Race for the Top 4 - 2018/19

dannythomas · Apr 19, 2019

Bulletspur said:
I disagree. The only way I would be okay on missing top 4 is if we went on to win the CL. I am sure that "our project" relies on us being in the CL both for future financial gain and new player attraction. New Stadium, a vibrant Fanbase and Top 4 i.e. Champions League football are all part of the formula. Take any of these elements out and we will regress instead of being the force that we have become in the English Premier League.

We are in a situation where our squad has been decimated by injuries. Plus no home stadium for nearly 2 years, no investment in new players for 15 months. More players in the final stages of the World Cup than any of our rivals. It’s a truly amazing achievement to reach the last 4 of the CL in these circumstances. Last night’s performance was heroic. We have unfortunately a bigger injury crisis than ever. That may cost us everything.

If we end up not making the top 4 it will be a setback but it will not make our season a failure. We have been starved of success for years and have been punching above our weight in the past 4 seasons. This season more than ever. We have been in the CL for 3 seasons in a row and I don’t see that it has really helped bring in elite players . Good players yes but those players in my opinion would still have come had we missed a season in the CL. Now with the new stadium, the best training facilities , a great manager and a good squad nucleus we would still be attractive to players that would improve our squad if we started next season in the EL. The limiting factor is whether Levy / Lewis sanction competitive wages and transfer fees and anything else is secondary.

To Dare is to Do. We have dared to battle our way into the last 4 of the toughest club tournament in world football. Maybe we Dare to believe we could actually win it and Do the impossible. Or just miss out. Hopefully we get top 4 too. But I’d take our season and the CL run with 5th place over another year of crashing out of Europe early and finishing 4th. Or maybe you think we should rest players for the CL semis and focus on top 4 ?

By the way it’s a travesty that 2nd place in the CL doesn’t get a CL place the next year even if it was in the qualifying rounds. It would be easy to say that the winners get automatic qualification but if they have already qualified then 2nd place gets you in.

spursfan77 · Apr 19, 2019

coopsieyid said:
I think that we understood what @worcestersauce was getting at, mate. It's just that, under Poch, there really is never such a decision to be made.

He's said it himself. We set out to win games, one match at a time. I don't see that changing & no matter what result we get in our next match, he'll be trying to win the one that follows it.

I agree. I don’t think Poch will approach games like that, or even if he does, we won’t know. He will just say he made the changes based on players fitness levels. That’s what he usually says.

I’m not even that sure we can approach games like that, we don’t have the amount of players to do so with the injuries we have right now. There will be some rotation but it’s only going to be 4/5 players maximum I expect.

CoopsieDeadpool · Apr 19, 2019

spursfan77 said:
I agree. I don’t think Poch will approach games like that, or even if he does, we won’t know. He will just say he made the changes based on players fitness levels. That’s what he usually says.

I’m not even that sure we can approach games like that, we don’t have the amount of players to do so with the injuries we have right now. There will be some rotation but it’s only going to be 4/5 players maximum I expect.

Yep. Any changes he makes now will be solely because of, well, he's got no choice because of our injury list.

coys200 · Apr 19, 2019

Probably have to take a bit of pain for a few days till we play Brighton and avoid looking at table. Everything should be much clearer after Brighton game. All be on same games and I suspect United be out of it.

LeParisien · Apr 19, 2019

I predicted confidently we’d finish third a few games ago. Stand by that. It was predicated on Arsenal getting 8 points from their 4 tricky away games. They’ve got 3 from 2 of those and still have Wolves and Leicester away so they’ll likely get less.

I thought we would lose to City and win the rest. That was before injuries and CL SF so we could lose points...

Still think we’ll get minimum 4th and probably 3rd because we have nice home fixtures. Rather those with a depleted squad than wolves and Leicester away with a full squad plus arsenal and Chelsea got their own semifinals to worry about

Kspur · Apr 19, 2019

E17yid said:
This is the time now where we just tell the players you’re not allowed to get injured anymore and the ones who are injured have to man up and get uninjured.

