Race for Champions League - 2023/2024

[turvontour]

12 minutes ago, ender4 said:

That a really good point.  When we’ve gone ahead in the past, we’d still end up conceding and drawing or losing the game but I don’t feel that will happen nowadays. 

It's the fact that we are taking the lead by the 20 minute mark in most our matches, and I feel its deliberate. It must now be difficult for opposition teams gameplan knowing that we will likely be winning early in the game. Thats just the numbers of it.

Now of course every team would like to be one up mid way through the first half but we actually are doing it, and man city absolutely have done it for years. We are in good company.

I agree with your point though, we are now far more likely to convert a lead into a victory too than ever before. 

[Keyblade]

Finish above Liverpool and we'll be playing CL football next season imo. Next Sunday could be a huge statement.

Edited August 28, 2023 by Keyblade

[LondonLax]

It’s nice to be going away to Anfield and feeling like it’s an interesting test of where we are rather than dreading it and hoping get out of there while keeping the score down, like in seasons gone by. 

We may well still lose on Sunday but I feel like we will go toe to toe there and make a proper game of it. 

[VillaChris]

3 hours ago, LondonLax said:

It’s nice to be going away to Anfield and feeling like it’s an interesting test of where we are rather than dreading it and hoping get out of there while keeping the score down, like in seasons gone by. 

We may well still lose on Sunday but I feel like we will go toe to toe there and make a proper game of it. 

We have never struggled home and away v Liverpool like other teams.

Since we've been up we've played them 8 times in premier league teams and they've only beaten us by more than a goal twice so the matches are generally very tight.

Ask the squad and they probably prefer playing Liverpool's style to West Ham!

I do worry with Nunez finishing like he did and Salah, Jota, Diaz all floating around at various points this is the occasion where we will really miss Ming's organisational skills as he was amazing at Anfield end of last season, easily his best performance for us in premier league.

Need to pack the midfield and try to stifle Macalister a bit I think so expecting Tielemans to start this.

[Sulberto21]

13 hours ago, turvontour said:

As a football fan watching Man City over the last 5 to 10 years I noticed that they would very often score early in games, and obviously then invariably go on to win the games.

Towards the end of last season I noticed that we now do that. In fact, we have been in the lead around the 20 to 30 minute mark in 13 of our last 18 games. Thats incredible in terms of the platform we now give ourselves in matches. 

I believe we did that under Dean Smith too during the 55point season. 

[Sulberto21]

The reason Liverscum beat us under Klopp is Mane. He’s no longer there and nobody in that squad does what he did for them. He was the pressing monster up front. 

At Anfield Mane’s spiritual successor will be playing for us. Diaby is going to score at least two. 

Edited August 28, 2023 by Sulberto21

[HanoiVillan]

15 hours ago, Pinebro said:

We're not making top 4. We're not ready yet.

Injury problems and other teams have much stronger squads.

Coupled with additional games in Europe I think we have a squad good enough to finish 6th and that's where I'd like for us to finish.

I'm old enough to remember when you were suggesting that finishing anywhere other than 1st in a league was an equally poor performance. 

[HanoiVillan]

13 hours ago, turvontour said:

It's the fact that we are taking the lead by the 20 minute mark in most our matches, and I feel its deliberate.

"If in doubt, score a goal"

[tinker]

Jota was pulling all the strings, Nunez hit some form, about time. For me Jota is who we have to stop and Kamara has to get close to him.

[turvontour]

24 minutes ago, Sulberto21 said:

I believe we did that under Dean Smith too during the 55point season. 

Yes we did but not to this extent. Its two thirds of Enersys games since he arrived we are winning after half an hour. 

It's a great tactic to execute.

[Sulberto21]

7 minutes ago, turvontour said:

Yes we did but not to this extent. Its two thirds of Enersys games since he arrived we are winning after half an hour. 

It's a great tactic to execute.

Agreed. It’s why I don’t mind attacking the Holte first.

[Pinebro]

10 minutes ago, turvontour said:

Yes we did but not to this extent. Its two thirds of Enersys games since he arrived we are winning after half an hour. 

It's a great tactic to execute.

It's insane that Deano managed to get us to 55 pts with that squad

[viivvaa66]

13 hours ago, turvontour said:

Yes we did but not to this extent. Its two thirds of Enersys games since he arrived we are winning after half an hour. 

It's a great tactic to execute.

We have scored in all but two games under Emery. Most of the time we score early and first.

This a really great tactic against the bottom half teams, since they are less like to be able to equalise compare to top half teams.

There are 60 points available from the bottom half teams, and I think we are capable of taking most of those points, because we are able to take the lead in most games.

Add a few points from the top half teams and we are in the mix of teams that fight for CL places.

[Nicho]

We have European games to come and we don’t know how that will effect us but I think we can win 7 of the next 10 games.

Liverpool

Palace

Chelsea

Brighton

Wolves

West Ham

Forest

Luton

Fulham

Spurs

[CVByrne]

I wouldn't worry too much about European football harming us. The groups look very easy other than who we get from Pot1 we should be able to limit our key players time in away legs.

 

[Leeroy]

1 hour ago, Nicho said:

We have European games to come and we don’t know how that will effect us but I think we can win 7 of the next 10 games.

Liverpool

Palace

Chelsea

Brighton

Wolves

West Ham

Forest

Luton

Fulham

Spurs

Think we should be winning at least half of those (Palace, Wolves, Forest, Luton, Fulham). Wolves seem to always get something off us but I think we're well overdue dishing out a hammering to them even if it is at Molineux and they are a poor side. Probably should be beating west ham too but they are a bogey side and have started the season well. We also usually beat Brighton and are at home so 7 wins might actually be realistic.

 

If we can get at least 20 points from those I'd be very happy. 17-18 would also be a decent return IMO. 23-26 points from 13 games definitely keeps us in top 4 mix. 

[HanoiVillan]

Lads, we need a moratorium on describing *trying to take the lead in a football match* as a 'tactic'. Literally every team that has started a game ever has had this 'tactic'. 

[Follyfoot]

46 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

Lads, we need a moratorium on describing *trying to take the lead in a football match* as a 'tactic'. Literally every team that has started a game ever has had this 'tactic'. 

recalling some of the dross I have watched over the years I strongly dispute this 

[viivvaa66]

1 hour ago, HanoiVillan said:

Lads, we need a moratorium on describing *trying to take the lead in a football match* as a 'tactic'. Literally every team that has started a game ever has had this 'tactic'. 

I sort of agree, but our tactic under Emery do result in us taking an early lead in most matches. The question becomes, can our tactic be described by the end result, or is our tactic all the part that the manager can control, how we defend, how we play out from the back, how we attack and so on that leads to the end result. 

[Vive_La_Villa]

2 hours ago, HanoiVillan said:

Lads, we need a moratorium on describing *trying to take the lead in a football match* as a 'tactic'. Literally every team that has started a game ever has had this 'tactic'. 

Great word!