The Run For Glory!!!
Doing It Together
There were a couple times this year when you couldn’t blame Gooners if they were down in the dumps and feeling another trophyless season was inevitable (no I wasn’t one of them). Early in the season after a devastaing loss to Chelsea, Arsenal sat 11 points adrift of the leaders and more inline with the pack fighting for fourth place. But then arsenal went on an extended succesful run and Chelsea and United kept dropping points to where glory be – Arsenal actually were in first place for 1 day.
Then the table seemingly doomed them with 4 matches against hard oppoenents. Away to Villa, home to United, away to Chelsea and home to Liverpool. The first three matches left Arsenal adrift after a run of D L L. Only a late winner against Liverpool salvaged 3 points and kept the Gunners 9 points off of Chelsea.
Since that run of matches Arsenal have yet to lose. They have yet to draw and for the first time this season sit on a winning streak of 5 league matches. The only hiccup was the 2-1 Champion’s League loss at Porto that was immediately put to bed by an emphatic 5-0 win a fortnight after the loss.
Here we are with 8 games left and Arsenal are two points off leader, Manchester United. Their run of matches is more favorable to them than either United or Chelsea. Arsenal have been through the big 4 twice and while it wasn’t pretty (only two wins against Liverpool) they are still in it. And this all despite having a slew of injuries that would’ve crippled lesser teams.
I thought it would be interesting and look at the remaining matches for all three teams and see where they might all net out in terms of wins and points. This is all pure conjecture. If anything can be taken away from this season, it is that nothing can be taken for granted and anything can happen.
So here we go:
[TABLE=3]
If this all plays out like this (again that’s a big if) – then the final point talley’s would be 90 Arsenal, 85 Chelsea, and 82 United. Again, that assumes all this plays out like it should. Figure if every team loses just one match and draws and wins are about even Arsenal could and should win the title.
Nothing scientific went into how I predicted wins, losses or draws. I tried to take into account where the match was played, this season’s history and what each team was fighting for. I really do see Sunderland and Stoke as stumbling blocks for United. Sunderland because they were unfortunate against United last time to come away with only a point and will be fighting to make sure they are safely out of the relegation zone and Stoke could be playing for that last Europa league spot.
For Chelsea I see Liverpool as the biggest stumbling block because Liverpool are coming into form and will likely be fighting for Champion’s League football.
There are hiccups for Arsenal as well. Spurs and City could be tough battles and Birmingham has been good this season. Finally Fulham while I have drawn up as a win could be a hard one. They are well coached and have played some really good matches. But I have to say as I see Arsenal being stronger at the end of the season, especially if Robin Van Persie makes his return to the squad.
Regardless of how this plays out the fact that Arsenal are here is slightly short of miraculous. Given their past point deficits and the lingering injury problems to key players. They have done this all because of their talent and even if the doubters don’t want to hear it – the prudence and management of Arsene Wenger. He has never doubted his squad nor their talent. He said at the beginning of the season he saw a lot potential in this squad. He said they were on the cusp of great things and would win silverware this year – all of which were greated with a loud resounding “YEAH RIGHT!!!” Arsene could very well have the last laugh.
Arsenal are now legitimate contenders for both the EPL title and Champion’s League title. Winning something would be astounding. Winning both? Would that surprise you given how this season has developed?
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I believe most Gooners right now would take the CL as the icing, and EPL as the cake. I’d eat the cake without the icing!
Funny as it may, the West Ham match we will probably under 10 times more pressure than the Barca tie.
most of us would agree – it’s all about holding the nerve right now in the title race.
The Hull City game, if anything, I did notice we were getting a bit nervy. We couldnt really get the passing game going. It looked to me our players were too eager to get the winner and hurried their passes, which led to many mis placed passes.
Which was not really necessary, especially in the 2nd half, we were playing 11 Vs 10.
Against West Ham, I hope the lads will calm down a bit. Just take their time and play their normal game, sooner or later the goals will come.
