Top 4 Race 19/20 | duffer: "We [Chelsea] are getting 3rd. Despite what the lunatics in here think, Man United are not all that."

[anant]

If City's ban stays, I fully expect the last GW to be dead rubber in terms of CL qualification. I expect Wolves to drop more points as is, and even should one of the 3 among us, Leicester, Chelsea falter, Wolves wouldn't be having a realistic chance of getting a top 5 place due to their GD

 

[romufc]

We must win all our games. We have to go in with the attitude that the teams around us will not lose points.

Put the pressure on Chelsea and Leicester.

I feel if we get top 4, this will go along way to this squads development.

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

I think we would end up 5th but City's ban will stand

 

[Eire Red United]

I think we would end up 5th but City's ban will stand

The state Leicester are in and with Chelsea’s tough run in, I’d be very disappointed with 5th.

 

[Paolo Di Canio]

Am i stir crazy or were Leicester a good 11/12 points ahead of us at one stage? The fact we can bring it to one tomorrow is amazing

 

[JTW95]

I think Leicester and Chelsea definitely have more dropped points in them. If we win all our games I think we can get 3rd. They both have tricky games coming up. We just need to do our job and it will all be good.

 

[romufc]

Am i stir crazy or were Leicester a good 11/12 points ahead of us at one stage? The fact we can bring it to one tomorrow is amazing

Yep, I was just having a look at that, they were 12 points clear after our Wolves game in January. Chelsea were 6 points clear of us too.

Tomorrow's game could be a huge psychological blow for either team IMO. If we win, we know its in our hands. Anything other than a win makes it very very tough to get top 4.

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

The state Leicester are in and with Chelsea’s tough run in, I’d be very disappointed with 5th.

Same it's really because I don't see us winning all our matches.

 

[Mount's Goatieson]

I think United fans are underestimating how important the game will be for Aston Villa tomorrow, esp after Watford's win yesterday and a potential win for Westham at home to Burnley today. Thursday's game could be a decider for Aston Villa's bid to stay in the PL. Their games don't get any easier either.
Of course with United's form they are expected to win but there is a whole lot difference between being expected to win and actually winning.

A draw won't be a bad result if it were to end that way though and wouldn't warrant the meltdown that would undoubtedly errupt on here.

 

[TMDaines]

Am i stir crazy or were Leicester a good 11/12 points ahead of us at one stage? The fact we can bring it to one tomorrow is amazing

Leicester were 14 points ahead of United, as late as gameweek 25. They were even 15 points ahead, when they played before us the next gameweek.

United's expected points have always been ahead of Leicester's for the entire season though. That's not to say that it was inevitable that United would catch Leicester, but United have been "unlucky" so far this season and Leicester "lucky". The league table massively flattered Leicester's performances.

 

[SirAnderson]

Chelsea play both their next to matches before us, Sheffield and Norwich. Then we play each other in the FA cup.
Then our penultimate games we play on the same day, but we play the earlier game, would be good to get that win against West Ham and they have to play Liverpool with that pressure.
Leicester play their penultimate game a good 3 days after us, so will be lots of pressure to deliver and it will be against Spurs. By the time we play them I'm hoping a draw will be sufficient to take 3rd or 4th place.

 

[AltiUn]

I think United fans are underestimating how important the game will be for Aston Villa tomorrow, esp after Watford's win yesterday and a potential win for Westham at home to Burnley today. Thursday's game could be a decider for Aston Villa's bid to stay in the PL. Their games don't get any easier either.
Of course with United's form they are expected to win but there is a whole lot difference between being expected to win and actually winning.

A draw won't be a bad result if it were to end that way though and wouldn't warrant the meltdown that would undoubtedly errupt on here.

I don't think many think it's a given. I certainly don't expect Solskjaer and the players will think it's a given either, which is the only thing that matters, really.

 

[Teja]

Then our penultimate games we play on the same day, but we play the earlier game, would be good to get that win against West Ham and they have to play Liverpool with that pressure.

What ticks me off is that both Pool and City seem to be in holiday mode already, I saw the Chelsea fixture list before they played City and thought we'll easily make up the points gap. I still think we will but not as certain anymore. Leicester seem more beatable.

 

[SirAnderson]

What ticks me off is that both Pool and City seem to be in holiday mode already, I saw the Chelsea fixture list before they played City and thought we'll easily make up the points gap. I still think we will but not as certain anymore. Leicester seem more beatable.

