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Race for the Top 4 - 2018/19

Where will we finish in the league ?


  • Total voters
    423
  • Poll closed .

SargeantMeatCurtains

Your least favourite poster
Jan 5, 2013
11,764
61,758
Because there are no factors that give us a clear advantage over both Liverpool AND City.

Players, experience, home stadium advantage, form, league points; where do we realistically have an edge to bring home the title?

And it's not like we're going up against one club. We have to overhaul two clubs!

True, the title hasn't 'mathematically' gone, but let's face it...it's gone.

Time to focus on nailing down Top 4 and make the season a success.
In the context of being in the title race against those two teams, i'd argue that, if we can reduce the gap, playing those two in our run-in actually benefits us because we sort of have destiny in our own hands. If we can beat Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and City, i'd be absolutely shocked if we didnt win the title imo.

With that said, this is Tottenham so we may well just do that.
 

db1

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2004
1,119
697
Fernandinho out is a massive blow for city. Their most effective defensive cog.
 

hellava_tough

Well-Known Member
Apr 21, 2005
9,429
12,382
In the context of being in the title race against those two teams, i'd argue that, if we can reduce the gap, playing those two in our run-in actually benefits us because we sort of have destiny in our own hands. If we can beat Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and City, i'd be absolutely shocked if we didnt win the title imo.

With that said, this is Tottenham so we may well just do that.

Fair enough, but all I'm reading in this thread is "If we beat..." or "If we reduce the gap..."

What I'm looking for are actual reasons and facts, as to why we would consistently beat a number of sides to bring home the title.

I don't think there are any reasonable arguments to be made.

Btw, that isn't to do down Poch or the team. They've done well to battle all season to be in the position they're in. But at the end of the day we haven't slapped down a quarter of a billion pounds on players, like our two title rivals have and that's a massive disadvantage.
 

SargeantMeatCurtains

Your least favourite poster
Jan 5, 2013
11,764
61,758
Fair enough, but all I'm reading in this thread is "If we beat..." or "If we reduce the gap..."

What I'm looking for are actual reasons and facts, as to why we would consistently beat a number of sides to bring home the title.

I don't think there are any reasonable arguments to be made.

Btw, that isn't to do down Poch or the team. They've done well to battle all season to be in the position they're in. But at the end of the day we haven't slapped down a quarter of a billion pounds on players, like our two title rivals have and that's a massive disadvantage.
I think you've got to accept that in this thread people will be talking a lot of hypotheticals. Our record against the top sides, particularly away from home is shite but there is definitely some justification for us beating all of them. Chelsea are a mess and have just played 120 minutes in a cup final against a city team that made them work non-stop, Arsenal...well we should be beating them and i'd be despondent if we didnt. Liverpool have lost Firmino for a while, Salah has hardly scored against the top sides and Liverpool in general look like the stress of leading the table has caught up with them. And City? yeah we'll lose to City.
 

Styopa

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2014
5,136
14,177
Fair enough, but all I'm reading in this thread is "If we beat..." or "If we reduce the gap..."

What I'm looking for are actual reasons and facts, as to why we would consistently beat a number of sides to bring home the title.

I don't think there are any reasonable arguments to be made.

Btw, that isn't to do down Poch or the team. They've done well to battle all season to be in the position they're in. But at the end of the day we haven't slapped down a quarter of a billion pounds on players, like our two title rivals have and that's a massive disadvantage.

The facts are we're closer to Liverpool in 1st than we are to Man U in 5th or Arsenal in 4th. Until that changes I think we as fans are entitled to look up. At the moment it doesn't look like any team is about to run away with it like Man City did last year. We have pretty much matched Liverpool and City for points taken over the last 20 matches (us 45, Man City 46, Liverpool 47) despite losing to both of them so it's not totally absurd to say we have an outside chance. Very unlikely - yes. Very difficult - definitely. But win our next 2 matches and we'll be within 3 points or fewer of top, albeit temporarily.
 

Spurs 1961

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
6,665
8,739
Well if we win he title then we will have deserved it. Away games to Chelsea, Liverpool and City plus a game against Arsenal at Wembley gives us the toughest run in of any of the clubs in the top six. I think third is nailed on still but even before the weekend the task was immense. Let's just win the Champions League
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,355
87,831
I think we'll be hard pushed now, its such a big ask. The slightest slip and it can be over. I think finishing 3rd will be an outstanding achievement for this season, considering the adversity we've faced.
 

ljinko888

Well-Known Member
May 17, 2016
2,080
5,376
Yup this. People saying forget the title race , how can you when we are 6 pts off with 11 to play. Liverpool are stuttering along just lost firmino and city also just lost 2 key players.