In all the excitement about the Barca – Arsenal game, forgot that there was an all French tie as well, which should be interesting. Bordeaux won the title after 7 straight Lyon wins and currently Bordeaux are on top as well (albeit on GD but game in hand), so there should be some domestic rivalry as well. Plus Bordeaux host Lyon not too long after the CL ties are over.
Of all the years that Lyon have played in the CL and despite some of their good football, they have never made it to the Semi’s. So their domestic rival stands in the way. For Lyon, this tie must be about trying to get two goals met in one go.
Wonder what Platini thinks about this French team match up which means there is no chance of an all French final but an all English final is still possible again.
You can look at it either way, and I am sure Platini has considered both.
Glass half empty: no possibility of all-French final.
Glass half full: Guarantee of French team in the semifinals (hasn’t happened since Monaco in 04).
yes I agree with CG, at least there’s a guarantee that one French club will be in semi.
IMO it’s an achievement on its own. French clubs these days are basically the feeder clubs for the bigger fishes, forever struggle to keep hold of their best players. To make it into CL semi when Real Madrid, Chelsea the likes of $$ clubs don’t, it’s something every neutral but the big club ass kissers want to see.
Hollywood draw!!!
If we had Jens Lehmann in goal, I would put 10 grand on us beating Barca. As it is, I say we have a 45% chance, which is high enough.
Our little playmakers like Rosicky, Nasri, Fabregas and especially Arshavin would really, really, really be salivating for this game. This is what its all about for them. I can imagine this especially for Arshavin. I think they will ALL play very well in the two games.
Song and Diaby could also make their names known throughout Europe and as it is I think they will NOT disappoint.
People worry way too much about Campbell. I personally think he will be just fine against Ibrahimovic. Sagna should be able to tame the Henry of 2010 with little worries. Ofcourse Vermaelen will be his usual solid self.
Bendtner is my man and he WILL perform … mark my words!
That leaves Clichy and Almunia. For Clichy, he would really need to have a barnstorming game or else we could concede early. Almunia?? God knows how he would perform. I seriously worry about him because they will have LOTs of shots at us … and Almunias shot stopping ratio is LOW! Ah well, we need a bit of a miracle with him really.
Overall though, I think we should be just fine.
——————
My main worry is that this draw puts the Birmingham away game in serious jeopardy! Am not really worried about tomorrows game … mostly because its at home, but the B’ham game is away on a potato pitch. They WILL play hard. Our players will have their minds on the Barca game and avoiding injury. That is a major, major, major BANANA skin game in our quest for the league. I hope Wenger realizes that early.
Some good news about Sat.
West Ham have not won away from home since beating Wolves 2-0 at Molineux on the opening day of the season
They have drawn 5 and lost 9 of their other away games.
Ca va sans dire – as Wenger would say (or rather not, if you follow) – this is a cast-iron 100% must-win game. It could put us top of the table too, which would be nice.
V. pleased that Scott Parker is injured, and that Song and Cesc are back. We should wrap this up 3-0.
Based on all the excitement and optimism around here, I’d say Gooners are suffering from a March Madness of a different sort.
Fantastic draw.
As mentioned above… Thierry Henry coming home to North London.
Beautiful.
Cesc Fabregas going home to Barcelona.
Beautiful.
This match up has great appeal… even to fans without rooting interest.
and as Mazza noted above, even if we lose… we can concentrate
on the league… win win.
And I really hope Theo gets a crack at starting at Barca. He’s coming into some form and he is going to have a whole bunch of space against them. I think it will suit him a lot!
ANd I hope even more that our boys decide to make the league games leading up to the barca game dress rehearsals of sorts and show up properly for the games. Guys like Sol will be important I think. I wonder how focussed Cesc’s going to be able to be. In his little things like going in for tackles as well (not wanting to get injured…). It’s going to be a much more interesting game tomorrow because of this draw.
All non-arsenal fans expecting a footballing assault of criminal proportions against us. We talk about turning a corner against Stoke, imagine beating Barca… I guess this is what teams from the lower leagues feel like when they get big draws in the FA cup. hmm.. We really should be playing our first team on it more often eh?
