The race

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Very early days for this kind of chat. Arsenal are 6pts behind us and we haven’t had a sticky patch yet which will come at some point surely.
City are out of it yes, which is great but a long long way to go.

I dunno. We're 90% according to Opta to win the league, Arsenal are next with 8%. I'm not sure many, if any teams, have been this far ahead, with games in hand accounted for, and not won the league? I'm not saying we should celebrate, or that I think the players should take anything for granted, but I think if we don't win the league given what we know now, it'd be a total disaster.

 

[Fabio]

I dunno. We're 90% according to Opta to win the league, Arsenal are next with 8%. I'm not sure many, if any teams, have been this far ahead, with games in hand accounted for, and not won the league? I'm not saying we should celebrate, or that I think the players should take anything for granted, but I think if we don't win the league given what we know now, it'd be a total disaster.

It will absolutely be a disaster if we don't win it from here. Yes there's some difficult games to come, but we look a cut above 75% of the league, and a fair amount better than our closest competitors.

Tbh I'm looking for another 90+ point season now.

I want this league humbled, and if we don't do it then that's fucking irritating

 

[Dreambeliever]

I dunno. We're 90% according to Opta to win the league, Arsenal are next with 8%. I'm not sure many, if any teams, have been this far ahead, with games in hand accounted for, and not won the league? I'm not saying we should celebrate, or that I think the players should take anything for granted, but I think if we don't win the league given what we know now, it'd be a total disaster.

The longer it goes the more this statement rings through but as of right now, a shock loss and a draw and suddenly the lead is 4pts with tough games to come. If we maintain this lead through mid Jan then we enter disaster territory imo.
9pts is superb but not impossible. Arsenal lost an 8pt lead with a handful of games to go.

 

[Dreambeliever]

On the flip we could get high 90’s with how we are going.

Although it would be a dream to wrap the league up super early and rest and rotate to try and win the CL too.

Something we should have been able to do most years under Klopp if not for those pricks.

 

[Brizzle]

Arsenal and Chelsea play twice between our next game. They could be 3 & 4 points behind us respectively, which might add a weird kind of scoreboard pressure if either get 6 points on the board.

 

[Brizzle]

I’d like to see 3-4 players given full time off between United & Forest. Mo, Virgil, Gravy & Macca.

Use the rest of the first teamers for Carabao and give those a rest for FA Cup.

If we are behind in first leg of Carabao we can go full strength for second leg at home knowing it’s before an international break.

I’m sure Slot has something like this in mind - but it’s hard not to consider that a cup win in March would help bolster the morale ahead of the run in.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

I'll only believe when we're 20 points ahead in the league and 3 goals up in the CL final.

Been here before far too many times.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Arsenal and Chelsea play twice between our next game. They could be 3 & 4 points behind us respectively, which might add a weird kind of scoreboard pressure if either get 6 points on the board.

Exactly. And bookies are bollox. City were firm favourites 2 months ago. Football can change quickly. We aren’t even half way through the season yet. A couple more injuries to key players and we can reeled back in easily.

 

[Modo]

I like how the media is spinning this.
Yes we topped the league last season at Christmas, but not by 9 points.
We were 4 points ahead of City not 14.
The third placed team were 2 points behind us.
The situation we're in this year is completely different.

However, the second half of the season is going to be tricky. We basically play all of the top 10 teams in the league away except for Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle.

 

[Dreambeliever]

I like how the media is spinning this.
Yes we topped the league last season at Christmas, but not by 9 points.
We were 4 points ahead of City not 14.
The third placed team were 2 points behind us.
The situation we're in this year is completely different.

However, the second half of the season is going to be tricky. We basically play all of the top 10 teams in the league away except for Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle.

As you’ve said, we need to be so far ahead a mini wobble won’t matter.

 

[Modo]

As you’ve said, we need to be so far ahead a mini wobble won’t matter.

That's how we won it last time

 

[Brizzle]

I believe in our relentless Dirty Slots, we just need to give the squad every chance to rest when they can, physically and mentally.

We have the players who have done this before in all the right places, and players hungry to win for the first time.

LFG

 

[Hansern]

I believe in our relentless Dirty Slots, we just need to give the squad every chance to rest when they can, physically and mentally.

We have the players who have done this before in all the right places, and players hungry to win for the first time.

LFG

And a cheecky January signing to mix things up a bit.

 

[SummerOnions]

I always felt (poss wrongly) that Klopps Liverpool had the worst runs in December and January. Feel like if we get through January unscathed, there's a good chance we can go all the way

 

[MomoWASright]

Our more pragmatic approach to games is going to be our saviour this season. We don’t exert anywhere near the effort as we used to do.

