Top 4 race / race abandoned (or maybe not) / Leicester & Chelsea in the process of bottling it

[Adam-Utd]

Last season's history repeating itself looks like. Maddison's hip injury is worrisome too as apparently it dates to last season and seems to be some sort of chronic issue.

Hip + nerve pain especially can be really tricky to sort out. If you damage your sciatic nerves it can take years to fully heal, he might never fully get over the pain while playing regularly.

Hopefully it won't curtail his career as he's a great player.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Hip + nerve pain especially can be really tricky to sort out. If you damage your sciatic nerves it can take years to fully heal, he might never fully get over the pain while playing regularly.

Hopefully it won't curtail his career as he's a great player.

Yeah absolutely. The surgical options are basically non-existent as well. As you say he's a lovely player to watch so hopefully it doesn't hamper him too much.

 

[DoneDaDa]

I saw this on Reddit PL table since Christmas

Bielsa/Wilder we either win or lose!

 

[Dumbstar]

I'm actually genuinely shocked we got 12 points! How did we get so many?

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

All depends if top 4 is mathmatically done and Ole decides to rest players if Utd reach the latter stages of the cup competitions. Then finishing 2nd or 4th won't matter.

I still don’t think that would be fully acceptable but I see your point. This squad is deep enough to compete in both to be honest and that’s what good teams can do.

 

[GoonerBear]

I saw this on Reddit PL table since Christmas

Bielsa/Wilder we either win or lose!

Our Wolves game will haunt me even more after seeing this!

 

[ZolaWasMagic]

same top 4 as last season, albeit different order. I have no doubt

 

[tomaldinho1]

I saw this on Reddit PL table since Christmas

Bielsa/Wilder we either win or lose!

Get ready for 'Arteta elite level manager' thread to come alive

 

[Judas]

same top 4 as last season, albeit different order. I have no doubt

This is how I see it. West Ham will fall away, and Leicesters injury's have buggered them. I'd love nothing more than for Liverpool to finish outside the top 4, but they'll drag their lifeless corpse of a squad over the line.

 

[cyberman]

This is how I see it. West Ham will fall away, and Leicesters injury's have buggered them. I'd love nothing more than for Liverpool to finish outside the top 4, but they'll drag their lifeless corpse of a squad over the line.

I cant see Chelsea getting there, they just dont score enough.
Spurs will sneak past them imo. All they need is a 7 odd game run where their forwards just click and theyll get there

 

[Alfie092]

We was never going to win the title this season. Only way that would have happened if we picked up maximum points vs the likes of Sheffield United, Everton and WBA. Had we done that we would have been 5 points off City and would have had to beat them to have any sort of chance of winning the PL to narrow it down to just 2 points. Even then you would back City to finish out on top.

Our aim should be to finish 2nd with as much points as possible and to win a trophy, either the FA Cup or the Europa League. We do that then there is definitely clear progression but nowhere near enough to match City unfortunately. Our form is not good at the moment and my bet is we would finish on around 75 points, so around 10 points better off than last season. Only once have a team won the league with 75 points, us in 1997. You need to have at least around 85 points to have a good chance of winning the league, City will probably win the league this season with around 90 points, so we would still be short. Liverpool and City have really raised the bar in recent seasons, so the margin for error throughout the season is very slim. We just do not have the consistency right now to go on any insane run like City and Liverpool have done in the past couple of years.

Ole NEEDS to be backed properly this summer and the signings we bring in need to be clear improvements to our starting 11 and not just be bench players like VDB, who is a quality player imo but isn't currently improving our starting team. 2-3 of the right singings in key areas could majorly influence whether or not we would have any sort of chance of winning the league next season because one thing we know as a fact is City will be challenging again next season and will definitely look to strengthen as always.

This summer is arguably the biggest summer since SAF retired and what we do in the window and how much Ole is backed will show the true ambitions of our club.

 

[Feed Me]

Do you expect Citeh to not spend for a few transfer windows so everyone else can ‘catch up’?

How did Liverpool manage it?

 

[Feed Me]

United have spent slightly more than City, in Gross and Nett terms, over last 6 windows, City spent slightly more when it was Pep v Jose though Jose spent significantly more than OGS (I think) can't recall when Jose's last transfer window was.

Why are you selectively cherry picking only six transfer windows? City have spent a fortune fortifying their squad for a solid decade now. The truth is, United are starting from a much lower base and have had plenty of years when your spending blew ours out the water.

 

[Galeano]

I think in the end will end up in the top4 are City, United, Liverpool, and Spurs.

Tuchel is not convincing me, Leicester is quite capable of repeating an ending as tragic as last season and clubs like Everton and Aston Villa do not yet have the power to get there although it would be funny.

