Poll The title has NOT gone. Do you still believe?

[Frogfish]

For all that is commonly said about us being "experienced" in a title race, I don't think we are.

Our main players have not been in a title race before. Looking at the squad yesterday, only Mo, Virg and Robbo, that's hardly enough.

Meanwhile Arsenal were just in a title race last season. And City is City.

If experience matters, we don't have the upper hand. Klopp is only but a man.

To an extent this 'experienced in a title race' is bollocks. None of them are thinking 'must win, title race, how to mange this' when they are on the pitch. What matters more is just football experience and in Ali, Robbo, VvD, Konate (world cup), Mac (world cup), Szobo, Trent, Endo, Mo., Diaz and even Nunez (national team) we have that in spades.

 

[Hansern]

Are everyone pointing out City and Arsenal having CL quarter final distraction forgetting that we have a 2 legged Europa League ones as well? Not exactly the matches we can take lightly given how we're labouring in matches these days.

No, but I think if they play each other in the CL semis then they’ll be more likely to drop points.

 

[Frogfish]

It's looking more and more likely that this title is going to be decided by the fact the PGMOL outright stole three points from us at Spurs, this is different from previous seasons when titles have been decided on bad decisions, which is bad enough but is a part of subjective referring, but losing a title because the refs have made a flat out incorrect decision, known about it seconds later, and refused to do anything to correct, and then have the PGMOL try to hush it up, it's hard not to feel like this whole thing is fixed in such circumstances.

Absolutely agree and said so in the United thread (I think it was) but was pooh poohed. It's cost us 6-8 points.

 

[peterhague]

Fwiw on the race, Arsenal still have to play Spurs, Villa, Chelsea, Everton and United, I'd expect them to win the all, but it's also fair to say there's some tough games in there, and the pressure will build for them.

You know how many teams have won 9 in a row this season? I looked it up so you don't have to: none.

The longest run is 8 games by Arsenal. City might just win theirs. With those fixtures that seems possible, although even they have to go to Spurs. But Arsenal winning the last 9 is really really unlikely. Probably like a 10% chance or less.

 

[Brizzle]

Problem is chances of us winning last 8 are slim, so in the games we make 15 big chances against a terrible opposition we need to take home 3 points.

 

[Hansern]

We’ve got 7 league games to go under Klopp. If its one thing we should have learned by now its not giving up.

 

[Brizzle]

We’ve got 7 league games to go under Klopp. If its one thing we should have learned by now its not giving up.

Klopp has taught us self preservation. Runners up by 1 point twice. Lost 3 European cup finals.

It was fun & exciting to consider the fairy tale ending to his time here but we have lost control of this now.

 

[KopRed]

To an extent this 'experienced in a title race' is bollocks. None of them are thinking 'must win, title race, how to mange this' when they are on the pitch. What matters more is just football experience and in Ali, Robbo, VvD, Konate (world cup), Mac (world cup), Szobo, Trent, Endo, Mo., Diaz and even Nunez (national team) we have that in spades.

I guess the results show otherwise. We choked yesterday. United were arguably worse than they were in the FA cup. No lessons were learnt obviously.

 

[Hansern]

Klopp has taught us self preservation. Runners up by 1 point twice. Lost 3 European cup finals.

It was fun & exciting to consider the fairy tale ending to his time here but we have lost control of this now.

I don't like it when Hal steals your account, mate. Lost control yes, but can still win it.

Runners up to 115 chargers twice with record amount of points. Fair to say that Klopp would have won much more if City wasn't financially doping. He deserves more as well.

 

[Frogfish]

I guess the results show otherwise. We choked yesterday. United were arguably worse than they were in the FA cup. No lessons were learnt obviously.

Choked? That isn't what happened. A youngster making a bad error cost us the match, despite us not putting away enough of our chances at the other end. But hey if you prefer your rhetoric then go with it.

 

[peterhague]

Problem is chances of us winning last 8 are slim, so in the games we make 15 big chances against a terrible opposition we need to take home 3 points.

It's 7 now and our hardest game is out of the way.

