Top Four Possibility

[Elong]

@chicoazul @McBain ???????????????

 

[RomEFCRom]

Indeed.

And the RS were due to play Saints that weekend so three of the teams above us will be inactive, league wise, so a win over Sunderland would see us move closer to them and all three facing difficult match in hands.

Still plenty to aim at IMO.

The games missing because of the League Cup final are:

United v City and Arsenal v Southampton.

 

[tadpole]

Winning our home games is obviously key - but there's so many slip-ups that could yet happen ... West Brom and Watford will punish us if we're anything less than 100%; Leicester have already done us once at Goodison this year; Sunderland and Hull are battling for survival; and Chelsea could present some difficulties too ...

 

[rochdaleblue]

Boro will take points off a lot of teams with their park the bus strategy

Chelsea and Spurs only beat them by the odd goal and they got a point at City. As you say they park the bus, and have one of the best defence records in the league, but the reason they are in the position they are, is they don't score goals.

 

[GwladysBlue]

What I don't understand about us is we seem to be free scoring at home, but only managed two goals collectively against: Palace, Stoke and Boro.

Teams are generally more open at home, because the onus is on them to attack in front of their own fans.

It isn't just a problem now, we've always seemed to struggle to win away games for as long as I can remember.

 

[Khalekan]

The games missing because of the League Cup final are:

United v City and Arsenal v Southampton.

Oh, Arsenal rather than the RS then.

Three of the teams above us not playing so a chance to close the gap and keep out faint hopes alive.

 

[AndyGray]

Chances are less than 1% for a top 4 finish, and about 12% for top 6. We're stuck on 7th

 

[Woolly Blue]

I think one will after they are sure they have no chance of a CL place. They won't want a EL spot as a dubious consolation.

I'm happy to be corrected, but I'm struggling to think of many examples of seasons where clubs involved in the hunt for a CL place in Feb/March ended up giving up trying after they were obviously going to miss out on a CL place and ended up finishing seventh.

 

[4737carlin]

What I don't understand about us is we seem to be free scoring at home, but only managed two goals collectively against: Palace, Stoke and Boro.

Teams are generally more open at home, because the onus is on them to attack in front of their own fans.

It isn't just a problem now, we've always seemed to struggle to win away games for as long as I can remember.

I think the problem is those teams are poor and we do better against good sides who play football, awful sides we find it harder to brake down, those sides are tight even when they try to be open

 

[davek]

I'm happy to be corrected, but I'm struggling to think of many examples of seasons where clubs involved in the hunt for a CL place in Feb/March ended up giving up trying after they were obviously going to miss out on a CL place and ended up finishing seventh.

Liverpool and United in recent seasons.

 

[Woolly Blue]

Liverpool and United in recent seasons.

Pardon ?

United finished seventh under Moyes but were never in contention for CL, they were just poor all season.

Liverpool have finished between sixth and eighth in six of the last eight seasons, but that's because they were bang average and never had a hope of CL rather than avoiding Europa League.

You can do better than that



... can't you ?

 

[jinkyali]

Liverpool and United in recent seasons.

Haven't UTD and Liverpool both been in the Europa league last two years?

 

[Barnfred 55]

I've looked through the run in trying to be as realistic as I can and I've got 20 points from the 13 remaining. 6 wins 2 draw and 5 losses. I think it's 7th for us. I don't see us picking up points in the away games at Spurs united arsenal and especially the RS. It's not doom mongering it's just realism imo. It's been games like today, but more specifically the likes of home to Swansea, palace, Liverpool, United etc and the aways at Bournemouth, Watford, Burnley, Hull, Southampton etc. These are the ones that have got us too far behind.

All we can do is take it one game at a time but it's almost certainly gonna be 7th, and that worries me that the season could fizzle out with little to play for. Better than looking over our shoulders anxiously like last 2 seasons mind you.

Can see us picking up points in 2 or 3 of those games mate. Maybe not wins but I can't see us losing all 5. Can see us ending up with around 65 points, but that will still only be good enough for 7th imo.

 

[davek]

Pardon ?

United finished seventh under Moyes but were never in contention for CL, they were just poor all season.

Liverpool have finished between sixth and eighth in six of the last eight seasons, but that's because they were bang average and never had a hope of CL rather than avoiding Europa League.

You can do better than that



... can't you ?

Thinking cap on mate, because it's you who needs to do better.

In 2014/15 Liverpool were well in the hunt for a CL place until the last 7/8 matches (5th, just 4 points off City who were in 4th). Then City extended their lead to 7 points and Liverpool after that got 5 points out of their last possible 18 and finished

Ironically, Arsenal went on to win the FA Cup and so the extra place was Liverpool's.

They defo pulled the plug on that season.

 

[davek]

Haven't UTD and Liverpool both been in the Europa league last two years?

By happenstance Liverpol did yes.