Title race : January fixtures (from GK 17 to GW21)

charlenefan

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How were City today? 1-0 at home to Brighton doesn't look very impressive?
 

el3mel

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Very poor. Brighton played really good progressive football and probably deserved a point.
Brighton have been playing well against pretty much all top sides this season and they still lost against all of them. :lol:
 

croadyman

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How were City today? 1-0 at home to Brighton doesn't look very impressive?
Well were better team across the game but sounds like Brighton had a right go in the second half, shame that Sterling penalty miss wasn't punished but still a spirited showing
 

croadyman

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Brighton was their gamweek one game just like our match against Burnley.

They're playing Villa normally throughout the next 6 games fixtures.
Pretty certain their first week one was Villa at home but sure someone else can put me right if not
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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They have been picking up form recently, winning their last 3 league games and have a pretty easy fixture list coming on. Their toughest game in the next 6 will be Villa. They're definitely a title contender with us and Liverpool no matter how we look into it, more so than Spurs, Leicester, Chelsea and Everton that's for sure.
Agree they are better than those teams, but they are being made out to be brilliant again when they arent they limped through tonight.
 

el3mel

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Agree they are better than those teams, but they are being made out to be brilliant again when they arent they limped through tonight.
I don't really think there has been a team this season I can see "brilliant". It's a matter of grinding as many wins as possible.
 

James35

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I'm fancying 8 points from our next 4 games and I'm also thinking the same for Liverpool. City will win all theirs and be on top just.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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I don't really think there has been a team this season I can see "brilliant". It's a matter of grinding as many wins as possible.
But I think they will stutter plenty more times this season. So I’m while they might come close I’ll be disappointed if we don’t push them.
 

Irwin99

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How were City today? 1-0 at home to Brighton doesn't look very impressive?
I wonder if any team are actually playing great football at the minute? I didn't see the United game yesterday but we've been good/efficient in the past month or so with some very nervy finishes. This season will be a marathon I think.
 

adexkola

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They weren’t great.
True

But I refer everyone to City's run-in in the 2018-19 season where they rattled off a string of 14 boring yet solid wins enroute to winning the title ahead of the European champions. My main worry is that their defense holds constant throughout the season to enable this kind of run, despite their relatively anemic offense.
 

charlenefan

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I wonder if any team are actually playing great football at the minute? I didn't see the United game yesterday but we've been good/efficient in the past month or so with some very nervy finishes. This season will be a marathon I think.
Given the circumstances of the game (opportunity to go top, added motivation for Burnley to stop that) i thought we were very professional yesterday with the spine of the team (two CB's, two CM's and CF all being very impressive)
 

MyOnlySolskjaer

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True

But I refer everyone to City's run-in in the 2018-19 season where they rattled off a string of 14 boring yet solid wins enroute to winning the title ahead of the European champions. My main worry is that their defense holds constant throughout the season to enable this kind of run, despite their relatively anemic offense.
Good point. Solid defence takes you all the way.
 

Rozay

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I've had them as favourites for the title since the season started and haven't seen much to change my mind. All the big clubs have problems this year, but City are the best of a bad bunch.
Well they aren’t. We are.
 

croadyman

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I'm fancying 8 points from our next 4 games and I'm also thinking the same for Liverpool. City will win all theirs and be on top just.
so I presume you are thinking

Liverpool a DRAW
Fulham a WIN
Sheff Utd h WIN
Arsenal a DRAW
 

mark_a

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How were City today? 1-0 at home to Brighton doesn't look very impressive?
City seemed to grow out of the game! The commentary was the usual Pep love-in anyhow, talk of some changes being "strange" but with the inference that he's a genius. I also recall some "credit to the player & credit to Pep" comments about Stones coming back from the wilderness. Remember the last time you heard that about a United player? No, they always find a way to frame it negatively or use it in the agenda against whoever our manager is.
 

James35

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so I presume you are thinking

Liverpool a DRAW
Fulham a WIN
Sheff Utd h WIN
Arsenal a DRAW
Yes that's what I'm thinking. Arsenal have improved and I don't think we can beat Liverpool at Anfield so I'm hoping for a draw to be honest.

We have to beat Fulham and Sheffield United. These are the games we must collect all points in as I don't overly fancy our chances against the big teams based on the lack of wins and goals against them so far. We have 18 more points to play for against the big 5 and 45 points from the rest of our games. If we have ambitions of winning this league, it may be possible on a tally of points in the low 80s, we just need to become more efficient in front of goal and hope the other teams keep slipping up... It's a very strange season so far but if City and Liverpool manage to go on a run like last season I feel we don't have enough quality to stay in a chase.
 

cyberman

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How were City today? 1-0 at home to Brighton doesn't look very impressive?
Theyre playing exactly how they did weeks ago if we take Chelsea result to the side. Theyre still too rigid going forward but are relying on a defence over performing that let Leeds etc score those goals earlier on.
 

