The Title Race - 2023/24

[LesBleuMiserable]

We be 4 points behind with 9 games to go still anything can happen with that many points to play for and we should know this with how we come from behind!

I think we will batter the south Londoners at our digs

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

The only games we actually played badly were Villa, part of Wolves, and a lot of Arsenal, although we were a bit unlucky with the late goal.

Have to demur slightly on the Arsenal verdict. Watch the game back. I'm not saying we dominated them. But they sure as hell didn't dominate us. They played like the away team. Deflected goal at the end. (Just like the Community Shield, incidentally).

 

[melrose40yarder]

It’s grim. I don’t think some will cope if we don’t deliver another treble. That’s how mental the standards some set are. Any little blip or perceived poor showings sees an angry barrage of sulking twats slagging off every player and the manager.
They lose faith at the drop of a hat completely oblivious it seems to what this group are capable of.
It hurts my head.

God knows how they would have fared un the 90s with the shit we served up.

 

[lasereyes]

Have to demur slightly on the Arsenal verdict. Watch the game back. I'm not saying we dominated them. But they sure as hell didn't dominate us. They played like the away team. Deflected goal at the end. (Just like the Community Shield, incidentally).

It was very cagey and neither side created much. In truth our best chance was Ake from point blank in the first minute. After that, I only remember a 10-15 minute period in the 2H where we looked on top. Otherwise very scrappy. And Kovacic could easily have been red carded.

 

[waspish]

Have to demur slightly on the Arsenal verdict. Watch the game back. I'm not saying we dominated them. But they sure as hell didn't dominate us. They played like the away team. Deflected goal at the end. (Just like the Community Shield, incidentally).

When we played arsenal in the league we didn't have Rodri Kdb and stones don't think we had Grealish either

 

[bridgeno1]

When we played arsenal in the league we didn't have Rodri Kdb and stones don't think we had Grealish either

TBF Arsenal didn't have Saka and only had a half fit Martinelli for 30 minutes.

Totally different game at the Etihad anyway, we can't read much if anything from the game at the Emirates.

 

[waspish]

TBF Arsenal didn't have Saka and only had a half fit Martinelli for 30 minutes.

Totally different game at the Etihad anyway, we can't read much if anything from the game at the Emirates.

The Saka Ake had in his back pocket last season?

Rodri stones and Kdb starting against Arsenal wouldn't of ended 1-0

 

[bridgeno1]

The Saka Ake had in his back pocket last season?

Rodri stones and Kdb starting against Arsenal wouldn't of ended 1-0

We'll never know of course.

 

[waspish]

We'll never know of course.

Find out at ours when we both have full squads

 

[Axel Freed]

my feeling is we get Arsenal in QFs of CL which will throw a grenade into this title race. I hate it that under Pep we faced English club 3x in CL and always got eliminated (dippers QFs, Spurs QFs, vs Chelsea lost the final) and in each time the opponent was something like 10-20 points behind us in the league so we were way superior to them.

And that’s why winning the CL is nowhere near as important or as big an achievement as winning the league.

 

[citymad]

Whoever comes back from these shitty international games with the least injuries will have a big advantage. Stupid I know but I always worry someone is going to be paid nicely for knobbling one of our players.

 

[Axel Freed]

I’m not sure all of them have celebrated those many, many victories all the same. For many, the fear of failure must be suffocating and must have prevented them taking it in sufficiently. When it’s over and the race is run, the overriding emotion for some is relief, not joy, - still a great feeling mind, but I don’t get the sense that a decent minority of our support have taken anywhere near as much in as they could have done while Pep has been at the helm.

I think some prefer, or feel more comfortable existing in, a ‘typical City’ space - even though logic and experience should point them away from it. It’s actually a genuine shame for them because these times we are living through will be fleeting. Sure as night follows day.

Many great champions say it’s the fear of losing that drives them, not the joy of winning. Not that I’m a great champion or anything :-) but I’m totally wired the same. Bad things affect me negatively far more than good ones affect me positively

I’ll never forget sidling off upstairs as a grown ass man to have a little cry (literally) on my own when the rags beat Bayern in 99. The feeling of almost despair in that situation was a far more visceral one than the elation I felt when we did the treble. Maybe being a quarter of a century older is a factor though.

