Games between Liverpool, Chelsea, United and Arsenal

[stressederic]

Now obviously every game is important from now until the end of the season, but the '6-pointers' between the 'Big 4' © Sky Sports will have a pretty big impact on the way the season goes.

 

I've not included Villa in this for 2 reasons. Firstly I don't think they're quite ready yet to be classed as title contenders and secondly (and more importantly) I can't remember which grounds they've already been to and can't be bothered to find out.

 

Whilst it is probably to much for Arsenal to now win the league, they will have a say in where it goes so for that reason I've included them.

 

Chelsea had what was supposed to be the easier run in the first half of the season with all of United, Liverpool and Arsenal having to travel to Stamford Bridge. It's not worked out that way though as Chelsea have only taken a single point from those games and now (starting in 2 weeks time) have to go to Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates needing to take the points.

 

By contrast United have had to go away to all of their rivals and (again) have only taken 1 point. Now though they host all the rest over the remainder of the season which will be a boost for them.

 

For us and Arsenal there's a split. We've traveled away to Chelsea and Arsenal and hosted United and gained 7 points from those games which is a really good return.

 

Arsenal also have 7 points but they've had United and us at the Emirates in order to gain their points.

 

Now these teams are all more than capable of beating each other wherever they play but home advantage, with the crowd behind you, will always be a benefit in these situations. With that in mind you'd have to say United have the best run in out of us 4 with Chelsea easily having the toughest.

 

We've got the next best run needing only to travel to Old Trafford with Chelsea and Arsenal coming to us.

 

But as we have the benefit of already being 3 points clear on top the 6 pointer games come with a bit of added pressure for the others. A draw between United and Chelsea would never really be seen as a bad result, but if that happens in 2 weeks time then United's games in hand become tougher because (assuming we get a result against Stoke) winning them won't bring them in striking distance of us before we travel to Old Trafford.

 

Likewise Chelsea have dropped points today so a draw agaisnt United could see them drift further away and suddenly their goal difference isn't so crucial because we might have built up a safety net by the time we play them at Anfield.

 

It's a bit of a long meandering post this (surprise surprise) but the games between the big 4 for the rest of this season are going to be fraught with tension and (more so for the other teams) drawing them could prove to be a real missed opportunity.

[Leroy]

+ with Torres & Skirtl back, Keano starting to score I am feeling much happier.

[Sion]

On a similar theme.

I'm not one who gets into that whole results comparison business, as it's normally pointless. BUT it might prove a good indicator of how important results versus the top 4 are at this point in time.

 

From the 18 games we have remaining this season, last season we only got 31 points, that's probably not even good enough form to get in the top 4 had we had it for the whole season and we should have done a lot better.

 

HOWEVER, add 31 points to our total now, and you have 76 points, that's not going to be more than 10 points off what it'll take to win the PL this year.

 

so IN THEORY, we only need to perform slightly better than we did last season in the equivilent games and we should win the league.

 

That means if we lose to United, and draw with Chelsea and Arsenal (we should win at least one and draw one though i'd hope), we'll need to turn defeats away to Reading (WB in the comparison) and West Ham into wins, and draws against say Spurs and Boro into wins, and we can afford to have about 4 other 'slip up' draws against lesser sides and still win the league. Doesn't sound TOO hard does it.

 

Why we need to do well versus the top 4, is that it means we could afford even more 'slip ups'

if we can get 4-6 points versus the top 4 we should be able to afford 5 or so draws versus 'lesser' teams

if we can get 6-9 points we should be able to afford 6 draws versus 'lesser' teams

 

To put it simply. If we struggle against the top 4 in the 2nd half of the season, we will need around 11 wins, 4 draws from the remaining games versus non-top 4 teams. If we do well, we will need around 9 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses from the remaining games.

 

I'm going to happily make the prediction that if we can get 5 or more points from the top 4 (including not losing to united) we will win the league

[Bootle Buck]

I honestly think we can beat any of the other three home and away this year. Chelsea will be a tough game at home but we will beat them. I think we will beat the @rse comfortably and we will get something from the game at OT for a change.

[CarraLegend]

We wont be allowed to get a result at Old Trafford so we're gonna have to get the points elsewhere. They'll reel out some c*** like Steve Bennett who hadnt reffed at OT for ages then is suddenly reffing Utd-Liv and giving everything against us, it'd be even worse in a title showdown. Nailed on.

 

But it's ok, we can get the points elsewhere.

[Flight]

Next Prem fixtures are Chelsea vrs Mancs and us away to Stoke. Looking forward to that weekend.

[Flight]

We wont be allowed to get a result at Old Trafford so we're gonna have to get the points elsewhere. They'll reel out some c*** like Steve Bennett who hadnt reffed at OT for ages then is suddenly reffing Utd-Liv and giving everything against us, it'd be even worse in a title showdown. Nailed on.

 

But it's ok, we can get the points elsewhere.

 

 

We're going to f***ing batter them at their gaff.

[Magic8Ball]

(plan A) please please please let us win the treble this year please pretty please ( as a plan B I'll take just the league )

[Chili Palmer]

We wont be allowed to get a result at Old Trafford so we're gonna have to get the points elsewhere. They'll reel out some c*** like Steve Bennett who hadnt reffed at OT for ages then is suddenly reffing Utd-Liv and giving everything against us, it'd be even worse in a title showdown. Nailed on.

 

But it's ok, we can get the points elsewhere.

 

 

I don't usually subscribe to this sort of theory but i actually could see that happen this year.

[Falconhoof]

Its not exactly unheard of at Old Trafford.