Is the title race on? Seven point gap, six games left, Chelsea vs Man U still to come. I still think Chelsea will still win the title with a game or two to spare but it's squeaky bum time.
It's nice that it's at least interesting now, especially after Chelsea wrapped up the title so early last year and have been the clear frontrunners this season. Of course, I don't think Man U will catch them, but I hope they make a good run for it.
It makes it interesting now i suppose, Chelsea are still favourites but United have the momentum, Chelsea aren't playing well and you never give United a sniff at the title. Going to be close but i still think Chelsea will win it.
Chelsea would need to lose more than a point a game on the rags for Ferguson's usual lame attempts at "pressure" to bear fruit - which is unlikely to happen. That said, if United win at the Bridge ...
7 points, 6 games. if United win out, that's 18 points, and Chelsea would need 11 to tie and 12 to win. if United win out, that includes a Chelsea loss and means they have to get the 11 or 12 points in only five games, i.e., three wins and two ties or four wins in five games. all doable, but actually close enough to make it interesting. of course, the premise is that United must win out. if United lose even one, and particularly if it is to Chelsea, the suddenly growing interest immediately evaporates....
Well, I'm not even sure if there is that much "growing interest" outside of a media that is desperate for some semblance of a title race between now and mid-May.
that's true. there's 7 between chelsea and united and 8 between united and liverpool. psychology could be a lot of it now. united can see the title on the horizon for the first time in ages; of course the flipside to that is chelsea feel the squeeze of pressure for the first time in a long time and all the media coverage of it might give them the kick up the arse they needed against fulham and birmingham. don't forget, the idea of not winning the title is alien to mourinho... and likely to put his job under serious pressure - abramovich is already beginning to dislike him. he's not gonna make it easy.
Are we going to revise this with each new result between now and the end of the season? Reality is that there's little going on in either context.
This is a public relations project by Chelsea. People have started complaining the title race is too boring, so we're doing our best to put some excitement back into the Premiership. You're all welcome.
Peter Kenyon thinks "public relations" is banging his favourite call girl in one of the glass-fronted executive boxes at the Bridge.
to quote the Bard, " A plague on both your houses". It does make the game at Chelsea more interesting. I suspect that Chelsea will rise to the occasion and win 1-0 on a controversial goal.
Kenyon only keeps her so that he can eat her children, actually. Thought I'd tip you off before the media found some way to twist that story.
Nah, that's common knowledge. Everyone knows the only reason he moved from United to Chelsea is because Cockney children taste nicer than Manc ones. Better gooey/crunchy ratio, apparently.
I'd watch out if I were you though. I hear he wants to go up North - he's heard good things about Liverpudlian babies after reading some Johnathan Swift.
don't forget that Chelsea still have to go to Bolton and B'burn. Two tough nuts to crack at home. United's toughest remaining match looks like the Arse this weekend. Advantage still Chelsea, and I'm not betting otherwise, but it'll make the end of the season a heck of a lot of fun!
Here's the remaining schedules... Chelsea 79 pts, +41 gd - v. West Ham, @ Bolton, v. Everton, v. ManU, @ Blackburn, @ Newcastle Man United 72 pts, +34 gd - v. Arsenal, v. Sunderland, @ Tottenham, v. Boro, @ Chelsea, v. Charlton The way that Bolton plays at home, it would not be unreasable for Chelsea to drop 2 or even 3 points at Bolton. If that happens (suppose they drop 2) and ManU takes full points off their next 4 games leading up to Chelsea, then the standings would look like this: Chelsea - 86 pts with 35 gms played Man United - 84 pts with 36 gms played Then that Chelsea v. ManU game takes on a whole lot of drama. ManU would come out at least temporarily leading the table with a win. Then the pressure is really going to be on Chelsea with that road game at Blackburn. If they are still hot at that point, it could get dicey. Having said that, saying "ManU takes full points in their next 4 games" is quite a large task. They have to play Arsenal at home (Arsenal is almost ALWAYS a good game and right now Arsenal are battling for the Champions League life) and then they have to travel to Tottenham and saying they've been tough to beat at home is a pretty big understatement. A loss to either of them or a draw to both probably ends the title drama before they even get to the Bridge.
Well, at least there's discussion about it now. Didn't anticipate this a month or so ago. I honestly don't care for either side, but given the way things are going in the other major leagues across Europe I'll take any kind of title race that's available.
The thing to remember is that Chelsea are playing well within themselves at the moment, if not exactly by design. United, by contrast, are about as good as they're ever going to get with that squad. So everyone's frothy excitement about a "title race" is based on the unspoken assumption that the remainder of the season will see Chelsea fail to respond in any way to their position being under threat and United continuing to play at their current high level for every minute of their remaining games. Both big if's. Bottom line? Chelsea can afford to slip up to the tune of a point a game. United can't afford to drop a point between now and the end of the season.