The chase for 4th place (not top 4)

[Red Dreams]

Chelsea may well drop out of top 4.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

City, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea.

I think there will be a decent gap to 5th too.

 

[Leftback99]

Chelsea may well drop out of top 4.

They'll be comfortable in 3rd. Points on the board and the easiest run in having already played City and Liverpool.

 

[ThatsGreat]

They'll be comfortable in 3rd. Points on the board and the easiest run in having already played City and Liverpool.

Yes, but that was true even before they dropped points to Brighton. Think Chelsea's level has been found, they're top four contenders sure, but not better than that.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Yes, but that was true even before they dropped points to Brighton. Think Chelsea's level has been found, they're top four contenders sure, but not better than that.

Chelsea are just weird. It wouldn’t surprise me if they finished 7 points behind City. Nor would it if they finished 5th.

For two months they are defensively solid. Then they leak goals every game for a month. They’ll go on a run where they control games. Then appear to forget how and resort to reactive football.

Arguably the best squad in the league, misfires way too often.

 

[ThatsGreat]

Chelsea are just weird. It wouldn’t surprise me if they finished 7 points behind City. Nor would it if they finished 5th.

For two months they are defensively solid. Then they leak goals every game for a month. They’ll go on a run where they control games. Then appear to forget how and resort to reactive football.

Arguably the best squad in the league, misfires way too often.

Yes, thats right, but the pnts per game has been established, factoring in the fluctuations in form. They'll be around the fourth place, but the top four is too close to call. Think Spurs have a better chance of ending up in the CL places than Chelsea.

 

[Leftback99]

Yes, but that was true even before they dropped points to Brighton. Think Chelsea's level has been found, they're top four contenders sure, but not better than that.

They are a level above the top 4 contenders. Brighton isn't an easy game on current form.

People also look far too optimistically on games in hand, assuming them all as wins.

 

[ThatsGreat]

They are a level above the top 4 contenders. Brighton isn't an easy game on current form.

People also look far too optimistically on games in hand, assuming them all as wins.

Yes, Brighton is difficult game, but your point was that they've got city and liverpool out of the way. I see chelsea dropping points at other difficult games.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

We don’t have a cat in hells chance of finishing in the top 4.

 

[Leftback99]

Yes, Brighton is difficult game, but your point was that they've got city and liverpool out of the way. I see chelsea dropping points at other difficult games.

And so will everyone else even more so. They've also played all of the top 10 away (apart from us) already I think.

 

[minoo-utd]

Going to be difficult. Spurs still have two games in hand which make them 6 pts clear above us if the win. Chelsea once they realize that the title is clearly our of reach they will put everything to be in top four surely, and there's also Arsenal which play better football than us ATM. I don't want be pessimistic, but we need a winning streak to have good chance as I still believe, but when was the last time we won 4-5 games straight!

 

[Bestietom]

Chelsea have not been doing well lately and can be caught for 3rd place. Win our games in hand and we are only 3 points behind them.
Saturday versus West Ham is a must win game.

 

[Ixion]

If Spurs won their games in hand it will be very difficult as it's hard to see us stringing together more than a couple of wins in a row at the moment. We were 2 points clear of them in October before Conte and our GD +11 on theirs, if they win those games we'd be 7 points behind and behind on GD so you have to give Conte credit. I don't think they'll win both games though.

 

[Josh 76]

What people forget is all the teams going for top 4 are not teams capable of wining 4 or 5 games in a row, let alone win most of their remaining games.

If they were capable of doing that, they would be going for the title.

Top 4 is wide open. It will be go down to the last couple of games.

 

[WeePat]

Spurs' games in hand:

Brighton (A)
Burnley (A)
Arsenal (H)

Arsenal's games in hand:

Wolves (H)
Liverpool (H)
Chelsea (A)
Tottenham (A)

 

[Scroto Baggins]

Arsenal's games in hand:

Wolves (H)
Liverpool (H)
Chelsea (A)
Tottenham (A)

Rough set of fixtures that is.

 

[MalBot]

Spurs' games in hand:

Brighton (A)
Burnley (A)
Arsenal (H)

Arsenal's games in hand:

Wolves (H)
Liverpool (H)
Chelsea (A)
Tottenham (A)

So far we only have 2 games in hand in the league. Wolves and Spurs. The Liverpool game is the league cup which was switched and we playing that tonight. The Chelsea game hasn't come around yet, we meant to play on the 12th of Feb but that would need to be rearranged because chelsea are at the club world cup at that time I think.

 

[bosnian_red]

Think it'll be Spurs in 4th. Arsenal, United and West Ham 5-7. I don't think we'll get enough consistency to sort ourselves out in the league for 4th.

 

[WeePat]

So far we only have 2 games in hand in the league. Wolves and Spurs. The Liverpool game is the league cup which was switched and we playing that tonight. The Chelsea game hasn't come around yet, we meant to play on the 12th of Feb but that would need to be rearranged because chelsea are at the club world cup at that time I think.