Yeah, but I still feel Pool and Spurs will see off Chelsea and LCFC respectively, even a draw is enough if we win all our games.

 

[Mibabalou]

When you look at how we did in the reverse fixtures in these remaining matches it really shows how far we've come this year.

I really do think we can win out !

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

I think United fans are underestimating how important the game will be for Aston Villa tomorrow, esp after Watford's win yesterday and a potential win for Westham at home to Burnley today. Thursday's game could be a decider for Aston Villa's bid to stay in the PL. Their games don't get any easier either.
Of course with United's form they are expected to win but there is a whole lot difference between being expected to win and actually winning.

A draw won't be a bad result if it were to end that way though and wouldn't warrant the meltdown that would undoubtedly errupt on here.

I agree with you here, while I’ll be disappointed if we don’t win, a draw should still be okay providing we win the rest. Leicester are certain to drop more points in their next 3 games in my opinion. I also wouldn’t rule out Chelsea dropping some still. All that said a win tomorrow and Utd will really be on fine form.

 

[RkkMan]

I think United fans are underestimating how important the game will be for Aston Villa tomorrow, esp after Watford's win yesterday and a potential win for Westham at home to Burnley today. Thursday's game could be a decider for Aston Villa's bid to stay in the PL. Their games don't get any easier either.
Of course with United's form they are expected to win but there is a whole lot difference between being expected to win and actually winning.

A draw won't be a bad result if it were to end that way though and wouldn't warrant the meltdown that would undoubtedly errupt on here.

I beg your pardon?? A draw would be the worst result we can get at this stage of the season. We cant keep banking on Leicester dropping points if a squad with the quality it possesses is unable to do the job on its own without help from others then serious question marks should be raised.
Villa are winless in 10 and extremely low on confidence Utd are unbeaten in 16 with high squad morale with actual quality anything below 3 points on Thursday is nothing short of unacceptable.

 

[Keefy18]

based on last night's 1-1 draw, I believe we will enter the last day of the season sitting in a top 4 spot but wont have the luxury of qualification already tied up and will still likely need to avoid a loss to Leicester

Kinda my thinking alright...

I reckon 3 wins and 2 draws is satisfactory and gets us 4th minimum.

Sadly I'm starting to resign myself to Chelsea getting 3rd.

 

[RkkMan]

I agree with you here, while I’ll be disappointed if we don’t win, a draw should still be okay providing we win the rest. Leicester are certain to drop more points in their next 3 games in my opinion. I also wouldn’t rule out Chelsea dropping some still. All that said a win tomorrow and Utd will really be on fine form.

Have to seriously disagree. A draw on Thursday is 2 massive points dropped and if its the case serious criticism has to be directed to the players and the manager. If we can`t beat a team thats winless in 10 games when we are unbeaten in 16 then there is absolutely nothing good about getting a draw.

 

[Infra-red]

based on last night's 1-1 draw, I believe we will enter the last day of the season sitting in a top 4 spot but wont have the luxury of qualification already tied up and will still likely need to avoid a loss to Leicester

I expect we are going to have to win that game, unless Leicester have a mare in the interim.

 

[Berbasbullet]

I beg your pardon?? A draw would be the worst result we can get at this stage of the season. We cant keep banking on Leicester dropping points if a squad with the quality it possesses is unable to do the job on its own without help from others then serious question marks should be raised.
Villa are winless in 10 and extremely low on confidence Utd are unbeaten in 16 with high squad morale with actual quality anything below 3 points on Thursday is nothing short of unacceptable.

Oh yeah for sure, but just because that’s the way things are don’t expect to turn up and smash them 4-0, Villa will make it a tough game, we should have too much for them though.

 

[RkkMan]

Oh yeah for sure, but just because that’s the way things are don’t expect to turn up and smash them 4-0, Villa will make it a tough game, we should have too much for them though.

Ooh I know they will defo make it a tough game but we should still be able to get something over them. We don`t have a midfield of Mata, Fred and Pereira like last time out ffs this mood dampening and underestimation of Utd being able to get a result over a team thats winless in 10 games is seriously doing my head in. We SHOULD be winning that no two ways about it. A draw will NOT be a good result for us at all.

