The Title Race 2022/23

[Brightwell Bros.]

The counter argument I would make is Arsenal had us on the floor and didn’t finish us off. They needed to win at Anfiemd and blew it.

I keep thinking about what Pep said after the Bernabéu collapse: we kept Real alive, and they're not the sort of team you want to keep alive. Arsenal keep doing the same to us.

 

[Tangled up in blue.]

What will be tough on arsenal is that even if we win every game, we likely wouldn't go top until 5 days before the end of the season.
They will have been top nearly all year and then we could go top right at the death and win it.

That would be glorious

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Arsenal have City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Brighton still to play.
City have Arsenal and Chelsea still to play.

It's 4-to-1 in terms of challenging matches left for both clubs in favor of us.

Why is Brighton challenging for them, but not for us?

 

[bennyboy]

I don’t mind Arsenal, they seem like a reasonably nice bunch of lads. What I hate is the hype around them from clueless media twats and thick as mince ex footballers.

Northcroft in the times wrote a gushing article favourably comparing Arsenal’s front 3 Jesus Saka Martinelli to the dippers’ massively overhyped but (we must grudgingly accept) reasonably successful front 3 of Salah Mane Firmino. The Arsenal trio have won nothing and done nothing other than top the table for a while. Erling has scored only two goals fewer than those three combined.

Meanwhile on Sky the comms yesterday were hailing Arsenal as though they were one of the great teams because they were briefly two goals up away at a mid table team in disarray.

It’s all a bit silly.

For some reason nobody in the media has brought up that Firmino has been average at best the last 3 seasons.
We all liked Jesus but he missed far too many chances at City to be a top class striker.
He wasn't really missed at Arsenal when out injured.

 

[pudge]

I'd have been happy keeping it as it was, 8 points with a game in hand, before playing them, so to have it at possibly 6 is a bonus.

Just need to put the pressure on with a win on Saturday, unlike that week of the Forest game or slipping up at Spurs once they had lost to Everton I believe. If we can beat Leicester, perhaps the arses will twitch quite literally.

I'd be shocked though...

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Why is Brighton challenging for them, but not for us?

More challenging for us, if anything. It's at the Amex. They've got them at the Emirates. The only thing I believe in our favour is that Brighton's final position in the table will be more or less done and dusted by the time this is rearranged, i.e. I think top four will be out of reach for them, and by contrast, Europa League qualification will have been settled. But if not, believe it, it'll be a bumpy ride.
I think it can be reasonably presumed that Arsenal will win all their remaining home games. It's away that the questions will be asked.

 

[Dodge]

I was thinking the same thing. The lead changed hands a few times early in the season but they’ve been top since the final PL games before the World Cup in November when we lost to Brentford and they won at Wolves later that day.

I’d take last day, in our own hands right now, it might even still go to the last day if the Arse squeak a draw at the Etihad, but that would more likely mean we are in the dippers usual position. In fact we’d have to drop points in at least three games (realistically) for it to not go to the wire, as I don’t think Arsenal will stay perfect

The scramble for tickets for Brentford will be off the scale, with the tiny allocation.

 

[No One Understands]

Just another way of saying that a season is not necessarily the best period of time over which to judge which team is truly the best in the league.

Pep’s City have not won the league in two of the completed seasons that he has presided over but I think they have been the best team in the league since the January of his first season, that was too late to win the league that season, and a brief but crucial dip in form at a time when Liverpool had a great run meant they won a title but have been the best team since that January.

If we do not win the league this season but finish within 3 points of Arsenal, we can look at the most egregious refereeing decision I have ever seen as the difference. Arsenal got lucky today and not for the first time this season. City rarely gain points their performance has not merited but shit happens and it can cost you a title, just as it can see you knocked out of cups. Leagues are a much better determinant than cup competitions but they are not perfect.

Speaking of which, did we ever get an apology from agent Webb for that. He's been handling them out weekly it seems.

 

[TFC]

Why is Brighton challenging for them, but not for us?

Because hopefully that game won't matter?

;)

 

[No One Understands]

One game at a time Leicester at home next let’s not fall foul to them at the moment not having a manager in place and us thinking it’s a nailed on win ..

They may have a new manager bump by then