My honest feeling is we don't drop more than 2 more points. If we drop 2 then we need Arsenal to drop at least 3 and City to draw a game. I agree that that's getting into 50/50 territory.

But if all we need is one Arsenal draw then I'd say that's very likely.

 

[Fabio]

Did we switch off? All I saw was a team trying their hardest to win til the death.

Of course we did. We switched off, they scored 1, and then we let them play and they scored a second.

Onana was barely tested when we went behind. Thank CHRIST Harvey acted like a forward and actually ran in to the box with a ball

 

[Fabio]

It's 7 now and our hardest game is out of the way.

My honest feeling is we don't drop more than 2 more points. If we drop 2 then we need Arsenal to drop at least 3 and City to draw a game. I agree that that's getting into 50/50 territory.

But if all we need is one Arsenal draw then I'd say that's very likely.

There's every chance we might get the opportunity back, but it's believing our own team can maintain pace. I just don't think we can.

 

[Buddha]

We’re in a stronger position than most claim, especially given Arsenal’s run in (their next three games are Villa/Chelsea/spurs) and the City / Arsenal upcoming focus on champions league ties.

For me, City are now marginal favourites over us and Arsenal are about to fall away.

 

[peterhague]

There's every chance we might get the opportunity back, but it's believing our own team can maintain pace. I just don't think we can.

We're not in the best of form but we've been decimated by injuries and that's turning around now. If City and Arsenal play that CL semi then that's gonna be brutal for them.

I'm not saying we'll win it. Tbh all season I've thought we wouldn't. But having come this far I do think we're slight favourites.

 

[mark1975]

Why are people hedging their bets on returnees when we have 7 games left? Trent has been out forever, Jota not much less, we have SEVEN games to play, we don't have the time or capacity to start integrating players who haven't played for ages.

 

[Fabio]

Why are people hedging their bets on returnees when we have 7 games left? Trent has been out forever, Jota not much less, we have SEVEN games to play, we don't have the time or capacity to start integrating players who haven't played for ages.

Also, Trent was shite pre injury

 

[binomial]

Why are people hedging their bets on returnees when we have 7 games left? Trent has been out forever, Jota not much less, we have SEVEN games to play, we don't have the time or capacity to start integrating players who haven't played for ages.

It will help take off the intensity where we have European games if nothing else. If Jones/Jota/Trent can give Bradley Diaz and Mac a rest for the Atalanta away game (if not before) then it'll help somewhat and if Baj is still alive like we're led to believe he is, he can give Endo a rest.

Way I see it it's still split equally down the middle, 33.3% chance for each team.

 

[KopRed]

Choked? That isn't what happened. A youngster making a bad error cost us the match, despite us not putting away enough of our chances at the other end. But hey if you prefer your rhetoric then go with it.

The score was 2-2 and out of our hands now if you hadn't noticed. It's not my "rhetoric".

 

[KopRed]

It will help take off the intensity where we have European games if nothing else. If Jones/Jota/Trent can give Bradley Diaz and Mac a rest for the Atalanta away game (if not before) then it'll help somewhat and if Baj is still alive like we're led to believe he is, he can give Endo a rest.

Way I see it it's still split equally down the middle, 33.3% chance for each team.

I still can't believe your boy Diaz skied that chance at the end. He was waiting forever, watched the ball all the way with no marker and Robbo delivered the perfect ball.

 

[Mystic]

You know how many teams have won 9 in a row this season? I looked it up so you don't have to: none.

The longest run is 8 games by Arsenal. City might just win theirs. With those fixtures that seems possible, although even they have to go to Spurs. But Arsenal winning the last 9 is really really unlikely. Probably like a 10% chance or less.

Oh I agree, and that's sort of what I was implying, on a game by game basis they should expect to win those games, but as a whole run in, with the pressures that entails, it's unlikely they'll win them all.

Only City and ourselves a few years back were good enough to go on such runs in recent years, and neither us or City are currently as good as we were during those years, and Arsenal certainly aren't either.

