Match Reaction v Spurs (Home - PL 16/17)

**Power n Glory** · 08-11-2016, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie

It's the run of games between now and the end of the year - Utd (a), Bournemouth (h), West Ham (a), Stoke (h), Everton (a), Man City (a), West Brom (h), Crystal Palace (h)

I think we need to be looking to get 19 out of 24 points from those games, so that would include for me winning at West Ham and Everton and getting something from one of the Manchester games.

It's about being able to grind out results when playing tougher opposition and still be in contention when we have played two of our more difficult fixtures.

Don't get me wrong i won't immediately think we will win the title if we do get those points, but it puts us in contention with 43 points from 19 games...considering with the exception of Leicester teams have needed 85+ points for the title the last few years it is a minimum goal.

But what's so special about December? Would you be surprised if we won those games but went on to lose it in Spring? Around March/April we have a tough run of games and it's not as if we haven't fell apart towards the end either. I mean in our last 4 games we have Spurs away, Utd home, Stoke away and Everton home. We could just as easily be on the race but fall away at the last hurdle.

Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie · 08-11-2016, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory

But what's so special about December? Would you be surprised if we won those games but went on to lose it in Spring? Around March/April we have a tough run of games and it's not as if we haven't fell apart towards the end either. I mean in our last 4 games we have Spurs away, Utd home, Stoke away and Everton home. We could just as easily be on the race but fall away at the last hurdle.

Again i am not trying to claim it's definitive, what i'm saying is that i will be more convinced that we can challenge if we get the 19 points out of 24 during that november/december period.

It won't mean that we won't screw things up in february/march/april.....but as i've said those are a tough run of fixtures and our ability to make it through that potential minefield unscathed would suggest that we do have a stronger mentality.

After that, the next test would be our ability to win games and not going through the death spiral when the champions league begins again in February. But keeping ourselves in the mix during a tough run of fixtures and you'd have to say there is potential.