Much like Spurs going out of the Europa League, Arsenal’s success in the Premier League will depend greatly on what they do in the Champions League. I think Milan will win, assuming there aren’t major squad changes or injuries in the next 2 months, and Arsenal would have the ability to bounce back and fight for 4th (maybe even 3rd if Chelsea continue their circus). I think Walcott’s a dangerous player, but why he’s always out on the right wing, I don’t know. One day, Arsenal might get true wingers that can be counted on to beat a man and put in a good cross. I can’t believe Arshavin has already been at Arsenal for nearly 3 years. As useless as he’s been for almost of that time, his 4-goal match at Anfield will always put a smile on my face.
Despite what Mancini says, City are certainly favorites now, right? Level points, but City are +8 on GD.
City: @ Newcastle, QPR
United: Swansea, @ Sunderland (Manchester United “B”)
Maybe City will get two 1-0 wins, and United will win 7-0 and 4-0 and beat City by 1 on GD!
I dunno, if I had to bet I think I’d put money on United. I can easily see City screwing it up at Newcastle or (much less likely) dropping points to QPR. I seriously doubt United drop any more points from here on out.
Just to confirm, if Chelsea wins the CL Final they get an auto-bid for next season, right? So if they finish out of the top 4 then the 4th place finisher gets screwed out of a spot next year?
I’d love to believe that Newcastle could get something from that match on Sunday, especially with City’s problems away from home this season. And I know the jokes about City failing in the most spectacular way possible. But they’re home free if they do the job for 90 minutes on Sunday (City aren’t dropping points to QPR, who are awful right now). I just can’t see it happening.
And you’re correct, if Chelsea beat Bayern, they get the 4th spot.
I think the fact that City are a level above Utd in talent, yet it’s going down to the wire, shows you that they’re a vulnerable side. Mancini, in particular, is not a convincing manager. There is definitely that city-factor at work that could bollox everything up for them.
One of the best seasons ever, each critical spot on the table is up for grabs. Top spot between City and ManU, 3rd/4th/5th between Arsenal, the Magpies and Hotspur. The seventh spot between Everton, Liverpool, and Fulham. And as always relegation up for grabs as well.
I can’t even predict, it is so close. I would probably predict City since their tough game is at home. I would go with Arsenal/Tottenham/Newcastle for 3-5 based on Newcastle having to play City.
i don’t know what to predict for Bolton. I think 4 points from the last 2 games would do it, but can we get them? A lot will depend on the QPR vs Stoke gakme. if they lose that I think we can stay up.
Other way round. Man City have to play Newcastle away, then QPR at home. Meanwhile Man U play Swansea at home, Sunderland away.
I think City’s task is harder, so it’s pretty even as to who will win the title. I was surprised to see City odds-on favourites by some distance (it has since come in a bit), so I’ve actually put some money on United. Don’t know if they will do it, but seems like a mathematically good bet.
What exitement is concerned you’re right, quality wise it is very disappointing. If ManU were to win it really is an indictment of the drop in quality of the EPL (relying on oldies as Giggs and Scholes).
Sickener that today for the Wanderers. Was looking forward to seeing the back of QPR and the arch-phoney Mark Hughes, but they’ve taken it down to the last game. Basically a head-to-head now with them playing Citeh and you playing Stoke - with QPR having the benefit of the draw keeping them up.
Surely the fact that Man City have spent almost half a billion quid in the last 4 years on transfers in order to (successfully it seems) win the league is a bigger indictment? At least Scholes and Giggs came through the ranks and weren’t just hired mercenaries.
…
I reserve the right to step down from my moral high ground if Posh get bought by Carlos Slim and we end up top of the Premier league one day…
Sure, Man City and Chelsea previously are indictments that money buys you championships. I was just talking about the quality of play. You know how the pundits always talk about league winning teams needing to win even when they are playing badly? I feel like that’s what has being said about ManU for just about the whole season. City - with all their money - have played some really good football though (and provided pure comedy with Ballotelli:)).
As for general level of play, the results in Europe show the EPL hasn’t been that strong (compared to the naughties). Even Chelsea - while in the Champions League final - seemed second best to me, in the last three rounds (Napoli, Benfica and Barca). Still, they won and good for them, but the play hasn’t exactly been an advert for the EPL (unlike Real, Barca, Atletic the Bilbao).
At this point in time I would put the Primera Division waay on top, with the Bundesliga, EPL and (maybe the Seria A) closely together on spots 2/3/4 (in whatever order).
