick in and the home crowd would treat it like a cup final. However, the game will be played on the neutral ground and West Ham is bit shit at the moment.
I'm confident we're getting 9 points from our next 3 fixtures. People going safe because of West Ham haven't watched them play this season home or away.
If West Ham are in League 2 and we play them away I still would have some apprehension. Not because of a lack of confidence in my team but more due to the fact that West Ham basically exist as a football club to raise their game twice a season, both games against United. They've proven over the years that how shit they do in relation to the rest of their fixtures means little compared to the performances they put in against us.
It's not the Boleyn anymore.
Why's everyone so certain Chelsea will draw/lose at Tottenham? That's a very winnable game for us.
More worried about complacency against Bournemouth/Stoke.
More worried about complacency against Bournemouth/Stoke.
I wonder if we'll see scores like this on Monday.
Only Spurs among our rivals, I can see dropping points.
Might have something to do with Spurs being better than Bournemouth and Stoke.
Any other predictions, Yoda?
The sheer amount of hangovers and heavy legs from eating copious amounts of inappropriate foods must have been mind boggling.I wonder if we'll see scores like this on Monday.
God I'm bored waiting for football. It's like international week even though we only played last Monday. Any weekend without football throws me out of synch.
I agree. Not even cheese and red wine help
I won't disagree on Chelsea benefits the most among the top 6 teams, but your fixture 's still very kind as you still have proper recovering time than dealing with 2 games in 3 days. Watford has to go through 2 games in 3 days too. If anything, Watford would be restrained to go all out in the game with you as they need to conserve energy for the game 2 days later. They know at 100%, getting result from you guys is already difficult. With them having another game in mind and likely ain't at their best, you guys have an advantage as you still have enough time to recover stamina from your game with Southampton
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More Bournemouth, as you are missing both Costa and Kanté.
This Watford v Palace game had better be decent (and not just constant shots of Allardyce's fat head)
So now we have an advantage over a team who's had a full weeks rest because they have another game a couple of days later, seriously?
Seriously? You can't read my post in regard Watford would have their next game 2 days away and they can't go all out in their second game and risk running emptied tank in their third?
1 week full rest prior to little to zero recovery time for third game = feck no advantage. Ask Arsenal, City, L'pool fans whether they would swap their 2 games in 3 days schedule for your well paced schedule, I am positive they would all prefer your way.
Watford players won't be thinking 'oh I better not run for that ball as I've got another game the day after tomorrow which I may or may not Be playing in'.
Plus Spurs and Arsenal are as close to what Watford get in the PL to being a local derby.
Let's not pretend PL just started today. We see this kind of schedule before and how clubs reacted to it in the past.
with this rivalry argument again. Yet Chelsea fans still denies the great rivalry with Tottenham since you brought it up last season game at Stamford Bridge to this day. Sound like every team in the PL all hold grudge with Tottenham that their fans ain't even aware ofDoubt it. Allardyce is not an attaccking manager, plus being his first game in charge he needs to keep it safe.
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Who said Watford have a grudge with Spurs? I said Spurs and Arsenal are as close to what Watford have to a PL derby.Let's not pretend PL just started today. We see this kind of schedule before and how clubs reacted to it in the past.
I understand that you don't know where PL clubs are located in relation to each other, why not Google a map as it will help you understand what you are watching.
And I've never said Spurs and Chelsea have a footballing rivalry.
Not bother with back tracking any more.
Just throw in Klopp's quote:
“I understand tradition – I would never say Boxing Day is not a good idea as I love it and I have absolutely no problem. But now having a match day with two days between, there should be another possibility. I don’t know why we play Monday. Is January 2 a special day in England? “Forty-eight hours between two games – how does this work? And then you will sit there and say ‘You didn’t perform too well, how did this happen’ or ‘Injuries. Oh’, and then this Dutch guy says ‘The training is not too good’. How do you prepare a team for this? Do you say ‘Only 50% against City because we have Sunderland on Monday’..."
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/oct/14/jurgen-klopp-liverpool-festive-fixture-schedule
Even Klopp finds it hard to in preparing games, even though there is a big game against direct top 4/ title competitor in hand, let alone Watford's PL derby with Tottenham you pulled out no where for their fans. Wenger, Mou agreed with Klopp here. I seem to miss Poch speaking out against Tottenham having less rest than Watford.
Honestly, I don't expect you to understand how the PL works for clubs or the geography of England.
I'll help you here, Watford's primary rivalry is with Luton, the two sets of fans hate each other, but the chances of them playing each other in the PL is remote. The nearest PL clubs are Arsenal and Spurs and because of its location Watford is a town and area where lots of Arsenal and Spurs fans live, it's not hard to understand. Now whilst there is no intense rivalry between Watford and Arsenal/Spurs it is a town where they would be the 3 most popular clubs and that creates although not an intense derby environment for Watford when they play either. But as I say I fully understand why you can't understand this.
And you'd have trouble finding Poch complaining about much, it's not his style.
I fully realise the complexities of playing 2 games in such a quick turnaround, however the main problems show themselves in the second of the two games, not the first one, that's obvious.
Should be easy wins for the top 4 again today so we're not going to gain any ground.
West Ham away will be a tough one especially since that will be our 2nd game in 3 days. We need to rest quite a few players for the Middlesbrough game especially Carrick as we definitely need him for this one.
Ah, boxing day footie!
There's more than enough talent in that Palace side, they've been underperforming for a long time now.
Almost penalty to Palace here.
Zaha having a CR7-esque's performance so far.
Zaha having a CR7-esque's performance so far.
Benteke's movement being shown up again.
Behrami does his hamstring. Deeney on.
Watford players dropping like flies. Two subs under 14 minutes.
Watford with 2 injuries and 2 subs already after 14 minutes
Another Watford player down.
You could fit so many things inside Deeney's nose.
What a pass by Deeney.
Lucky Spurs who play Watford next.