Titlerace - Any thoughts?

[midmogooner]

I wanted to hear views on the title race from this forum. Not "We will win for sure over ManU"-chanting, but just views on how you see it at the moment.

My take: Both teams have 11 games to go, we are up by three points. Both teams can probably drop points against almost any opposition on a bad day (Derby probably excluded), but are more likely to drop them in "difficult games".

The remaining games for Arsenal are:

Arsenal v Aston Villa
Wigan v Arsenal
Arsenal v Middlesbrough
Chelsea v Arsenal
Bolton v Arsenal
Arsenal v Liverpool
Man Utd v Arsenal
Arsenal v Reading
Derby v Arsenal
Arsenal v Everton
Sunderland v Arsenal


For ManU they are:

Fulham v Man Utd
Man Utd v Bolton
Derby v Man Utd
Man Utd v Liverpool
Man Utd v Aston Villa
Middlesbrough v Man Utd
Man Utd v Arsenal
Blackburn v Man Utd
Chelsea v Man Utd
Man Utd v West Ham
Wigan v Man Utd


The real challenges remaining for the rest of the season are remarkably similar. Arsenal has following really hard games left (my personal view):
Villa (h), Chelsea (a), Liverpool (h), ManU(a), Everton (h)

ManU has following really hard games:
Liverpool (h), Villa (h), Arsenal (h), Chelsea (a)

So we are up by three points, but have one "difficult game" more than ManU.

After this weekend (when we play Villa at home, while ManU plays Fulham away) we will be really facing similar challenges beyond the game at Old Trafford. It looks that the game will be huge for deciding the title.

[Bluto11]

first rule of the title race, don't talk about the title race....

[FLgooner]

Every match is "must win" from here on out in my opinion.
On horrible days--ala last weekend--draws should be the worst result.
A loss at any stage from here on out may just do us in, unfortunately.
If we can go unbeaten--the title is ours.

If we lose a match, we will have to pray that those Manc f#@*ers do likewise.

[Skizz]

Newbies starting threads randomly? Larve it. Or not.

This sorta shit is exactly why you shouldnt be able to start a thread until you have made 50 posts. Fckkit, make that 500.

[FabregasTED]

Oh I dunno, aside from the obvious jinx factor this isn't a bad thought. I mean at some point it has to be said we are in one, right?

[NCTorontoFan]

Newbies starting threads randomly? Larve it. Or not.

This sorta shit is exactly why you shouldnt be able to start a thread until you have made 50 posts. Fckkit, make that 500.

Good grief. Lighten up Francis. I mean I understand its a message board and life and death and everything.

[NCTorontoFan]

Every match is "must win" from here on out in my opinion.
On horrible days--ala last weekend--draws should be the worst result.
A loss at any stage from here on out may just do us in, unfortunately.
If we can go unbeaten--the title is ours.

If we lose a match, we will have to pray that those Manc f#@*ers do likewise.

Last week was weird. If we had rallied scored late goal it would have felt like great draw but giving up the late one really stung. Just can't shake the feeling those two points aregoing to become very huge at the end of it.

It should be fun to watch.

[No1ArsenalFan]

Last week was weird. If we had rallied scored late goal it would have felt like great draw but giving up the late one really stung. Just can't shake the feeling those two points aregoing to become very huge at the end of it.

It should be fun to watch.

I've got the same feeling as you about the two points drop and think this could really come back to haunt us although I think there was nothing that we could do about dropping the two points because the referee was diabolitcal and if it comes down to that I will be spitting blood.

No1ArsenalFan aka Rich Smith

[c0reyf]

Good grief. Lighten up Francis. I mean I understand its a message board and life and death and everything.

It's all speculation and I could care less what the other teams do or who they play.

Title race thoughts, ? Let me think just a second.....
Oh yeah I want us to win!!!

Next match.....win.
Next match.....win.
Next m.....

NEXT post.

[Catfish]

Newbies starting threads randomly? Larve it. Or not.
This sorta shit is exactly why you shouldnt be able to start a thread until you have made 50 posts. Fckkit, make that 500.
LOL....go easy on him. You do make a good point
about posting 50 times or more until you can start a thread.
I know I took a ton of lumps for ignorance and just wild threads
and plus this website is like a huge building with tons of rooms
having deep discussions in each one; you wouldn't want a stranger
to just run into the middle of the room and shout out "POOPIE"
and see what happens!

concerning this thread...the title race is far from over, b
but it's gotten rather tense!

[FLgooner]

It's all speculation and I could care less what the other teams do or who they play.

Title race thoughts, ? Let me think just a second.....
Oh yeah I want us to win!!!

Next match.....win.
Next match.....win.
Next m.....

NEXT post.

Well said.:)

[Travarelli]

Newbies starting threads randomly? Larve it. Or not.

This sorta shit is exactly why you shouldnt be able to start a thread until you have made 50 posts. Fckkit, make that 500.

Therapy. Seek it.

[Skizz]

It's people like you my parole officer says I should ignore or I'll get into more trouble.

[Dave216J]

To give an on-topic reply (I know, it's incurable) - when we play at Chelsea and ManU hosts Liverpool, if we can go without dropping points until then, that's a huge day mentally - they have a soft schedule until then and shouldn't have trouble with it. If we go and break Chelsea's home unbeaten streak, I think we pick up momentum to drive to the end; if we lose a tight and bitter game while they beat Liverpool, it will be a real test of the young'uns' mental strength to see if we can recover.

We play each other with 5 games left at Old Trafford, and that's obviously a huge game.

One thing I do like - their last 4 matches include at Blackburn, who hopefully will still be pushing for Europe, and at Chelsea, who will presumably have a lot of pride to put forth even if they are out of the title race, plus West Ham who is one of their bogey teams. And they end at Wigan, who might still need points to stay up. On the other hand, we host Reading and are at Derby, both should be straightforward, plus host Everton and play at Roy Keane's Sunderland (parallel to Wigan in many ways).

Therefore, one real issue to look at is whether Liverpool will fall off in the League a bit, especially as they look likely to progress in the Champions League. If Everton has locked up a Top 4 spot by the second-to-last match, it would transform into a dramatically easier contest, as even if they play their usual starters, they'll aim to open up and play rather than defend for 90 minutes. If that game can't affect Everton's chances of 4th place, it would be a massive boost to Arsenal's chances.

[rhassoii]

It's people like you my parole officer says I should ignore or I'll get into more trouble.

Classic.

[Gooner_for_Life]

Win...every...game.

The rest will sort itself out.

[antifan]

Win...every...game.

The rest will sort itself out.
If we do just that... no way we can lose.

[Lamil]

Problem is we draw every game instead!

I still see us in the drivers seat considering we are still one point ahead. Lets just win and the rest can be sorted out at the end!

[bostonf4lyf]

i think this thread is a jinx

[backline]

Title looks a long long way off now.