I think the icing on the Chelsea cake was getting David Luis from PSG.....and PSG haven't been the same since. Iby or no Iby!
Anyone watched arsenal fan tv yet? Cracking stuff this eve! Hilarious that despite all the slagging off, at the end of the videos viewers see an advert for arsene wenger "the godfather" t-shirts for sale!!
I'm surprised you weren't at the cock clinic this evening HIAG. I had to pop in for a few emergency stitches. Left a large bar of Cadburys next to your usual bed for when you're next admitted.
I think most people secretly think this but won't dare admit it lest crack agents from Sky Sports kidnap and murder their children and make it look like an accident. I have long felt that had we picked up as few injuries as you this season, the gap would be closer to 2-3 points max. As it stands, you'll run away with it but it bodes well that we're in 2nd place despite having a full-strength side available for a grand total of 4 matches all season.
Chelsea have had a perfect season. Since Conte restructured their line-up to 3-4-3, they've lost to us and that's it. Their second most difficult games were at home to us and away to Citeh. They won both but not completely convincingly.They've had no serious injuries that I can think of and no European football to distract them. So, a Leicester 2016 season. Both teams have lost 3 games and have similar goal differences, number of goals conceded and goals scored. These statistics are notably better than the others. But for our slow start and Kane's injury leading to too many draws... We started too slowly, lost players to injury and the league was done by the time we lost at their place. The hope has to be that we recruit 3 or more players that can play at the level of our first XI or close to it and do it early enough for them to be ready from the off. With that and without so many injuries for us and maybe others having a few more injuries, it might be our year next year? Of course, we're playing at Wembley all year, so we'll get relegated.
Not to blow the myth that you had a slow start compared to us but up to gameweek 7 you were actually 4 points clear from us. You were on 17 points before you drew 3 (did kane get injured here?) in a row whereas we were on 13 points before our 343 switch and proceeded with our 12 game win streak which as you said we have had pretty much a perfect season We havent suffered as many injuries as yourselves and you have been unlucky with kane toby and jans injuries. I dont rate lamela as highly as you guys as i think hes a squad player with high energy so i wont include him. Rose and dembele injuries are a big loss too but they are both injury prone in my opinion so its something you should expect (like diaby getting 1 game or wilshit getting injured and ramsay or sturridge). We have been good on the injury front but luiz has pretty much been playing injured all year (dunno how) when aguero flying kicked him and costa is playing poo since he tried to derail our season when he tried to leave (partly our fault what happens when you buy mercs). Europe has played a big part though as i dont really rate our squad depth. Apart from fab in cm and pedro willian switches every one of our subs is a squad player
Funny.i thought if Chelsea score first,they'll do a Leicester again.I was surprised that Stoke got the goal but thought Chelsea would get a second by hook or by crook...and did. I look at the Chelsea manager and then the Man C manager,comparing their successes...and think "this isn't going to plan!"
True, but you'd lost 2 games by then. We'd not lost any until we lost to you lot. We drew games we could/should have won and again it's cost us.
So important that the mindset of the squad is that Chelsky are 1 pt ahead and not 13. I am fearful of a repeat of last season so we need the mathematical decision to be as close to week 38 as possible.
Last season Southampton home lost Bournemouth home won Burnley away ... didn't happen but they are outstanding at home Leicester away draw Swansea away draw Man utd home win Arsenal home draw West ham away lost Hull away win Palace away win Watford home win That's 12 points dropped in 10 of those games. It is not inconceivable that we could end up 5th or 6th if we do the same this season. The manager needs to drill this into the players. I really want to win the fa cup but if not a second top 4 finish on the trot will be a significant step forward for us...especially considering our injuries this season but there is a long long way to go to achieve this
Last season was more down to the fact that we mathematically secured 4th with 3 games to go. After the Chelsea game there was literally nothing to play for other than the pride of finishing above Arsenal, and most of our players didn't want to risk injury ahead of the Euros so that pride took a back seat. This season, the usual suspects have all improved (with the exception of arsenal), plus Everton look a real handful for most sides. If we have again secured top 4 with 3 games to go I will be amazed so the impetus to perform should still be there.
It also didn't help that we were missing two key players due to suspension, with Alli picking up a three game ban in the West Brom match for his punch on Yacob, swiftly followed by Dembele picking up a six game ban because Twattenberg forgot he was looking directly at Dembele giving Diego Costa a long-overdue slap
If we match those results from last season like for like, Spurs will finish with 74 pts. It will be quite a season if 5th place finishes on at least 74 pts with a GD of at least 34 (which would put Spurs in 6th) .
ArsenalFanTV was good this week for one reason. Linguists may have heard of the "glottal stop" used in pronunciation. I saw many examples of the the 'Tottenham stop' today (where in the list of teams who are now better than the Goons - a glottal stop had to be inserted to avoid saying "Spurs" ) .
Rose and Dembele are no more prone to missing games than Costa, if you include bans. And Costa's been really lucky this season with injuries and bans, he could have easily been sent off 3 or 4 times this season. And Luiz is injured? Behave Courtois has started all 28 games, as has Cahill and Azpilicueta, Luiz has 24 appearances(3 missed because he wasn't a Chelsea player), Moses 27, Kante 27, Matic 27, Alonso 23(although again, missed first 3 as he wasn't signed), Hazard 26, Pedro 25, Costa 26. If you take away the games Alonso and Luiz weren't signed for then your entire starting 11 have missed 13 games by my count. If we leave out Rose, Dembele and Lamela as you say then it's still; Lloris 24, Dier 25, Toby 19, Jan 22, Walker 26, Wanyama 27, Alli 26, Eriksen 26, Kane 22. That's 27 missed from 9 players, nearly 3 times more per player. It's not a case of us just suffering a few more injuries, we've had far, far more and to our best players as well. Anyway, as I said before, the difference really is that you've been able to snatch wins despite playing poorly on numerous ocassions whilst we've been more likely to drop points in those games.
I have never got my head around that last game of last season at Newcastle.It's never been explained to me. What the hell happened to the team to lose like that to a team already relegated?
true on costa since simeone rushed him back ala rafa on torres hes been very injury prone. as for luiz playing injured every man and his dog knows hes injured. that is why he is jogging half the time and he has heavy strapping in pretty much every game
