Champions League Contention

[PaulWinch again]

It just looks like a declining trend to me though? And to be honest that’s what it feels like.

[PaulWinch again]

Clearly everyone wants us to win (any trolls that might be lurking out there excepted), but to be honest it feels like we’re struggling to string performances together. Yes we are scoring goals, which is great, but our defensive displays are chronic at times. Unless something changes about that we will keep dropping points and as yet I haven’t seen any suggestion we are able to stop it.

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It just looks like a declining trend to me though? And to be honest that’s what it feels like.

Or maybe Spurs at home, West Ham away and Man City away was as tricky a fixture set as we've had since the start if December, with further injuries and suspensions to contend with?

There's not a single chance Emery or any member of the squad think like some of you, not one. So enjoy how terrifyingly unpredictable it is and how pressure feels at the sharp end. Stop letting it break your back. You can't control it, so just ride along with a bit of starch in your lip.

[jon collett]

Not sure why people talking about trends or dodgy spells it seems obvious to me we aren’t the same team without Kamara and don’t have central midfielders in the squad,

So it is what it is.

We just have to hope we sneak over the line!

[PaulWinch again]

Maybe but that underlying characteristic of having really dodgy phases of games and shipping multiple goals was happening before that. It could be that increasing the pressure and just playing through to have more of an impact.

Either way though stats aside, just watching you can see we aren’t hitting the same level as consistently as we were earlier in the season. That might be for entirely justifiable reasons, but we’ve just failed to win what I reckon would have been counted by most as one of our home “bankers”. If we don’t get sharper there’s no reason why that won’t happen again against say Bournemouth.

[Risso]

It just looks like a declining trend to me though? And to be honest that’s what it feels like.

Or maybe Spurs at home, West Ham away and Man City away was as tricky a fixture set as we've had since the start if December, with further injuries and suspensions to contend with?

There's not a single chance Emery or any member of the squad think like some of you, not one. So enjoy how terrifyingly unpredictable it is and how pressure feels at the sharp end. Stop letting it break your back. You can't control it, so just ride along with a bit of starch in your lip.

There was zero starch in Emery’s lip when naming the team for Man City. Mrs Emery will have had a difficult job with the laundry the day after though.

[Demitri_C]

I think it’s 1 win in the last 5 league games isn’t it (2 in 6)? And more generally our performance level has definitely dipped. We really need to draw a line in the sand at that Brentford game, because that 9 minutes was pretty amateur. I hope we have it in us to hit a decent level a form, because I think we need an uptick to achieve our aims in both competitions.

Correct. After that terrible manure result we won 3 on the bounce. Since then 1 win in 5. We have scored 7 and conceded 12 in those games. So i think we know where the problem lies

A defensive midfielder is a essential priority come the summer

So this coincides with losing Kamara and McGinn getting suspended for 3 games in there too.  We have to navigate Luiz out for 2 games now too.  Not saying it's an excuse but it's certainly a reason.

Yeah i am coming to that conclusion too dave. I think unai has to show abit more faith in timmy by starting him as he is the only proper DM we have.

I dont think its youri mcginn or luizs best position as i think they have all played there before under unai or the previous managers

Or even just bring him on when you're 2-0 up. Especially if you have a midfielder who's a booking away from a 2-game suspension.

I think had the implosion not hapoener the way it did that was probablybunais plan but i think he felt relying on timmy and no luiz was a huge gamble

[TelfordVilla]

I think had the implosion not hapoener the way it did that was probablybunais plan but i think he felt relying on timmy and no luiz was a huge gamble

Yes, and now it's a huge gamble we have to take for 2 entire games rather than 2 minutes at the end of the Brentford game

[Demitri_C]

I think had the implosion not hapoener the way it did that was probablybunais plan but i think he felt relying on timmy and no luiz was a huge gamble

Yes, and now it's a huge gamble we have to take for 2 entire games rather than 2 minutes at the end of the Brentford game

Completely agree. But you have to sayit was just sheer stupidity fron luiz

[PaulWinch again]

It just looks like a declining trend to me though? And to be honest that’s what it feels like.

Or maybe Spurs at home, West Ham away and Man City away was as tricky a fixture set as we've had since the start if December, with further injuries and suspensions to contend with?

There's not a single chance Emery or any member of the squad think like some of you, not one. So enjoy how terrifyingly unpredictable it is and how pressure feels at the sharp end. Stop letting it break your back. You can't control it, so just ride along with a bit of starch in your lip.

It doesn’t really matter does it? However they feel about things it’s the results that count and some of these struggles could easily be linked to pressure, who knows. I hope you’re right and it all comes good, but to do that we’re going to have to be better.

[ChicagoLion]

It’s pretty obvious that the decline in for is due to injuries, fatigue and some self inflicted wounds.
The problem is that injury and fatigue feed each other.
And is why We don’t look anything like the team that beat Citeh and Arse ,
I am intrigued to see how Emery try’s to get through the run in and the European games.

[London Villan]

I still think spurs will do well to get more than 9 more points. We could still beat that.

[ChicagoLion]

I still think spurs will do well to get more than 9 more points. We could still beat that.

They have 6 points gimmes, and I think they will surprise at least 1 from Arse Citeh Chels Newc Pool.

[Ian.]

You never know, we may just click again. Sometimes form does come and go and something sparks it off. Or like we found, something kills it like against that match at home to Sheffield Utd.

[brontebilly]

Think we could get a right hiding against Arsenal. Cash, Luiz, Kamara and Ramsey are key players that we can't replace really. Tielemans and McGinn up against Rice and Odegaard will be a complete mismatch for example. Emery might change our shape but we just look short in loads of positions now.

Those two points dropped against Brentford given the circumstances will likely be the killer in the end. It would have kept us going for a another while but Luiz idiotic ban added to Ramsey now out for the season, no word about Cash either. No team can sustain that, fortunately for us Man United are in a similar pickle with injuries.