Brown Nose
Well-Known Member
Picking up on a theme I raised in the match thread yesterday, we really do appear to be taking on the bigger boys rather effectively this season.
Since 'that' season where we picked up 17 points from our 12 matches against them on the way to embarrassing the lot of them by winning it, we have got the following:
16/17 = 8 points out of 36
17/18 = 8 points out of 36
18/19 = 11 points out of 36
19/20 = 9 points out of 36
So far then, with 6 out of 6 from our two matches this season, we are already looking well placed to get up towards the title winning total - we'd need 11 points from 10 matches to equal that.
In terms of our record against the individual sides over this four year period, our best point returns came against Arsenal (11/24), then Chelsea and Spurs (7/24), then Man City (6/24), Liverpool (4/24) and finally Man Utd (1/24).
If you're going to finish in a serious position in this league, you have to be able to take points off your rivals. Ultimately, that is what cost us a Champions League place last season - we took 2 points from 24 against the sides that finished above us. We also conceded penalties in 6 of those 8 games which showed some naivety.
Yes, there is more to it than this and our home defeats to Villa and West Ham are worrying, but it is more important to our hopes to win against Arsenal and Man City than Villa and West Ham.
Since 'that' season where we picked up 17 points from our 12 matches against them on the way to embarrassing the lot of them by winning it, we have got the following:
16/17 = 8 points out of 36
17/18 = 8 points out of 36
18/19 = 11 points out of 36
19/20 = 9 points out of 36
So far then, with 6 out of 6 from our two matches this season, we are already looking well placed to get up towards the title winning total - we'd need 11 points from 10 matches to equal that.
In terms of our record against the individual sides over this four year period, our best point returns came against Arsenal (11/24), then Chelsea and Spurs (7/24), then Man City (6/24), Liverpool (4/24) and finally Man Utd (1/24).
If you're going to finish in a serious position in this league, you have to be able to take points off your rivals. Ultimately, that is what cost us a Champions League place last season - we took 2 points from 24 against the sides that finished above us. We also conceded penalties in 6 of those 8 games which showed some naivety.
Yes, there is more to it than this and our home defeats to Villa and West Ham are worrying, but it is more important to our hopes to win against Arsenal and Man City than Villa and West Ham.
