Yeah, Arsenal are done
Top 4 race 2016/17
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Yeah, Arsenal are done
I don't know if it's been discussed but that prat Souness was basically wishing injuries upon us during their discussion about top 4. He just couldn't say the momentum was with us, it was still all Liverpool.
After they lost.
At home.
To Palace.
After taking the lead.
With one shot on target in 90 mins.
Thats 5 ppints dropped in their last two home games after taking the lead both times.
After they lost.
At home.
To Palace.
After taking the lead.
With one shot on target in 90 mins.
Thats 5 ppints dropped in their last two home games after taking the lead both times.
It shouldn't even be a worry for Liverpool at this stage. With no European football they should have 3rd wrapped up at this stage.
Now they are are probably going to finish 4th at best and then go in unseeded in to the CL qualifiers. Not what they want because obviously they could get a really good team and it will also leave them in limbo for certain transfer targets till they are assured of making the group stages.
Now they are are probably going to finish 4th at best and then go in unseeded in to the CL qualifiers. Not what they want because obviously they could get a really good team and it will also leave them in limbo for certain transfer targets till they are assured of making the group stages.
Did he really?
What did he say?
Arsenal are being Arsenal. It's uncanny how closely they follow the script. Year after year after year. Unfortunately for us, that script involves a late surge to nail down a top four slot. Wait and see. It's going to happen again.
Everytime he was asked about Liverpools chances of top 4 he kept saying it looks like more injuries for Man Utd today, how we'll suffer from more injuries as the season comes to a close so Liverpool need to take advantage of it.
He brought it up 4/5 times in about 15 minutes like it was a crutch to lean on after a poor Liverpool result.
My guess for them is 75 points, wherever that takes them.
The playoff round is not usually too challenging although Monaco were lurking in it this season.
Reckon we need 76 points to have a chance of beating Liverpool to Top 4. Liverpool play three teams already on the beach and have Middlesbrough at home in their last game, who are as good as certain to be already relegated then. It doesn't get much better than that fixture wise. They will maybe drop points to one of Southampton or West Ham, but that's about it. We definitely need another shock defeat from them to get us over the line.
I think we need to win the derby (which would also push City into the top four battle), draw at Arsenal and win at Southampton and our two home games. Spurs I think we will lose due to scheduling, fatigue and the game being their last one at the old WHL. 4-1-1 is what we definitely need IMO, which would be 76 points... Liverpool could then afford a draw (in which case it comes to goal difference), but not a loss anymore.
Tough ask for us considering our schedule and injuries, but not impossible. Need four points from City/Arsenal/Tottenham though.
I think we need to win the derby (which would also push City into the top four battle), draw at Arsenal and win at Southampton and our two home games. Spurs I think we will lose due to scheduling, fatigue and the game being their last one at the old WHL. 4-1-1 is what we definitely need IMO, which would be 76 points... Liverpool could then afford a draw (in which case it comes to goal difference), but not a loss anymore.
Tough ask for us considering our schedule and injuries, but not impossible. Need four points from City/Arsenal/Tottenham though.
I'm not so sure. This season feels different, mainly because it looks like their star man Sanchez is certainly off in the summer. At this stage in the season Arsenal usually look pretty safe for top 4, but at the minute they would need to win pretty much every game to make 4th.
Always think it's better playing big teams than those outside the top 7/8. In a weird way at least you know what you're up against rather than the wild card uncertainty of a mid table team With nothing to play for who all have a player that can hurt you if he's in the mood. There are no uncertainties when you play the top teams and being away, they have to come and take it to us which I think suits Jose, and with Ibra out gives us a more potent counter attacking football.
I am losing a wee bit of confidence as I have little reason to believe we will get positive results away at City, Spurs AND Arsenal, in combination with trying to win the Europa
Mmm. Does sound like an unnatural fixation from him.
Tired bodies and desperate opponents caN make for more injuries but it sounds like he's off on one.
He was the same in 2014 immediately after the Slippy G incident. They covered City vs Palace and the spite that consumed him in relation to City was funny as owt.
I think we can make it even if Liverpool lose only 1 more game (and win the rest), and also assuming that we win just one out of city,spurs and Arsenal away and lose the other two. This will leave both of us on 75 points. The key is to improve our goal difference. We have substantially plugged the gap and are now only 2 behind in GD compared to Liverpool and city. I think this was also playing in Mourinho's mind because we kept going for more goals against Burnley even though we could have taken it a little bit easy.
I think City is favourite for one of the spots in top-4, the other one is between us and Liverpool.
I think City is favourite for one of the spots in top-4, the other one is between us and Liverpool.