I too am excited about this tie. But the very best thing about this draw is that we cannot possibly face an English team (ie, Man U) unless we make it to the Final… not that Barca (or Inter, if both teams were to advance) are easy, but history has shown we don’t do well against English teams in Europe. Since 2004, each of the other Big 4 teams has put us out of the CL, and I don’t think we’ve ever done that to them. Anyway, these two games will hopefully be huge score-fests with Arsenal scoring more. I am also glad we have the fist game at home. I don’t know why everyone assumes the 2nd game at home is best. To me the +/- of each come out about the same overall, but for this tie I’m glad it’s the way it is.
hhahahahaha. Just saw the draw. Giddy with excitement!! Salivating at the prospect. This is the ultimate test of all of Wenger’s philosophies. Barca is as close to the vision he sees. We’re the underdogs but the hunger in the boys should be enormous. I am also confident we’ll see another step-up in league performaces. Cue a thrashing of West Ham tomorrow, with the perceived eyes of Europe now on us now that we’re facing the word’s best.
Off to find some good odds…
ps- Saw Messi’s performance against Valencia. Sends shivers down me. Clichy has the pace to match him but he will have to be in absolute top form. Song is going to have to be as well to shield us from Xavi and Iniesta. Cesc is going to be wanting to impress. You just get the feeling that one way or another this game is going to have bearings on how much longer he stays with us (ie- about two years more or about 6+ more years).
I haven’t looked forward to a game like this for a LOOOONNNGGG time!!
pps– Also very happy to be playing first leg at home. Second leg has more pressure and the Nou camp will be hostile, BUT, at least if we concede under second leg pressure it won’t be a dreaded away goal.
Barca!
Why do I have a funny feeling about this… Not a bad feeling either. I think we have more chance of an upset against Barca than against Inter in the next round. A very slim one admittedly.
Come on, let’s just get past West Ham without any more clumsy CB wobbles… The business end is starting to get very exciting.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/gallas-80-per-cent-out-of-barca-first-leg
Gallas is pretty much ruled out of the first leg. I think we will miss him.
Sol has been good, but that is against the tough but lower teams of the league. Against Barca’s pacy and tricky strikers, Gallas is a better option.
Wow. It had to be..sooner or later. Henry will be back at the Emirates. And the Nou Camp will get to see Cesc, who will be reunited with Messi. Wonder if the two ever talked about their future when they trained together. Now the two of them are the biggest stars of their respective teams. And since Kolo has moved on means that there will be no brother vs brother element to the tie.
It will be two remarkable games and atleast Arsenal can expect good football over two legs. The 2 games might even be a pleasant healthy tussle, albeit challenging. Arshavin will also be motivated.
And I am sure there will be people in Madrid will be cheering for Arsenal. Actually they might be cheering for any team that stops Barca from playing in their stadium in the final.
read that after the second leg we play spurs and they play madrid. Big week of football that week
Great draw.
Get to play Barca twice and if we lose then it’s no biggie and we can concentrate on the league.
I am worried about the second leg though. The first one should be competitive but the second at the Nou Camp could get very Messi.
Punny, very punny….
And, isn’t the North London pronunciation of Theo something like “Feo”, which, of course, means “ugly” in Spanish….
(Labored, or laboured, I know, but at least I’m trying….)
Yeah, we pronounce Feo….. “Feoh”.
;)
“the Nou Camp could get very Messi.”
Oh, you should frame that one, man. ;-)
Any draw we got could have been spun positively or negatively depending on one’s predilection….
As I’m generally an optimist, I’ll agree with Josh and say that drawing Barca allows us to focus on playing the positive football we prefer. And how do we match up? Are Cesc and Nasri able to answer Iniesta and Xavi? Is Ibrahimovic or Bendtner the superior Scandanavian, big CF? Did we pass on buying Yaya because we were gonna sell Kolo and we knew we had Song? Which of Messi and Theo is truly further along? (This refers to a crazy statement of AW’s, linked to by Nipuna in an earlier thread….) These questions may seem preposterous given the recent respective accomplishments of both teams, but really, it IS the ultimate test of where we stand as a team, so why not relish it? If we somehow get past them…(and I like our chances as much as any team in the tournament) it might be a bit different (facing Mourinho and Inter, who must get past CSKA, mustn’t they?)