 

[Suedesi]

I hope Chelsea drop out, the jammy cnuts.

 

[ZolaWasMagic]

What's this notion we have a tough run in. I mean, Sheff U away, Norwich home, Pool away and Wolves home last day is not a tough run in, per se. We can afford to lose a game, too. Only 9 pts needed to guarantee CL. Fancy us to beat Sheff U away if we can defend - and Norwich home. Liverpool we can afford to lose in that instance, Wolves home i think we will get something.

Utd's run of Villa away, Soton home, Palace away, West Ham home, Leicester away could be considered tougher. Ok there is no "big" sides in there as such, but some tough teams. Nothing is certain of course, but you cannot rule out a draw or 2 in there

 

[El Zoido]

What's this notion we have a tough run in. I mean, Sheff U away, Norwich home, Pool away and Wolves home last day is not a tough run in, per se. We can afford to lose a game, too. Only 9 pts needed to guarantee CL. Fancy us to beat Sheff U away if we can defend - and Norwich home. Liverpool we can afford to lose in that instance, Wolves home i think we will get something.

Utd's run of Villa away, Soton home, Palace away, West Ham home, Leicester away could be considered tougher. Ok there is no "big" sides in there as such, but some tough teams. Nothing is certain of course, but you cannot rule out a draw or 2 in there

Chelsea’s could be considered easier since you can afford to drop more points than Utd, but in no world is Utd’s run in harder (in terms of opposition on paper).

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

What's this notion we have a tough run in. I mean, Sheff U away, Norwich home, Pool away and Wolves home last day is not a tough run in, per se. We can afford to lose a game, too. Only 9 pts needed to guarantee CL. Fancy us to beat Sheff U away if we can defend - and Norwich home. Liverpool we can afford to lose in that instance, Wolves home i think we will get something.

Utd's run of Villa away, Soton home, Palace away, West Ham home, Leicester away could be considered tougher. Ok there is no "big" sides in there as such, but some tough teams. Nothing is certain of course, but you cannot rule out a draw or 2 in there

There's not a chance the Utd run in is harder than Chelsea's.

We may feck up and blow it, but if you offered any team the choice between the two fixture lists they'd all rather have our run in than yours.

 

[rotherham_red]

What's this notion we have a tough run in. I mean, Sheff U away, Norwich home, Pool away and Wolves home last day is not a tough run in, per se. We can afford to lose a game, too. Only 9 pts needed to guarantee CL. Fancy us to beat Sheff U away if we can defend - and Norwich home. Liverpool we can afford to lose in that instance, Wolves home i think we will get something.

Utd's run of Villa away, Soton home, Palace away, West Ham home, Leicester away could be considered tougher. Ok there is no "big" sides in there as such, but some tough teams. Nothing is certain of course, but you cannot rule out a draw or 2 in there

If only there was an objective way of judging teams performances over the course of a season, in tabular form perhaps...

 

[peridigm]

There's not a chance the Utd run in is harder than Chelsea's.

We may feck up and blow it, but if you offered any team the choice between the two fixture lists they'd all rather have our run in than yours.

Leicester play a team in a relegation battle and us.
Chelsea play a team in a relegation battle, a top 4 battle (Wolves), and Liverpool wanting a pts record.
We play Villa and Westham, two teams fighting relegation, and Leicester.

Safe to say any dropped points between now and the last game of the season and it can be over for any of the 3 of us. We simply need to win every match. It's in our hands.

 

[romufc]

Leicester play a team in a relegation battle and us.
Chelsea play a team in a relegation battle, a top 4 battle (Wolves), and Liverpool wanting a pts record.
We play Villa and Westham, two teams fighting relegation, and Leicester.

Safe to say any dropped points between now and the last game of the season and it can be over for any of the 3 of us. We simply need to win every match. It's in our hands.

Pretty well put. Drop points and top 4 is gone now. it is pretty simple.

It doesnt matter with fixtures because you could sit here arguing Liverpool will be easy because they are not interested as we have seen with their last few performances. However; we play 2 relegation sides, they are there because they can't win games and Leicester who are our rivals. If we cannot win those games, we don't deserve top 4.

 

[KennyBurner]

A lot of pressure on us winning tomorrow. Why does our game have to come 5 days later?