 

[Thunderhead]

Why are you selectively cherry picking only six transfer windows? City have spent a fortune fortifying their squad for a solid decade now. The truth is, United are starting from a much lower base and have had plenty of years when your spending blew ours out the water.

obviously you didn't read the post I was replying too, It was in response to ole v Jose spending there was no cherry picking

Also since SAF retired you've spent more than city in gross and nett terms, since 2010 which is the last decade City have only spent about £100 million more, we've just spent it's better

 

[Winzaghi]

IF Villa win their two games in hand then they'd also be in the mix. Hopefully Grealish can be fit for the run in.

We seem to mess up whenever we have a chance to capitalize on some poor results above us, but the good thing is, the 2 games in hand are against direct rivals Everton and Spurs. I'd be over the moon with 6th tbh.

 

[charlenefan]

I think in the end will end up in the top4 are City, United, Liverpool, and Spurs.

Tuchel is not convincing me, Leicester is quite capable of repeating an ending as tragic as last season and clubs like Everton and Aston Villa do not yet have the power to get there although it would be funny.

Nor me however I'd be very surprised if Spurs finish ahead of you

 

[WeePat]

I think in the end will end up in the top4 are City, United, Liverpool, and Spurs.

Tuchel is not convincing me, Leicester is quite capable of repeating an ending as tragic as last season and clubs like Everton and Aston Villa do not yet have the power to get there although it would be funny.

He is 10 games in, unbeaten and won about 80% of his games having come in mid-season to take over an massively underperforming team low on confidence. What on earth were your expectations for him?

 

[Galeano]

Nor me however I'd be very surprised if Spurs finish ahead of you

At this point, if Spurs win the game they have behind, they are just 2 points behind Chelsea.

Mourinho probably has the best attacking duo in the league with Kane and Son, Chelsea with Tuchel needs a miracle to score goals, unfortunately, I predict that Chelsea will lose several points in the next games and this will significantly change the table.

 

[Winzaghi]

Everton well in this.

 

[cyberman]

Everton are going to be a problem for Liverpool and Chelsea. They play Chelsea next week and a result there can take Chelsea out of it

 

[charlenefan]

At this point, if Spurs win the game they have behind, they are just 2 points behind Chelsea.

Mourinho probably has the best attacking duo in the league with Kane and Son, Chelsea with Tuchel needs a miracle to score goals, unfortunately, I predict that Chelsea will lose several points in the next games and this will significantly change the table.

Yeah but it's Mourinho and Spurs may well throw the league to focus on the EL like he did with us

 

[Ludens the Red]

He is 10 games in, unbeaten and won about 80% of his games having come in mid-season to take over an massively underperforming team low on confidence. What on earth were your expectations for him?

I agree with @Galeano and @charlenefan (which is highly unusual)
I think there’s a bigger picture. His influence has been exaggerated so far. That’s not to say he won’t be a big success. He has all the potential to be but all this pretending Chelsea have turned things around dramatically is not entirely true.
You’re still dry to watch and struggle to score goals and create chances (what you get with such a defensive set up). This is reflected in his seven league games in charge. Only four wins, three of which were against three of the bottom five. Eight goals scored. Lampard was basically having the same problems.

FA cup wins against lower league opposition in that 80% win record. Think the Atletico win was very impressive but everything else so far has been ‘meh’.
He’s chopping and changing the team, trying things out so it’s understandable.

 

[always_hoping]

Current state of play after Evertons win and they still have a game in hand. Villa would be right in the mix by winning their games in hand.

 

[Paddy B]

obviously you didn't read the post I was replying too, It was in response to ole v Jose spending there was no cherry picking

Also since SAF retired you've spent more than city in gross and nett terms, since 2010 which is the last decade City have only spent about £100 million more, we've just spent it's better

There also seems to be a general assumption that City have a better squad of players overall. If this is true then the total payroll amounts do not make good reading for United. Their total is approx. 176M to City at 136M and Liverpool 135M. Teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are around 131M.

 

[Eire Red United]

Leicester have had some pretty bad injuries lately which might ruin their next few weeks.

Harvey Barnes needing a knee op especially is a big blow for them.

That’s a shame. Would love to see them come third.

 

[SilentWitness]

Current state of play after Evertons win and they still have a game in hand. Villa would be right in the mix by winning their games in hand.

Us and Villa have a game in hand against each other so that's a big game.

 

[WeePat]

I agree with @Galeano and @charlenefan (which is highly unusual)
I think there’s a bigger picture. His influence has been exaggerated so far. That’s not to say he won’t be a big success. He has all the potential to be but all this pretending Chelsea have turned things around dramatically is not entirely true.
You’re still dry to watch and struggle to score goals and create chances. This is reflected in his seven league games in charge. Only four wins, three of which were against three of the bottom five. Eight goals scored. Lampard was basically having the same problems.

FA cup wins against lower league opposition in that 80% win record. Think the Atletico win was very impressive but everything else so far has been ‘meh’.
He’s chopping and changing the team, trying things out so it’s understandable.

