Liverpool FC Forum

[SouthCoastShankly]

So I thought I would look at the remaining league fixtures for each of the teams currently fighting for fourth. I have highlighted the fixtures most likely to drop points on, i.e. any team in the top three and any games against the challengers for fourth.

Liverpool
(H) Blackburn
(A) Wigan
(H) Portsmouth
(A) Man Utd
(H) Sunderland
(A) Birmingham
(H) Fulham
(H) West Ham
(A) Burnley
(H) Chelsea
(A) Hull

With the exception of Man Utd and Chelsea the fixture list should be routine. Our away games should be winnable and the home games are all sides we will feel comfortable playing against at home.



Man City
(A) Chelsea
(H) Tottenham
(A) Sunderland
(A) Fulham
(H) Wigan
(A) Burnley
(H) Birmingham
(H) Man Utd
(A) Arsenal
(H) Aston Villa
(A) West Ham

Probably perceived as our biggest threat yet their fixture list is a minefield. It would take alot for them to come out of it unscathed, especially towards the latter end of the season.



Tottenham
(H) Everton
(A) Man City
(H) Blackburn
(A) Stoke
(H) Portsmouth
(A) Sunderland
(H) Arsenal
(H) Chelsea
(A) Man Utd
(H) Bolton
(A) Burnley

Again the latter end of the season will decide their fate. Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd in succession surely ends their season.



Aston Villa
(H) Sunderland
(A) Stoke
(A) Wigan
(H) Wolves
(A) Chelsea
(A) Bolton
(H) Everton
(A) Portsmouth
(H) Birmingham
(A) Man City
(H) Blackburn

On the face of it you would have to say that based on fixtures Aston Villa are favourites. Aston Villa's problem is they are unpredictable against middle table teams.

[bunglemark2]

Far me...that post is just encouraging Owzat to bore us to tears with a multitude of stats......don't be encouraging him...

[Paul C]

Villa have quite an easy run of games but a lot of them are away, I think the next 3 games will be crucial for Tottenham and Citeh

[Ben Patrick]

The fixtures do appear kind to us tbh.
But we are also unpredictable against mid table teams.
Our away form this season is abysmal so wigan, birmingham burnley and hull will all fancy there chances.

I think we will do it though....just.

[heimdall]

The fixtures do appear kind to us tbh.
But we are also unpredictable against mid table teams.
Our away form this season is abysmal so wigan, birmingham burnley and hull will all fancy there chances.

I think we will do it though....just.

Unless we start playing a hell of a lot better then we won't get 4th, one of the other teams will nick it.

[SouthCoastShankly]

Realistic points estimate -

Liverpool
Win - Blackburn (H), Wigan (A), Portsmouth (H), Sunderland (H), Fulham (H), West Ham (H), Burnley (A), Hull (A)
Draw - Birmingham (A)
Lose - Man Utd (A), Chelsea (H)

25 points

Man City
Win - Sunderland (A), Fulham (A), Wigan (H), Burnley (A), Birmingham (H), West Ham (A)
Draw - Tottenham (H), Aston Villa (H)
Lose - Chelsea (A), Man Utd (H), Arsenal (A)

20 points

Tottenham
Win - Blackburn (H), Stoke (A), Portsmouth (H), Sunderland (A), Bolton (H), Burnley (A)
Draw - Everton (H), Man City (A)
Lose - Arsenal (H), Chelsea (H), Man Utd (A)

20 points

Aston Villa
Win - Sunderland (H), Stoke (A), Wigan (A), Wolves (H), Bolton (A), Portsmouth (A), Birmingham (H), Blackburn (H)
Draw - Everton (H), Man City (A)
Lose - Chelsea (A)

26 points

Table as it stands -

4 (CLQ) Tottenham 27 46
5 (EL) Man City 26 46
6 Liverpool 27 45
7 Aston Villa 26 45

theoretical table positions based on the above estimates -

4 (CLQ) Aston Villa 38 71
5 (EL) Liverpool 38 70
6 Man City 38 66
7 Tottenham 38 66

[Ben Patrick]

The fixtures do appear kind to us tbh.
But we are also unpredictable against mid table teams.
Our away form this season is abysmal so wigan, birmingham burnley and hull will all fancy there chances.