 

[Gasolin]

I just need Ole to teach the ruthless mentality to this squad, and I believe he does, that's why the results are going our way right now. That squad better go full force from the get go against Villa, and shock all the other teams. I want a blood bath, and I want the memo to be sent to the other 19 teams, by carrier pigeon please.

 

[romufc]

I just need Ole to teach the ruthless mentality to this squad, and I believe he does, that's why the results are going our way right now. That squad better go full force from the get go against Villa, and shock all the other teams. I want a blood bath, and I want the memo to be sent to the other 19 teams, by carrier pigeon please.

We need to send a clear and direct message to the PL. We should go and get goals goals goals in the last few games and finish top 4.

If this happens, I can see teams / rival fans being scared of Manutd.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Have to seriously disagree. A draw on Thursday is 2 massive points dropped and if its the case serious criticism has to be directed to the players and the manager. If we can`t beat a team thats winless in 10 games when we are unbeaten in 16 then there is absolutely nothing good about getting a draw.

I don’t disagree. I think we should really be winning tomorrow, but what I’m saying is that we won’t be fully out the race even if we don’t win

 

[Lee565]

If Sheffield united pick up another win tonight then that will be encouraging because if they get back to be like they were pre-covid they will be the type of team that a defensively naive chelsea side will have real issue against and even if wolves stutter for the rest of the season they are still always a very solid side to breakdown and like to play on the counter which could be a real tricky for chelsea if they need to win on the last day to get a top 4 spot.

 

[AltiUn]

What's this notion we have a tough run in. I mean, Sheff U away, Norwich home, Pool away and Wolves home last day is not a tough run in, per se. We can afford to lose a game, too. Only 9 pts needed to guarantee CL. Fancy us to beat Sheff U away if we can defend - and Norwich home. Liverpool we can afford to lose in that instance, Wolves home i think we will get something.

Utd's run of Villa away, Soton home, Palace away, West Ham home, Leicester away could be considered tougher. Ok there is no "big" sides in there as such, but some tough teams. Nothing is certain of course, but you cannot rule out a draw or 2 in there

I mean, you can try and paint it whatever way you like but Liverpool, Sheffield United and Wolves in an objectively harder run. Not to say ours isn't going to present it's own challenge because it definitely will, but it's bordering on delusion to think your run is easier than ours.

 

[sewey89]

If Wolves drop points tonight and we win tomorrow. I think that’s 5th wrapped up. Which could be confirmed to be enough to for CL by the time we play next.

 

[Fully Fledged]

I think United fans are underestimating how important the game will be for Aston Villa tomorrow, esp after Watford's win yesterday and a potential win for Westham at home to Burnley today. Thursday's game could be a decider for Aston Villa's bid to stay in the PL. Their games don't get any easier either.
Of course with United's form they are expected to win but there is a whole lot difference between being expected to win and actually winning.

A draw won't be a bad result if it were to end that way though and wouldn't warrant the meltdown that would undoubtedly errupt on here.

But they do. Their next game is Palace who have nothing to play for.

 

[diarm]

I mean, you can try and paint it whatever way you like but Liverpool, Sheffield United and Wolves in an objectively harder run. Not to say ours isn't going to present it's own challenge because it definitely will, but it's bordering on delusion to think your run is easier than ours.

Palace away is harder than Villa away.
Sheffield United away is harder than Southampton at home.
Norwich at home is easier than Palace away.
Liverpool away is harder than West Ham at home.
Wolves at home is about equal to Leicester away on current form.

 

[Shiva87]

For some reason, I don't want Chelsea to qualify for the CL. Us + Leicester (and Wolves if 5th) would be the perfect outcome. It's a bit petty, but all the Lampard loving media would be totally flabbergasted if that happened. It's very unlikely now, but stranger things have happened.

As long as we get to CL - I'll take that.

 

[P-Nut]

If Sheffield united pick up another win tonight then that will be encouraging because if they get back to be like they were pre-covid they will be the type of team that a defensively naive chelsea side will have real issue against and even if wolves stutter for the rest of the season they are still always a very solid side to breakdown and like to play on the counter which could be a real tricky for chelsea if they need to win on the last day to get a top 4 spot.

Feel like we need either side to win this today, to give them hope heading into their games with Leicester and Chelsea.

If wolves are in with a shot of qualifying on that final day, the game will be so much harder for Chelsea. Same goes for Sheffield, but is obviously earlier in their fixture lists.