In the meantime we’ve got only two matches and 10 days to prepare. As always, avoiding injury and building confidence are the priorities. Tomorrow’s match is a great opportunity and I hope it can be a break out day for the likes of Theo and Nasri and Arshavin and Diaby working around the fulcrum of returning Cesc and Song. Birmingham away is a tougher proposition, with that team’s propensity to play a bit rougher and the fact that a week ago their pitch looked dead. For that one, I’m hoping Bendtner is motivated by playing against his former club and maybe we can serve him some nice crosses so he can put a few headers on target and past Joe Hart. In both matches I’m hoping that we can create numerous chances and allow the two top candidates for the English goal-keeping position to show what they’ve got….(That’s a dig at English goal-keeping, by the way….)
No matter how you slice it, exciting times….
Yeaaahhhhh, Baby. Dynamite draw, boys. This is what the Champions League is all about. The only downside is I wish we had Gallas and van Persie available. Hopefully Gallas will be fit for that one. Also, we’ll see if Xavi is fit to face Arsenal.
The way I see it, there’s absolutely no pressure on us. Everyone expects Barcelona to win. What this will do is bring out the best in all of our players in training because everyone will want to play against Barcelona.
Once again, great draw and I’m excited. We don need to stay focused on West Ham because there is more pressure there right now.
If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Barca, Inter then ???
Personally I love it! Agree with nip and sirep, it’s much better than Man U and Inter. And we will be able to see a game of real football being played by arguably the world’s two most attractive sides. Hopefully nobody gets sent off 15 minutes into the match and spoil the match this time around.
Also, it’s better for us to be the underdogs rather than the other way around. Drawing a team like CSKA for instance, if we step on a banana skin and lose to them, it would feel 10 times worse than losing to Barca.
It had to be, Henry coming home, cesc going home. Football is always poetic like that. Truth is that its still better than united and inter and the boys will be excited to play against barca
SAF and ManU fans find themselves with mixed feelings to draw Bayern.
Ribbery and Robben are playing superb, a defensive nightmare for a ManU defense that is not in form.
If Arsenal are to develop mental toughness, Barca is the Rx of competition our team needs to experience.
All that said, the focus for Arsenal needs to stay on West Ham.
that is a valid comment and wenger has a fight on his hands trying to keep the players focused on west ham and not thinking about barca
Damn, it is Barca.
Better than ManU or Inter, but still …
And it could be Inter in the semis.
What’s scary is that I believe the title race will end as the tightest race in league history. One point separating 3 clubs, with 2 clubs tied for most points, and the winner having to go through 8 tie breaking levels
.
The deciding tie breaker is the club whose goalkeeper has the most assists.
I think it might be a bit difficult to beat the 88/89 season for closeness, but this would be the year, wouldn’t it?
yes I think 89 season title race will forever be remembered as the tightest EVER.
With the title decided virtually the final minute of, not only the game, but the season.
To top it all, both teams not only tied at points, but also goal difference. We won the league back then only because we scored more goals.
I don’t think we will see a title race as tight as that in the next thousand years!
A GG team winning on goal SCORED… who’d a thunk it?
I was thinking that the ManU v. Pool match on Sunday will have added significance.
Besides current league standings
– Pool is desperate to finish in the top 4 – they cannot afford to drop the points
– ManU would love to take all the points and place Pool in dire straits
– ManU and Pool have both won 18 Premier League titles, an honor that Pool has held for a long time.
– There is extra motivation for Pool to win and contribute to another club winning the title
– Conversely, ManU want to take over the record and a win would be a big step in that direction
A draw would be nice, but I will be rooting for Pool to take all the points.
Liverpool dispatch Lille 3-0 3-1 on aggregate. Torres looks healthy. Could be a handful for a weak United defence. That being said – Liverpool’s back four is no sure thing either.
Fulham upsets Juventus 4-1 (agg 5-4)
Dempsey scores the unbelievable winner!
That is fantastic… good for Fulham, as this competition means a hell of a lot more to them than Juventus.
Great stuff.