It's not the league cup fixture vs Liverpool. It's the league game that's been postponed because that league fixture falls on league cup final weekend and obviously one of Arsenal or Liverpool will be in that final.

I just went by what I saw on Arsenal's own website. They have 4 games in the TBC section and they're against the 4 teams mentioned above.

Scroll all the way down to the bottom https://www.arsenal.com/fixtures

 

[marfans]

Chelsea are just weird. It wouldn’t surprise me if they finished 7 points behind City. Nor would it if they finished 5th.

For two months they are defensively solid. Then they leak goals every game for a month. They’ll go on a run where they control games. Then appear to forget how and resort to reactive football.

Arguably the best squad in the league, misfires way too often.

Chelsea best squad in the league, you must be having a laugh.
As a Chelsea fan I will take United, City or Liverpool squad way ahead of ours

 

[BorisManUtd]

Arsenal out of both cups so they'll be fully concentrated on the league, think they'll pick up lots of points especially in lesser games. Tottenham only still playing in Fa Cup and Conte is excellent league manager. Don't trust us to be consistent enough to get 4th.

I'm afraid it'll be Spurs in 4th in the end but let's see, we're basically only half way through the season. It hasn't been great with Rangnick so far but if it starts working, we're in with a chance, both in the league and against Atletico in CL. If not, then no chance we pick up enough points for top 4.

West Ham are in good position like last season but can see the same repeating to them like last April/May.

 

[RuudTom83]

As a football fan I can’t get excited about a race to finish in the Top 4.

I’ll leave it for the club owners and shareholders to get worked up about.

 

[Jacob]

We will get 4th. Spurs are bottlers and Arsenal is Arsenal.

 

[Chief123]

I think we’ve already blown top 4 unfortunately. Really hope I’m wrong. But we’ve got an incredibly hard run of fixtures coming up which is pretty much the same run of fixtures we had before Christmas which got Ole sacked. The whole objective during these easy fixtures was to win maximum points from about 10 games in a row. We’ve already messed that up from these so called winnable games.

 

[Tarrou]

I think we need to sign a midfielder to have any chance

 

[Ayoba]

IS IT ON?!?!!?

 

[Klopper76]

West Ham definitely out of it now. I still think Arsenal and Spurs have an edge with no European football but United are in it.

 

[Morty_]

If United wins their game in hand, they are just 3 points behind Chelsea, just how?

 

[padr81]

If United wins their game in hand, they are just 3 points behind Chelsea, just how?

Insanity that.

 

[Klopper76]

If United wins their game in hand, they are just 3 points behind Chelsea, just how?

That’s because Chelsea have fewer league wins than Norwich since November.

 

[General_Elegancia]

From I’ve seen today, I’m so confident this goal is onside 100%. It‘s a bit difficult since Cavani and another Westham defender are very close but if you look closely, it’s onside for sure.

 

[WeePat]

If United wins their game in hand, they are just 3 points behind Chelsea, just how?

Who are your games in hand against?

 

[General_Elegancia]

IS IT ON?!?!!?

If you look closely, it’s definitely onside for sure.

 

[Antisocial]

Who are your games in hand against?

We've still got Brighton to play at least.

 

[Damien]

West Ham definitely out of it now. I still think Arsenal and Spurs have an edge with no European football but United are in it.

Third is probably available too with the way Chelsea are, though their goal difference is a good buffer.

Chelsea, United, Spurs and Arsenal fighting for two spots but I agree the latter two have the edge with no European football and the number of games in hand. Tomorrow's a huge game for Spurs. Not a crucial one in that they can lose it and still be a favourite for fourth, but if they win it they would have a very good shot of third too, being five points behind Chelsea with four games in hand.

 

[Sandikan]

From I’ve seen today, I’m so confident this goal is onside 100%. It‘s a bit difficult since Cavani and another Westham defender are very close but if you look closely, it’s onside for sure.

On the current rules, that are on feet position it certainly is.
From a first watch his body is ahead of their man, and I feared the worst.

 

[lex talionis]

Crucial victory to keep us in the hunt for fourth, but bears lie in wait in the forest.

 

[Sandikan]

If United wins their game in hand, they are just 3 points behind Chelsea, just how?

Because Chelsea have barely won for months, aren't actually that good anyway, and have a few injuries too.

 

[Strats]

We have games against the big teams coming up. Hope we can string together some wins to build some confidence and put some pressure on them going into the games.

 

[General_Elegancia]

The race of top4 this year is pretty brutal and fun. From2-7 places must fight for top4. Arsenal, Conte’s Spurs, United, Chelsea, West ham and include my lovely club Liverpool too. It’s very hard to guess top4 in this season due to a lot of changes circumstances every time , you must look match by match.