 

[binomial]

No injury crisis, no higher up agenda against us for a change and the title is ours.

 

[Modo]

I always felt (poss wrongly) that Klopps Liverpool had the worst runs in December and January. Feel like if we get through January unscathed, there's a good chance we can go all the way

Oh most definitely. Chelsea, Arsenal and Forest all have difficult games in the upcoming month.
If we win all of our games there's a chance that we've extended the lead by 3 or more points by the end of the month.

 

[Dreambeliever]

That's how we won it last time

Last time was insane. Wasn’t it like 17 wins and draw in our first 18

 

[Dreambeliever]

Our more pragmatic approach to games is going to be our saviour this season. We don’t exert anywhere near the effort as we used to do.

No no no. StevieM is never wrong and he said the idea we were both physically and mentally fucked last year in the second half of the season was total bollox.

 

[Squiggles]

The difference is that City are dead and burried. Arsenal would need to be almost flawless, and we’d have to suffer some serious bad luck with injuries for them to catch us—especially without Saka. As for Chelsea, they lack the experience to go the distance.

We are the only club which has its best players in brilliant form and have also won major trophies before. There's no point shying away from now rosey things are looking. This season has been the stuff of fan fiction from all manner of angles.

The reality is if the club keep performing as they are, Arsenal and Chelsea players will likely lose hope by February or March and start playing for the cups and CL places.

 

[Dreambeliever]

No injury crisis, no higher up agenda against us for a change and the title is ours.

There has never been a higher up agenda and talk of such is tinfoil hat bollox.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Oh most definitely. Chelsea, Arsenal and Forest all have difficult games in the upcoming month.
If we win all of our games there's a chance that we've extended the lead by 3 or more points by the end of the month.

If it gets to 12pts clear after we play our game in hand then I’ll relax!

 

[Dreambeliever]

The difference is that City are dead and burried. Arsenal would need to be almost flawless, and we’d have to suffer some serious bad luck with injuries for them to catch us—especially without Saka. As for Chelsea, they lack the experience to go the distance.

We are the only club which has its best players in brilliant form and have also won major trophies before. There's no point shying away from now rosey things are looking. This season has been the stuff of fan fiction from all manner of angles.

The reality is if the club keep performing as they are, Arsenal and Chelsea players will likely lose hope by February or March and start playing for the cups and CL places.

100% with the key point being we need to maintain this form and gap for another couple of months to be able to relax.
Also Arsenal did go on an insane run last season to go the distance with City when we fell away horrible 10 games from the finish. They are capable even if it seems unlikely atm. We need to keep pushing while we are the inform team.

 

[Modo]

100% with the key point being we need to maintain this form and gap for another couple of months to be able to relax.
Also Arsenal did go on an insane run last season to go the distance with City when we fell away horrible 10 games from the finish. They are capable even if it seems unlikely atm. We need to keep pushing while we are the inform team.

Yeah, but they're also missing a key player this time around.

 

[MomoWASright]

Arsenal have looked poor. Even their own fans think they’re scraping through and just lost half of their creative players.

 

[Fabio]

Saka being out for 2 months is fucking huge for us. They basically need to hope anyone they buy hits the ground running
Chelsea look good but are too inconsistent still, as that fulham game showed

I'm optimistic

 

[Dreambeliever]

Arsenal have looked poor. Even their own fans think they’re scraping through and just lost half of their creative players.

Exactly they couldn’t really look worse and are only 9pts back. Could easily hit form in the second half of the season and their record with and without Saka is identical. Just without him they move the ball around other areas of the pitch to score. He’s a big out but not as instrumental as Salah is to us imo.

 

[Fabio]

Exactly they couldn’t really look worse and are only 9pts back. Could easily hit form in the second half of the season and their record with and without Saka is identical. Just without him they move the ball around other areas of the pitch to score. He’s a big out but not as instrumental as Salah is to us imo.

They struggled at home against an ipswich who didn't really feel like attacking. I dunno. They seem very one dimensional at the minute, and they're lucky they're not playing anyone decent

 

[Dreambeliever]

They struggled at home against an ipswich who didn't really feel like attacking. I dunno. They seem very one dimensional at the minute, and they're lucky they're not playing anyone decent

Are there many decent sides in the league?

 

[darkstarexodus]

I'm still worried about City. Them winning and Haaland scoring has me a bit edgy. They're not that far back all things considered. Even if they did look shit today still.