Major feck up by Arsenal considering Watford had a quick turn around (Sun-Tue)
Top 4 race 2016/17
- Thread starter Yorkeontop
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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?
Aye, we had many chances in that game. Story of our recent form; Batter teams and create absolutely top chances in a match but can't finish.
All four at the top drop points, if we can't capitalise on this we don't deserve top 4. We've made a habit of snatching defeat (or more likely a draw) from the jaws of victory this season but surely we can't lose to Hull.
Top 4 race really is wide open now. If us and city both win tomorrow there will be 3 points separating 2nd to 6th. Crazy times. I really would love Chelsea to slip up against some minnows so we could have 6 teams fighting for the title! Very very unlikely but watching that unfold would be possibly the best PL season to date.
Two points dropped for Spurs yesterday, sucks, but it won't be the last bad result for any of the top 6 clubs. Positive is that Arsenal managed to do even worse and actually lost at home. Worst part of last night was Rose's, losing him for a long period is worse than two points dropped IMO.
Chelsea seem gone now, and I'm actually cheering for them against Arsenal now, before last game I had a tiny hope we miiight be able to put pressure on them if they drop points against Liverpool and Arsenal, but we would have to win our games for that to be possible.
Chelsea seem gone now, and I'm actually cheering for them against Arsenal now, before last game I had a tiny hope we miiight be able to put pressure on them if they drop points against Liverpool and Arsenal, but we would have to win our games for that to be possible.
A win at Hull puts United 3 points off of second place. There are 2 big games coming up in the next few weeks - Liverpool v Spurs and Chelsea v Arsenal. Somebody somewhere there has to drop some points, so if United keep winning, anything is possible.
ALL our rivals including Chelsea dropped points yesterday and it was the best possible set of results for UTD. We must beat Hull and capitalise.
Pretty remarkable if United claw their way back to only 3 points behind 2nd tomorrow so soon when a lot of people were claiming Top 4 was out of their reach only a couple of weeks ago.
It still doesn't feel real that we're so close to a top 4 spot after spending half the season in 6th place.
Let's hope you somehow manage to lose to Hull then. 
What injury did Rose get and how long is he expected to be out for? Losing him and Vertonghen are bad blows.
Even if we win and City win we'll still be in 6th place. I'm wondering if Im not in purgatory or somethingLet's hope you somehow manage to lose to Hull then.
Focus on the points and trajectory.Even if we win and City win we'll still be in 6th place. I'm wondering if Im not in purgatory or something
We were miles off. Now everyone above us is shitting themselves.
Liverpool vs Spurs shortly too. A no-lose scenario for us.
To be fair all our tougher games are only coming towards the end of the season, whereas our top 4 contenders are going through them now.
My only hope is that playing the likes of Sunderland etc later on is just as difficult as playing one of the top 6 due to the relegation battle. After all, remember how Wigan used to turn into Barcelona for the last 6 games of the season?
Twistded his knee. I don't know how bad it is, could be anything, will be a scan on Wednesday.
Yeah. We haven't been lucky with injuries this season. Rose out for a prolonged period would be a big blow.
That's a fair point. Just realised you still need to play City, Tottenham & Arsenal all away as well as a game against Chelsea. Dropping silly points against Arsenal, Liverpool & Stoke could eventually come back to haunt you.
I think well win tonight but drop points against Leicester.
Are you overrating Leicester? They like L'pool only wins 1 game in FA Cup since New Year. They have CL football soon as well as FA Cup match replay, and arguably direct rival game vs Swansea in relegation battle next week. Their fixture is thicker than ours the next week.
I've got us finishing 3rd from here using this predictor (only predicted the fixtures for the top 6).
Yes,its a game we have to win tonight.....no excuses.
But I've a feeling City might drop points at West Ham tonight.I know they thrashed them 5-0 in the Cup a few weeks back but West Ham have improved since then and got rid of the disruptive influence,Payet.
I'm going for a 2-2 draw but feel free to post if I end up wide of the mark !
But I've a feeling City might drop points at West Ham tonight.I know they thrashed them 5-0 in the Cup a few weeks back but West Ham have improved since then and got rid of the disruptive influence,Payet.
I'm going for a 2-2 draw but feel free to post if I end up wide of the mark !
I respectfully disagree. Everyone is there for the taking including Chelsea. They played poorly against Liverpool and failed to beat a team that had lost to Wolves, Southampton (twice) and Swansea. In fact they had a golden chance to win but missed a penalty (!!!) which shows their lack of mental resilience and maybe they will now start to crack under pressure? Remember this is a team that finished 10th last season. We need to step up the pressure and rack up as many points as possible. If put under enough pressure they could very well panic and bottle it.
Im not saying they will win but they arent too bad at home,we could easily draw there and drop points.
Just like you did? Truth is that Chelsea look quite good, and even more so, none of the teams below seem capable of catching them, yourself included.
I admire his optimism, but it just is not happening. There is zero chance Jose wins the title this year, Chelsea have it within their grasp. 9 points is quite some lead, Arsenal to come at home Saturday then no Manchester club until April. If they were going to blow it, or crack, or show mental weakness it would have come after you ended their amazing run of wins. But since that they've won 2 out of 3 prem games since, drawing 1 at Anfield.
