The run in / battle for 3rd 4th 5th

[PINKIE]

Whatever happens for the remainder of the season, I hope it's remembered for a cracking run in. There are some really tasty games coming up over the next few weeks.

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

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Definitely getting some of these on Sunday

They aren't toffees, DL!

Watch out for Sunderland's new emblem when you play them on the same day, by the way:

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Snazzy!

 

[shwan]

That was the reserves

Hope you gave the Swansea ballboys a good kicking.

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Definitely getting some of these on Sunday

so JT, cech, Mikel, Lampard, oscar, Ivanovic, torres have been demoted to reserves now then? (am not even adding Ramires & Hazard who came in and couldn't change the score)
yes it is not the strongest chelsea side .. but "reserves" !!? comn man

 

[ToledoTrumpton]

Their fans have massively turned against Pulis and the old Stoke resolve is gone. Stoke have very few talented players, so they rely on hard work. Without that, they are not premiership quality. Spurs have been excellent away from home this season (only Man Utd have more away wins), so they are odds on favourites to beat Stoke for me. Like Sunderland, Stoke are on a downward spiral that will hopefully seem them get relegated.

You have no evidence for this. I would love Stoke to be relegated, but it just isn't likely. They don't give up many goals, and as much as we wish it they are going to be difficult to beat at home.

 

[TheBear]

ARSENAL:

WBA A - 3 pts
Norwich H - 3pts
Fulham A - 3pts
Man Utd H - 0pts
QPR A - 3pts
Wigan H - 3pts
Newcastle A - 1pt

Total - 16pts

SPURS :

Everton H - 1pt
Chelsea A - 1pt
Man City H - 0pt
Wigan A - 3pt
Southampton H - 3pts
Stoke A - 3pt
Sunderland H - 3pts

total - 14pts

CHELSEA:

Sunderland H -3pts
Spurs H - 1pt
Liverpool A - 1pt
Swansea H - 1pts
Man Utd A - 0pts
Villa A - 3pt
Everton H - 1pt

Total - 10pts

Which would give a final standing of :

Arsenal - 16 pts - 71 overall
Spurs - 14 pts - 71 overall
Chelsea - 10 pts - 65 overall

Dont get me wrong Arsenal and Tottenham could both have big slip ups but for me Chelsea have the hardest fixture list and I think they will miss out. Despite having a talented squad and some very good players.

 

[PINKIE]

Arsenal into 4th .. for now. Lot's of permutations to how this might look depending on tomorrow's results.

Shaping up to be one of the most exciting run ins for years

 

[District Line]

so JT, cech, Mikel, Lampard, oscar, Ivanovic, torres have been demoted to reserves now then? (am not even adding Ramires & Hazard who came in and couldn't change the score)
yes it is not the strongest chelsea side .. but "reserves" !!? comn man

What the Donald Duck are you on about?

Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Luiz, Cole, Mikel, Ramires, Mata, Hazard, Oscar and Ba is our strongest XI.

5 of those played at Southampton.

You make zero sense at all.

 

[EmirAleks]

ARSENAL:

WBA A - 3 pts
Norwich H - 3pts
Fulham A - 3pts
Man Utd H - 0pts
QPR A - 3pts
Wigan H - 3pts
Newcastle A - 1pt

Total - 16pts

SPURS :

Everton H - 1pt
Chelsea A - 1pt
Man City H - 0pt
Wigan A - 3pt
Southampton H - 3pts
Stoke A - 3pt
Sunderland H - 3pts

total - 14pts

CHELSEA:

Sunderland H -3pts
Spurs H - 1pt
Liverpool A - 1pt
Swansea H - 1pts
Man Utd A - 0pts
Villa A - 3pt
Everton H - 1pt

Total - 10pts

Which would give a final standing of :

Arsenal - 16 pts - 71 overall
Spurs - 14 pts - 71 overall
Chelsea - 10 pts - 65 overall

Dont get me wrong Arsenal and Tottenham could both have big slip ups but for me Chelsea have the hardest fixture list and I think they will miss out. Despite having a talented squad and some very good players.

and our Everton game ?

 

[District Line]

ARSENAL:

Dont get me wrong Arsenal and Tottenham could both have big slip ups but for me Chelsea have the hardest fixture list and I think they will miss out. Despite having a talented squad and some very good players.

But yet we do better against the "harder" teams

The big games take care of themselves, how we do will depends on results like today and last week.

 

[BBFs Unpopular View]

In the league there's only one form guide, United will probably usually get a win, Spurs likely to win with Bale, but without they are just like the rest of the teams in the top 10, can win or lose on any given day no matter who they play.

 

[ToledoTrumpton]

But yet we do better against the "harder" teams

The big games take care of themselves, how we do will depends on results like today and last week.

If the result in your remaining games goes the same way as the first encounters then you will get 12pts from the last 6 games. Spurs will pick up 7pts, and Arsenal will pick up 11pts.

This sort of shows that everyone's run in is more or less the same, with Spurs just losing out due to having played one game more. For me, I think Arsenal have the easiest run in, because it has the most chance of improvement on the reverse fixtures. Chelsea next and Spurs the hardest.

