Race for the Top 4 - 2017/18

[spursfan77]

Fair enough. I don't think we need to win a trophy this season personally.

I agree but I would be taking the league cup seriously. That's the easiest to win It's just a shame that we drew West Ham in it during our busiest period as realistically we are going to have to rotate in that game. Although maybe a point away in Madrid would change that!

 

[guy]

Please please please beat Liverpool, god I hate them

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

@TimNicholsDM
Cost of so-called 'Big 6' starting XIs yesterday:

Tottenham £107m

CBs account for 60% of that. Other 8 players, 45 millions.

 

[shelfboy68]

As much as I hate the oil money and the market of today, City as fun to watch. Their counterattack with KDB and Silva is breathtaking and they have the speed in a Sane, Sterling, Jesus to just surgically open up teams.

It will be a real test for our defense and midfield to handle that and I can see us parking it a bit and trying to play the counter like we did versus Dortmund

I think we are one of only a couple of teams who can handle city defensively Utd and Chelsea being other two they are very slick and pacy, whereas I think we are a bit AVB at times the ball is passed backwards and sideways such a lot.
Although poch likes us to play a possession based game which is all part of this but it does slow our game up sometimes.

 

[worcestersauce]

Lawrenson on 606 said he doubted we would make top four so we can be confident we will but I firmly believe the odds are against us for the title and Wembley won't help us.
That said, this side continues to amaze me and have done it again by keeping in touch with the leaders whilst not being at their best, City are definitely at their best right now and won't get better, let's hope they drop off later on.
Looking at our last ten league games we have Chelsea and Man City but the rest are eminently winnable if we are at our best later in the season, that is a very good reason for optimism, we shall see.

 

[Cravenspurs]

Watched the city game last night.

With a fit Dembele/Wanyama partnership I can see us killing of some of the counters, but lord are they on a different level right now with their ball movement.

For the most part their game is one touch football and KDB is John Stockton out there. If hockey assists were a thing he would already have 15+ assists this year.

Unlike our current form, they are making most of their passes up field allowing their pace to stretch the oppositions back line. Sane and Sterling are their width, but Walker still gets his runs in from deep. A bit different shape than what we play. Silva and KDB drop deep to pick the ball up and the latter looks a mixture of Xavi and Iniesta. Truly a gem that kid is.

 

[coys200]

City were obviously very good against stoke.But stoke gave them so much space it was unreal.Unfortunately I think the fear factor Is Big now.Really need one of the smaller clubs to put in a performance.Burnley might do that this weekend.

 

[nicdic]

City were obviously very good against stoke.But stoke gave them so much space it was unreal.Unfortunately I think the fear factor Is Big now.Really need one of the smaller clubs to put in a performance.Burnley might do that this weekend.

And by contrast, United drew 2-2 with Stoke. City are our rivals this season.

 

[Guntz]

Everyone this time last year were creaming themselves over city, then what happened when they played us? Yes they look good but apart from Chelsea they've come up against mediocre sides (Lolerpool is included).

Let's see what happens when they come up against the best defence in the league, and Harry gets to play up against Stones. They have Fabian Delph as their starting LB at the moment ffs.

We're well in this title race, just need to believe.

 

[DCSPUR]

problem with Citeh is they will flat track batter almost every team outside the top 7.....which gives us zero margin of error

 

[Giovanni]

Only thing stopping us is this wembley bullsh**. Away from home we will win more than enough to challenge for the pl but its at home...if only we could turn it into a fortress. I think we can at the back end if the season but it could be too late by then.
Citys current form doesnt worry me. They wont get any better and as far as i can see they have peeked far too soon imo. They will run close in most comps this season but when the goals dry up lets see how they cope with fernandinho as there imly available defensive midfielder.

To beat them you have to be bold and fierce and poch full well knows it. Same as any team that beat barca back in the day. You go man for man high up and beast the midfield with ball winners and make them have to fight.

 

[Cravenspurs]

Everyone this time last year were creaming themselves over city, then what happened when they played us? Yes they look good but apart from Chelsea they've come up against mediocre sides (Lolerpool is included).

Let's see what happens when they come up against the best defence in the league, and Harry gets to play up against Stones. They have Fabian Delph as their starting LB at the moment ffs.

We're well in this title race, just need to believe.

I agree that we have a great chance and the season is a long one so who knows what will happen. But if we face the same in form team that is currently banging in 5-7 goals a game, I don't care how tough our back line is, they will get their chances. I for one would love to see our press come out of hiding verse this side cause a great deal of their playmaking comes with time on the ball and flatfootedness.

 

[TH1239]

It's a two-team race between us and City. With that said, people who keep harping back to last season, as if City are somehow the same outfit now, are completely ignoring how much stronger their squad is currently. Jesus, who is one of the best young players in the world, wasn't at the club yet at this same last season, and Sane wasn't looking like a world beater yet, either. Mix in a top right back in Walker, De Bruyne playing like the best attacking midfielder in the world, players like Bernardo Silva on the bench, Sterling linking up well with the other attacking player and a good keeper who won't let in howlers, and you have a team that will probably earn north of 90 points.

If we can get everyone back and fit, and Poch can play our best 11 regularly together, we can stay competitive with them, with the two head to heads being determinative of control of the league.

 

[BK007]

We play them almost halfway through the season.

Even if we beat them 4-0, who is going to stop them beforehand, so that they will be "found out" or whatever it is you are implying.

They will be far and away. Look at Chelsea's 13 match winning streak basically handing them the title last year.

Someone has to stop them before we play them, and it doesn't look like any team in the division can.

 

[BK007]

The previous message is in reference to Guntz's post.

The site loads at a snail's pace whenever I attempt to login and do anything. Probably the mods punishing me for my posts from years ago.

 

[Hakkz]

It's a two-team race between us and City. With that said, people who keep harping back to last season, as if City are somehow the same outfit now, are completely ignoring how much stronger their squad is currently. Jesus, who is one of the best young players in the world, wasn't at the club yet at this same last season, and Sane wasn't looking like a world beater yet, either. Mix in a top right back in Walker, De Bruyne playing like the best attacking midfielder in the world, players like Bernardo Silva on the bench, Sterling linking up well with the other attacking player and a good keeper who won't let in howlers, and you have a team that will probably earn north of 90 points.

If we can get everyone back and fit, and Poch can play our best 11 regularly together, we can stay competitive with them, with the two head to heads being determinative of control of the league.

Jesus Christ, this is the kind of comments you find on rawk and redcafe. It's the middle of October and Wembley is a pile of shit which we have to call home for the rest of the season. I'm counting us in top 4 for now, after Christmas we will see how many teams are in this "two-team race" of yours.

 

[sak11]

Lawrenson on 606 said he doubted we would make top four so we can be confident we will but I firmly believe the odds are against us for the title and Wembley won't help us.
That said, this side continues to amaze me and have done it again by keeping in touch with the leaders whilst not being at their best, City are definitely at their best right now and won't get better, let's hope they drop off later on.
Looking at our last ten league games we have Chelsea and Man City but the rest are eminently winnable if we are at our best later in the season, that is a very good reason for optimism, we shall see.

No disrespect to you but I stopped reading at Lawrenson....

 

[worcestersauce]

No disrespect to you but I stopped reading at Lawrenson....

Man up and read on.

 

[coys200]

Rashford done his knee apparantly.Said he heard something pop.

 

[danielneeds]

Right, if De Bruyne could do something similar we’d be in business...