Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs

[baja the hut]

I reckon,

 

If we beat these guys at home, nick a few points away, which we did against Arsenal, we should be looking good for 3rd and 4th. The key is to get as close to 60 points from the bottom 10 teams as possible.

 

We have lost 2 on the bounce, but Stoke and Spurs are never teams that we have played well against away from home, they style of football plus home advantage means that we can't beat them often away yet. We will atone for it if we beat them at home.

 

Just some optimism....we aren't as good as Man Utd and Man City yet to mow teams like Spurs down in WHL, we are good enough to beat them at home (IMHO) and the lower table teams.

 

Think we are about right for a good season ahead. Better to get the bad start out of the way early.

 

Baja.

[Epic Swindle]

It's fine to be positive but I don't think we should be making any unrealistic targets at this stage, especially 3rd. We're clearly a work in progress and not as good as we originally thought. I'd be looking at a trophy and 4th. It's possible to be inconsistant and still snatch that 4th place but it won't be easy.

[lfc003]

Take Chelsea out of it, it's just a race for 4th

[baja the hut]

don't think it's unrealistic, it's about targetting the games we can win, and knowing which games we probably won't win....

 

not being optimistic -

 

1. Are we better than the bottom 10 teams to aim to win at home and away from them? - yes.

 

2. Are we good to at least get a win out of the other top 10 teams at home? - possibly yes, except for Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City

 

3. What about point 2 away? - Some losses with some draws and a few wins thrown in. Fair call?

 

Let's go for a simulation of points

 

Bottom 10 teams - points on offer 60, if we can get 48 (with a few upsets) that would be great

Top 9 teams at home - can aim for 18 out of a possible 27

Top 9 teams away - 10 out of 27

 

That's a total of 76 out of 114. if we can get that we are good.

 

Who are the top 9 teams we can beat away - Newcastle, Fulham, Aston Villa? Throw in a couple of draws in, 10 points is achievable

Who are the top 9 teams who can beat us at home, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, though I think we can get some points out of them, 18, out of 27 is likely

Bottom 10 teams, 48 is a realistic goal.

 

We can't just go to every game and treat them the same, we have to be wary that Spurs away and Stoke away are games we will probably lose.

 

We have to win the games we are favourites to, that is key, and that's how we will go above Spurs despite them having a better first team than us, because they are going to be inconsistent.

[Falconhoof]

I still think we are the 4th best set of players in the league, we just haven't settled into a side yet.

 

Though, saying that apart from today and 2nd half against Sunderland I think we've come on leaps and bounds from last year. Give it another 10 league games and then see how we are looking.

[Gambit]

thinking of 3rd place is a bit pie in the sky. We have no chance of getting in the top 3. 4th is our best bet and seeing Spurs today does not give me confidence that we'll beat them to it.

[Rimbeux]

Chelsea should make at least 3rd on muscle memory and fumes

[Swipe]

3rd is completely doable. This chelsea team is nothing to be frightened off. I'd take fourth right now but don't agree at all that 3rd is beyond us.

 

Need to do much better than today obviously.

[Epic Swindle]

Chelsea should make at least 3rd on muscle memory and fumes

 

Easy. Think they have a better squad and will eventually find their groove but end up a fair way behind the top 2. Straight race for 4th.

[baja the hut]

I think that people are over-estimating Spurs based on one game, admittedly where they outplayed us and Chelsea, who have a new manager and an ageing squad.

[épieur]

Chelsea should make at least 3rd on muscle memory and fumes

 

They should. It's hard to figure out where Chelsea are going atm though. On current evidence, they are not impressive.

 

That said, 3rd is theirs to lose. Same as I would say 4th is ours to lose looking at the strength of Arsenal and spurs. If Gerrard and Suarez stay fit, we really have no excuses.