I think we will do it though....just.

Unless we start playing a hell of a lot better then we won't get 4th, one of the other teams will nick it.

I disagree, i think we could carry on playing as we are now and still make fourth.
We are not playing well at all but are still picking points up, and the other teams are not consistent either.

I am not saying i think we are doing well or that i am happy, just that i think we will make fourth.

Which is still a MAJOR underachievement.

[Fauxy]

Some encouraging stats there... nice too see Man City have a pretty hard fixture list

As for Villa's... I would actually say its a bit harder than ours. Everton are playing very well at the moment and finding momentum. I can see them dropping points there.

They also have Birmingham, and Villa tend to struggle in their derby games.

[JC_81]

I would argue that the way Everton are playing recently that they are very capable of beating any of the top sides also and are just as dangerous to play as the top seven above them at present.

Spurs and Villa still have to play them.

I think we perhaps have the easiest run-in on paper, but our inability to break sides down without Torres means we may not beat some of those sides that we should.

If Torres can come back in, stay fit and him and Stevie hit it off like they did this time last year and we'll have no problems.  It's a big 'if' though.  I'm not confident we'll do it.  It's Man City I'm most worried about, I reckon Spurs and Villa will fade when the pressure's turned up, but City have bought in players used to performing at the top level and they'll cope better with the pressure.

[Sir Roger]

To the tune of "fight for this love" by Cheryl Cole (nee Tweedy)

We got to fight (fight) fight (fight) fight to come fourth
We got to fight (fight) fight (fight) fight to come fourth
We got to fight (fight) fight (fight) fight to come fourth
If its worth having its worth fighting for...

[Greavesie]

Right now I'm braced for us finishing fifth and having a massive re-consruction job on in the summer

[metalhead]

Right now I'm braced for us finishing fifth and having a massive re-consruction job on in the summer

Its really out of our hands now, we must keep on winning and other teams screwing things up.

If we do get 5th, we will be in a major hole

[Reg]

As a fan I have never felt so detached from the team and the club. I honestly have no feel for whats going on at all so I think you´re right Metalhead.

[Owzat]

I'm afraid the "realistic points estimate" isn't going to make it so, we couldn't beat West Ham and Fulham at home last season, and have dropped silly points against Stoke and Wolves so nothing is a given. I like the way you think citeh won't beat either villa or spudz despite having won against Arsenal and Chelsea at home and taken seven points so far from the 'big four', not to mention having beaten the other mancs at COMS in the cup. villa are far from a predictable side, beating us at Anfield and losing at villa park, drawing at home to West Ham and losing away, drawing away to Burnley and losing at Blackburn. They also have struggled to score goals, Sunday aside and have played 14 of their home games to just 12 away.

I like the way you describe citeh's fixtures as a "minefield" despite those "mines" having three at home, playing a number of beatable sides and having a possible four point head start with a game in hand. I'd say that trying to analyse fixtures is just too much like a daft move and going to prove nothing. The bitters beat the mancs for only the SECOND time in 36 Premiership fixtures last weekend, anything can happen and teams can have an off day. Some of the more dangerous sides can be those taken for granted, talking of Grants how many would have predicted we'd lose at pompey?!?! Any fixture is a potential mine to anyone not consistent enough to be in the top three. We've managed to hit mines that weren't even there in Wolves, pompey, Sunderland (the mine being a beachball in disguise! ) and brum at home to mention four and not including our feeble record in the cups

[Owzat]

Right now I'm braced for us finishing fifth and having a massive re-consruction job on in the summer

Its really out of our hands now, we must keep on winning and other teams screwing things up.

If we do get 5th, we will be in a major hole

Agree, that's all that really needs to be said. Scratching at the fixtures won't change the fact that we are not in control, we tossed away that opportunity on Sunday, and all we can do now is win, win and win. The team that wins most games from here will almost certainly finish fourth and we're 13-14 on games won-not won.

I wouldn't be surprised if Rafa doesn't make a nonsense of those predictions of SCS, I'd maybe even suggest some gamblers put money on us beating Chelsea at home and losing to Burnley or Hull, or some combination of home banker going bankrupt with a 100-1 shot riding home by 20 lengths