• You may have to login or register before you can post and view our exclusive members only forums.
    To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Title Race

Status
Not open for further replies.
The last team everyone wrote off for a title challenge was also from the Midlands (east) Leicester.

They appear to have all the tools to keep it close. They've bought well.

I had them as an underdog for top 4. So far they're blowing that prediction out the water
 
(Asking again) Are Villa in the title race?
Not for me. Great run at the moment but European Footy and injuries will undo them in terms of challenging for the title. Huge week though and definitely unexpected. They should challenge for top 5 though.
 
Despite us being top the league I’m not 100% certain we’re in the title race, to be honest. I have some hope because I trust Klopp’s coaching and problem-solving and we still have Salah, Van Dijk and Alli who have done it before and a lot of exciting younger talents alongside them. The depth in most positions is good. But objectively this is still a very raw team that is still in the process of finding out how it wants to play - normally teams that compete for titles are at a different stage of evolution. So at this point I still think if Arsenal and Man City figure out their problems, they will pull away.

As for Villa, they are a more settled team than us and equally well-coached, but they don’t have their version of Salah, Van Dijk and Alli and it’s very hard to compete at the very top without that kind of experience. They will get top 5 at a minimum though.
 
Last edited:
Despite us being top the league I’m not 100% certain we’re in the title race, to be honest. I have some hope because I trust Klopp’s coaching and problem-solving and we still have Salah, Van Dijk and Alli who have done it before and a lot of exciting younger talents alongside them. The depth in most positions is good. But objectively this is still a very raw team that is still in the process of finding out how it wants to play - normally teams that compete for titles are at a different stage of evolution. So at this point I still think if Arsenal and Man City figure out their problems, they will pull away.

As for Villa, they are a more settled team than us and equally well-coached, but they don’t have their version of Salah, Van Dijk and Alli and it’s very hard to compete without that kind of experience. They will get top 5 at a minimum though.
I agree. I always thought next season we could give it a serious crack.
 
Our midfield depth is what has put us at the top, but i fear our lack of depth at the back is what might cost us. We are very stretched with Trent becoming a CM and Matip & Robbo out.
 
Despite us being top the league I’m not 100% certain we’re in the title race, to be honest. I have some hope because I trust Klopp’s coaching and problem-solving and we still have Salah, Van Dijk and Alli who have done it before and a lot of exciting younger talents alongside them. The depth in most positions is good. But objectively this is still a very raw team that is still in the process of finding out how it wants to play - normally teams that compete for titles are at a different stage of evolution. So at this point I still think if Arsenal and Man City figure out their problems, they will pull away.

As for Villa, they are a more settled team than us and equally well-coached, but they don’t have their version of Salah, Van Dijk and Alli and it’s very hard to compete without that kind of experience. They will get top 5 at a minimum though.

I can see where you're coming from, but on balance I disagree. While we're not perfect any more than other teams are, IMO the fact that we are top shows we're in the race at the very least. It's true that City could pull away in the second half of the season if things fall their way (they've done it before) but I'm not convinced Arsenal can follow suit - Arteta's made a mess of their goalkeeping situation and I don't think they'll have enough goals in them at the other end of the pitch.

Villa for me are favourites for fourth place now ahead of Newcastle and Tottenham. If their away form were better I'd be tipping them to get higher still.
 
Despite us being top the league I’m not 100% certain we’re in the title race, to be honest. I have some hope because I trust Klopp’s coaching and problem-solving and we still have Salah, Van Dijk and Alli who have done it before and a lot of exciting younger talents alongside them. The depth in most positions is good. But objectively this is still a very raw team that is still in the process of finding out how it wants to play - normally teams that compete for titles are at a different stage of evolution. So at this point I still think if Arsenal and Man City figure out their problems, they will pull away.

As for Villa, they are a more settled team than us and equally well-coached, but they don’t have their version of Salah, Van Dijk and Alli and it’s very hard to compete without that kind of experience. They will get top 5 at a minimum though.

Yeah, I’m in this boat too.

The main thing telling me otherwise is our depth being the best that Klopp has had whilst in charge of us. And it’s Klopp use of subs is the reason why we’re top.

Nunez at Newcastle, Gravvy at City, Endo v Fulham and yesterday. There’s probably more examples that I’ve forgotten.

Also, no team has really beaten us yet.
 
Not saying we're gonna win the league. Considering a 100% home record and playing two more away games than home games, we're have abetter footing than just the 1 point advantage we have over Arsenal
Screenshot-2023-12-10-112035.png
 
It's a combo of all the points. As a team in the first half (nearly) of the season we have been as good as any one else. Villa have been astonishingly good at home to be up there with us and City are a monster machine with a few loose cogs. No-one is capable of the 95-100 point season we have seen so many of recently. This will be attritional. Klopp's team is on the up, coming to understand its strengths and weaknesses. We are in with a majorly good shout of staying amongst the top 3 or 4 all the way to the end and maybe winning it.
Unless City revert to financial cheating, which they seem to have stopped given the scrutiny, and buy big and clever in Jan then I don't see them doing a long run of wins as they've managed before. Their squad isn't THAT much better any more, whilst it is still probably the best. KDB returning will be a factor, depends on how soon and how much they need to manage his minutes.
Newcastle will eventually get over their injury issues and could easily surge back up into contention. They have a great squad without any obvious stand outs and a really talented manager

It SHOULD be quite an exciting second half of the season
 
I think some of you have forgotten how well we played at the start of the season.
I honestly think it's tired legs and injuries that have affected our game recently.

For me it's more that history shows our post January form as absolutely sensational, near enough for the entirety of klopps tenure.

We can be shite and fluke wins til then, because from that point the inhalers will kick in
 
Not saying we're gonna win the league. Considering a 100% home record and playing two more away games than home games, we're have abetter footing than just the 1 point advantage we have over Arsenal
Screenshot-2023-12-10-112035.png

Next 4 home league matches: vs Man Utd, Arsenal, Newcastle and Chelsea. 😎

fixtures.jpg


 
That West Ham quarter final between (3 days either side) Utd and Arsenal at home is a right pain in the arse.
 
That West Ham quarter final between (3 days either side) Utd and Arsenal at home is a right pain in the arse.

True but West Ham are having a tough spell, also playing in Europe and play Wolves & United then Arsenal around that game. They will need to play kids too.
 
True but West Ham are having a tough spell, also playing in Europe and play Wolves & United then Arsenal around that game. They will need to play kids too.
Yeah I hope so, though their u21s are better ours.
 
Next 4 home league matches: vs Man Utd, Arsenal, Newcastle and Chelsea. 😎

View attachment 3065


People continue to forget how many games we've played away and against most of the top teams. Yet we are still top and have only been beaten only once - by a PGMOL fuck up and an undeserved OG in the last seconds.
Our injury list is now very worrying however with those next few important games to come.
 
The biggest thing that makes me think we have a good chance is simply that we're due some luck. We've had basically none since Klopp arrived.

If anyone's due a title win by a less than spectacular side grinding out 80-85 pts, it's us.
 
I think everyone is in the title race as (1) I don't think City will put the usual 2nd half of the season run together, and (2) a team won't need mega points to win this season.

There's too many good teams involved for someone to break away. We've got a great chance.
 
3 teams are in the title race, the same as it's been since August.

Rest are fighting for 4th, top 6 etc.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom