Looking at Arsenal's remaining fixtures, I can't see them losing any game, except for the Chelsea game - provided that Chelsea turn up. Stoke away will not be easy, and there is a chance that they'll draw that match, but the others have "Arsenal win" written all over them. I rather fear that this one is going to go all the way to the wire, with no St Arsehole's Day. Mind you, by the same token, there is unlikely to be a St Totteringham's Day, either. God help Arsenal if RvP decides to cash in on the last few years of his career, playing for Mourhino's £ity.
Chelsea's fixture congestion could become quite an important factor. It'll be interesting to see what sort of side they can put together for each game.
Arsenal were good value for it today, we're going to have to do bloody well to finish third now. However, securing 4th is my main concern, as well as getting to the FA Cup final of course.
The Goons have pulled their season together brilliantly (as could have been expected) even if they did originally rely 100% on RvP. Can't take that away from them - much as we would like to. They are now firm favs for 3rd but CL is totally in our hands starting with Norwich tomorrow. The Chavs will pick up points but their inconsistency and focus on different targets should see them come up short. Newcastle however, have a pretty straightforward run in, are bang in form and have no pressure on them whatsoever. They might still claim the 4th place. Having seen Citehs total capitulation today, their lack of unity and likely loss of manager looming, I still don't think that it is mpossible for them to self-destruct - and if they Were a couple of points closer I think they could be overhauled. Probably to far in front tho' - which makes those 2/3 points at the Etihad so much more important!!
If we win all six matches we will get third. Arsenal could do the same but it is a very tall order. If they do they will have finished the season with fourteen wins out of fifteen and will deserve to be above us. Four wins is probably enough for fourth. Harry needs shooting if we don't get at least that.
In all honesty, I will be truly gutted if we finish outside the top 4. I've said it before, but if that happens, then Harry will have failed, and I'd be looking to Levy to get someone else in, regardless as to whether or not the FA give in to Harry's ego and give him the England job.
To be fair he needs to ask himself some questions, regardless of what happens as yesterdays game reminded me we haven't won a game, away, against any top half team and that is pretty pathetic for a team with the quality we have.
I've got to say that despite his protestations Harry's performance and that of the team has not been anywhere nearly intense enough for the run in. Ever since THAT resignation, we have become the same old walkovers we always were. Runs like ours give "lesser" teams courage and I am not altogether convinced we'll find our "easy" run in all that easy. I hope Harry gets his head out of his arse and gets us over the line. Otherwise his legacy here will be the dismantling of a hard fought for squad and us back to where we were 5 years ago.
This is because his previously favoured 442 doesn't work against good teams unless we have everyone fit and playing well. he has finally seen the light and changed it but we are having some teething problems. The issue is: 442 everyone fit Lennon, Modric, Parker, Bale, VdV, Ade - this is fine and would beat anyone on its day 442 reserves Dos Santos?, Sandro, Kranjcar, Rose, Defoe, Saha - this is much weaker and Huddlestone and Livermore never play. 4231 everyone fit: Sandro, Parker, VdV, Modric, Bale, Ade - Also would have a chance against anyone 4231 reserves Livermore, Huddlestone, Kranjcar, Lennon, Dos Santos, Saha - still quite decent. Our squad is stronger in central midfield than on the wings so let's play to that strength!
Huddlestone doesn't play because he's spent virtually the entire season injured. Whenever he's been fit he's been in the squad. We beat Liverpool and Newcastle four and five nil playing 4-4-2 with first XI players missing. It works well against some opponents, especially those that are weaker than us that don't flood the midfield.
And don't put ten men behind the ball and actually play open football. Norwich with nothing to lose maybe will help us on our way.
I meant that Livermore and Huddlestone are effectively third choice in 442, while inferior players like Townsend, Rose, Defoe and Pienaar are needed to cover important positions. We've made loads of chances in the last few games (Sunderland excepted). As for Luke's comment: 4231 is not negative - it should be more attacking than 4411 which often regresses into the sterile two banks of four defensive formation.
Powerspurs - "4231 everyone fit: Sandro, Parker, VdV, Modric, Bale, Ade - Also would have a chance against anyone" For ages I wanted us to play 4:2:3:1, but we didn't have the two or the 1. Now we have Parker Sandro and Livermore for the two, and Ade for the one. BUT - you need the three to be players that are either CFs that can do a job on the wing, or wingers that can do a job at CF, ant they absolutely have to be quick. If we play Luka or VDV there, they just can't get close to the striker quickly enough, and if we play Luka AND VDV in that three, then we get the kind of result we saw againstSunderland. Bale is pefect for a role in the 3, Lennon can do a job there. We might get away with those two and one of VDV and Luka, but what are the chances of 'Arry dropping one of them?
Huddlestone would play alongside Sandro in a second choice XI using a 4-4-2. He's our only suitable back-up for Modric. Defoe's a consistent goalscorer who's got 15 goals this season and Pienaar's one of Everton's best players, so I'm not sure who they're supposed to be inferior to. I assume you mean they're inferior to Dos Santos and Livermore, but that's very disputable.
Morning CN Against Sunderland intentionally or not Modric seemed to play a lot deeper so I'd say it was a different tactic to the one we used against Swansea, where I thought VDV and Modric linked up with the pacier Ade and Bale well. I think there's a good case for arguing that we shouldn't be trying out new tactics so late in the season when every game is crucial but it does give us a certain control over the game, which I like.
YV - The Spurs OS has us down for a 4-3-3 against Sunderland, so that's probably why Modric was so deep. Swansea were a different proposition because of their style of play. TBH, with one win in seven, I think we had to change something, and with Lennon out we didn't have too many options. I guess the real question is why, after 7 transfer windows with 'Arry at the helm, do things go so pear-shaped when one player is out?
Good points, I think we all expected a tougher game than we got at Sunderland but once we'd realised they were happy to sit back, we never seemed to change our play much. We didn't try and close them down quickly to rush them, players didn't pass forward enough and we persisted with playing the ball around the defence and keeper which we knew from the first half wasn't going to draw out their players. Not so long ago we also thought that Pienaar was going to be the extra winger we needed but that never happened and Rose doesn't seem to be rated enough as a winger so yes, it is very frustrating that we're left with such a lack of wingers. The January window was the ideal time but the most confusing thing is that once the Krasic deal fell through we still gave Everton Pienaar, I'm sure we didn't want to but we made a total balls up in allowing Pienaar to go in the deal for Saha.
The couple of times since January that I've watched Everton w/ Pienaar playing, he's been a bit more central than I think we'd like him to be. He's certainly shown again that he's a quality midfielder since the switch back to Everton but I can't see him fitting in too well with us - he certainly didn't up till January.
I love us playing 3-5-2, with Walker and Rose playing as wing-backs. This would be great where we need to rest either Bale or Lennon, or indeed both of them, since we could have Moddy, Parker and VDV in the middle. Or put in Sandro/Livermore, and move VDV forward, in a 3-5-1-1 formation.
Spurs look like they can drop points against any team to be honest, so I doubt that game will be too critical.