 

[hampshireblue]

Arse and Dippers are the best teams {lol}ever and we're not playing that well, but their best is equivalent to our below par. They are probably shitting it that we are still within a point.

 

[Paul1970]

Many great champions say it’s the fear of losing that drives them, not the joy of winning. Not that I’m a great champion or anything :-) but I’m totally wired the same. Bad things affect me negatively far more than good ones affect me positively

I’ll never forget sidling off upstairs as a grown ass man to have a little cry (literally) on my own when the rags beat Bayern in 99. The feeling of almost despair in that situation was a far more visceral one than the elation I felt when we did the treble. Maybe being a quarter of a century older is a factor though.

One if the worst nights of football ever up there with Liverpool beating keegans Newcastle in turn basically giving the title to Utd

 

[Paul1970]

Have to demur slightly on the Arsenal verdict. Watch the game back. I'm not saying we dominated them. But they sure as hell didn't dominate us. They played like the away team. Deflected goal at the end. (Just like the Community Shield, incidentally).

When you look at it
Spurs equaliser 93 minute
Chelsea equaliser 95 minute
Palace equaliser 95 minute
If we could hang on for a minute after we’d already basically be champions

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

When you look at it
Spurs equaliser 93 minute
Chelsea equaliser 95 minute
Palace equaliser 95 minute
If we could hang on for a minute after we’d already basically be champions

Yes, that's the killer about this season, if we don't do it (the Arsenal winner, incidentally, is timed at eighty-six minutes, as well).
But that's a mentality thing, in my view. Conceding last minute goals usually is. Weakness and hesitation on one side — for a split second. Ferocious determination on the other for that split second.
We haven't quite had that steel this season that we had last. I don't know what to put that down to, but I don't really think it's due to Gundo and Mahrez moving on. Could simply be jadedness. I'd be fairly astonished if we win the CL, because you get punished for that sort of thing, and there's no comeback — you're out. Still think that we can and will win the PL, though.

 

[Newman123]

Had at look at Redcafe and came across a point someone was trying to make.

Do you guys think we (Arsenal) have improved, hence why we were able to beat you this season? Or do you think you've regressed?

 

[Phil1]

Had at look at Redcafe and came across a point someone was trying to make.

Do you guys think we (Arsenal) have improved, hence why we were able to beat you this season? Or do you think you've regressed?

You’ve improved but that’s not why you beat us. You certainly were no better than us that day.

You’ll do well to keep your powder dry but being arsenal fans that won’t happen and the giddiness overload will kick in.

Since your pen shoot out the other night I’ve come across so many Arsenal fans online claiming that odegaard is better than Kev, that he will win the Balon’dor that this team is better than everyone else. It’s fucking insufferable and I look forward to the reality setting in.

 

[Newman123]

You’ve improved but that’s not why you beat us. You certainly were no better than us that day.

You’ll do well to keep your powder dry but being arsenal fans that won’t happen and the giddiness overload will kick in.

Since your pen shoot out the other night I’ve come across so many Arsenal fans online claiming that odegaard is better than Kev, that he will win the Balon’dor that this team is better than everyone else. It’s fucking insufferable and I look forward to the reality setting in.

Yeah I understand and Arsenal fans piss me off. Not all of us are wind up merchants/delusional. I think I read that we also have the largest online presence in some places.

Odegaard is good but no where near what KDB can do so the guy is chatting shit. In a combined XI the only players in our team getting in would be Rice and Saliba. Case could be made for Martinelli and Saka.

 

[Phil1]

Yeah I understand and Arsenal fans piss me off. Not all of us are wind up merchants/delusional. I think I read that we also have the largest online presence in some places.

Odegaard is good but no where near what KDB can do so the guy is chatting shit. In a combined XI the only players in our team getting in would be Rice and Saliba. Case could be made for Martinelli and Saka.

You’ve got a great chance of winning the league this season. All 3 teams who are in the race should feel confident, I just find it ironic that the team’s supporters who have gone on and done it so often are the ones who don’t tend to go overboard whereas Arsenal and liverpool fans can’t help themselves.