2020/21 - The Run In and Top 4 chances - an Ongoing Analysis

[m4DD0gg]

For all the talk of Chelsea and Man Utd dropping players against us, that is a double edge sword. Any player on the fringes of the first team will be doing their utmost to earn a place in the champions league and europa league finals.

[jet64]

17 hours ago, enmac said:

I'm going to assume that we're not going to make the top 4. Just to preserve my sanity. If by chance we make it will be a nice bonus. 

None of us can control what happens on the pitch, so I'm just being stoical. Only worry about the things you can have some influence over. For things you can't just accept that that's the way things are. 

 

"Stoicism teaches how to keep a calm and rational mind no matter what happens to you and it helps you understand and focus on what you can control and not worry about and accept what you can’t control." Jonas Salzgeber

Love this 👍 

[KFS]

It’s 2/3 wins needed now. 

[adam95581]

The only consolation is that we’ve performed pretty well against the ‘big 6’.  
 

Man U - could work in our favour that they have top 4 wrapped up and have a hellish week of fixtures with our game sandwiched in the middle. OGS has already said he is going to be rotating and shouldn’t be blamed for any impact on the top 4 race. 2-0 win. 

 

Chelsea - absolute lottery coming off the back of the cup final. Could have a hangover (either way) or could be fired up. 2-0 loss

 

Tottenham - if we need a result going into the final game then I would rather be playing Tottenham of the three. 3-1 win. 
 

Heart over head...

[chapero82]

24 minutes ago, KFS said:

It’s 2/3 wins needed now. 

No chance we could do that to be honest 

[Danny Clender]

To me, It feels like we need to win, lose, and draw the next 3 games, in any order. 

4 points should see us reet. 

 

 

[Pliskin]

1 hour ago, Jacnah said:

Try reading that again - 

 

"we’ve been in the top four consistently for two seasons"

"something is fundamentally wrong at the club"

 

only 5 words in your post seperate those two quotes.

 

I get the point you are making and it IS seriously depressing right now, but something is not 'fundamentally' wrong. The season is not over yet and whilst its still up for grabs we have to stick with it, stay strong and give our all. If it doesn't work out then we need to evolve and improve, rather than over react. 

 

 

I would suggest that there is. Particularly if we completely sack the final too. 
 

You can’t be in the position we’ve been in for nearly two seasons, and twice throw it away. 
 

It would suggest that there is something wrong, is it mentality? Is it fitness?

 

Forget the size of our club, and I don’t want to see people saying “we’ll be thankful it’s not a few years ago when we were in league 1”...

 

We’ve progressed since then, and on the whole are competing with the leagues traditional big clubs. 
 

But for two seasons in a row, we’ve spectacularly choked when all we needed to do was beat the leagues weaker teams. 
 

Sounds easy enough, but why can you do it for 90% of the season, and then in that final push you crumble? 
 

That to me suggests that there is something wrong somewhere. 

[Happy Fox]

Our players need to wake up to the challenge instead of hiding behind the curtains see the job through and get champions league football.

 

Work for it, the quality is not showing right now from the team as a collective, but the hunger and desire to win should be and that’s all we can ask for. Just put every ounce of sweat and determination to win these games and secure Champions league football

[Pliskin]

It’s going down to the Spurs game ultimately. We will probably be clinging onto 4th by our fingernails in that game. Spurs will need a win for EL and we will need a win for CL. If we’re going to do it it’s going to be with a minute to spare. 

[AndyMaidenhead]

We have performed abysmally at home against not just Newcastle ..but Fulham, West Ham, Everton Leeds and several others.

We were lucky to beat Palace and played Chelsea when Lampard had all but lost the dressing room.

Perhaps home form will improve once fans allowed back in stadium, but looks like a second wasted opportunity.

Just hope I am wrong.

[Blue ROI]

6 minutes ago, AndyMaidenhead said:

We have performed abysmally at home against not just Newcastle ..but Fulham, West Ham, Everton Leeds and several others.

We were lucky to beat Palace and played Chelsea when Lampard had all but lost the dressing room.

Perhaps home form will improve once fans allowed back in stadium, but looks like a second wasted opportunity.

Just hope I am wrong.

I'd say a second Top 4 collapse could make it very hostile at the start of next season.

[fox in the sox]

The ‘bottle job’ comments seem to be based on one match v Newcastle. Before that we gained 7 points from 9. If we lose the last 3 it may be down to playing 3 very strong teams.

[Nick]

We need two wins really and a better GD than Liverpool who I can see winning their last four. 
 

Come on Everton.

[Koke]

14 minutes ago, fox in the sox said:

The ‘bottle job’ comments seem to be based on one match v Newcastle. Before that we gained 7 points from 9. If we lose the last 3 it may be down to playing 3 very strong teams.