I watched the highlights, that Dempsey goal was baller. Also, it should be known that Juve had 10 men, as Cannavaro was sent off midway thru the first half. Not to take anything away from the Cottagers tho, they definitely earned it from what (little) I saw.
I don’t care how many men Juventus had, they were up 4-1 on aggregate!
4 goals against Juventus is an INCREDIBLE comeback by anyone!
Yes, well… like I said… they fully deserved it, and it is a great accomplishment.
Pompey reduced to 10 points… maybe they can still lift the Cup.
Meaning that Chelsea will get to play a “friendly” with Pompey later in the season. A three points “bonus”.
The plus side though is – yet another club finally understand the meaning of “balance the book”.
yes, that is wonderful Andez, the supporters and players pay the price, and the people who screw up the “books” are long gone.
it won’t effect the Chelsea’s, City’s, United’s… because they have money to burn…
there is no plus side.
I seriously have to find a way to get locked into my house without children or wife. I really want to spend an entire weekend just watching matches.
This could be the most fun weekend of the year so far.
Nipuna, you are so right. If we beat West Ham on Saturday, that puts big pressure on both Man Utd and Chelsea. Why, because Arsenal, despite being written off twice, will be top of the league again. Dude, we ain’t even supposed to be here (lol). There is more pressure on the rest of the big four than us.
Liverpool are fighting for fourth while Man Utd are fighting for the title. That’s going to be a fun game to watch. Like all Arsenal fans, I’ll be rooting for Liverpool and Vidic to continue his record of getting sent off whenever they play Liverpoool.
I expect Chelsea to either drop points or mop the floor with Blackburn. Chelsea are certainly a fabulous group of players but are they a real team? They’ve got too many problems with the coach, the captain, player continuity, and key injuries.
West Ham on Saturday and Cesc, Sicky and SOng are back!!!
Let us beat them first and then watch the fun unfold on Sunday when ManU and Chelsea play.
I am going to go off on a limb here and say Chelsea are on the verge of imploding.
And it has nothing to do with or everything to do with their form.
Supposedly (if the press is to be believed) Roman basically tore into his players asking them if they were world class players or players who were just paid well?
He’s basically letting it be known that there will be wholesale changes at Chelsea this summer – he won’t pay exorbitantly (Madrid and Shitty pricing) but he is likely to get rid of a lot of the older players and even possibly let Ashley Cole go to Madrid.
Also Carlo has been told if he doesn’t win the EPL title – he is gone. The only problem with that is that there is no one (read premier named manager) who wants the job. He certainly won’t take the Special One Back.
Oh and on the United front – it looks like the Glazers are bringing in additional US investment and will refinance their debt to undercut the possible bid by the Red Knights.
I have to admit – our competitors winning ways are enviable but I would not want our club embroiled in what is going on with both those clubs – even if we were to win (maybe).
Well hopefully we can have our cake and eat it too.
I think Utd’s toughest game is going to be City away. Derby, a lot of history not withstanding the soap opera this season with Tevez, their reverse league game and the carling cup fixtures. Etc etc.. City have been upping their game against the big sides as well. On the same note, I don’t think our fixture agasint them is as clear cut as it seems on paper with their abysmal away record. They made a proper mockery of Chelsea’s home record just a few weeks back.
I think Arsenal is as likely to get a result at Spurs as Chelsea is. Tough call and hope that Tottenham don’t decide to break their duck vs Wenger in the league this time round. Closer in time, Birmingham away is going to be no walkover as DAG suggests. But they’ve started becoming a bit leaky and we’re growing in confidence. They’re also reaching a stage where they don’t have too much to play for.. here’s hoping for a tiny bit easier game.
Utd.. Well I think it all depends on whether Rooney stays on fire or not. Unfortunately Berbatov has started looking a bit bright as well. But stop Rooney and a team has a chance against them. The rest of their squad has replacements that come in and do a solid job anyway. Their game against Pool is no walkover. Pool always bring it against Utd and you can be sure they don’t want Utd to overtake their league record. THey’re also fighting for dear life. Hopefully they beat Lille today, if only to carry more momentum into the Utd game.