I’ve read an actual quote from Poch not far away from this! ?

spids · Apr 19, 2019

I see the Dutch FA have cancelled all league games the weekend before Ajax come to us to give them maximum rest. I wonder if the English FA will do the same for us and Liverpool?

homer hotspur · Apr 19, 2019

spids said:
I see the Dutch FA have cancelled all league games the weekend before Ajax come to us to give them maximum rest. I wonder if the English FA will do the same for us and Liverpool?

i assume this is a rhetorical question or i will give it a ' funny' rating!

E17yid · Apr 19, 2019

Kspur said:
I’ve read an actual quote from Poch not far away from this! ?

He’s a wise man. I don’t care if the boys have to give Ade a bell for the name of a good Witch Doctor or whether they get the roids in. Whatever.

Dele’s got the right idea. Just need to rest of the lads to follow suit.

Shadydan · Apr 19, 2019

spids said:
I see the Dutch FA have cancelled all league games the weekend before Ajax come to us to give them maximum rest. I wonder if the English FA will do the same for us and Liverpool?

They cancelled the whole round of matches because Ajax were set to play 2 days before the 1st leg and will reschedule the round after the last game was due to take place so their last set of matches will be on Wednesday 15th as opposed to Saturday 12th.

This wouldn't have worked if we moved the whole round of fixtures to after the last game was due to be played in the Prem it would be 3 days before the FA Cup final which no one would agree to.

Worth noting that Ajax still have to play a cup final 3 days before the 2nd leg.

coys200 · Apr 19, 2019

Assuming we lose to city:

Beat Brighton and West Ham

Chelsea beat Burnley but fail to beat United.

And a win against Bournemouth could then secure top 4 on goal diff

I’ve discounted United as already 3 pts off and have Everton a city h Chelsea h in next 7 days.

Basically beat Brighton and West Ham and it could be virtually job done needing a win from last 2 games to be sure.

CoopsieDeadpool · Apr 19, 2019

spids said:
I see the Dutch FA have cancelled all league games the weekend before Ajax come to us to give them maximum rest. I wonder if the English FA will do the same for us and Liverpool?

The PL can't really do that for our teams because, unlike the Dutch league, there's a multi-billion TV deal to adhere with/to.

Yid121 · Apr 19, 2019

spids said:
I see the Dutch FA have cancelled all league games the weekend before Ajax come to us to give them maximum rest. I wonder if the English FA will do the same for us and Liverpool?

The best we can hope for is Bournemouth is switched to Friday evening / Saturday lunchtime, albeit city have the Saturday lunchtime slot so doubt they'd be happy swapping and playing after rather than before Liverpool who play on the Sunday at 2pm

Tricky one. An away match under the lights on a Friday may be more tough :unsure:

but if we're prioritising CL hopefully we can do that

bubble07 · Apr 19, 2019

We need city to beat United and United to beat city.

If that happens we should have be able to finish above both

wiggo24 · Apr 19, 2019

bubble07 said:
We need city to beat United and United to beat city.

If that happens we should have be able to finish above both

For some reason I don't see this happening...

spursfan77 · Apr 19, 2019

coys200 said:
Probably have to take a bit of pain for a few days till we play Brighton and avoid looking at table. Everything should be much clearer after Brighton game. All be on same games and I suspect United be out of it.

Yeah it’s going to be very annoying going fifth in all likelihood on Monday night. I just can’t see Palace it Burnley causing Chelsea or arsenal enough problems but I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Mr Pink · Apr 19, 2019

spursfan77 said:
Yeah it’s going to be very annoying going fifth in all likelihood on Monday night. I just can’t see Palace it Burnley causing Chelsea or arsenal enough problems but I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

But come Tuesday night we'll back above them...hopefully.

spursfan77 · Apr 19, 2019

Mr Pink said:
But come Tuesday night we'll back above them...hopefully.

With any luck, but we will have played one more than arsenal. I’m desperate to finish above them.

Mr Pink · Apr 19, 2019

spursfan77 said:
With any luck, but we will have played one more than arsenal. I’m desperate to finish above them.

Think we will mate. Unless they beat Leicester and Wolves away, which is a tough ask.

ShaunL84 · Apr 19, 2019

I think we're going to beat City and it's then going to be in the bag.

City will come hard at us, but we'll weather the storm and pick them off.

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