Next cluster of games should be interesting. My predictions are as follows ...

Manchester City:

Palace H = W2-1

West Brom A = W1-0

Burnley H = W2-0

Sunderland H = W2-1

Chelsea:

Stoke A = D1-1

West Ham H = W1-0

Southampton A = W3-1

Spurs A = D1-1

I think without doubt City have the easier fixtures, on paper.

Man City = 48 points

Chelsea = 47 points

With their striker situation their games are no easier than ours.

no, they can f**k off. 

Getting Silva back is a major boost to them. I still think we will edge them in the end though and I'm not worried yet.

Matches aren't won on paper, that's the beauty of football.

We've got our toughest away fixtures out the way with already.

I'm still confident.

If we can take 9 from those 4 games we'll have done very well.

If they go ahead of us they certainly aren't winning all their games after that, it's a long season.   It's a serious advantage to be 3 points ahead with three games to go, less so just now but still an advantage.

 

The players in our team seem to be getting better, City's don't.

Jheeeeeeezus, didn't realise how tough out next four games are.

To be honest these are fixtures we should absolutely be aiming to win if we are to entertain any realistic hope of challenging for the league title. Not to get too cocky, especially considering our failings against 'lesser' opposition last season, but there is no reason to be too pessimistic purely because of a run of shaky form.

 

The title was never going to be the cakewalk that our early season form suggested it might be, but we are going into four winnable games (particularly the latter) with a three-point lead over our closest rivals. We shouldn't despair just yet.

Could happen, but so what? Did we really expect to lead the league table from game 1 to 38? There will be a few turn and twist in the next 5-6 games.

no

 

/thread

Personally I wouldn't be surprised if come the New Year City are top. No panicking though, they have some tough fixtures coming up in Jan and Feb.

We have 4 tricky games, 3 of which are away. We should be looking at 9-10 points which is a nice return though Id be staggered if they didn't win all of theirs. Who knows? As the man says above games aren't won on paper.

As we suspected back in August i think it will come down to the pair of us in May. I think it was important they got through in Europe too. Right now they are showing their strength in depth and grinding out wins and we are looking a little wobbly, which is a world away from how it looked a month ago. I'm sure the tables will turn again.

It was never going to be a cakewalk, and if Chelsea fans were starting to think it was all sewn up and in the bag they were being a little naive! A great few months ahead.

If we can come out the next 4 fixtures ahead of city, I'll be over the moon.

I have huge respect for this City side though. They are phenomenal and we must respect the Champions. I remember in another thread how many were hoping for City and Saints to draw. I was astonished that people were not taking City seriously. They just know how to win akin to us and Manchester United a few years ago.

We really need to step up now and start winning on the road again. Also, be mindful of United, they are a Darkhorse indeed.

I do expect City to overtake us at one point. I knew from the start we were not going to walk the league.

 

But I know City and I know they have a tendency to drop a lot of points even at there strongest, they've done it for years. I think we will overtake them at the right time, that's just my feeling, but wouldn't surprise me if we ended up behind them in mid January.

 

I have a bad feeling about the Stoke game and the White Hart Lane didn't quite turn out to be 3 point lane anymore did it over the years, which is weird because we are much better now.

Lets just wait and see

Lets just wait and see

 

Probably the best bet, I'm pessimistic on this game, one of the three games I have been pessimistic on this season so far, I just have a bad feeling but if we win that would just make me very optimistic and then everything changes doesn't it.

 

One game at a time as the old saying goes.

Palace will give City a really tough game.

Don't see this happen.

Chelsea to be seen as genuine contenders for all major trophies including the CL is fantastic.We have a great manager and players who entertain week in week out.If we fail to win silverware this season i will be very surprised.City will push us all the way and we could be in the mix for 4 trophies which makes it very difficult.Lets just sit back and enjoy the ride COME ON YOU BLUES!

Bit of a strange thread. 

 

It's silly to try and predict match results like this because so much can happen. Simple fact is we can't win the league before Christmas and as long as we're within five points of City on New Year's Day then we've got an absolutely fantastic chance to win the league. Just try not to overreact to each result.

 

I always said that the 20-odd match stretch of matches from the turn of the year was where we could really pick up points because City at home is our only really tough match. So relax.

City will have caught up by lunchtime on Saturday.

A win for us on Monday keeps the wolf from the door, but if we gotta win all those games to be secure. City most likely wont drop points in any of their next 4 games, even if two of them are away to Southampton and Spurs.

The fact that 3 out of 4 of our fixtures are away, whilst 3 out of 4 of City's fixtures are played  home probably swings the favour in them overtaking us by mid Jan.

 

Having said that, our guys are more than capable of getting min of 9 points out of the 4 fixtures.

They will be ahead of us come January but its a marathon not a sprint. Come New Year's Day we will have played city, dippers, spuds, Everton and united away. I'd rather have our run in all day long. Our toughest game left is arse away. City have to come to us, go to Everton, united and Liverpool. Also our squad is better than theirs for when it comes to the fixture congestion in feb/march.

Instead of starting a new thread, I thought I'd mention here, and not sure how many of you feel the same, but we need to start showing less respect to the big teams and really go for the jugular. Don't get me wrong, it's great coming away with a point, but it's even better coming away with three. With the attacking force we have, we could easily go out and score goals against any one of Utd, city etc, but instead we ho into these games (or moreso mourinho does) very hesitant to concede, and it makes the games tight and nervy.

Anyway, enough rambling from me, what do you guys think about going away to bigger teams and being ruthless?

Best team always wins the league and we are the best team in England so there is nothing to worry about.