Loving the excitement!!!
For the 3 front runners, the mission is simple – Win the NEXT GAME.
It’s all about holding the nerve now. Whoever lose their very next game first, they can forget about whether they have a tough or easy remaining fixtures.
Spot on Andez. Psychology probably the biggest factor right now when so much is on the line. Unfortunately, it has been our weak point in the past. We seemed to turn a corner at Stoke, but then these corners have come and gone and we have found ourselves facing the same direction again. I hope it is different this time. And it does ‘feel’ different…
Admittedly that may be kool-aid influenced fellings.
I predicted that we would go on an unbeaten run after the Chelsea defeat, including a win over Liverpool. :) But I did not think we would be in with a shout for the title. Well, let us make the best of it.
Arsenal should win all their games, except Spurs away which should be a draw.
ManU will beat Pool and Spurs at home. I hope Chelsea snatch a draw and so do City, if not win. They certainly won’t be dropping points to Sundy or Stoke. ;)
Chelsea’s key game is this weekend. If they beat Blackburn, then the only games they are likely to drop points are ManU (hopefully a draw) and Pool (hopefully yet another draw).
In total, Arsenal will drop 2 points while ManU and Chelsea will drop 4 points each. Is that enough, I don’t think so, but has anyone got their predictions right this season? No.
So let us win our games and enjoy the ride.
yes, I predicted we’d win the profit league, and that is a LOCK!
;)
I can’t see Liverpool getting a win at Man Utd but I hope they do something like even getting a draw while Arsenal have to push harder to get 8 wins, which means getting that win at Spurs, and then waiting to see other results such as the Man Utd vs Chelsea game. Also will be interesting to see how Chelsea do without the CL games –will they be able to rest up & recover? or has Jose shown a nice template for others to copy? Although you won’t find Rafa trying to have 3 forwards lining up against Chelsea, that’s for sure.
on another note. Been interesting to see how well Sneijder & Robben have been doing away from Madrid.
They could get a draw… they won’t go in intimidated, with Torres and Gerrard playing well.
So, it should be a good match.
I will be watching for sure and thanks to the North American time change, it will be an hour later than it would have been. Although it only feels like a real difference if you are on mountain or pacific time.
You say:
“Figure if every team loses just one match and draws and wins are about even Arsenal could and should win the title.”
Then you go on to figure Arsenal don’t lose any matches!
That is some interesting figuring!!
;)
And your NUMBERS from your table, don’t add up to your FINAL totals.
You have Arsenal finishing with 90 points.
That total is NOT POSSIBLE. We have 64, with 8 games left.
The most we can get is 88.
In my humble opinion,
UNITED have 3 home matches that are tough, and this will tell
their tale: v Liverpool, v Chelsea, v Spurs
IF they can navigate their way through those games with 2 wins and a draw, they might have enough to win the title a 4th time in a row.
CHELSEA, conversely… have 3 road matches that are the difficult
proposition for them… @ United, @ Spurs, @ Liverpool
IF they can get 2 wins and a draw in those, they might have the title.
ARSENAL, definitely have the easiest schedule of the 3 teams.
No doubt about it.
But Chelsea and United have their destiny in their OWN HANDS right now.
If they win their games, they win the league… no matter what we do.
Our BIG match is of course AT TOTTENHAM. They could destroy our season, and make their way into the CL at the same time…
and… HOME against Man City.
They bossed us earlier in the year, and with a lot of talented players
motivated for the chance to make the CL, it will be tough.
I could see a scenario where it goes:
Arsenal: 7 wins 0 losses 1 draw (22 points and 84 total)
Chelsea: 7 wins 1 loss 1 draw (22 points and 84 total)
Man U: 7 wins 0 losses 1 draw (22 points and 86 total)
I see a United draw against Chelsea, and beat Liverpool, Spurs & City.
I see a Chelsea draw with United, and a late season LOSS at Liverpool.
I see us winning every match except @ Spurs, where we draw.
I think Chelsea and United can only slip up possibly ONCE if they
want to win the league… and they are good enough to do that.