Arsenal have home games against QPR and Norwich in their efforts to improve on first half results. Spurs have to go and win at Stoke and Wigan after losing to them at WHL. Chelsea have to go to Liverpool and Swansea to improve on draws at home, or Fulham at the Bridge (their best chance), or get something at United.

 

[Wenger's Optician]

If the result in your remaining games goes the same way as the first encounters then you will get 12pts from the last 6 games. Spurs will pick up 7pts, and Arsenal will pick up 11pts.

This sort of shows that everyone's run in is more or less the same, with Spurs just losing out due to having played one game more. For me, I think Arsenal have the easiest run in, because it has the most chance of improvement on the reverse fixtures. Chelsea next and Spurs the hardest.

Arsenal have home games against QPR and Norwich in their efforts to improve on first half results. Spurs have to go and win at Stoke and Wigan after losing to them at WHL. Chelsea have to go to Liverpool and Swansea to improve on draws at home, or their Fulham at the Bridge (their best chance), or get something at United.

We're playing QPR away.

 

[District Line]

If the result in your remaining games goes the same way as the first encounters then you will get 12pts from the last 6 games. Spurs will pick up 7pts, and Arsenal will pick up 11pts.

This sort of shows that everyone's run in is more or less the same, with Spurs just losing out due to having played one game more. For me, I think Arsenal have the easiest run in, because it has the most chance of improvement on the reverse fixtures. Chelsea next and Spurs the hardest.

Arsenal have home games against QPR and Norwich in their efforts to improve on first half results. Spurs have to go and win at Stoke and Wigan after losing to them at WHL. Chelsea have to go to Liverpool and Swansea to improve on draws at home, or Fulham at the Bridge (their best chance), or get something at United.

I see your point but why would we fear United or Liverpool away when we've been to United and battered them (from 2-0 down and only De Gea wonder save at 2-3) and won at Spurs and Arsenal?

Quantitative data is too simplistic to assess the run in, it doesn't take into consideration form, opposition motivation etc.

Generally speaking we have struggled at home to sides that put everyone behind the ball and away to sides where Benitez inexplicably decides to field weakened teams.

Mata, Hazard and Oscar in particular will get far more freedom and time on the ball at Anfield and OT than they would get in the reverse fixtures and we know Benitez won't go there and field a weakened team.

I'm relatively happy with the fixtures we have left. United will have nothing to play for and even if we do poorly against them and Liverpool there is always that home game with Spurs to fall back on.

Anybody writing Chelsea off on the basis we have "harder" games is being ridiculously myopic because take out the Clattenburg show which is redundant as far as I'm concerned and we have lost 1 big game from 6 against the sides around us, winning 4 of those.

 

[Kyle?]

I think 2nd place is possible, but we'd need to drop Giroud, and we need to try Podolski through the middle. I can't see us winning every remaining game with Giroud as a CF. Even our perennial whipping boys Gervinho and Ramsey are outplaying him at the moment.

 

[TheOXOCube:5pur2]

I think 2nd place is possible, but we'd need to drop Giroud, and we need to try Podolski through the middle. I can't see us winning every remaining game with Giroud as a CF. Even our perennial whipping boys Gervinho and Ramsey are outplaying him at the moment.

I'd rather we not aggravate his injury and only play him when 100% necessary. PS, getting 2nd depends more on City ****ing up than it does us. Its possible but highlty unliekly

 

[District Line]

I think 2nd place is possible, but we'd need to drop Giroud, and we need to try Podolski through the middle. I can't see us winning every remaining game with Giroud as a CF. Even our perennial whipping boys Gervinho and Ramsey are outplaying him at the moment.

Look at City's last 4 games....

 

[Kyle?]

I'd rather we not aggravate his injury and only play him when 100% necessary. PS, getting 2nd depends more on City ****ing up than it does us. Its possible but highlty unliekly

It's very possible. They may have an easy-ish fixture list (after the next 2 tough games), but this is Citeh, a massive fallout is inevitable.

As long as we win every remaining game (excluding Manure, but on current form i think we could give ManUre a good game) it puts pressure on Citeh to turn up each game, which they don't always do.

 

[Kyle?]

Look at City's last 4 games....

It's Citeh. Don't take anything for granted. They're like us and you (under Coco anyway) in that respect, you never know what performance you're going to get. You could have the team that destroyed Chateau Nouveau, or the team that crumbled against Everton.

 

[Wenger's Optician]

It's Citeh. Don't take anything for granted. They're like us and you (under Coco anyway) in that respect, you never know what performance you're going to get. You could have the team that destroyed Chateau Nouveau, or the team that crumbled against Everton.

Everton have been City's bogey team recently. Wouldn't use City's performance against Everton as a barometer of where they could finish.

 

[littleDinosaurLuke]

Giving a strictly neutral, 15 points clear kind of perspective on this, I think Arsenal are favourites for third. 3 reasons:

1. Easier run in (on paper at least).
2. No other games (EL and FA Cup) as a distraction.
3. Found some resolve in the past few weeks and look capable of grinding out results.