The Race to the Title

[Shadydan]

But they are capable of performing consistantly as are we and thats all that I am arguing.

Okay...

 

[Beni]

Because out of the 9 left, I imagine we will lose at least 2. Chelsea away, Liverpool away. Stoke away el be tough. So Leicester not only have to lose the 2 to make up the difference now, but the probable points we will lose from now till the end of the season. Hence 4-5 games. Can't guess draws or defeats. Both bad. Of course if we win 9 out of 9 then we may be ok....

They have 5 difficult games on paper left to play, away to Chelsea, Man U, and Sunderland and home to Everton and West Ham where they could easily drop points. That's 15 points there with just them games, and they took 5 points in the corresponding fixtures last season

 

[crokey]

If we take Leicester's form over the season it means they wil roughly win 5, draw 3 and lose 1 of their remaining 9 games. That's 9 dropped points, we only have to make up 5 on that form (as if we do we are almost guaranteed to finish above on GD considering we are already ahead)

That means we have 4 dropped points available (7 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses) if Leicester remain on their season-long form, just incredibly unlikely for us to win from that. Any upturn in form for Leicester and it is party over, any downswing and we have a small chance.

 

[Lighty64]

It's a mirakuru...

I know this isn't a reply to your actual post, but you might need to take a small break from the forum again (joking) since your return we have only gained 1pts lol

 

[StartingPrice]

Was so gutted yesterday, have been flat ever since.

In terms of the title race, anything less than 6 points from the next two will most definitely end any slender hopes we have left.

I'm just thinking top four now and will be delighted if we can secure that top four finish, preferably third/higher. What a season its been and we have to be excited with our long term prospects, I genuinely believe we'll compete in and around the top for years to come now.

We need to remember Poch is rebuilding the Club with his style/identity and the fact that its clearly started transforming is a huge deal IMO.

Disappointing week all in all but we have to look at the wider picture. Win the next two and I think we're in a fantastic position to finish the season strongly.

The only worry I have now is fatigue, just hope we can manage the schedule.

Folk need to go back to what Poch actually said. He said the first season would be about assessing the squad - he did that. The second season would be about getting the team to play how he wants them - he has done that, and it has been bloody impressive. Then the third season would be about competing at a serious level.

What we have achieved so far this season is ahead of schedule. He doesn't have his full squad assembled yet. We clearly need at least one more out-and-out striker. But, because he is looking to having a truly competitive side next season, he refused to be rushed into buying a stop-gap, a half-way house, a compromise. He, himself, decided that...not Levy, and not the club (sadly, no matter how many times this is explained, we still get posts whingeing and whining that the club has denied him a second striker. He decided it because he isn't looking for a short-term solution, that wold probably involve someone not suited to his system, or a journey-man coming to the end of his career. He is building a squad for the future.

Incidentally, this is why I just can't see him leaving for a while yet. He likes to produce players form within and he will be hard-pushed to find a better youth set-up specifically geared to producing players for the first team. And even where he might, at Chelsea for instance, but without the emphasis on producing players for the squad (and the same goes for United, without the youth set-up), are they really going to be patient with a head coach who states immediately that he will require 3 years for the above reasons to produce a squad he believes will be capable of competing?

 

[worcestersauce]

Because they're 5 points up on us & grinding out consistent wins where's we've hit a spot of bother

To be fair in their last three they have ground out wins against Norwich and Watford both teams in their worst run of form of the season and only managed a draw against West Brom, three games they would have surely counted on winning quite comfortably.

 

[crokey]

1-0 West Brom

 

[StartingPrice]

They are also much poorer teams so evens itself out. Leicester are better than every single team they play until the end of the season

On what basis? That they are above them in the league? In that case we are better than every single team we play until the end of the season, too! If you use this logic, you might as well just say the team that is top of the table after the first game of the season is better than all the other teams, will obviously the next 37 matches, so you may as well crown them champions!

Do you mean they have been more consistent than every single team they play? That's obvious, but so are we. I'm not sure they are better than United or Chelsea (both of whom they have to play away) in any abstract sense. Indeed, if you look at our performances after the first four games of the season, we are, I think, more consistent than Leicester.