I've been through every Premier League season, and the most Points a team has amassed and not finished in the Top Four was Leeds United all the way back in 94/95 with 73 Points. It's incredibly rare that 70+ doesn't get you in the Top Four, but I do think it will happen this season. It's strange though as I think everyone would agree that Liverpool, City, United and Arsenal have been very inconsistent, but the Top Four this season will probably have the highest combined points total than any other season (along with probably setting a new record for most Points to not finish Fourth or higher).
There will be, as ever, twists and turns. On paper it looks like Liverpool should win all their remaining games, with no distractions, to reach a total of 78. They won't do that though, there's got to be a draw in there so I can't see Liverpool topping 76. Man City need to show a bit of something now and they have the chance to do so in the derby. Lose to United and I think they have a massive struggle to stay where they are. I do see them only dropping 2-3 Points from here onwards, so I do fancy them to hit some form and finish on 79-80.
God knows how United will do, but we've got the platform if we can avoid more injuries and get a couple back (I think Smalling stepping up his recovery to try and return by Swansea/Celta Vigo would be huge to try and give Bailly a game off). Honestly though, the best I can see us doing this season is W4D2 out of the final six games. 77 Points really should finish in the Top Four, it'd be an amazing feat to get that many Points and fail, so it probably will happen because it could only happen to us! Europa League has to be the priority, it'd be a nice trophy win and achieves the same goal.
If we do lose to City on Thursday I think resting key players in the Premier League would be the right call. eg. If we lose to City, then Romero, Fosu-Mensah, Tuanzebe, Rooney, Martial etc all start against Swansea.
There will be, as ever, twists and turns. On paper it looks like Liverpool should win all their remaining games, with no distractions, to reach a total of 78. They won't do that though, there's got to be a draw in there so I can't see Liverpool topping 76. Man City need to show a bit of something now and they have the chance to do so in the derby. Lose to United and I think they have a massive struggle to stay where they are. I do see them only dropping 2-3 Points from here onwards, so I do fancy them to hit some form and finish on 79-80.
God knows how United will do, but we've got the platform if we can avoid more injuries and get a couple back (I think Smalling stepping up his recovery to try and return by Swansea/Celta Vigo would be huge to try and give Bailly a game off). Honestly though, the best I can see us doing this season is W4D2 out of the final six games. 77 Points really should finish in the Top Four, it'd be an amazing feat to get that many Points and fail, so it probably will happen because it could only happen to us! Europa League has to be the priority, it'd be a nice trophy win and achieves the same goal.
If we do lose to City on Thursday I think resting key players in the Premier League would be the right call. eg. If we lose to City, then Romero, Fosu-Mensah, Tuanzebe, Rooney, Martial etc all start against Swansea.
I've been banging on about this for ages. Getting top four this season is a far tougher challenge than at any point since Fergie retired and (as your stats prove) arguably the toughest ever.
All of which needs to be taken into account when deciding how good a job Mourinho has done in his first year in charge. Especially when you compare it to the previous incumbent.
Yeah, you don't normally have 6-7 teams capable of doing it for so long in the season. You could argue that Everton and Arsenal are out of it now, but a couple of big results throws a spanner in the works and suddenly it's 3-4 teams fighting for Fourth instead of the usual two (or one in some cases). It's so competitive and I think if Mourinho does hit a total of around 75 Points then you have to say even his overall Premier League record is very good in his first season at United. Especially given how most would rate our squad of players (and how poor we've been for the last three seasons).
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It's all in our hands. Win and we get top4. Don't win and no top 4. We aren't dependent on anyone's result anymore and I love being in such a situation.
Let's see if the team mentally can handle the situation and get us top 4 or not. It all depends on us now.
Let's see if the team mentally can handle the situation and get us top 4 or not. It all depends on us now.
It realy couldn't be more interesting.
Mathematically it's in your hands
On paper we should do it we couldn't wish for a more strait forward fixture list 3 teams on the beach and one probably relegated. That said we always find ways to let teams that we should put away hurt us.
Your fixture list is far more challenging
an away dearby, a team fighting for their lives followed by away trips too spurs and arsenal not to mention focusing on the Europa. That said sometimes momentum and big game after big game works it has for you in the past
Who the hell knows
Mathematically it's in your hands
On paper we should do it we couldn't wish for a more strait forward fixture list 3 teams on the beach and one probably relegated. That said we always find ways to let teams that we should put away hurt us.
Your fixture list is far more challenging
an away dearby, a team fighting for their lives followed by away trips too spurs and arsenal not to mention focusing on the Europa. That said sometimes momentum and big game after big game works it has for you in the past
Who the hell knows
Did one of those league table predictor things, have Liverpool and United at 74 points with United on a better GD, Arsenal a couple of points behind.
