We're Top of the League

[Anonymous]

lol at this merged thread, there's so much going on in here it's like mario's private life.

 

[Matty]

Re: We can do it

Sunderland home
Arsenal away
West Brom home
Norwich away
Wolves away

Arsenal match is the key.

We will need 13 points i think to still be in with a chance. You just don't no its been a crazy season with madness final scores but i believe 13 points maybe 12 and we will still be on for the title

I think we'll need to win the lot if I'm honest. The 2 home games I'm expecting 3 points from, the same goes for Wolves away. Norwich isn't an easy place to go, but we've simply got to be winning games like that if we've any chance of the league. So, that's 12 points with the Arsenal game to come. Our record away to Arsenal is awful, about as bad as it could possibly be. 35 years without a league win to be precise. I believe we simply HAVE to change that to still be in the title race. It's my opinion we need to be at most 3 points behind United when we play the derby, anything more and they'll win the league. Look at United corresponding fixtures:-

Fulham (Home)
Blackburn (Away)
QPR (Home)
Wigan (Away)
Aston Villa (Home)
Everton (Home)

Where do people see dropped points there? Only 1 of the sides is a top half team (Everton), and 4 of the 6 games are at Old Trafford. It wouldn't surprise me to see United pick up 18 points from those 6 games, meaning we need to pick up the maximum 15 points in order to have even the slightest chance of the title, and that still means we'd then need to beat United in the derby.

 

[Matty]

Re: When All Is Said And Done, Our Away Form Has Cost Us The....

Fulham 2-2. 2 points dropped.
Chelsea. 2-1. 3 points dropped.
WBA 0-0. 2 points dropped.
Liverpool. 1-1. 2 points dropped.
Sunderland. 1-0. 3 points dropped.
Everton 1-0. 3 points dropped.
Swansea. 1-0. 3 points dropped
Stoke. 1-1. 2 points dropped.

20 points dropped in total.

Fulham 2-2 (foul on Dzeko leading to their first)
Chelsea. 2-1 (penalty that would have potentially made it 2-0 not given)
WBA 0-0 (onside goal disallowed)
Liverpool. 1-1 (reina allowed to stay on after deliberate handball outside the box)
Sunderland. 1-0 (offside goal given)
Everton 1-0 (foul on Dzeko not given again, Drenthe GBH)
Swansea. 1-0 (better team won fair and square)
Stoke. 1-1 (foul on Barry before Crouch goal not given)

The only 1 of those incidents that you can really claim actually cost us any points is the offside goal at Sunderland. It was clearly offside, and as it was the 93rd minute there was literally no time left to recover, we took the restart and the whistle blew instantly. Yes, many of the other incidents also were incorrect, but how many incorrect decisions would opposition fans claim they'd got against them when playing City? Plus, how many of them were THE deciding factor in the match? In all instances (Sunderland aside) there was a major part of the game remaining in which we could, and possibly should, have sewn up the victory.

The reason we are no longer a distance clear at the top of the league is our away form. It's as simply as that. Overall it isn't a bad set of results, however when you consider we started the season picking up 17 points out of 21 then, from Chelsea onwards, we've picked up 8 points out of 24 it's clear to see where the issue lies. We've really gone off the boil away from The Etihad, I mean, seriously, 15 wins from 15 should mean we're a mile clear. It's entirely feasible we could finish the season with a 100% home record, and still fail to win the league.

 

[cleavers]

Re: When All Is Said And Done, Our Away Form Has Cost Us The....

The only 1 of those incidents that you can really claim actually cost us any points is the offside goal at Sunderland. It was clearly offside, and as it was the 93rd minute there was literally no time left to recover, we took the restart and the whistle blew instantly. Yes, many of the other incidents also were incorrect, but how many incorrect decisions would opposition fans claim they'd got against them when playing City? Plus, how many of them were THE deciding factor in the match? In all instances (Sunderland aside) there was a major part of the game remaining in which we could, and possibly should, have sewn up the victory.

The reason we are no longer a distance clear at the top of the league is our away form. It's as simply as that. Overall it isn't a bad set of results, however when you consider we started the season picking up 17 points out of 21 then, from Chelsea onwards, we've picked up 8 points out of 24 it's clear to see where the issue lies. We've really gone off the boil away from The Etihad, I mean, seriously, 15 wins from 15 should mean we're a mile clear. It's entirely feasible we could finish the season with a 100% home record, and still fail to win the league.