 

[Lighty64]

Because out of the 9 left, I imagine we will lose at least 2. Chelsea away, Liverpool away. Stoke away el be tough. So Leicester not only have to lose the 2 to make up the difference now, but the probable points we will lose from now till the end of the season. Hence 4-5 games. Can't guess draws or defeats. Both bad. Of course if we win 9 out of 9 then we may be ok....

even though Hiddink has been unbeaten in the league since he took charge, most of Chelsea's results at home have been draws

 

[Lighty64]

Because they're 5 points up on us & grinding out consistent wins where's we've hit a spot of bother

Leicester have had 1 more win than us this season and 1 less defeat, that in the 1st 3/4 of the season, whose to say they won't lose 1 more than us in the run in and draw 1 more than us?

 

[mil1lion]

Will the pressure get to Leicester? One defeat and all of a sudden it might. I don't think it's crazy to think they will slip up and maybe lose 2 games back to back. There are certainly more twists and turns in the Title race. We need to keep our heads up and keep fighting to the end, Afterall that is the mentality Pochettino has built at the club.

 

[midge]

Will the pressure get to Leicester? One defeat and all of a sudden it might. I don't think it's crazy to think they will slip up and maybe lose 2 games back to back. There are certainly more twists and turns in the Title race. We need to keep our heads up and keep fighting to the end, Afterall that is the mentality Pochettino has built at the club.

Leicester seems to have slipped a gear but have been able to grind out results, so its possible they might lose a game or too

Unfortunately, the worrying part for us is that our performance have been bad in the last 2 games. We dont look like we are capable of exploiting any slipup from Leicester

 

[YiddoInPoland]

Might be twists and turna left but newcastle wont be one for Leicester
, they are dog shit, even worse away which makes it even more painful that they beat us at home when they literally have not turned up before or after

 

[millsey]

If we take Leicester's form over the season it means they wil roughly win 5, draw 3 and lose 1 of their remaining 9 games. That's 9 dropped points, we only have to make up 5 on that form (as if we do we are almost guaranteed to finish above on GD considering we are already ahead)

That means we have 4 dropped points available (7 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses) if Leicester remain on their season-long form, just incredibly unlikely for us to win from that. Any upturn in form for Leicester and it is party over, any downswing and we have a small chance.

I would see it that way. We have to win get around 23 of 27 points available. Huge ask

 

[riggi]

I have a really bad fucking feeling about what could happen for the rest of the season.

If we lose the next game I can see what I think might happen, a reality.

God im pessimistic.

 

[Coyboy]

Might be twists and turna left but newcastle wont be one for Leicester
, they are dog shit, even worse away which makes it even more painful that they beat us at home when they literally have not turned up before or after

Literally?

 

[StartingPrice]

I hope Leicester also think they have the easiest run in.. Do us good.. And prick Vardy does look complacent I guess?

So come on 1, 2, 3, let's continue to say Leicester has the fucking easiest run in....

Oaky, I'll play along - I'll say they have the easiest run-in.


Just so long as I can still think it is bollocks

p.s. My issue isn't with anyone saying that Leicester's run-in is subjectively a bit easier. It is with folk stating that it is much easier as though it were an objective fact.

 

[Shea]

Oaky, I'll play along - I'll say they have the easiest run-in.


Just so long as I can still think it is bollocks

p.s. My issue isn't with anyone saying that Leicester's run-in is subjectively a bit easier. It is with folk stating that it is much easier as though it were an objective fact.

I think on paper their run it looks much easier but I think what things look like on paper means fuck all

They drew with Villa and WBA which looked like much easier games than their wins against Liverpool and Man City back to back

It's been the most unpredictable season ever, for anyone to think they KNOW what is going to happen next is ridiculous

We could win 6 on the spin or we could drop points in 3 of our next 6 and the same goes for Leicester

One injury to a key player for either team, a sticky patch for either team

I don't even think Man City can be written off yet, let alone anyone claim Leicester can't be caught by the team just 5 points behind them

 

[greaves]

Might be twists and turna left but newcastle wont be one for Leicester
, they are dog shit, even worse away which makes it even more painful that they beat us at home when they literally have not turned up before or after

If they get a new manager, which seems very possible, Newcastle may be a very different beast.

 

[talkshowhost86]

I dont have a problem with this opinion except for how can Leicester be a title winning side and we not be? Thats something I cant come to terms with.

So if we finish 2nd behind Leicester you'd consider that a failure? Even though we'd be above City,United, Arsenal and Chelsea?