Red, even if we do get fourth from here (doubt it) I still think criticism has to be made on how we managed to go from comfortable second and nailed-on top four finish to this, when we knew the problems we faced ahead. This is a football team we support - it's not a branch of Papal infallibility or Stalin's Ten-Year Plan.
I'd prefer to reserve criticism until top 4 is impossible. We all know the problems and what needs to be done.
That's the problem. I truly wish we still had City, Arsenal and Spurs to play. One or two of our big time Charlies might actually play better.
I think Donga has already answered these points . Mane was seen a long time ago as key to our scoring. He would scare defenders and open up opportunities for others with his pace and movement. With him, we were the best attacking team in the premiership bar none. Without him (even before January) we were not scoring and we had draws rather than wins. The irony of our situation is that if someone had said to us at the start of the season: After 34 matches LFC 66 points GD: 28+ Third and a run in we would have chosen ourselves, we would have thought that all our Xmases have arrived at one go. Yet, here we are, wondering whether from a high of first and unbeaten by any of the top 7 we are going to throw away the silver lining in this season's cloud of no trophies, no Europe, early elimination from the Cups by lack of planning. A team simpl;y cannot be managed on the basis of keeping our fingers crossed that we will have no injuries, no suspensions, no loss of form. We are still favourites for top 4 because of a very favourable run in but let's not kid ourselves. If we miss out (no matter how many points we get) it has to be seen as a failure of a season comparable to any with Brendan and Klopp's first season.
Given our form is rather have your run in. We'd guarantee to get 9 points from city, Arsenal and Spurs We just need you and city to draw and you and arsenal to draw and you to lose b Spurs. That way we only neeed to win a couple of games to stay ahead of you, and hope Arsenal mess up a few more of their games.
I can't see Arsenal making it now tho you never know. I think you lot will make it with either us or city. I'm just hoping we can get past city Thursday. Best result for you lot I guess would be a city win?
A city win would help with 4th but a draw would help with 3rd. Just said in our Watford thread, can't see you both winning all your other games which would need to happen for a draw on Thursday tonne bad result for us. I guess te bonus for us is, no matter what result there is a positive in it somewhere for us. Ideal id like Draw City win United win if both can get a few sent off in a 0-0 draw would be ideal
arsenal are out of 4th.. but can catch lfc if lfc are as bad as feared LFc need to win 4 games and don't really look capable of winning 2 in a row without mane.
some kind soul "liked" this post i made on the 7th April (mouser watch thread) so bringing it back to my attention . an easier run for us would have been Arsenal , Spurs , Chelsea , Man City Everton Man Utd & someone else. In other words no one we are "expected" to beat as we won't thing is i for one deffo meant it as imo we get careless then panic against "lesser" teams . We often end up with no structure at all and totally exposed this is partially a result of not having built a winning mentality and partially the system we play exacerbated by lack of pace in defence & CM.
With that scenario the mancs will end up with: 63+ 2 ( 2 draws and a defeat against top sides) +9 points (3 wins against bottom sides) = 74 and LFC: 66 + 6= 72. We also need them to draw or lose one of the games against the minnows or we have to win 3 not 2 of our games. It will interesting to see whether their unbeaten run continues. If it does and they go to current form, they may get 3 draws and 3 wins which is 12 points. That means we will need to get at least 9 points from 12. All this is speculation. None of the predictions of most the pundits came to pass because almost no one expected the mancs to get 6 points out of their last 2 matches.
Sky super computer had us 5th That looks like it is going to come to fruition If we do finish 5th where do we prioritise Europa ?
Maybe we were just unlucky to face a Palace side that have the perfect tools to beat sides who have the majority of possession and give them space to counter. Wins against Chelsea, Arsenal and ourselves suggest that credit should go to Palace for being effective against the bigger teams rather than everyone having a meltdown at the result.
Palace, however, have been a bogey for seasons: remember when we came 2nd 'cos we ****ed up against them. At the end of the day we don't learn our lessons from the past. That's our trouble.
Why is it being assumed that Man Utd, who have drawn more home games than they have won this season, are going to walk their 2 home games against Palace and Swansea?
Well I did one too and had us 4th by 2pts, and that includes us losing to Soton. Its all opinion and in the case above how things are input. Can't predict these things, who know if a player or team will decide to turn up. The Prem has become so unpredictable.