Excellent post Matty, I'd add that our away form has been so poor since Chelsea away because Mancini tried to stop us conceding any goals, so we have been far more defensive since that game, great if you can still score, but we've found scoring away goals since then very hard (just 3 in the league in 7 games), and scoring first away even harder (twice - both won). (Only been 7 goals for and against in the 7 league games since Chelsea.)

We need to get back to attacking rather than trying not to concede. All four of the away games we have left will pose a challenge, Arsenal and Newcastle are chasing league positions that neither expected, Wolves will be desperate for points, and Norwich whilst probably playing for nothing have a pretty good home record they will want to preserve, we need to get at them all for me.

 

[waspish]

The only 1 of those incidents that you can really claim actually cost us any points is the offside goal at Sunderland. It was clearly offside, and as it was the 93rd minute there was literally no time left to recover, we took the restart and the whistle blew instantly. Yes, many of the other incidents also were incorrect, but how many incorrect decisions would opposition fans claim they'd got against them when playing City? Plus, how many of them were THE deciding factor in the match? In all instances (Sunderland aside) there was a major part of the game remaining in which we could, and possibly should, have sewn up the victory.

The reason we are no longer a distance clear at the top of the league is our away form. It's as simply as that. Overall it isn't a bad set of results, however when you consider we started the season picking up 17 points out of 21 then, from Chelsea onwards, we've picked up 8 points out of 24 it's clear to see where the issue lies. We've really gone off the boil away from The Etihad, I mean, seriously, 15 wins from 15 should mean we're a mile clear. It's entirely feasible we could finish the season with a 100% home record, and still fail to win the league.

Excellent post Matty, I'd add that our away form has been so poor since Chelsea away because Mancini tried to stop us conceding any goals, so we have been far more defensive since that game, great if you can still score, but we've found scoring away goals since then very hard (just 3 in the league in 7 games), and scoring first away even harder (twice - both won). (Only been 7 goals for and against in the 7 league games since Chelsea.)

We need to get back to attacking rather than trying not to concede. All four of the away games we have left will pose a challenge, Arsenal and Newcastle are chasing league positions that neither expected, Wolves will be desperate for points, and Norwich whilst probably playing for nothing have a pretty good home record they will want to preserve, we need to get at them all for me.

We have not been defensive since the Chelsea game the difference is teams parking the bus and silva is of the boil! Just don't get this Mancini being to defensive watch back our away games since chelsea no change what so ever

 

[Matty]

The only 1 of those incidents that you can really claim actually cost us any points is the offside goal at Sunderland. It was clearly offside, and as it was the 93rd minute there was literally no time left to recover, we took the restart and the whistle blew instantly. Yes, many of the other incidents also were incorrect, but how many incorrect decisions would opposition fans claim they'd got against them when playing City? Plus, how many of them were THE deciding factor in the match? In all instances (Sunderland aside) there was a major part of the game remaining in which we could, and possibly should, have sewn up the victory.

The reason we are no longer a distance clear at the top of the league is our away form. It's as simply as that. Overall it isn't a bad set of results, however when you consider we started the season picking up 17 points out of 21 then, from Chelsea onwards, we've picked up 8 points out of 24 it's clear to see where the issue lies. We've really gone off the boil away from The Etihad, I mean, seriously, 15 wins from 15 should mean we're a mile clear. It's entirely feasible we could finish the season with a 100% home record, and still fail to win the league.

Excellent post Matty, I'd add that our away form has been so poor since Chelsea away because Mancini tried to stop us conceding any goals, so we have been far more defensive since that game, great if you can still score, but we've found scoring away goals since then very hard (just 3 in the league in 7 games), and scoring first away even harder (twice - both won). (Only been 7 goals for and against in the 7 league games since Chelsea.)

We need to get back to attacking rather than trying not to concede. All four of the away games we have left will pose a challenge, Arsenal and Newcastle are chasing league positions that neither expected, Wolves will be desperate for points, and Norwich whilst probably playing for nothing have a pretty good home record they will want to preserve, we need to get at them all for me.

