Manchester City v Arsenal, 20:00 BST (26/04, BT Sport)

[Mac76]

a good result would be a spirited performance and defeat by the odd goal, I suspect we're looking at something more like a 4-1 though, where our niaivities and inexperience are well and truly shown up

what's really annoying is the way people are talking it up like it matters, the title's already gone, I suppose if we won it might shake City up a tiny bit, but tbh we'd probably just drop points elsewhere and hand it to them anyway

[HCZ_Reborn]

a good result would be a spirited performance and defeat by the odd goal, I suspect we're looking at something more like a 4-1 though, where our niaivities and inexperience are well and truly shown up

what's really annoying is the way people are talking it up like it matters, the title's already gone, I suppose if we won it might shake City up a tiny bit, but tbh we'd probably just drop points elsewhere and hand it to them anyway

Bollocks to that, a defeat is a defeat no matter how nicely it’s dressed up or how much effort the players put in. I don’t think we played at all badly when we last went to the Etihad in January but we still lost (so it wasn’t a good result even though I still maintain an unneeded cup run did not help us so wasn’t heart broken)

A good result is a win. Drawing with Southampton made nothing else acceptable. Just because we believe (and with good reason) that a win is unattainable it doesn’t change what the parameters of a good result are.

Tonight we will be disappointed and there’s simply no way of skirting around that.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I don’t say a win is unobtainable simply because of the last three games or because of missing Saliba

I say it’s unobtainable because our head coach has proven unable to adapt in circumstances where we have lost important players to injury.

Losing to Everton, drawing with Newcastle and Bournemouth was a result of failing to adapt to teams putting in the deep block and we couldn’t handle that in the absence of Jesus.

Losing at home to City and away to United was a failure of adapting without Thomas Partey.

I’m not saying we should have been expected to win all these games, I’m simply saying why we didn’t

There is also a psychological aspect. Players in the last few games have been making individual and collective errors that they haven’t at other points in the season…we can blame Salah’s goal on Xhaka or we can look at the space Liverpool players had in our box despite having so many back

There is Partey trying to be cute and being dispossessed by Declan Rice, there is Ramsdale kicking the ball straight out to Zinchenko rather than taking the easier option of playing it to Gabriel

That is intermixed with the lack of faith in our system by the players in the absence of Saliba and not pushing up as high as a unit

[Marc Overmars]

a good result would be a spirited performance and defeat by the odd goal, I suspect we're looking at something more like a 4-1 though, where our niaivities and inexperience are well and truly shown up

what's really annoying is the way people are talking it up like it matters, the title's already gone, I suppose if we won it might shake City up a tiny bit, but tbh we'd probably just drop points elsewhere and hand it to them anyway

It still matters until the final whistle goes tonight and confirms an Arsenal defeat. Then it’s all pretty much in miracle territory.

A win would be monumental. I’d still question our ability to take maximum points from the next few games that follow but there’s no doubt a win would offer up one final and very real chance to win the league.

Funnily enough I’m not even nervous about this game anymore. I would have been shitting bricks if we had taken at least 7 points from the last 3 because then we would have been on the brink of winning it. Now we’re just clinging on to a fading dream.

[Letters]

Funnily enough I’m not even nervous about this game anymore. I would have been shitting bricks if we had taken at least 7 points from the last 3 because then we would have been on the brink of winning it. Now we’re just clinging on to a fading dream.

This is how I feel.
I'd be more nervous if it meant something but it doesn't really now. I mean...I guess if we won it would put us back in a decent position in terms of the title, but we all know that isn't going to happen.

[Mac76]

This is how I feel.
I'd be more nervous if it meant something but it doesn't really now. I mean...I guess if we won it would put us back in a decent position in terms of the title, but we all know that isn't going to happen.

I'm nervous only because of it potetially being humiliating, that's why i talk about needing a spirited performance

[Mac76]

I say it’s unobtainable because our head coach has proven unable to adapt in circumstances where we have lost important players to injury.

that's exactly my reasoning too

[HCZ_Reborn]

I'm nervous only because of it potenitally being humiliating, that's why i talk about needing a spirited performance

Given that it’s not an aggregate competition where we are defending a lead, how much we lose by is largely academic.

Will other fans take the piss more if we lose 5-0 than if we lose 1-0, yes but fucked if I care what other fans think.

If you’re 1-0 down during the game it’s different because there’s hope of getting back into it, but as a result?….couldn’t give a tuppeny fuck. I’ll respond to a 5-0 defeat the same way as a 1-0 defeat….it’s a defeat

[IBK]

It still matters until the final whistle goes tonight and confirms an Arsenal defeat. Then it’s all pretty much in miracle territory.

A win would be monumental. I’d still question our ability to take maximum points from the next few games that follow but there’s no doubt a win would offer up one final and very real chance to win the league.

Funnily enough I’m not even nervous about this game anymore. I would have been shitting bricks if we had taken at least 7 points from the last 3 because then we would have been on the brink of winning it. Now we’re just clinging on to a fading dream.

Same

[IBK]

Given that it’s not an aggregate competition where we are defending a lead, how much we lose by is largely academic.

Will other fans take the piss more if we lose 5-0 than if we lose 1-0, yes but fucked if I care what other fans think.

If you’re 1-0 down during the game it’s different because there’s hope of getting back into it, but as a result?….couldn’t give a tuppeny fuck. I’ll respond to a 5-0 defeat the same way as a 1-0 defeat….it’s a defeat

Nah - a heavy defeat has the potential to affect us next season - not just this. If we are to kick on, the players have to believe Citeh can be beaten. A narrow loss with a decent performance helps this.