Chelsea are currently 10 points behind us and we play them next. Let's say we lose which isn't beyond the realms of possibility, they'll be 7 points behind us with 48 points still to play for. We'd still be in a strong position but bigger turnarounds have happened and at a far later stage in the season, namely 2011/12.
Liverpool are 11 points behind us with a game in hand. Let's say in the next round of fixtures we lose to Chelsea and Liverpool beat Brentford, both results hardly impossible, that makes it 8 points. Let's also assume for arguments sake that Liverpool win their game in hand to make it 5 points. Finally, we still have to play them later in the season and if we were to lose it would be 2 points.
Admittedly these are the worst case scenarios where everything goes against us but I don't think those results are that unrealistic. We also have to factor in the latter stages of the Champions League and potential absences due to injury or covid. Of course these apply to Liverpool and Chelsea just as much as it applies to us but we don't know how those three factors will impact on the rest of our respective seasons.
Having said all that, I am actually pretty confident we'll see it through but there's still a long way to go.
It’s not that it’s not
possible, it’s that it requires virtual perfection for the chasers, WHILE City lose 3 or 4 MORE games than they do!
If we beat Chelsea, one has to believe they’re only looking at a CL position. From here, all we have to do is NOT lose 3 more games than Liverpool. They MUST WIN the head to head game at our place, or else that makes it 4 more they have to win!
Considering we have played 4th place twice already and have most of the rest of the top clubs at home, we are in a very strong, albeit not unassailable, lead.
The fat lady hasn’t even entered the building yet, let alone warmed up or started singing!
However, if we can get through the next 10 games (to 30) with a 5-8 point gap, it starts getting harder and harder for them, and the permutations become smaller and smaller.
11 games of perfection have created this gap, while LiVARpool and Chelski have faltered. From here, they need DOUBLE THAT level of perfection and we still need to lose more games than we have in the first half of the season!
There will be a shock result or two, and we are perfectly capable of those, but so are they.
Early doors, but I’d rather by Blue than Red or a Cockney tonight!!!