We have not been defensive since the Chelsea game the difference is teams parking the bus and silva is of the boil! Just don't get this Mancini being to defensive watch back our away games since chelsea no change what so ever

I don't agree. We play the possession game, lots of passes but most of it sideways and in areas that don't hurt the opposition. The difference in our results from home and away is startling really, of our 70 league points we've picked up 45 at home and only 25 away. You expect to get more points at home, but almost twice as many?! It can't be argued that there hasn't been a decrease in our point accumulation away from home, as my above split (pre and post Chelsea) demonstrated, are we suddenly finding the likes of Swansea, West Brom, Sunderland, Stoke and Everton far too good for us defensively, yet the likes of United, Spurs, Bolton, Blackburn and QPR couldn't even keep us to less than 3 goals against? We've scored 1 goal in the first set games I mentioned, compared to the 21 we scored in the second set of games I mentioned. That can't simply be down to teams "parking the bus", we must have dropped our form considerably, and it's not inconceivable for us to claim a change in tactics is also to blame. The open flowing football of the late summer and autumn simply isn't happening now. It's not like we're absolutely battering sides (potentially Sunderland aside) and being unlucky, in the Swansea, Everton and Stoke games we just didn't trouble the keeper enough at all.

 

[stonerblue]

Re: We are well on track

To win the title. Excellent point today keeps us tucked in there. Oh sorry, puts us on top of the league. Well done blues and all the fans that went and backed the team.

with the Rags a league game in hand.

Anyone that sincerely claims we're top of the league, just on a small GD alone, with the Rags an easy home game in hand, is an idiot.

What? Are we not top of the league then?

And any Blue that still has an ounce of belief is now 'an idiot' are they?

 

[waspish]

Excellent post Matty, I'd add that our away form has been so poor since Chelsea away because Mancini tried to stop us conceding any goals, so we have been far more defensive since that game, great if you can still score, but we've found scoring away goals since then very hard (just 3 in the league in 7 games), and scoring first away even harder (twice - both won). (Only been 7 goals for and against in the 7 league games since Chelsea.)

We need to get back to attacking rather than trying not to concede. All four of the away games we have left will pose a challenge, Arsenal and Newcastle are chasing league positions that neither expected, Wolves will be desperate for points, and Norwich whilst probably playing for nothing have a pretty good home record they will want to preserve, we need to get at them all for me.

We have not been defensive since the Chelsea game the difference is teams parking the bus and silva is of the boil! Just don't get this Mancini being to defensive watch back our away games since chelsea no change what so ever

I don't agree. We play the possession game, lots of passes but most of it sideways and in areas that don't hurt the opposition. The difference in our results from home and away is startling really, of our 70 league points we've picked up 45 at home and only 25 away. You expect to get more points at home, but almost twice as many?! It can't be argued that there hasn't been a decrease in our point accumulation away from home, as my above split (pre and post Chelsea) demonstrated, are we suddenly finding the likes of Swansea, West Brom, Sunderland, Stoke and Everton far too good for us defensively, yet the likes of United, Spurs, Bolton, Blackburn and QPR couldn't even keep us to less than 3 goals against? We've scored 1 goal in the first set games I mentioned, compared to the 21 we scored in the second set of games I mentioned. That can't simply be down to teams "parking the bus", we must have dropped our form considerably, and it's not inconceivable for us to claim a change in tactics is also to blame. The open flowing football of the late summer and autumn simply isn't happening now. It's not like we're absolutely battering sides (potentially Sunderland aside) and being unlucky, in the Swansea, Everton and Stoke games we just didn't trouble the keeper enough at all.

So we are more defensive because we haven't scored enough goals since Chelsea away? The side ways passing is because there are 11 players in front of us not interested in coming out of there half!

I think away from home it might be better if we actually put 11 behind the ball

 

[cleavers]

We have not been defensive since the Chelsea game the difference is teams parking the bus and silva is of the boil! Just don't get this Mancini being to defensive watch back our away games since chelsea no change what so ever

Neither Swansea nor Stoke parked any buses. Our first 8 away games saw 36 goals scored for and against, the 7 since have seen 7 goals scored for and against, no change in tactics ? Really ?

Admittedly there are other factors too, like missing certain players, but we are definitely not attacking the way we did early in the season, and we need to get back to it before its too late. As Matty says we've failed to trouble the keepers in at least a couple of those games.

 

[Dubai Blue]

Re: When All Is Said And Done, Our Away Form Has Cost Us The....

It's entirely feasible we could finish the season with a 100% home record, and still fail to win the league.

Remember, we're the only team to have won the league and been relegated the following season, the only team to have scored 100 goals and been relegated, and the only team to have ever gone down with a positive goal difference.

So being the only team ever to win every single home game in a season, yet still not wining the title, would have a comforting air of 'typical City' about it ;-)