But if they both drop more than a few points, we SHOULD WIN THE LEAGUE.
I can NOT see us losing or drawing other than @ Spurs.
It should be a fantastic finish.
First – hey I’m only human I made a mathematical error – excuuuuuussssseeeeeee mmeeeeee!!!
Still I think the chance exists for Arsenal to win and win with a cushion.
I think Spurs fall out of the CL spot and it is either Liverpool or my other two dark horses Villa or Everton who sneak in.
Spurs are starting to get affected by their injuries. City have too many personality issues – Liverpool could be getting it together just in time and Everton and Villa play better than the lot put together.
Chelsea and United each will lose one more. Conversely we could lose one more but it is less likely than it is between United and Chelsea.
For United someone needs to learn how to shut down Rooney or at least not let him get any headers – force him on his feet. And for Chelsea – do what Villa did – attack them on set-pieces.
I agree with everyone regardless it is going to be an interesting run in.
Yeah, Rooney’s recent headed goals tally has been amazing, given prior to this season, he only had a few headed strikes. He has been scoring freely so either he will dry up soon or will keep pushing to break not only Ronaldo’s total but even Dennis Law’s.
On top of that, Rooney started tormenting Arsenal since he was 16 years old. Sigh.
Just pointing out the math! No apologies necessary!
Don’t want us besmirching the Invincible total!
;)
I think it is MORE likely United and/or Chelsea LOSE a match than we do.
But either one of them could go on a run until the end and win this league as well.
The United v Chelsea match is MASSIVE.
A draw would be perfect, with each dropping 2 points.
So if as per your scenario, you say Arsenal get 7 wins and 1 draw, that is 22 points. 64 + 22 = 86 points.
So Arsenal would still be tied with Chelsea @ 86. And Man would be at 88, 66 + 22.
That is correct.
United have their key matches at HOME.
That is very important, and even more so THIS SEASON, where everybody struggles on the road.
That, and Rooney is just unstoppable right now.
I was also trying to point out your incorrect math :) I found it amusing that while pointing out DAG’s math, you had a typo as well.
I am sure United will be thrilled to be at Old Trafford so Chelsea and Liverpool have to be in top form if they have to get anything out of those games.
Sach, ummmm…
where is my incorrect math?
all three teams get 22 points on the run in…
United have 66 now and finish with 88.
Arsenal and Chelsea finish with 86.
where is the math error?
oh man..
Stag, this is what you typed:
Arsenal: 7 wins 0 losses 1 draw (22 points and 84 total)
Chelsea: 7 wins 1 loss 1 draw (22 points and 84 total)
Man U: 7 wins 0 losses 1 draw (22 points and 86 total)
Look at the totals you typed:
As per you, Arsenal & Chelsea would only get 84 and Man Utd would get 86.
Do you see the error now?
NO.
I don’t see any error.
All three teams get 22 points.
UNITED are in the lead right now, by 2 points.
They’d remain there if all three teams accumulated 22 points.
Where’s the error?
yes United would remain ahead by 2 points BUT I said look at the TOTALS you typed.
your totals were 84 for Arsenal & Chelsea and 86 for Man Utd, provided all three teams got 22. I pasted what you typed above but you didn’t see that. You must have only seen your reply where you rightly had 86 & 88. So let me repeat that, your totals THAT you TYPED ABOVE were 84 & 86, as per your post with the timestamp — March 17th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
That’s where the error is.
So basically as per your addition, 64 + 22 = 84 BUT it should be 86. Your addition of 66 + 22 for Man Utd was 86 BUT it should be 88.
Do you get this now? Either you think you are being funny or if you really don’t get it, then that would not be funny at all.
I was NOT trying to be funny. I was being THICK!
I really did not see it!
Sorry. I see it now.
of course you are correct!
That’s ok. I can’t believe I typed so many words just to get that across. I should have just asked you to do a search for “84” on this page.