Doracle

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City seemed to grow out of the game! The commentary was the usual Pep love-in anyhow, talk of some changes being "strange" but with the inference that he's a genius. I also recall some "credit to the player & credit to Pep" comments about Stones coming back from the wilderness. Remember the last time you heard that about a United player? No, they always find a way to frame it negatively or use it in the agenda against whoever our manager is.
Bringing Jesus on to play left wing was bizarre, when they had Silva/Mahrez playing as a false 9 and Sterling also on the bench. He promptly gave the ball away 3 or 4 times in his own half trying to do stuff which would be fine higher up the pitch, where he usually plays.
 
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United

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City can potentially go 1 point above us after their game in hand mid-week ( if they win today's game against palace). But today we got the most difficult game of the season away and we got a point from it.

The fact that we are disappointed with a draw at Anfield is a good sign. That's how it should be.

Let's get maximum points against Fulham and SU. City have Villa and Everton away, they'll lose points.
 

el3mel

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That was perfect overall. Did exactly what we wanted.

Liverpool have a couple of tough games up so we should take the chance and widen the gab a little bit.

City will be a primary title challenger by the end of the month.
 

RUCK4444

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City can potentially go 1 point above us after their game in hand mid-week ( if they win today's game against palace). But today we got the most difficult game of the season away and we got a point from it.

The fact that we are disappointed with a draw at Anfield is a good sign. That's how it should be.

Let's get maximum points against Fulham and SU. City have Villa and Everton away, they'll lose points.
Yeah let’s stay positive and keep pushing on. I think the lads will look back and feel disappointed we didn’t win but they should hopefully take the positives and push on.
 

Judas

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Just need to take care of our fixtures against the lesser teams now. Liverpools fixtures aren't great, and City's get tricky again after this month is over.

Onto Fulham, that's the focus now.
 

croadyman

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City can potentially go 1 point above us after their game in hand mid-week ( if they win today's game against palace). But today we got the most difficult game of the season away and we got a point from it.

The fact that we are disappointed with a draw at Anfield is a good sign. That's how it should be.

Let's get maximum points against Fulham and SU. City have Villa and Everton away, they'll lose points.
Their game with Everton hasn't been scheduled yet but hopeful Villa can find a performance within them at The Etihad on Weds night, quite honestly if you offered me 7 points out of our next three games I would take it and yes I know it means being level on points with City but personally think that isn't a bad position considering their trips to Anfield & The Emirates plus Spurs at home in February.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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I think whichever team that gets to 85 points will win the league this season, which means we must win at least 15 games out of the remaining 20, plus 3 draws. City is in fine form right now so wouldn’t be surprised if they go on a 10 games unbeaten streak with mostly wins.

Personally, I’d feck off the EL pronto, only travel with second string+kids, and if we go out we go out. The 14-15 who are always in contention for first XI must be able to play every league game at full fitness if we are to have a strong 2nd half of the season.
 

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Their game with Everton hasn't been scheduled yet but hopeful Villa can find a performance within them at The Etihad on Weds night, quite honestly if you offered me 7 points out of our next three games I would take it and yes I know it means being level on points with City but personally think that isn't a bad position considering their trips to Anfield & The Emirates plus Spurs at home in February.
Yeah, agree with this. It's all about being around top place by the end of March. After that, everything can happen.

They have an easy fixture list for now and they have been lucky (weirdly) with the covid situation, they got a good rest end of December compared to other teams. But they'll have to manage the CL and the premier league from February onwards knowing that pep wants that CL trophy. So while they are heavy favorites, we'll definitely be there I think.
 

Feed Me

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City have rightly been lauded for a terrific defensive record this season.

What is currently going under the radar from a United perspective is only one goal conceded in the last four league matches, following a run of shipping six in three against Sheff U, Leeds and Leicester.

We have won five and drawn three of the last eight, with the trio of draws being City, Leicester and Pool, so the pattern is clear – a point in the head to head big games and beat the also rans.

Fulham and Sheff U in the next two represent fixtures that we should be winning with a bit of style, while I would love for us to really concentrate at the back and get this clean sheet run really up and running – the defence needs to be coming off feeling annoyed when they’ve conceded.
 

croadyman

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Yeah, agree with this. It's all about being around top place by the end of March. After that, everything can happen.

They have an easy fixture list for now and they have been lucky (weirdly) with the covid situation, they got a good rest end of December compared to other teams. But they'll have to manage the CL and the premier league from February onwards knowing that pep wants that CL trophy. So while they are heavy favorites, we'll definitely be there I think.
Then again they have an easier CL tie than Liverpool or Chelsea which means they will to be able to rest and rotate more
 
Fulham 1-2 United (40 pts) | City (38pts) 2-0 Villa | Liverpool (34 pts) 0-1 Burnley

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As weird as it is. It looks like we are firmly in the title race, challenging... City. Liverpool looks out of it as of now.

They're 6 points behind us, potentially 7 behind city (if they win their game in hand) and they play spurs next while we play SU and city plays WBA. So they could be even farther behind.
 

Bilbo

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As weird as it is. It looks like we are firmly in the title race, challenging... City. Liverpool looks out of it as of now.

They're 6 points behind us, potentially 7 behind city (if they win their game in hand) and they play spurs next while we play SU and city plays WBA. So they could be even farther behind.
I wouldnt rule Liverpool out yet. So much can change over a 2 to 3 game period. We've seen it time and again.