 

[Mystic]

I still can't believe your boy Diaz skied that chance at the end. He was waiting forever, watched the ball all the way with no marker and Robbo delivered the perfect ball.

It would have been offside anyway.

 

[mark1975]

Choked? That isn't what happened. A youngster making a bad error cost us the match, despite us not putting away enough of our chances at the other end. But hey if you prefer your rhetoric then go with it.

Quansah didn't cost us the match, the missed chances did. We should have been well out of sight by then, it's not someones rhetoric at all. If you don't put chances away and put a decent margin between you and the opposition, there's always a danger they will get a chance and take it. It was also a great finish and Kelleher was way off his line. I'd argue if Alisson had played it wouldn't have happened but we can all do ifs and buts, we choked completely because two or three of our forwards just aren't good enough, because Szobo once again flattered to deceive. Elliott came on and made a huge difference again, but still finds himself on the bench most games, it's frustrating. If you want to talk rhetorical stuff, lets talk about why Szobo has been wank for months but still walks into the team. Let's talk about why we still play a stupidly naive fucking high line.

We choked, again. Like we were very close to choking against Brighton, Forest and Sheff United, like we choked against United in the cup. Like we'll choke again before the end of the season. Regardless of our progress, which has been excellent, we'd have won a lot more trophies if we hadn't acted so fucking amateurish when it comes to controlling games and defending.

 

[binomial]

I still can't believe your boy Diaz skied that chance at the end. He was waiting forever and Robbo delivered the perfect ball.

Yeah it was a terrible miss but no less believable than Mo sking both his chances, one being from 3 yards out or Dom missing a 1 on 1 with Onana or missing the target from the penalty spot after Robbo laid it on a plate for him. No less believable than us gifting the opposition a chance to score and making lives extra harder for ourselves.

Many culprits last night.

 

[KopRed]

Yeah it was a terrible miss but no less believable than Mo sking both his chances, one being from 3 yards out or Dom missing a 1 on 1 with Onana or missing the target from the penalty spot after Robbo laid it on a plate for him. No less believable than us gifting the opposition a chance to score and making lives extra harder for ourselves.

Many culprits last night.

Everyone was shit at finishing but we just needed someone to make THE difference. None came forth. Macca couldn't do it all the time. If we could finish, not just for yesterday, we would be some way clear. It is what it is I guess.

 

[peterhague]

Why are people hedging their bets on returnees when we have 7 games left? Trent has been out forever, Jota not much less, we have SEVEN games to play, we don't have the time or capacity to start integrating players who haven't played for ages.

Think that's a bit OTT. Trent Jones and Jota all been out for a month or two, no reason they can't come back in pretty quickly. That would still leave 4 or 5 crucial games they can start in.

 

[binomial]

Everyone was shit at finishing but we just needed someone to make THE difference. None came forth. Macca couldn't do it all the time. If we could finish, not just for yesterday, we would be some way clear. It is what it is I guess.

Yep, sadly no one did. It was a ridiculous game and even more ridiculous how we didn't come away with 3 points.

Just need to make up for it in the rest of the games now and make sure we come away lifting that trophy come May and all will be forgotten.

 

[keniget]

We can't play every game needing heroics in the last 10mins.

Sheffield Utd have pretty much been spanked by all and sundry this year and we couldn't quite get it together against them. Utd were BEGGING for a hammering and we couldn't quite get it together to oblige.

I think, at times, we misrepresent what "mentality monsters" actually means... it means not constantly getting yourself into stupid fucking positions that require "never giving up".

 

[KopRed]

BTW, Macca was really crossed when Mainoo's goal went in. Who was he upset with? Or did I imagine that?

 

[binomial]

City beat Sheffield 2-0 at home and needed an 88th min winner to beat them away 2-1. How many times do you think City and Arsenal have salvaged games in the last 10 mins? Arsenal needed it twice against Brentford, it's what the signs of champions do.....fight till the death and find a way.

We did better against them than they did. The goal we conceded was shambolic defending and the types you just cannot afford to give up if you want to win trophies.