Fixtures up till February

[bluestevon]

After Cardiff this weekend, the next 12 games (middle third of the season) 'on paper' at least look an amazing chance for a team that now seems like it's got to grips with the new system, to really show that it's not just happy to make up the numbers and finish 7th a mile off the rest.

Nov-
Cardiff (home)

December -
Liverpool (away)
Newcastle (home)
Watford (home)
City (away)
Spurs (home)
Burnley (away)
Brighton (away)

January -
Leicester (home)
Bournemouth (home)
Saints (away)
Huddersfield (away)

February -
Wolves (home)
Watford (away)

Only three games in that fourteen game spell that on current form you wouldn't strongly fancy us to get three points in.

City away looks the toughest - although we have a decent record up there, the Derby is the Derby, but getting them right after they have a midweek must win gives us a great chance and spurs at home is always a tough fixture

Right now though, we are the standout team in the league in the distance we are covering per game, fitness levels such a change over past years, and in a congested period of games that fitness level will be a massive boost.

Kind of been overlooked so far, but of the "top 6" - by Christmas we will have played 5 of those six away and only one at home, means that second half of the season, we will only face a trip away to spurs as a "tough" away day.

 

[Nymzee]

Away fixtures to places like Burnley and Brighton scare me.

 

[ToffeeTim]

No idea. Get the win tomorrow then we're likely to be in a decent position, not far off 6th.

Our away form still isn't consistent enough to make longer term predictions. Especially over Christmas when there are always unexpected results.

 

[Frang]

What's the next 10 weeks lotto numbers while we're at it...

7th

 

[barneygumble]

Oh another prediction thread.

If Richarlison and Gomes have season ending injuries tomorrow, we’d be totally different.

One game at a time.

My prediction is...

Cardiff - 3 Points

 

[GwladysBlue]

Let's take it one game at a time. These sort of predictions never work out for us.

 

[bol-uk]

I am never confident with ANY away games. Davy, Roberto, Koemi and fat sam have seen to that.

 

[bluestevon]

No idea. Get the win tomorrow then we're likely to be in a decent position, not far off 6th.

Our away form still isn't consistent enough to make longer term predictions. Especially over Christmas when there are always unexpected results.

I like the fact that over the busy period we play a fair few teams with much weaker squad depth than us, Burnley and Brighton away for example. If we can keep the type of workrate going we have so far, and the general improvement in how we are taking to the new system etc, could be a really good part of the season this

As always though, that derby game is key, can't be underestimated the momentum generated by a win at their place, which has to happen one day. Usually pessimistic about that fixture especially, given the way we are playing - for once we will outwork them, given they have a "bigger" game a few days earlier away in Paris. And given we seem to actually have shaken off the bottling it at any tough away game now, why not ....

 

[bluestevon]

I am never confident with ANY away games. Davy, Roberto, Koemi and fat sam have seen to that.

Think the away form is a reflection of the manager to a huge degree which eventually seeps through the squad, three of those managers set us out with the idea any point at any away was good enough, one didn't know how to defend and left us wide open, atm anyway seems Silva has the Martinez idea about trying to win them, but with a clear idea how to set the team up away from home. And we actually have the players to play a very good counter game now.

 

[Buckers]

I think the bigger question here is of the 8 teams above us who will we be better than or which ones will underperform the most. But that's where I start to struggle, Bournemouth and Watford yeah we are miles better but that puts us 7th which to be honest I think is probably where we belong. Maybe, maybe Manure will be worse than is this year but I need to see some evidence of us being better than the top six first, and we can't beat any of them so I'm not convinced..............yet.

 

[paulbefc]

I think this just shows the enormous gulf in quality between the top 6 and the rest of the league (hopefully we can make it more of a top 7). We probably will win a lot of these games and in years gone by it might have been enough to finish in the top 6, but the top 6 are "the top 6" because they win a very high % of these games too. Breaking in will be extremely difficult.

 

[bol-uk]

Think the away form is a reflection of the manager to a huge degree which eventually seeps through the squad, three of those managers set us out with the idea any point at any away was good enough, one didn't know how to defend and left us wide open, atm anyway seems Silva has the Martinez idea about trying to win them, but with a clear idea how to set the team up away from home. And we actually have the players to play a very good counter game now.

I think we have only won once away this season but form does appear to be on our side.

 

[bluestevon]

I think we have only won once away this season but form does appear to be on our side.

Yeah think we beat Leicester, drew against both wolves and Bournemouth early season, drew last out v Chelsea, lost to united and arsenal (both unluckily imo)

Think the current side wins certainly the wolves and Bournemouth games though, as we are a different proposition now than first few weeks, and both arsenal and united we where for once deserving of a draw at least in both. Chelsea again another good away performance where a draw was probably a fair result.

Compared to prior season's when frankly the results we got where usually a fair reflection of us as a side, including the routine bummings received.

 

[bluestevon]

I think the bigger question here is of the 8 teams above us who will we be better than or which ones will underperform the most. But that's where I start to struggle, Bournemouth and Watford yeah we are miles better but that puts us 7th which to be honest I think is probably where we belong. Maybe, maybe Manure will be worse than is this year but I need to see some evidence of us being better than the top six first, and we can't beat any of them so I'm not convinced..............yet.

A lot of those top 6 are playing each other over this period too mate, united in my eyes are a couple of results away from doing a Chelsea last season under mourinho, top 5 do seem a step above right atm though, due as you say to winning all those games they should do.

 

[Eggs]

..i’ll stick to predicting my horse racing but it’s interesting to note that at this stage last season the Reds only had a few more points than we have now and they finished top 4.