If you look at the top EPL teams (without Man City): ManU and Chelsea pretty much play the same players as a bunch of years ago, except that most of them are in decline (Lamps, Terry, Drogba, Scholes, Ferdinand, Giggs). Arsenal has lost their midfield (Nasri, Fabregas) and has to rely on RVP. Liverpool is ashambles, and anyone must surely agree they aren’t as good as when Gerrard and Torres were in their prime.
Teams like Tottenham and Newcastle are doing well, but are never going to be world beaters (well Tottenham maybe has some promise). One of the best teams to watch has been Swansea forkrissake!
It seems to me that the quality of the Premier League is way up from ~5 years ago. Think of some of the teams that came up and went back down, and how bad they were: Hull, Watford, Derby, Shefield United, and Crystal Palace (add in Boro for good measure, though they were established in the PL). There was a lot of drek. Barnsley (or was it Burnley?) started out well, but fell apart when Owen Coyle left for Bolton. Now, Swansea and Norwich have done very well and played well in the process. QPR have actually had moments where they can play well, though I think they’ll deservedly go down. Wolves are awful, and Blackburn’s not much better, and Villa is a disappointment. In Villa’s case, though, they’ve sold so many players in the past few years that it’s to be expected, and I guess they’re bringing in a lot of their youth now, so that should be a silver lining. Bolton is a lot better to watch than under the Allardyce days, though looking less successful. Everton, when they actually bring in some good players (Pienaar and Jelavic) aren’t the 10 men behind the ball we’re used to.
And for all the knocks of United looking awful by their standards, with a win on Sunday, they will have equaled the points and GD of the 2006/07 team, which many United fans will say is the most fun to watch in the Rooney era. That team finished with 89 points and +56. Right now, they’re 86 and +55. This has been done with key injuries and bringing in lots of young players. Oh, and £30m Berbatov has played about 5 matches in 2012. That he isn’t playing makes me think SAF is building for the future (again) yet believes they can still do well in the process.
And all the talk of City being so much better…well, it’s not showing in the table, is it? They lost to United in the FAC, and went out at the same stage of Europe as United, but to a lesser club (at least in the Europa League). All this was done with their top players, except when they’re getting their 3rd suspension or going on 6-month vacations. That said, I’d kill to get Yaya Toure from them.
While the overall league quality may be higher the fact that a team as sloppy defensively and as limited offensively as this Arsenal squad are likely to finish 3rd is surely an indictment of the top-end of table.
I guess you could say it points to the depth and how there are far fewer gimme matches, but I’m not really seeing it. The battle for 3rd and 4th sure seems to be more of a battle of who fails to blow their chance first.
Well, whatever it says, it’s been a pretty interesting and really fun season. The top 2 will probably finish with 2 of the 7 highest point totals ever (I think Chelsea topped 90 twice, Arsenal got it once, and United hit 89 and 90 in recent years). If I have some time later, I’ll look to see what sort of point disparities have existed before similar to this year’s. Right now, it’s 19 points from 2nd to 3rd, and 23 points from 3rd to 14th.
If Utd and City swapped managers then Utd would be about 7th and City would have 100+ pts. Powerful is the Ferguson effect.
That midfield Utd sent out against City was tragic, I almost felt bad for them.
Oh yeah, the top two teams are undeniably good. And for a follower of those two teams or any number of mid-table teams it’s been fun as well, I’m sure. Even the newcomers had pretty good seasons.
Really I guess I’m just bitching about another mediocre-at-best Arsenal season, and have to feel like Liverpool and Spurs fans must feel the same way. Chelsea fans at least have the cup runs to feel good about.
Well, I did say Man U won ugly a lot this season (hence the points). I agree that the bottom half of the table has been better than it used to be; but not the top half. Hence the relatively bad showing in Europe. I’m not disputing it has been a ‘fun’ season, but so has been the dutch league for the last 5 years and quality wise it stinks. Just looking at the players in the top teams (compared to a few years ago) should be enough to get at what I’m trying to say.
Am I the only one who remembers the two successful Arsenal teams in 2002 and 2004 having Ray Parlour, Kolo Toure and Sylvain Wiltford? Or Liverpool starting a European Cup final with Jermaine Pennant? Or Arsenal starting one with Eboue and ending up with Almunia in goal? I don’t think quality’s gone down at all.
I think Citeh will do QPR, after all they need to to win the title, the big unknown is what will happen at Stoke. I am hoping the Stoke team will show up with ice creams and deck chairs, but it’s going to be a long week.