This would mean Liverpool winning 3 and drawing 1, which probably won't happen, and United getting draws in the big games and winning the rest, if I remember correctly, which may be unrealistic but 1 win and 2 losses would also mean 3 points out o those games, which is more than achievable.
Despite that however I still think Arsenal will make it. 4th and an FA cup final loss is just too classic not to happen.
This would mean Liverpool winning 3 and drawing 1, which probably won't happen, and United getting draws in the big games and winning the rest, if I remember correctly, which may be unrealistic but 1 win and 2 losses would also mean 3 points out o those games, which is more than achievable.
Despite that however I still think Arsenal will make it. 4th and an FA cup final loss is just too classic not to happen.
Yeah, it's interesting in the sense that the league now has six teams who will all be disappointed if they don't get top four, and who all have aspirations of winning the title to a certain extent. Naturally, when you've got all of those teams with the same goal, some of them are going to end up disappointed. Will be interesting to see if the current balance keeps up over the next few seasons because hypothetically there'll be some very good sides that, say, don't finish above 3rd, just because the top six are all very good at the moment.
I disagree
Arsenal are too far off the pace to get top 4
They'll end up in 6th place
It's still amazing how the stars are aligning for Arsenal though. It's almost fated. They've suddenly got two cups to play for again and they're usually good at both.
City win on Thursday and we're in. Please.
Ah right. Cheers, very possible then, that'd be damn nice to finally see us breaking the top 4. We just need to do our best to put City out of it on Thursday now.
He seems to stoop to new lows every week. I have no idea how he's still employed by Sky. What a twat.
Utd & City play twice before LFC kick off away at Watford <--- which looks like a MASSIVE game for them now. Win it they are probably fine, Lose and they are asking to get caught by everybody. I don't think they will lose it.
6pts this week would be very handy for Utd, fewer than that, I think we are still struggling unfortunately.
6pts this week would be very handy for Utd, fewer than that, I think we are still struggling unfortunately.
City will still be in it, regardless of what happens on Thursday. Should they suffer derby defeat, they will still be guaranteed a top-4 finish if they win all of their (very winnable) remaining fixtures.
Looking at our remaining games, we'll probably need 5+ points from City, Arsenal, Spurs away to do it. It's still a pretty big ask.
How is it mathematically in your hands? If United, Man City, Spurs and Liverpool win all their remaining games, Liverpool finish outside the top four.
Tbf, one of City/United's games in hand is against each other, a City win and United are back to 3 points behind with 1 game in hand.
Because that's impossible
Hes saying its in United hands I think
City can afford to lose one game with it still being in their hands. We can afford to draw one game and win the rest. So it's in our own hands.
I know either City or United will drop points but as long as United don't get beat by City it's still in Uniteds hands.
?????
Try again
I said mathematically in your hands. I am a Liverpool taking fan talking too united fans
As a side note Manchester United and spurs cannot win all of their games.
I know it's Monday mate but come on!!!
Try again
I said mathematically in your hands. I am a Liverpool taking fan talking too united fans
As a side note Manchester United and spurs cannot win all of their games.
I know it's Monday mate but come on!!!
They can not win all their games but Spurs are above Liverpool right now they can afford to drop points.
I think from our and Arsenal's point of view, we both need Liverpool to lose one more game. This would allow us lose two of our games and it would then come down to GD. Arsenal would still need to win 6/7 be level on points with Liverpool.
And what has that got too do with the price of eggs???
You asked what I meant when I said that you are mathematically in control. You had read the post wrong as I was correctly saying that Manchester United mathematically have it in their hands.
You countered my argument by incorrectly pointing out that Manchester United and spurs could win all of their games. Which I pointed out too you.
And then say yes but that doesn't matter because spurs can afford too drop points.
Feel like I'm on a bad trip here
Squeaky bum time. I think this is going to the last day of the season. Hopefully we don't lose out on GD, again. Fortunately we're in the EL semis and have a second lifeline for CL. I'd rather win EL than make top4. It's a trophy and all that but if we make top 4 that means one of Liverpool or City don't so that's would be very rewarding as well.
If Utd win the EL and finish outside the top 4, is the 4th place team still in the CL?
Chelsea outed THFC when they won the CL. It could be that Utd out Citeh or Liverpool.
Chelsea outed THFC when they won the CL. It could be that Utd out Citeh or Liverpool.
It has been changed now so that five teams from one country can participate if such a scenario arises.
I believe the only way for a team to miss out by finishing fourth now would be if a team wins the Champions League and finishes fifth or lower and a team from the same country wins the Europa League and also finishes fifth or lower.
eg:
1st Chelsea
2nd Spurs
3rd Liverpool
4th Man City
5th Man Utd (Won Europa League)
6th Arsenal (Won Champions League
)City would then miss out.
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