The postponement of the Leeds game gives us the opportunity to go full strength + high intensity vs Leicester and Chelsea.
City vs Leicester 26th
Villa vs Chelsea 26th
Leicester vs Liverpool 28th
Chelsea vs Brighton 29th
Chelsea vs Liverpool 2nd
Then the 3 cup games will give us the great opportunity to rotate, rest and start a mix between seniors and the younger lads.
Beating Chelsea is imperative. Last match at full strength before AFCON, we need to lay down a marker. The other league games during AFCOM are Palace and Brentford, both of which we should be winning even without Salah, Mane, and Keita. We owe Brentford a hiding after the 3-3 draw.
As you say, cup matches are a good chance to rotate, though I’d like us to beat Arse for a trip to Wem-buh-lee and a chance to snag a cup.
Chelsea are finding it tough sledding these days, we’ll have a chance to put some distance between us and them and focus on the two-horse race with City the rest of the way.
Also, it would open a six point gap and that would have a psychological impact for rest of the season.
Hopefully Gerrards villa will take points off the chavs on Sunday.
Liverpool have been handed a massive Christmas bonus with reports that their Africa Cup of Nations trio can stay to play against Chelsea on 2 January.
Thiago out of isolation.
Hé can play Tuesday
Van Dijk, Fabinho, Jones Thiago all ready for Leicester and Chelsea
The officials for Leicester and Chelsea have all got plenty of form.
Marriner reffed the Southampton away at the start of the year and that is one of the games I view as highly suspicious.
Now Marriner isn’t one of those who I consider dodgy but his handling of that game was fucking diabolical. Gave them a FK for a nothing challenge in the first 5 minutes from which they scored the winner. Allowed their players to manhandle Salah and Mane all night, turned down 2 nailed on penalties and missed a straight red card foul by Walcott on Milner that could have broken his leg. Attwell was 4th official that night.
Atwell saw nothing wrong with Cresswell’s tackle on Henderson a few weeks back, one of the most disgusting decisions I’ve ever seen. He also reffed our game against Villa at Anfield a couple of weeks ago and anyone there will attest to how fucking useless he was, allowing them to waste time, steal yards and feign injuries.
Nothing more needs to be said about Taylor and Tierney. They are a pair of cheats from Manchester/ Greater Manchester. Why the fuck do these 2 need to travel from Manchester to officiate in this game? It makes no sense.
As usual we’ll have to be at the very top of our game to win either match.
I checked a moment ago and they have changed things, Mariner is gone from our match on Tuesday and they have given it to Oliver what is good because I consider him the best English referee and one who has no bias against us. Next week it is still Taylor, brrrrrrr
Mins played in last 10 games.
That goes back to the Arsenal game on 20th November so we’ve managed the minutes well in what is the most demanding part of the season. Nobody should be fatigued, especially Woltman.
Thought a gap to City of 5 points by the time AFCON ends / CL restarts would be great for a title race.
It’s 6 points now and I am expecting it to be at least 11 points after Sunday with us having one game in hand.
It’s a debacle, not a disaster, specially with half the season remaining. We have been out of sorts in recent games and if we can sort that out the point-gap wouldn’t be an issue. City WILL drop points too, we just have to take advantage of that.
Not many. It’s an unforgiving league now. At our best we are the best side in the world we just can’t do it every game.
Yes, that’s why last night is a disaster rather than a setback. I’m sure City will drop points, hopefully starting tonight, but they don’t look like dropping many and we’ve got to be almost perfect now for the rest of the season. I don’t underestimate JK or this team but we’ve got to be realistic and not go ape shit just because it looks like we might not win the league.
City should be winning the league every season because of their resources and we did well to match them for two seasons. For us I think CL is always the more winnable competition from now on.
Feels like someone has just put a pin in my balloon of expectancy…
As long as we remain within striking distance of the Cheaters, Jurgen and the boys will give it everything they have got when the home stretch comes into view… The Afcon has been hanging around all season like a bad smell in the nostrils, get that out of the way, come through it without too much damage, then kick-on in the Champions League… weather will be getting warmer, days will have more daylight, things will be set for the final hurdles of the season…
COYR… it was a bad loss last night, we can get it over it
I’m still pretty relaxed about it all - it’s early enough that a 6 point gap isn’t insurmountable, particularly as we still have a match against them to play.
The key is not to let it stretch to a point where City can start to field weakened sides in the PL to focus in on the CL - the trophy that Pep really wants and the thing that will put pressure on his already fragile mental state. He’s already failed this season to win the annual amble to the League Cup. He always talks about the importance of that league cup title.
Got to trust Klopp and the coaches to get it right - I would expect Klopp to be tearing into the lads today for what was clearly a case of the lads thinking they’d waltz over Leicester before they even got off the coach - the wrong mindset!
If City maintain their run and, say in 8 weeks time, they still have a 6 point (or greater gap), then maybe we will need start thinking about the treble we’ll be winning with the No.7 and the domestic trophies - but it’s not time to give up.
9 points gap after tonight.
At least 11 after Sunday.
Then AFCON.
Maximum 4 points against Brentford and Palace.