Since we have barely played for about a month they teams around us have really not got away from us (thinking of Stoke, West Ham etc.)!
3 games in hand on most of them. Get a decent points haul (4-7) and we could be looking at a healthy end to the season
Got to get as many points as possible ...the missing games are v United, Chelsea and Arsenal (hardly pushovers).
Just noticed that we play Bournemouth, Palace and WBA between the 1st and 8th April. Important group of games.
Problem is winnable games in hand don't always guarantee points, especially when it is over a congested period. I remember in our Championship and League One days that the teams chasing us often had winnable games in hand, however the potential points were always harder to obtain; better to have points on the board, however great no-one except West Brom have gone away from us!
It will be Chelsea in due course, but not yet. That particular round of games hasn't arrived yet. Spurs is tomorrow.
We were actually the ones with games in hand in league one and the result of that season kind of explains itself!
Annoying that we had to save possibly our worst performance of the season for the West Ham home game, because since back-to-back wins in January that took them above us, their recent form reads: 0-4 defeat to City 3-1 win over us 2-2 draw with WBA 1-1 draw with Watford 1-2 defeat to Chelsea 2-3 defeat to Bmouth 2-3 defeat to Leicester Indeed, take away those three points against us, and they'd be down in 15th (having played more than anyone around down there other than Hull). Also annoying that they have a very kind looking remaining fixture list. If they can get their act back together, it will be a battle for us to finish above them. But far, far from impossible.
Not sure Arsenal are going to have their game plan back by then. Are their players doing a Leicester pre-Ranieri sacking? If so, good opportunity to beat Arsenal. Manchester United will no doubt play conservatively and try to sneak a goal or two or the break. Hopefully they will be too busy trying to progress in the EL in order to get CL football. Hardest game will be against WBA. Think Saints are a better footballing team but that doesn't always count given Albion's other strengths.
Interesting reading the comparisons between Southampton and Everton a few pages ago. Definite parallels between SFC last season and Everton this in exiting the FA Cup early and then finding form in the League. Since January, EFC might be 2nd or 3rd in the form league after Chelsea, seeing as they have closed the gap on 5th and 6th.
