Race for the Top 4 - 2018/19

[Kingstheman]

Oh this makes sense now. You mean “a few weeks ago, did you imagine we’d be playing in a SF against Ajax”? I completely misunderstood your first post which made it sound like you were from the future.

I am from the future...

I said too much...

I need to be banned for my own good.

 

[Navy Spur]

No. Top 4 in league are aguaranteed CL group stages. If Chelsea or Arsenal win Europa then English clubs get an extra 5th place.

Thanks, back to lurking it is then ?

 

[spurious1]

Dare I propose it, but seeing how pretty much all the other results seem to be going our way to put us in a very good situation for top 4...should we rest a lot of players this weekend for the CL?

 

[Univarn]

Dare I propose it, but seeing how pretty much all the other results seem to be going our way to put us in a very good situation for top 4...should we rest a lot of players this weekend for the CL?

I am a big fan of rotation but West Ham, Everton, and Bournemouth are all very derpable matches for us as much as the others in the race for top 4. Until it's secured I expect Poch to play as strong as possible an XI.

 

[Kingstheman]

Dare I propose it, but seeing how pretty much all the other results seem to be going our way to put us in a very good situation for top 4...should we rest a lot of players this weekend for the CL?

How DARE you...?!

But...

To DARE is to do...

Can’t help you I’m afraid...

 

[bubble07]

The top 6 order how it is now is the best for us

Just need to hope the scum don't win EL

 

[Kingstheman]

The top 6 order how it is now is the best for us

Just need to hope the scum don't win EL

Don’t worry...

They won’t.

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

Could really do with us not playing West Ham this week. Any other time i'd be so confident of beating them, but there's no way we play a full strength team and equally there's no way the players will be completely focussed on the match with Ajax to come on Tuesday.

Can't be bothered with their insufferable bollocks if they manage to take something. Even if we won 6-1, they'd try to brag about how they were the first team to score in our new stadium.

 

[worcestersauce]

I think some people are over thinking the top four and who they want, I want us and Manchester United because the other two are Chelsea and Arsenal and it's as simple as that.
Not getting CL won't affect Arsenal's transfer window because they aren't going to buy big time charlies they are building and will do it cleverly and it may be the case that Manchester United have finally got to the point where they will do the same albeit at a higher level, they are Manchester United after all. Chelsea have got the transfer ban but with all their loanees they have eighty or ninety players to choose from but CL or not won't make much difference to them, they are still on the decline.
The other advantage of us and Man utd again is that it cements the reality that there is really still a top four not a top six it's just that that top four no longer includes the Europa clubs Arsenal and Chelsea.

 

[newbie]

I think some people are over thinking the top four and who they want, I want us and Manchester United because the other two are Chelsea and Arsenal and it's as simple as that.
Not getting CL won't affect Arsenal's transfer window because they aren't going to buy big time charlies they are building and will do it cleverly and it may be the case that Manchester United have finally got to the point where they will do the same albeit at a higher level, they are Manchester United after all. Chelsea have got the transfer ban but with all their loanees they have eighty or ninety players to choose from but CL or not won't make much difference to them, they are still on the decline.
The other advantage of us and Man utd again is that it cements the reality that there is really still a top four not a top six it's just that that top four no longer includes the Europa clubs Arsenal and Chelsea.

be better for us if arsenal and manu dont make top 4, chelsea without Hazzard will be struggle to make top 4 next year, i can also see chelsea winning the Europa.

 

[Khilari]

That’s correct. The only way 4th would not get CL is if both the CL and EL winners finished outside the top 4. That is now only possible if WE finish outside the top 4, win the CL and Man Utd finish inside the top 4. That is very unlikely.

That would actually be a travesty in terms of our end to the season. But there's a small, rather immature part of me that, if we finished 5th and won the CL (woohoo!) and Man Utd finished 3rd (more unlikely) that denying either Chelscum or Arse a CL spot from 4th would at least satisfy the disappointment of a poor league run, assuming also Valencia win the Euro League.

 

[Saoirse]

I'm pretty confident we'll get top 4 and not too bothered about which of the others manage it. Just hope we don't see an additional one get in through the Europa.

I'd also say that there's a small but not-zero possibility City end up with a European ban, which'd see 5th place get a Champions League spot too. More likely at this point than the shenanigans where we finish 5th but win the CL along with the 6th placed team winning the EL to deny 4th a CL spot etc.

 

[Shadydan]

I think some people are over thinking the top four and who they want, I want us and Manchester United because the other two are Chelsea and Arsenal and it's as simple as that.
Not getting CL won't affect Arsenal's transfer window because they aren't going to buy big time charlies they are building and will do it cleverly and it may be the case that Manchester United have finally got to the point where they will do the same albeit at a higher level, they are Manchester United after all. Chelsea have got the transfer ban but with all their loanees they have eighty or ninety players to choose from but CL or not won't make much difference to them, they are still on the decline.
The other advantage of us and Man utd again is that it cements the reality that there is really still a top four not a top six it's just that that top four no longer includes the Europa clubs Arsenal and Chelsea.

May not affect Arsenal's transfer window but that's £60-£100m of CL money they'd be missing out on next season, also trying to attracts players without the lure of CL football might prove difficult.

 

[stevenurse]

No CL will be catastrophic for them. 350k a week for players who turn up against Huddersfield at home is unsustainable. They've got a load of players warning a hell of a lot of money that is completely undeserved

 

[worcestersauce]

No CL will be catastrophic for them. 350k a week for players who turn up against Huddersfield at home is unsustainable. They've got a load of players warning a hell of a lot of money that is completely undeserved

Who?

 

[stevenurse]

Who?

Arsenal, and shite like Ozil in particular

 

[oohaahedgar]

Could really do with us not playing West Ham this week. Any other time i'd be so confident of beating them, but there's no way we play a full strength team and equally there's no way the players will be completely focussed on the match with Ajax to come on Tuesday.

Can't be bothered with their insufferable bollocks if they manage to take something. Even if we won 6-1, they'd try to brag about how they were the first team to score in our new stadium.

I'd take 6-1.

 

[TottenhamMattSpur]

Are done if we beat West Ham, Leicester beat Arsenal and Chelsea beat United?

That would leave the table:

Spurs 73
Chelsea 70
Arsenal 66
United 64

6 to play for means only Chelsea could overtake us.
Actually, if United do Chelsea, they'd be on 67 but with such an inferior goal difference to us, they'd need to win both their remaining games and us to lose both of ours by big score lines.

So Spurs, Leicester and United wins this weekend is the perfect storm?

 

[tommo84]

I think we'll go with a strong team on Saturday with the rationale being that 3 points vs West Ham allows us to rest almost everybody for the Bournemouth game which falls in between the two Ajax games. If we rotate lots this weekend and slip up (which I think we would if we make lots of changes) then we don't have the luxury of resting players at Bournemouth.

Don't really care who gets the other Top 4 spot, other than I hope that if one of Chelsea and Arsenal wins the Europa (eurgh) its them so as to keep it as only 4 EPL teams in the Champs League.

 

[coys200]

If we win last 3 will be 26 wins same as Arsenal invincibles lol.