Finally, something Arsenal and Liverpool fans can agree on.A big fuck you to Steve Clarke for playing him 180 minutes in two meaningless friendlies over the international break…
I'm beelin mad about it as well mate. Huge loss for us if Tierney misses the World Cup playoff match(es). I really wanted Arsenal to get Top 4 as well.Finally, something Arsenal and Liverpool fans can agree on.
Well two of their next four against bottom of the table and they have Newcastle and Tottenham.. that Tottenham game is probably for top four.. unless Chelsea continue to fall. Those three games are a shame.. but the difference between those and yesterday were a few lucky bounces and some goals… that and all the injuries.If they hadn't puked on themselves three games in a row against buns Arsenal would sit 6 points clear in THIRD.
They better hang on. Sp*rs have Liverpool next week so that should be a rock solid L. Need to open the gap wider.
This is all well and true, but I think Arsenal should be pretty confident ATM. 538 has it 70-30 Arsenal.Teams competing for fourth place, rather than higher up the table, are teams that by definition dropped a ton of points to worse sides over the course of the year. It's the nature of the beast and Spurs fans could say the exact same thing about dropped points against Brighton, Brentford, Burnley, Soton, etc.
I'm ready for anything at this point. Obviously if we can beat Leeds then we stand an excellent chance of going into the NLD up 4-5 points because Liverpool haven't lost at Anfield when fans have been in the stands since the Stone Age and I don't see them starting now in the middle of a title race with a team firing on all cylinders.
But even if we go into the NLD up 4-5, all Spurs need to do is win the game at home and then hope we drop points at Newcastle in what should be a very tough match given the circumstances or on the final matchday against an Everton fighting to stay up. So I think that 4-5 point lead would be a false security blanket.
Without Partey, Tierney, and (for the moment) White, we just aren't all that good. We can't play the same kind of highly tactical, patterned, possession based football that we were playing a few months ago where we genuinely looked very impressive. But the team has a lot of heart and we've really just been improvising and shithousing our ways to wins the last few weeks. It may not be sustainable enough to keep up for a few more weeks and that will be very disappointing if we finish fifth. But even if we don't get over the line I think its been a really good year.
Pretty clear sign to me that the goal for the season from the board was Europa League
What are the chances they catch Chelsea? And why does the schedule show four games left for Chelsea? They’ve all played 35 gamesA win against the scum now sends us back into the Champions League for the first time in 6 long miserable years.
FA Cup final in there for Chelsea.What are the chances they catch Chelsea? And why does the schedule show four games left for Chelsea? They’ve all played 35 games
538 has Arsenal as 17% chance at 3rd, 60% at 4th and 23% at 5th.What are the chances they catch Chelsea? And why does the schedule show four games left for Chelsea? They’ve all played 35 games
FA Cup final in there for Chelsea.
Chelsea has tomato cans left, I can't realistically see them dropping any points. The only team still playing for anything on their slate will be Leeds, who Arsenal just beat but I guess they will be even more desperate now given that loss + Everton win from the weekend. The other 2 are Leicester who have nothing left to care about and Watford who are already relegated.
Thank you both. It’s been an interesting season. Chelsea just seems to have lost it a bit.. but I suppose it’s too much to ask for them to lose or tie one.538 has Arsenal as 17% chance at 3rd, 60% at 4th and 23% at 5th.
I think Mike's right that it really comes down to schedule. For the remaining matches, Arsenal has the hardest individual match (away at Spurs) of the 3 teams. Leeds and Watford are cupcakes and the Leicester match is at home for Chelsea.Thank you both. It’s been an interesting season. Chelsea just seems to have lost it a bit.. but I suppose it’s too much to ask for them to lose or tie one.
I'm more worried about getting Champions League in general.. if Chelsea drops points and falls it leaves a better chance for Arsenal to finish in the top four in either third or fourth.I mean, Chelsea just dropped points to out-of-form, little-to-play-for* Wolves at home - I wouldn't assume any fixture of theirs is an automatic win at this stage.
That said, for dropped Chelsea points to really matter, they'd have to finish below both Arsenal and Spurs, and the odds of that happening are around 1%, according to 538. I mean, if you want Arsenal to catch Chelsea for third, that could absolutely happen if Arsenal wins on Thursday, but the difference between 3rd and 4th is way, way, way less impactful than the difference between 4th and 5th. And the scenario I think you're really pondering involves Arsenal finishing below Spurs but still eking out 4th ahead of Chelsea, which would mean losing to Spurs and dropping points in at least one of their last two games *and* Chelsea taking no more than two points from their last three fixtures combined. (Not gonna happen.)
(EDIT - I guess Wolves could still pip West Ham for the last Conference League place, but that ain't gonna happen.)
My whole point is that the odds of Chelsea losing points and that mattering toward Arsenal's qualification (or not) for the Champions League is so vanishingly small, it's hardly worth worrying about. So I'm not sure what you're getting at here.I'm more worried about getting Champions League in general.. if Chelsea drops points and falls it leaves a better chance for Arsenal to finish in the top four in either third or fourth.
I don’t think I’m disagreeing with you.. just hoping arsenal gets top four whatever way it happensMy whole point is that the odds of Chelsea losing points and that mattering toward Arsenal's qualification (or not) for the Champions League is so vanishingly small, it's hardly worth worrying about. So I'm not sure what you're getting at here.
Well, he got them out of relegation, right Mike? LolCan't wait for another 3 years of this. Really great. Glad we extended this guy before he actually achieved the objective.
Don't really see how this is on Arteta. Cedric and Holding wilted out there. He has to play them because of injuries.Can't wait for another 3 years of this. Really great. Glad we extended this guy before he actually achieved the objective.
Ben White is on the bench. If you win this match, the season is over and you have completed your task. If Ben White is fit for the bench, he is fit to play in what is basically a cup final. The last 2 games don't mean anything if you had won today. Why is Rob Holding playing at all?Don't really see how this is on Arteta. Cedric and Holding wilted out there. He has to play them because of injuries.
They're got a 1 pt lead on 4th with 2 matches left. Anyone would have taken that back in August.
He probably wasn't quite fit for the whole match though, and they only have 3 CBs so might as well put him on the bench. I think the big issue is that the squad isn't deep enough and some of the backups are subpar. Seems more like an Edu issue to me.Ben White is on the bench. If you win this match, the season is over and you have completed your task. If Ben White is fit for the bench, he is fit to play in what is basically a cup final. The last 2 games don't mean anything if you had won today. Why is Rob Holding playing at all?
You can just mosey on over … http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/manchester-city-2021-2022-the-harry-kane-team.34149/Loser club. I'm done till Arteta is gone. Enjoy it fellas I'll see you in a year and half.
Is this a promise? I think this is worth missing the CL.Loser club. I'm done till Arteta is gone. Enjoy it fellas I'll see you in a year and half.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/arsenal-engarsenal/story/4667776/granit-xhaka-slams-arsenal-teammates-in-newcastle-loss-we-didnt-deserve-to-be-on-the-pitch"I can't explain to you why. We didn't do what the game plan was, not listening to the coach. What happened was a disaster performance. You don't deserve to play Champions League or even Europa League. It's very hard to take it at the moment.
"I don't know why we're not doing what the coach is asking for us."
...
The game plan was totally different to what we did over 90 minutes."