Because we've seen this all before.

When we're written off we tend to go on a run flying under the radar which reaches a point where people suddenly look at the table and see Tottenham Hotspur have out of nowhere got within a few points of the leaders. Then we're all of a sudden declared to be back in the title race and immediately we fuck up at the first hurdle.
 

spursfan77

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2005
46,680
104,957
Man City (Fernandinho, Laporte - their two best defensive players this season), Liverpool (Fermino - their first choice striker) and Man Utd (Matic, Herrera - first choice midfield, Lingard, Rashford, Martial - first choice attackers under Solskjear) all possibly injured this week.

Shame Chelsea didn't lose anyone (although they might lose their keeper but I don't rate him anyway). Apart from that it was a pretty good weekend after our disappointing result. We couldn't of asked for much more except an arsenal defeat.
 

guy

SC Supporter
May 31, 2007
4,507
6,182
Why does one result have to mean our title chances are gone? The amount of times people (and the media) have predicted with such certainty one way or another in the last 3 months, for citeh, pool and us is just ludicrous.

It's a competitive race to the title and top 4, the title is not over until mathematically it's done.
 

hellava_tough

Well-Known Member
Apr 21, 2005
9,429
12,382
I think you've got to accept that in this thread people will be talking a lot of hypotheticals. Our record against the top sides, particularly away from home is shite but there is definitely some justification for us beating all of them. Chelsea are a mess and have just played 120 minutes in a cup final against a city team that made them work non-stop, Arsenal...well we should be beating them and i'd be despondent if we didnt. Liverpool have lost Firmino for a while, Salah has hardly scored against the top sides and Liverpool in general look like the stress of leading the table has caught up with them. And City? yeah we'll lose to City.

All valid points, including what you've written about hypotheticals.

But when you put all the hurdles that we have to jump in a row, and the fact that we don't have a squad that is far superior to our rivals, AND the fact we don't have the experience of winning a cup/title, then I think it's all too much.

Sorry for being the kill-joy, btw... :unsure:
 

hellava_tough

Well-Known Member
Apr 21, 2005
9,429
12,382
Why does one result have to mean our title chances are gone? The amount of times people (and the media) have predicted with such certainty one way or another in the last 3 months, for citeh, pool and us is just ludicrous.

It's a competitive race to the title and top 4, the title is not over until mathematically it's done.

Because now we have to overhaul 2 very good teams of their 6pt and 5pt leads respectively, beat them both away from home, play 2 tough London derbies and all the while match our rivals' results against the lesser teams.

And the games are now starting to run out as well.

Put it all together and despite the fact it isn't mathematically over, it is realistically over.

Onions and all that btw...
 

guy

SC Supporter
May 31, 2007
4,507
6,182
Because now we have to overhaul 2 very good teams of their 6pt and 5pt leads respectively, beat them both away from home, play 2 tough London derbies and all the while match our rivals' results against the lesser teams.

And the games are now starting to run out as well.

Put it all together and despite the fact it isn't mathematically over, it is realistically over.

Onions and all that btw...

I was talking more generally on final predictions being made after every fixture like they are rock solid set in stone. Happens for all teams and it annoys the shit out of me!
 

hellava_tough

Well-Known Member
Apr 21, 2005
9,429
12,382
I was talking more generally on final predictions being made after every fixture like they are rock solid set in stone. Happens for all teams and it annoys the shit out of me!

Fair enough

I think this is the first time I've made a 'final prediction' (I need to look back on my posts) because with 10 or 11 games to go you get a feel of how things are going to pan out

Btw, I don't think I'm some great oracle - my prediction that we won't win the title is a pretty safe one all things considered
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
The thing about city is if they were just going for PL I don’t think they’d feel any pressure. But if the quad really starts to look like a possibility the pressure on them will become immense. I’d still maintain in 11 games anything can happen.
 

Tucker

Shitehawk
Jul 15, 2013
31,132
146,027
We are definitely still in the race. Anything can happen between now and the end of the season. We just need to keep up with City and Liverpool and hope that they slip up and we don’t.

With Fernandinho and Firmino going off yesterday for City and Liverpool respectively I have hope that they might struggle.
 
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