The Race for the Top 4 2017

[Norbs]

He doesn't play for them anymore and he's injured anyway ha ha!

[Slinky Skills]

Oh nooooooo ha ha!!

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[dom9]

My reply was dom9esque I thought

Nowhere near, old boy.

[Cormack74]

These sort of threads scare me.

In 2000 (I think) I remember looking at the upcoming fixtures on Ceefax with about 6 games to go. The top 4 looked completely and utterly nailed on - there was no way I could see us not getting the few points needed from the teams we had left to play.

Cue mega implosion finishing up with the loss at Bradford on the last day and another season of what might have been.

[brightred]

I miss Ceefax.

Page 220

[Gingawaria]

I miss Ceefax.

Page 220

Bamboozle on Channel 4!

[RedReet]

This is what it is all about for us now. The league is pretty much decided and Spurs has just about locked in 2nd place, leaving 4 teams fighting it out for 2 places. Leaving us 6 'cup finals' to make the CL for next season.

The run home for City, United and Arsenal is obviously on paper much harder than ours, but who knows what that means for LFC considering our form against mid table and lower teams.

Also, with the relegation battle seemingly between 4 teams now, games against Swansea, Hull, Middlesbrough and Sunderland all have additional levels of difficulty.

LFC Run Home
WBA (a)
Palace (h)
Watford (a)
Soton (h)
West Ham (a)
Middlesbrough (h)

MCFC Run home
WBA (h)
Soton (a)
Man United (h)
Middlesbrough (a)
Palace (h)
Leicester (h)
Watford (a)

Man United
Soton (a)
Chelea (h)
Burnley (a)
MCFC (a)
Swanea (h)
Arsenal (a)
Spurs (a)
Palace (h)

Arsenal
Sunderland (h)
Soton (a)
Middlesbrough (a)
Leicester (h)
Spurs (a)
Man United (h)
Stoke (a)
Everton(h)

If you look at upcoming fixtures the bold games are the most likely tricky games for each club, based on top 4 rivals or teams in the relegation scrap. It looks like United are going to have a hugely difficult run in from that point of view.

Injuries are also becoming a focus for a few clubs with Mane out for us and Koscienly a huge loss for Arsenal, while City have Jesus on the way back who was excellent for them and United getting closer to full strength after having some injury concerns.

Considering Arsenal and United have quite a few games left against other top 6 teams including each other, we probably don't need as many points to make top 4 as we may be thinking, as they will naturally take points off each other.

Meanwhile, United will also have to deal with the Europa League and the sheer number of games they have to play and Arsenal look like their squad is starting to fall apart, especially without Koscienly who seems to keep them together at the back.

Be interesting to hear what everyone things is a realistic required number of wins from the final 6 games and whether LFC can finish above City in 3rd place.

All postponements rescheduled, get your fixture list in order Fernandinho.

https://www.premierleague.com/news/368656

[BigChief]

I love these little details to the end of a season.

Leicester have their first CL leg on Wed then Palace on Sat at 3pm. Followed up by the second leg on Tuesday. What we want is for Leicester to lose (obviously, don't want them ending up winning it) but only by 1 goal. That will motivate Shakespeare to rest the majority of his first team against Palace.

Palace to take advantage and get their vital win, thus they start taking the foot off the gas pedal. And of course Leicester to get tonked next Tuesday and leave the competition thus securing 4th spot in England as a guaranteed CL spot (via qualification round obviously).

I love it when a plan starts to come together. :hannibal:

[Chris]

Mikhail Antonio out for the season, theres a guaranteed West Ham goal gone!

[Angryred]

All the matches regarding our rivals, all draws for me as so many positive scenarios for us from those results if we continue to pick up positive results of course!

Is it possible that we could catch Tottenham for 2nd place?

[SB]

It's on. We go again.

[ChesterDave]

Is it possible that we could catch Tottenham for 2nd place?

No.

[dom9]

It's on. We go again.

Yorn

[SB]

Yorn

1 match at a time.

[dom9]

Zzzzzzz