Gotta love optimism..

[Brownie]

I've fallen into the trap of saying 'if only we'd beaten so and so' loads of times in the past, but I think the best way to look at things is to forget about what might have happened and concentrate on what actually did happen.

 

It is really frustrating though because we should be up there.

[MLB]

We should indeed be right in there competing for the title. Maybe even leading the way, if you look at some of the points we've dropped.

[Arnaud]

Let's play against better teams, and then we'll see, in other time we came far from behind and won the league, but it seems not very realistic, at least one of the top three should end up with more points than us ...

[bobhorse]

I have always said we are good enough to win any game when we field are best side we just cant field that every game throughout the season but the last 8 weeks why not

im not saying we will win it but i'm not ready to give it to anyone either i think we will beat Chelsea United and Arsenal but that still might not be good enough

[BROCK]

Does this mean Everton are still in with a shout? :whistle:

[lfclad_4eva]

Arsenal just dropped more points :)

[lfclad_4eva]

Does this mean Everton are still in with a shout? :whistle:

 

lol.

[Richard_delariv]

Wigan 0-0 Arsenal

 

Utd and Chelsea not at their best, as the weekend's results prove

 

It's on...

[Unrighteous]

We need the filth and cunts to drop league points now.

[Richard_delariv]

We need the filth and cunts to drop league points now.

 

Such lovely names you use...

 

European progress will cost the other sides points. They're not used to going so far in the European Cup. Utd and Arsenal have normally bottled Europe by Feb and have been able to concentrate on the league.

[odris]

Even though Arsenal got to the final in 2006...

[StevieH]

Even though Arsenal got to the final in 2006...

 

Arsenal didn't challenge for the league that year, just as we didn't in 2005.

[Rafa's Peggy's]

I was letting myself get a bit carried away earlier too, thinking we can get back in it if we win all our games.

 

But then I looked at Everton's fixtures and compared them to ours and I am back to looking over our shoulder rather than looking above us.

 

We'll be alright though,

[Stu Monty]

We should indeed be right in there competing for the title. Maybe even leading the way, if you look at some of the points we've dropped.

 

 

But all teams drop point they shouldn't so that doesn't make that much sense. All the top four could easily say what you've said there about dropping points.

[Ted]

I'm with John on this. We're gonna win the thing.

 

Valencia were in the same position as us in Rafa's last season there and look what happened. Real and Barca were so pre-occupied with the Champion's League and each other that they didn't even notice Valencia sneaking up.

 

We're gonna do it.

 

 

 

If we don't, I'll deny this post ever exsisted. Or get a mod to delete it.

[Unrighteous]

Ted's stance makes sense. Deny deny deny if wrong.

 

So, "We will win the league" and I'll deny deny deny/have delete to remedy this problem if we do not.

[lfc4eva99]

We win this title, Rafa on a life term contract.....

[MLB]

But all teams drop point they shouldn't so that doesn't make that much sense. All the top four could easily say what you've said there about dropping points.

 

 

Well, obviously. I'm talking about games where we've been the architects of our downfall though, like when (dare I say it) we've rotated unncessarily. I haven't researched this, so I might well be wrong, but it looks like Torres has played three less games than Tevez and Adebayor this season. I wonder what our results were in those games where Torres was rested? Might he have (hypothetically) given us the edge we required in those games as he has recently?

 

I suppose my basic point is, have we lost enough points in matches where we've rested Torres and/or Gerrard to have put us out of contention?

[Tom R]

This thread fucking rules!

[Lofts]

i have just filled in the predictor on the bbc website

 

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | Predictor

 

i put us to win every game from now till the end of the season, bitters to win at home and the top 3 to draw against eachother, this is what it came out as

 

1. Man Utd 87

2. Arsenal 84

3. Liverpool 83

4. Chelsea 81

5. Everton 73

 

Could happen, only takes arsenal and man u to slip once at a lower team

[Newport]

Does this mean Everton are still in with a shout? :whistle:

 

No because they always get bumfucked by the Mancs.

[Neil G]

Well, obviously. I'm talking about games where we've been the architects of our downfall though, like when (dare I say it) we've rotated unncessarily. I haven't researched this, so I might well be wrong, but it looks like Torres has played three less games than Tevez and Adebayor this season. I wonder what our results were in those games where Torres was rested? Might he have (hypothetically) given us the edge we required in those games as he has recently?

 

I suppose my basic point is, have we lost enough points in matches where we've rested Torres and/or Gerrard to have put us out of contention?

 

It's about more than just resting those two, but I agree there are several games where we've dropped points because Rafa's got the team selection badly wrong through worrying too much about the opposition, to an extent that Ferguson and Wenger don't. Maybe not as many as is often suggested, as I've said on the other thread, but enough to make the difference between staying in the race and dropping out.

 

Birmingham (H) - Torres dropped for tactical reasons (not rested) - 2 points dropped

 

Reading (A) - two defensive midfielders and Crouch on the left of a front three - 3 points dropped (forget the Gerrard substitution, that wasn't why we lost)

 

Wigan (H) - Mascherano played in midfield when he really wasn't needed - 2 points dropped

 

I'm convinced we would have won all those games if Rafa hadn't worried so much about how to play against those teams and just had a go at them. If we had we'd be 3 points off the top now.

[Lofts]

It's about more than just resting those two, but I agree there are several games where we've dropped points because Rafa's got the team selection badly wrong through worrying too much about the opposition, to an extent that Ferguson and Wenger don't. Maybe not as many as is often suggested, as I've said on the other thread, but enough to make the difference between staying in the race and dropping out.

 

Birmingham (H) - Torres dropped for tactical reasons (not rested) - 2 points dropped

 

Reading (A) - two defensive midfielders and Crouch on the left of a front three - 3 points dropped (forget the Gerrard substitution, that wasn't why we lost)

 

Wigan (H) - two defensive midfielders again - 2 points dropped

 

I'm convinced we would have won all those games if Rafa hadn't worried so much about how to play against those teams and just had a go at them. If we had we'd be 3 points off the top now.

 

i do agree with you but our last four games we have played with 2 defensive players, so how did we win. i think we can blame the players for some of this

[Neil G]

i do agree with you but our last four games we have played with 2 defensive players, so how did we win. i think we can blame the players for some of this

 

I edited my post, I thought Sissoko played against Wigan but it was Alonso. Even so I really don't think Mascherano was needed for that game.

 

Our recent wins have been against teams who've been more expansive in their play than Wigan were. When a team comes and puts ten men behind the ball like Wigan did there's no need for a defensive midfielder in the side.

[Lofts]

I edited my post, I thought Sissoko played against Wigan but it was Alonso. Even so I really don't think Mascherano was needed for that game.

 

Our recent wins have been against teams who've been more expansive in their play than Wigan were. When a team comes and puts ten men behind the ball like Wigan did there's no need for a defensive midfielder in the side.

 

i do understand, this is also the same against inter, once they went down to 10, that was it, 2 lines of 4. but we still kept Mascherano on, and won the game, the players need to take some of the blame, also we need a bit of luck in certain games maybe.