Champions League Contention

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Yep, it was really bad. And in the 3 league games before, it was really good, until Man United when it was definitely over again.

Going to West Ham, who salvaged a point against Burnley, won't be as easy as it may have been without McGinn, but a win there is far from impossible and 15 more points would be needed. Until we lose to Man City, in which case its definitely over. Ignoring the win in between the Arsenal game and a defeat there before its definitely over again, for the 8th or 9th time.

People really should get a grip.  How dare anyone be disappointed by being utterly smashed by our main league rival and losing another key player for 3 games?  Absolutely pathetic.

You say silly things.

My advice would be to stiffen your upper lip and not unman yourself further, but this is only advice. You're free to engage in as much emotional reaction as you like, I'm not stopping you or your false equivocations. Just observing them.

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The inference being that I've criticised the feeling of disappointment, that we shouldn't be concerned. I've said nothing of the sort.

What I have said is that each defeat is disaster in a way that each victory is not a triumph. We face adversity with McGinn out, with Kamara and so on. It's happened, we cannot fight it or change it- but we can decide how we deal with it. The greater the challenge, the greater the glory. Smile, its later than you think.

Well, there was a post there to respond to once upon a time.

24.2 awaits me and my own quest for glory, however small.

[algy]

Both Man U and Spurs will overtake us, I guarantee it.

Ooh, and if we lose to West Ham, they'll definitely finish above us too, and we have to play Brighton. Bottom half awaits.

Just thank heavens Luton drew at the weekend, making us mathematically safe from relegation.  I fear for next season, though.

[john2710]

There will have been many people, my self included, who thought the season was over the day it started. The defeat to Newcastle, the loss of Mings & Buendia for the season seemed too much to overcome. But I was wrong & the players & the staff have shown huge amounts of ability & resiliance to make people eat their words. We may end up coming short but they deserve a huge amount of credit for how far they've come. If we end up finishing 5th or 6th, given the level of disruption we've had that will be a hugely successful season.  After the wins against Man City & Arsenal we started to dream we were title contenders.   

Emery has said himself, if we're in contention with 5 games to go he'll think about it. The experts will be writing us off at every opportunity & clamouring to get Man Utd into one of those champions league spots. Yesterday was a dissappointment but I'd rather be in our position than Man Utd's.   

[pauliewalnuts]

We have totally fucked it now.

We are ten matches from the end of the season and will be playing 30% of those matches without our captain, who plays in a part of the field where we are already decimated.

Not only that, we are playing badly and have been for ages now, just putting in the odd good 45 minutes here and there. Even when we manage a good half we then keep on having an absolute stinker of a second.

We are absolutely fuxked with injuries and have a difficult run in. The next three matches are all tricky, and I can honestly see us losing them all.

I think we will finish sixth, which will be fucking devastating after the expectation of the first two thirds of the season.

Genuinely woke up this morning feeling exactly like I did after that Stoke match, that is how bad this is. Gifting three points to our closest rivals on our own ground and throwing in an eight GD swing.

Fucking hell, I hate football.

[curiousorange]

I feel like the Villa that starts the 2024/25 season will be unrecognisable in the way that a recently relegated team is because it's had to flog all of its stars, the difference being it'll be because we probably won't be able to offer Champions League football.

[Brazilian Villain]

Just thank heavens Luton drew at the weekend, making us mathematically safe from relegation.  I fear for next season, though.

#Sadnessinoureyes

[ez]

Spurs have just had one of their easiest games of the season.  Other clubs won't roll over for them so easily. We can still get 4th if we get our act together.

[London Villan]

Looking at the fixtures, i can see us getting 67-70 and spurs 71-73. Please prove me wrong Villa.

[TelfordVilla]

when Ipswich beat Villa, everyone wrote us off. We had just handed the title to them on our own ground. Same now with 4th place. There are still many twists and turns to go. One game at a time and let's see where we end up.

[Forge10]

We have totally fucked it now.

We are ten matches from the end of the season and will be playing 30% of those matches without our captain, who plays in a part of the field where we are already decimated.

Not only that, we are playing badly and have been for ages now, just putting in the odd good 45 minutes here and there. Even when we manage a good half we then keep on having an absolute stinker of a second.

We are absolutely fuxked with injuries and have a difficult run in. The next three matches are all tricky, and I can honestly see us losing them all.

I think we will finish sixth, which will be fucking devastating after the expectation of the first two thirds of the season.

Genuinely woke up this morning feeling exactly like I did after that Stoke match, that is how bad this is. Gifting three points to our closest rivals on our own ground and throwing in an eight GD swing.

Fucking hell, I hate football.

Wow, thats one hell of a hangover. Thats what I was like during the game and a couple of hours after. I think it helped after listening to an audiobook today about Epictetus when he said “It's not things that upset us, but our judgement about things.” Whatever happens between now and the end of the season I have no control over so fuck it, I'm not going to stress anymore.

It probably won't stop me catastrophising during match threads though 

[PaulWinch again]

The one crumb I do cling onto is that this race at the top has ebbed and flowed plenty, so I suspect that might continue. But as I’ve said we need to lose the meekness in set-up and approach we’ve shown in recent games against top half sides at home. All it does is completely undermine our key strength, which is attacking, and it clearly doesn’t help our defensive solidity at all.

[Forge10]

Being old now I can’t remember yesterday. Did we attack Newcastle, Utd and Spurs last season? Although I seem to remember we had less key players out…

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We only miss McGinn for 2 competitive games where we have a chance of getting points. Man City is an annual write off for everybody but Liverpool.

[villa for life]

Spurs finished below us last year. If in fact they do leapfrog above us and finish 4th, what do people think this is mostly down to?

Injuries?
Managers?
Transfer policy?
Luck?