Well we went from a run of 5 defeats in 8 games to 6 wins and 0 defeats in 8 games. You can put a negative spin on the games so far if you prefer, and I'm certainly not proclaiming he's the dogs bollocks after just 10 games, but he has made clear improvements to me, and it is based on those improvements that makes me confident of finishing in the top 4.

You say 'only 4 wins in 7 league games' but one of the 3 draws was literally after 1 evening training session 24 hours after he was appointed and the another was against you lot, a team in 2nd place. I'd say, in that context 4 wins and 3 draws is pretty decent, especially when you throw in the Atletico Madrid win.

 

[oses14]

I don't know what place some of the teams would be on my list but I predict City or Liverpool 1. and whoever (out of those 2 ) doesn't get 1. in 2. We would be very lucky to get 4. I predict 5-7 most likely 6th

 

[always_hoping]

There also seems to be a general assumption that City have a better squad of players overall. If this is true then the total payroll amounts do not make good reading for United. Their total is approx. 176M to City at 136M and Liverpool 135M. Teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are around 131M.

Not good reading for Mr Woodward whom is over wages and player contracts.

And City have by far the best squad in the league.

 

[Klopper76]

I think 2nd down is up for grabs. Still think United might have a bit of a dip in form but maybe not. West Ham will fall away imo.

 

[Thiagoal]

There also seems to be a general assumption that City have a better squad of players overall. If this is true then the total payroll amounts do not make good reading for United. Their total is approx. 176M to City at 136M and Liverpool 135M. Teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are around 131M.

You don’t seriously believe City’s numbers... do you?

 

[FrankDrebin]

Current state of play after Evertons win and they still have a game in hand. Villa would be right in the mix by winning their games in hand.

This is the first time I've looked at the top half of the PL since our draw with Everton. Looks tight.

 

[Spaghetti]

I'm actually genuinely shocked we got 12 points! How did we get so many?

3 wins and 3 draws.

 

[copen1945]

Solskjaer will instill the winning mentality that shaped his playing days and drag United over the line.

 

[kidbob]

I agree that you're most likely to finish second. After that it's incredibly tough to say. Liverpool and Chelsea seem most likely, and I don't expect Leicester to make it given their injuries, last season's drop-off and just how poor their last two performances were. I couldn't believe how poor they were against us yesterday.

I then genuinely think we have a shot - we've been dreadful for spells this season, but finally have a line-up that looks like it can consistently create chances alongside a solid defence. If we didn't have those 4-5 games where we were shot ourselves in the foot with idiotic red cards, we'd be around the top six now. 6-9 points from the next three and it looks achievable...

Not sure if you can do it considering that Chelsea have quality and Liverpool will surely pick up form but you definitely have the talent to push for it so I wouldn't be surprised. I just think that your start has left you too dependant on others messing up.

 

[Utd heap]

I think 2nd down is up for grabs. Still think United might have a bit of a dip in form but maybe not. West Ham will fall away imo.

We are in the midst of a dip in form now. With City to come at the weekend.

Hoping we will ride it out and keep 2nd.

 

[cristianorooney]

Think we will finish second tbh.
Everyone bar City is dropping points.
I guess it is progress from last season but i cant help looking back at the failed time under Mourinho where we came 2nd with 82 points. If it was failure then it really should be now too, especially as we won 2 trophies too.

It was never considered a failure. Everyone was positive until the disastrous pre season where you could see Mourinho had gone into self destruct mode sulking due to the shambolic transfer window we had.

 

[Klopper76]

We are in the midst of a dip in form now. With City to come at the weekend.

Hoping we will ride it out and keep 2nd.

I'm not sure if the teams below you will be consistent enough to make it count. If we beat Chelsea on Thursday it would be big for us.

 

[Ludens the Red]

Well we went from a run of 5 defeats in 8 games to 6 wins and 0 defeats in 8 games. You can put a negative spin on the games so far if you prefer, and I'm certainly not proclaiming he's the dogs bollocks after just 10 games, but he has made clear improvements to me, and it is based on those improvements that makes me confident of finishing in the top 4.

You say 'only 4 wins in 7 league games' but one of the 3 draws was literally after 1 evening training session 24 hours after he was appointed and the another was against you lot, a team in 2nd place. I'd say, in that context 4 wins and 3 draws is pretty decent, especially when you throw in the Atletico Madrid win.

Not putting a negative spin on it, the talk wasn’t that he’s been terrible or worse than Lampard or hasn’t stopped a slump in form. It was more that it’s been unspectacular and Chelsea upturn is exaggerated and has benefitted from the better fixtures (which iirc Lampard picked up more or less the same results against those sides).
I dunno, if you’re happy with the football you’re seeing than it is what it is. But I’m personally surprised by the cautious teams he’s been picking. The sideways defensive passing and lack of goals and chances created. Of course it can’t change overnight but it’s not quite been the big reaction that was maybe expected or that has been stated.