Match reaction: Everton 2-1 Arsenal

[Power n Glory]

If it does then yes, we have no chance. Whoever our manager is, and I'd agree he's never been much of a motivator, the players need to take some responsibility, get their shizzle together and pick themselves up.
They are grown-ups, they shouldn't need that much extra motivation.

It's the most mature and experienced squad since last winning the title. They should have it in them to bounce back.

[Marc Overmars]

Chelsea and Liverpool are the ones to watch. Chelsea more. They have players with the experience to go all the way. We have a chance though. Slight hope but wouldn't be surprised if this loss knocks the teams confidence. Bitches.

Liverpool will probably concede too many due to their nature of their style, but Chelsea seem very well set up and Conte as much as it pains me to say it seems like a pretty likeable bloke who they enjoy playing for, plus they're all title winners in the squad anyway. When the business end comes they're going to be a lot fresher than everyone else, it's like Liverpool when they went very close under Rodgers (they also went on a ridiculous winning streak). Chelsea have us and all the other challengers on toast right now.

[Niall_Quinn]

In all fairness Chelsea have beaten a lot of their title rivals. Of course we took them to the cleaners in what was our best performance of the season and Liverpool also beat them, but since their formation change they have looked superb to be fair.

Man City had a fairly routine start, when coming up against decent opposition they have lost every time from what I can remember, I think them beating United was their only win against a rival so to speak.

We have actually done OK so far...we struggled against United and to a degree Spurs...shouldn't have really lost to Liverpool...and took Chelsea apart...in the other games we have largely done well with the exception of Tuesday.

Of course we are still in the race...I just don't think we have the mentality or extra bit of quality to break out of the pack and be champions.

Guardiola and Conte will fine tune things over the course of the season until they get close to where they want to be. It's their first season at their respective clubs. Plenty of room for improvement, although I get the impression Conte is a football man while Guardiola is more Wengeresque, on some hunt for a formula that might work elsewhere but could never work in the PL. But the scope for improvement in both clubs is there to be realised. You can't say the same about Wenger. What you have seen for a decade is what you are going to get right up until the end of the season. So it all hinges on our rivals fucking up. If they do then Wenger might float to the surface.

[Niall_Quinn]

I'd say we have the quality to challenge, I'm not sure about mentality. This weekend's game will be interesting, not sure I'd say it's a "must win" but a win would put us on the front foot again and show some intent.

Of course it's a must win. WTF? They are potentially a title rival. If we go into this with any sort of attitude short of "must win" then we aren't even in this title hunt. This is what needs to be gone from the club. The acceptance that anything less than 100% is somehow normal.

[GP]

Every game needs to be treated as "must win". Every single one.

[Power n Glory]

Liverpool will probably concede too many due to their nature of their style, but Chelsea seem very well set up and Conte as much as it pains me to say it seems like a pretty likeable bloke who they enjoy playing for, plus they're all title winners in the squad anyway. When the business end comes they're going to be a lot fresher than everyone else, it's like Liverpool when they went very close under Rodgers (they also went on a ridiculous winning streak). Chelsea have us and all the other challengers on toast right now.

I like Conte and Klopp. It's a damn shame they're at Liverpool and Chelsea. Right cunts. But yes, it seems like Conte is finding that balance quickly and he's done it by adjusting his formation and making use of what he has available. I can respect that. Again, it's just a shame it's being done for Chelsea.

[Letters]

Every game needs to be treated as "must win". Every single one.

Fine, but realistically you're not going to win all of them. A win on Sunday would be "a statement" but I don't buy that failure to do so means we have no chance.
Chelsea didn't win away at Arsenal, for example.

[Niall_Quinn]

Fine, but realistically you're not going to win all of them. A win on Sunday would be "a statement" but I don't buy that failure to do so means we have no chance.
Chelsea didn't win away at Arsenal, for example.

Who said a loss means we have no chance? Nobody. That's not what a winning mentality is about. You go into every game committed 100% because you should expect no less from your opponents and if you are not 100% focused and 100% committed and 100% chasing that victory, whatever it takes, then there's much more chance of coming a cropper against an opponent who is properly committed. You might win, you might lose. Provided you have put every possible effort in then that's how it goes sometimes. But don't show me half-arsed performances like the Everton game and say win some, lose some. No, you fuck around like we did and you'll lose more than you win. It's unforgivable that Wenger permits them to step out on a pitch with such a casual attitude. It's a joke.

[Letters]

Who said a loss means we have no chance? Nobody.

Well, apart from you. Just now. When you said it's a must win. And you've been saying we have no chance all season regardless of results.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Fine, but realistically you're not going to win all of them. A win on Sunday would be "a statement" but I don't buy that failure to do so means we have no chance.
Chelsea didn't win away at Arsenal, for example.

Actually i'd say given the context of where we are, it does pretty much mean that

Chelsea will probably win at Palace, therefore anything less than a win for us is probably going to mean an eight or nine point gap.....not something i can see us making up....not against a team that has won thirteen out of sixteen league games this season and has won ten on the bounce.

So in that sense the term "must win" takes on precise meaning because that's exactly what it is.