Champions League Contention

[Demitri_C]

I think we are suffering from a form of tiredness of late.

NB - I do not necessarily mean tiredness through so many games (although it's been a bit tense lately), I mean I think we are suffering from feeling the mental load of maintaining our position in the top 4 over a period of time. For months we've had a situation where every point dropped is potentially extremely costly, and that's a heavy mental load to bear, it's a lot of pressure. We look guarded at times in our play, and have lost a little bit of the confidence with which we've put some brilliant moves together earlier in the season. It's like the pressure is getting to us a little, and the performances are frequently nowhere near as good as they have been.

On top of that, we're really starting to feel the injuries and now a key suspension, too. We have a good group of centre halves and full backs, but we must have been forced to play every combination of them at some point this season, due to injury. The only one who doesn't seem to have been injured is Lenglet.

We also have three players out with ACLs, which is remarkably bad luck. We were lucky we had time to get in cover for Mings and Buendia, yeah but the fact is, had Mings and Buendia not been injured in the first place, we could have used that money to strengthen elsewhere, we were forced into those moves (and we know Lenglet is very expensive).

It has been an insanely enjoyable, crazy season thus far, but I really think it is going to be a case of absolutely grinding out the points from the remaining 9 matches, and dragging ourselves over the line.

It would be gutting if we didn't get CL qualification after all this, and gutting too if we don't win the Conference League, after having done so well.

I think there is good good points there however its only going to get tougher from here next season. If we get CL we dont want to be like newcastle are now. Out and no chance to achieve CL football again next season. Furthermore the games will be a lot tougher in CL so us and the players better get use to that pressure. Thats how the top sides stay successful

[Somniloquism]

I suspect it will depends if we wilt too much or not. Plus the players  would have experienced the pressure and the playing two times a week so would be more used to it. Newcastle were thrown straight into Euro competition at the highest level.

Last season Arse wilted under similar pressure and didn't even have two games a week to worry about in the second half of the season. This year they are more mentally strong and it is showing in their push for the championship.

[Hillbilly]

Arse also spent nearly 200 million quid in the summer which probably helps.

[Somniloquism]

If the worst was to happen and we slip out of contention, I think we might look back at the failure to get in someone to challenge Ramsey for that spot on the left as key. He's been injured all season really and maybe the biggest loss of the lot. No one we have tried there has really impressed and it has impacted Moreno's form too, once he finally got fit. Even if Ramsey does come back for Wolves he tends to need a few games to find his feet after injury. 

Whilst we can look back at Ramsey being missing all season now, at the time he was on target to be back 6 weeks into the season. So not getting cover in for someone we thought would be back and firing for all but one month of the campaign is understandable. However not getting a right back in to improve that side all season is the bigger failure and will be looked at as Cash either had to play every game and get blown, or he has messed with solid back four for our game plan to accomodate someone else there.

[Somniloquism]

Arse also spent nearly 200 million quid in the summer which probably helps.

Advantages of being in the Chumps league. Rice has definitely improved them, Havertz less so.

[Rigadon]

Without a dedicated match thread to put this in, this feels as good as anywhere.

From Gary O’Neil. 

“Premier League games with where we are at this moment are going to be really, really difficult,” O’Neil said. “Villa will probably have Ollie Watkins, [Moussa] Diaby, [Leon] Bailey, [Jacob] Ramsey, plus [Nicolň] Zaniolo and [Jhon] Durán to come off the bench”

I find him quite irritating. 

[oldtimernow]

Without a dedicated match thread to put this in, this feels as good as anywhere.

From Gary O’Neil. 

“Premier League games with where we are at this moment are going to be really, really difficult,” O’Neil said. “Villa will probably have Ollie Watkins, [Moussa] Diaby, [Leon] Bailey, [Jacob] Ramsey, plus [Nicolň] Zaniolo and [Jhon] Durán to come off the bench”

I find him quite irritating. 

Mind games…

[Rigadon]

Without a dedicated match thread to put this in, this feels as good as anywhere.

From Gary O’Neil. 

“Premier League games with where we are at this moment are going to be really, really difficult,” O’Neil said. “Villa will probably have Ollie Watkins, [Moussa] Diaby, [Leon] Bailey, [Jacob] Ramsey, plus [Nicolň] Zaniolo and [Jhon] Durán to come off the bench”

I find him quite irritating. 

Mind games…

Probably.  I half remember Sean Dyche trying the same 'oh Villa have spent a load of money' line before we played them.  Wolves have some injuries apparently.  Glad we haven't experienced anything like that.

[LeeB]

They were ok with mis-matched squads when they were importing Champions League players into the Championship through their dodgy mate.

[Rigadon]

They were ok with mis-matched squads when they were importing Champions League players into the Championship through their dodgy mate.

Exactly! 

[PaulWinch again]

Two of Tottenham’s next 3 games are very easy. That Wolves game is massive for us.

[sid1964]

Man Utd, after the win yesterday, will be full of confidence and I can still see them getting top 4

[Ads]

They were shite as usual by all accounts. They're 10 points behind. They're going to have to win 4 more games than us in their last 10.

If we only win say Wolves, Brentford and Bournemouth, that's still 7 games. Add in Palace, that's 8.

If you can see that, then fair enough.

[eamonn]

Yanited were still reliant on their ball over the top counter-attack tactics yesterday. They were fortunate that Liverpool were more open/higher than we can be at our worst.

You rarely get away with that against top teams and in the league they still have to play Liverpool, Arsenal and Brighton who all tend to dominate possession. They have Chelsea and Newcastle too who are more their level. It's a tough run-in.

[ChicagoLion]

if we allow Manu to catch us we don't deserve anything.