Theyre not blowing it. Pretty obvious to me
Irrelevant point. Liverpool's team was almost entirely different and those results happen. Its the nature of the game. The penalty was not a lack of mental resilience, it was a good save. There is a 15 point gap at the moment... the title is in their 1 hand., let it go
Point is catching them is not enough, you will need running while caring of EL & domestic cups. Not easy tbh, I am really surprised Mourinho did no business in January.
Even if we win and City win we'll still be in 6th place. I'm wondering if Im not in purgatory or something
hate this feeling. I swear we have been in 6th position for the last 3-4 months.Looking at our fixtures list all the way till the end of April:
Hull City H
Leicester City A
Watford H
Bournemouth H
Southampton A
Middlesbrough A
West Brom H
Everton H
Sunderland A
Chelsea H
Burnley A
Swansea H
We should aiming at least 30 points from the available 36. Liverpool and City are shaky right now and they'll drop plenty of points. We can't make excuses if we don't get top 4.
Hull City H
Leicester City A
Watford H
Bournemouth H
Southampton A
Middlesbrough A
West Brom H
Everton H
Sunderland A
Chelsea H
Burnley A
Swansea H
We should aiming at least 30 points from the available 36. Liverpool and City are shaky right now and they'll drop plenty of points. We can't make excuses if we don't get top 4.
Conte? He would eat them alive ehehe. Whatever pressure, they simply need to take care of the dross now. This is the game he prefers and works for, no Europe as a distraction too. On Feb 1 and 9 points ahead of the pack, this is more than half a title.
I am still a newbie so can't create a thread but I have to STRONGLY make this point
The belief that "A team that is not in Europe does better/challenges for the league" is absolute bollocks. It is nothing but an excuse. Apart from the crazy Leicester season last year and maybe when Brendan Rodgers Liverpool almost won the league, I do not think there is any other example that can actually support this assertion.
The teams that consistently and continually challenge for the league are the same teams that are in Europe. How many seasons were Liverpool or even Spurs not in Europe yet didn't launch a title challenge? The season that United were not in Europe, the club did not challenge for the league.
If it held even remotely true, wouldn't we not see more teams who are not in Europe pushing the top 4?
I have no idea where this came from actually. If anything, playing more games means that your squad is sharper, more match fit and the fringe players are just as hungry because they know they will have opportunities to play.
I have seen many people claim that Chelsea are doing well because "they are not in Europe". But surely how can that be the case? Look at Chelsea's history the last 10 years. They have performed well in the league and Europe at the same time (except for last season).
Does anyone seriously think that Leicester are not doing well this season because of their "commitments to Europe"?
I would like anyone to challenge this. My point is that there is no clear relation (if any at all) to not being in Europe and performing better in a league.
Look at the top 4 teams over the last 10 years and please explain to me how that assertion can possibly be true
Not playing in Europe *is* an advantage when it comes to the league, that is undeniable. However, it's not this huge difference-maker that some managers want to make it out to be. United aren't 15 points off chelsea because of the european games
We have an excellent opportunity to go 2nd in the coming weeks if we can win the next 4 games. Not an easy task looking at our consistency but if we can achieve it then we will be looking at the whole season differently.
Liverpool really need to step it up as they have some big games coming up, after the mighty Hull game they have spurs and arsenal.
Liverpool really need to step it up as they have some big games coming up, after the mighty Hull game they have spurs and arsenal.
Exactly. It's why we won't get near the league title this season.
We are 6th for a reason. Unless we go on a freakish run of 10 wins in a row, we need to focus on all the cups, especially the Europa.
@Logical Fan Cups are a distraction indeed: you can't train and prepare properly for the weekend, midweek travels are a burden and abroad they are more, cup games against lesser sides are often gruelling because of oppo's big motivations, injuries and tiredness are very often a side effect, fans are not happy if you don't win, media sh*tstorms are an unwelcome companion more often than not. I can't really see your point: all midweek matches put a weight on a team fighting for the league and the fans of the biggest clubs only feel rewarded at SF or Final level in April or May.
Hi Giorno. I don't get how it is undeniable. Undeniable based on what exactly? Can you really show me how it is an advantage?Not playing in Europe *is* an advantage when it comes to the league, that is undeniable. However, it's not this huge difference-maker that some managers want to make it out to be. United aren't 15 points off chelsea because of the european games
Most consider the Leicester prem win as once in a life time freak season so maybe we shouldn't even use that as an example. After Suarez left, Liverpool quickly faded the next season. Maybe those are stronger arguments than the European advantage
I wouldn't make any prediction. We have seen it's not completely true the big teams usually win against the weakest oppisitions.
I've had you nailed on for top 4 all season, but 2nd is probably optimistic. It'd require a lot of teams to completely go to peices, which seems a pretty big ask.
It's undeniable that having an entire week to prepare a game gives you an advantage over having only 3 days. Factor in the physical and mental fatigue from both the games themselves and travels, too. But as i've said, a EL winner plays 15(13 for CL) games more than a team that doesn't play in europe. It's not that big an advantage
Win our next 2 games and hope Arsenal beat Chelsea. I'd take been 9 points off top with 10 games left never mind 14 games 
Do you still hope to win the league?Win our next 2 games and hope Arsenal beat Chelsea. I'd take been 9 points off top with 10 games left never mind 14 games