 

Had we beaten Southampton and Newcastle we'd be on 68 points now., and 11 points clear of Liverpool with 4 games to play for them. Basically with those 2 wins we'd been 98% nailed on top 4. As it is we have once again frozen on the big stage.

[fox in the sox]

20 minutes ago, Koke said:

 

Had we beaten Southampton and Newcastle we'd be on 68 points now., and 11 points clear of Liverpool with 4 games to play for them. Basically with those 2 wins we'd been 98% nailed on top 4. As it is we have once again frozen on the big stage.

Not winning matches does not mean it’s a bottle job - we have had slip ups through the season such as twice being 3-0 down to West Ham and 2-0 down at home to Fulham. Chelsea and Liverpool have performed well below their capabilities leaving us in 3rd for a long period but by the end of the season the fact they have stronger squads may push us out of the top 4.

[KFS]

The only other way of looking at it is:

 

Man U will rest players

Chelsea have an eye on CL final

Spurs could be out of contention for CL

 

This week I would say is the biggest in the clubs history. I just don’t see this current crop and manager mentally up to attacking it.

 

[Lineker's Left Foot]

1 hour ago, fox in the sox said:

The ‘bottle job’ comments seem to be based on one match v Newcastle. Before that we gained 7 points from 9. If we lose the last 3 it may be down to playing 3 very strong teams.

Agree completely 

[Mickyblueeyes]

1 hour ago, fox in the sox said:

Not winning matches does not mean it’s a bottle job - we have had slip ups through the season such as twice being 3-0 down to West Ham and 2-0 down at home to Fulham. Chelsea and Liverpool have performed well below their capabilities leaving us in 3rd for a long period but by the end of the season the fact they have stronger squads may push us out of the top 4.

But it’s also linked to the performances. Especially Newcastle. It was so flat, so sloppy, you have ask what mentality they went into the game with. Surely at this stage adrenaline gets you to at least perform at a better standard then what was shown. In fact, even without the top 4 on offer, we have enough talent to perform far better then that. 
 

For me top 4 is gone. I’m pessimistic. Just can’t see us getting anything of note in the last three. It’s about damage limitations now. Hope I’m wrong.

[Blue ROI]

1 minute ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

But it’s also linked to the performances. Especially Newcastle. It was so flat, so sloppy, you have ask what mentality they went into the game with. Surely at this stage adrenaline gets you to at least perform at a better standard then what was shown. In fact, even without the top 4 on offer, we have enough talent to perform far better then that. 
 

For me top 4 is gone. I’m pessimistic. Just can’t see us getting anything of note in the last three. It’s about damage limitations now. Hope I’m wrong.

Newcastle under Ashley are always there for the taking but we have put in some hideous displays against them at the KP since they got promoted again.

 

We needed to win the last 2 to give us some breathing space ahead of the cup final. Now Chelsea have it. Even the 2 Manchesters have it before the European finals.

 

Now we are on the verge of total collapse.

 

 

[Frank Large's Black Book]

23 minutes ago, KFS said:

The only other way of looking at it is:

 

Man U will rest players

Chelsea have an eye on CL final

Spurs could be out of contention for CL

 

This week I would say is the biggest in the clubs history. I just don’t see this current crop and manager mentally up to attacking it.

 

There is another way of looking at it, and that is "We don't want another Leicester".

For me, if OGS is going to rotate then his stronger side will be against us.

The Rich 6 would I think collectively and individually prefer to keep the same 6.

I'm not saying collusion, just that each of their owners might have some influence.

[peterborofox]

Do we want Chelsea to win their next game Vs Arsenal?

 

I ask this because should results go our way and theirs too, they could play a weakened team Vs us (league game) in order to rotate players straight after the fa cup final? 

 

I'm just somewhat clinging to hope that Man U and Chelsea go easy on us

[Wolfox]

<50% now 

 

 

[enmac]

Average age of the present squad is 25.4. Compare this to the 2015/16 squad when it was 28.5. Age/experience must be a factor especially in defence. I mean just consider Simpson, Morgan, Huth and Fuchs. All of them had been around the block at least once, and then you look at the defence Friday evening! If only we could transport that 4 from 2015 to now. I'd then be fairly confident about our final matches. 

[car1os]

Fearing for the same scenario as last year...

[STUHILL]

4 hours ago, m4DD0gg said:

For all the talk of Chelsea and Man Utd dropping players against us, that is a double edge sword. Any player on the fringes of the first team will be doing their utmost to earn a place in the champions league and europa league finals.

I was thinking this too. Might actually be better for us to be facing a tired starting 11, rather than a fresh B team that actually still has top players in it