There’s no doubt that we have an easier run of games here at the business end of the season than the other contenders do. Hopefully that will allow us to make up the 2 pts on Utd and the hypothetical 3 pts on Chelsea. What’s weird is that DAG’s prediction has us at 90 pts… which is the exact same number of pts the Invincibles accumulated. Even if we don’t get the W/D/L’s in the exact games DAG predicts, we still could very easily end up with 90 points. Amazing. At first it seems unreal, since this Arsenal team has 4 L’s with 8 matches to go, and the 04 team had 0 losses at the end of it all. But they also had 12 D’s to this team’s 4 so far.
It’s interesting how the same number of points can be accumulated in different ways, and how the different ways are remembered differently. From an objective, numerical standpoint, the 90 this season would be as good as the 90 then. But it would not be remembered the same. Just like the 05 Chelsea team set a league record of 95 pts, actually 5 better than the 04 Arsenal team… technically better, but which is feat do people remember?
we have 64 points now, with 8 games (24 points) remaining.
We can NOT reach 90 points. Not a possibility.
RATS!
Huh… you’re right… not really sure what I was thinking or looking at when I wrote that… ah well.
Good write up DAG, kinda how I see it too. Obviously, City and Spuds are our danger games as both those teams are capable of upending us if we are not at our best.
Manure probably has the trickiest route to the top, but their defense has gotten healthy and Rooney is on a miraculous run of form. Somehow, Manure always seem to save their best for last and I am somewhat worried about that.
Chelsea is an emotionally fragile team and their response to the CL loss will probably determine whether they go on to take the Prem.
It’s all in the palm of our hands and if we only drop 4 points, should be able able to put some silverware in the empty cabinet at the Emirates. Having said that, I think it will come down to the performances of 5 players in particular, Almunia, Bendtner, Walcott, Clichey and Campbell.
Offensively, Bendtner and Walcott need to step up big time and score a few timely goals. Defensively, Sol needs to turn back the hands of time and Almunia needs to be error free and quit kicking the ball down field and giving away possession. Clichy has to emulate his performance last match where he did not have any mental lapses.
A lot of things have to fall our way but it can be done and hopefully, it will.
Pre-season, I put 100 quid on Chelsea and would love to lose money for the first time in my life. I do bet with brain and cheer with my heart.
I’ve got some on us Carib. Double victory for me and celebrations would be good!!!
DAG – you are much braver and confident on your predictions (than I am).
If our back line can stay healthy, we can make a strong run. However, if Silvestre is called up for duty at CB,
well any type of outcome is possible. I’d almost prefer Song move to CB and have Diaby fill in at DM.
One thing is for sure – ALL OF US ARE EXCITED TO FIND ARSENAL IN THE LEAGUE RACE AND INTO THE QF’S OF
THE CL.
I can’t see a scenario where Silvestre is called up to play CB, unless Gallas doesn’t return.
And we can still beat most teams left on the schedule with Silvestre and Vermaelen as a tandem for a game or two.
Yeah, Silvestre may only be half a man out there, but thank god Verma is two.
I think Man United will beat Chelsea. Likewise, I think Man City will beat Man Utd. Lastly, I’ve got a funny suspicion that either Bolton or Blackburn will take something from Man Utd as well. If Man Utd beat Liverpool this week, Bolton my prove a banana peel.
For Chelsea, this weekend will tell us a lot. They will either lose to or absolutely destroy Blackburn; no in between. They should beat Villa at home but Man Utd will beat them at Old Trafford.
As for Arsenal, we should beat Spurs and Birmingham. Man City is the biggest threat. If after the Man City game, we’re first, we will win the title. Fulham won’t stop us. We’ll see how it works out.
I don’t see United or Chelsea losing more than 1 match in the last run in.
If they do, they won’t win the league.
SPURS are the most difficult match for us… easily.
Spurs are 10w-3l-2d at home, only allowing 10 goals at home all year!
City have not lost at HOME all season, but are only 4 wins – 4 losses – 7 draws / on the road.
I think we’ll take them at the Emirates.
OFF TOPIC:
There are only 4 teams from the Big 3 leagues (England, Italy, Spain) in this year’s CL quarterfinals. I was curious to see the last time so few from those leagues made it to the QF’s, and to my surprise, I had to go much further back than I thought I would… to 98/99, 11 seasons ago. Wow.