Top 4 Race

[peterbread]

How can a team in 3rd have 12 loses in a season. I don’t know what to think of spurs.

[Chris]

4 pathetic teams, Tottenham should still do it from here but a bit nervous Arsenal and Chelsea are so pitiful it might allow the Mancs in. Either way, whatever transfers any of them make in the summer none of them will be a threat to us next season.

[Buzzo]

How can a team in 3rd have 12 loses in a season. I don’t know what to think of spurs.

They are the same every year when there is something on the line, they **** it up.

If Arsenal and Chelsea win this weekend they are under real pressure for a top 4 finish.

[Exiled_red]

How can a team in 3rd have 12 loses in a season. I don’t know what to think of spurs.

At the top end of the table it's not how many games you lose it's how many you fail to win that cost you, draws are almost as costly as defeats. If City win the league that'll be the difference between us and them (at the moment we have drawn 7 and lost 1, they have drawn 4 and lost 2). Despite losing 12 Spurs have only failed to win 13, whereas Chelsea and Arsenal have failed to win 15, Man Utd 16.

[Buzzo]

At the top end of the table it's not how many games you lose it's how many you fail to win that cost you, draws are almost as costly as defeats. If City win the league that'll be the difference between us and them (at the moment we have drawn 7 and lost 1, they have drawn 4 and lost 2). Despite losing 12 Spurs have only failed to win 13, whereas Chelsea and Arsenal have failed to win 15, Man Utd 16.

That’s the most elaborate explanation of 3 points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss ever.

It’s the same at the bottom!!!

[Exiled_red]

That’s the most elaborate explanation of 3 points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss ever.

It’s the same at the bottom!!!

It's not as costly at the bottom, as teams have far fewer points so the difference between a point and no points can make a big difference. Cardiff and Southampton both won the same number of games but the Southampton will stay up because of the draws they have.

If you think of it this way at the start of the season your target is say 80 points for the top 4 from your 38 games that means that you need an average of 2.1 points per game, if you draw the first 6 games you have 6 points and need 74 from your remaining 32 games, because you are getting only about half the point that you need the average points you require per game goes up rapidly (to about 2.3 in this example) from those remaining games. If you are at the bottom of the table and your target is likely 40 points, at the start of the season you require about 1.05 points per game if you get a draw you are almost making what you need so that rate goes up much more slowly as you draw games, showing that a draw is a less costly result from a team at the bottom than it is at at the top.

[fah-q]

No ****er seems to want this

[labourRed]

Spurs are big favourites for it but if Chelsea and Arsenal both win tomorrow it could add a bit of pressure on them. Their lack of big squad is hurting them at the moment.

[Sus]

I wonder if part of them is thinking, fukk it we will get in next season by winning the CL

[Fosterbloke]

Spurs will lose to Ajax.

[vlahka]

Absolutely.

[Exiled_red]

I think that spurs are clearly distracted by the CL semi final as it's one of the biggest games in their history. They are still favourites for the top 4 though. As even if results don't go their way (Chelsea and Arsenal win) they remain 3rd ahead of Chelsea on GD and a point ahead of Arsenal.

[vlahka]

For their gutless display against city, I hope a few more games dont go their way and they lose out on CL.

[Kenneth]

I think they'll get to the CL final which will be even more distracting for them.

[labourRed]

I'm for Ajax, they're the fresher, younger and have had opportunity to rest thanks to the Dutch FA. Certainly have had easier time of it coming into the game whereas Spurs are looking leggy.