We haven't been involved in one. In fact there haven't been too many in the Premier League era. 3 games to the halfway point and I think this season we may well have one.
It's weird because your attention consistently switches to 2 teams rather than one and you wonder if anyone will even open a 5 point gap on second at any point this season. Last season United fell away and that was it. The previous season Liverpool won the title by Christmas when the Fernandinho at CB experiment went wrong. In the 98 point season, we made up a 7 point gap to win 14 straight games at the end which was too much for Liverpool. The centurion season title was over by Christmas as we won those crucial games in the first half to pretty much demolarise any of the chasing pack if there was any.
What will be the trick this season?
As the old adage goes "worry about your own performances" but unfortunately our attackers dont take their chances or make the right decisions in the final third so we have to see what Chelsea and Liverpool do.
Even at this early stage, Chelsea is hanging in there but they could easily come out of this stronger as they have been awful for weeks. We haven't looked right in the last 2 games and Pep may be forced to tinker again which is a worry in itself. Liverpool are the form team and haven't really dipped, just dropped silly points in loads of draws in games they should have won. May come back to haunt them if they don't win the title.
We may have played the bulk of our tough fixtures away from home but the home games are not a guarantee of any wins. I actually even expect Chelsea or Liverpool to get something at the Etihad. What I like about home games is you dont get referring howlers like James Milner not being sent off for an obvious yellow card offense.
We still need to win our games against the other 16 teams in the league to have a chance. A draw is actually a problem. If we can win our next 4 fixtures (Leeds(H), Newcastle(A), Leicester(H), Brentford(A) and get to game 21 and see where we are. Arsenal will be our first test in 2022 and watching their first goal yesterday Mikel has them playing his way now and they are a decent outfit.
To think they enquired about Bernardo and Sterling in the summer. If both players were willing to go there and they had offered crazy money, I'm sure the club would have sold them.
Football is a funny game.
3 way title race
posted on 13/12/21
comment by Chelsea_badger (U22493)
posted 8 hours, 51 minutes ago
I think we will drop off.
Liverpool will run City close
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depends on how we do for injuries...& maybe if we pull back a loan or two...Gallagher is the stand out, & if Lukaku isn't just an expensive lump
posted on 13/12/21
What I like about home games is you dont get referring howlers like James Milner not being sent off for an obvious yellow card offense.
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You do get howlers though, just that they happen to be in your favour.
Like that time the ref overruled his own linesman on an offside call and awarded City a goal when replays showed that the linesman had got it right and it was indeed a blatant offside.
That was the only time in my entire life I've ever heard or seen the central ref overrule the linesman on an offside call. Its never happened again before or since.
I'm still bemused by that occurrence and incidences like that just fuel accusations that the Prem is corrupt.
City were struggling in that game but ended up winning by 4 goals after that.
Helped them cut the deficit and catch up Liverpool that season but without that howler who knows what would have happened.
posted on 13/12/21
Theres nothing in it between the 3 of us. Chelsea are having a sort of wobble and yet still only find themselves 2 points off the pace.
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Less than a month ago Chelsea were 4 points clear of Liverpool. Now they're a point behind. That's a point swing. If that continues they'll be out of the race by soon so Tuchel needs to keep it together. English winter schedules can be a problem for new(ish) managers.
If Liverpool are still in touch after AFCON then the race will be on. If not City will wrap it up by end of March and there won't be a title race to speak of.
posted on 13/12/21
comment by No Love AKA Mamba - not home right now as I'm out rioting and looting with BLM and my right hand man Sizzle (U1282)
posted 2 hours, 1 minute ago
What I like about home games is you dont get referring howlers like James Milner not being sent off for an obvious yellow card offense.
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You do get howlers though, just that they happen to be in your favour.
Like that time the ref overruled his own linesman on an offside call and awarded City a goal when replays showed that the linesman had got it right and it was indeed a blatant offside.
That was the only time in my entire life I've ever heard or seen the central ref overrule the linesman on an offside call. Its never happened again before or since.
I'm still bemused by that occurrence and incidences like that just fuel accusations that the Prem is corrupt.
City were struggling in that game but ended up winning by 4 goals after that.
Helped them cut the deficit and catch up Liverpool that season but without that howler who knows what would have happened.
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A quick google search
https://www.theroar.com.au/soccer/video/referee-overrules-linesmans-offside-call-and-awards-goal-mp4-89-1047553/
https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/watch-this-ref-completely-ignore-his-linesman-and-allow-a-goal-to-stand
https://www.theroar.com.au/soccer/video/referee-overrules-linesmans-offside-call-and-awards-goal-mp4-89-1047553/
All decisions by the assistant referees are only advisory to the referee; their decisions are not binding and the referee is allowed to overrule an assistant. Assistant referees were formerly called linesmen.
Nothing amazing about this. You are a pony sensationalist thats all.
posted on 13/12/21
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/i-couldnt-believe-it-david-11756184
posted on 13/12/21
City will win it easily. They have a more fluent way of playing to break compact teams down. Chelsea were defensively very good organised but don't have the clear attacking paterns like City have. We are closer to City with a clear attacking game but I don't trust our defence like we have seen in the Brentford, Brighton and West Ham games
posted on 13/12/21
All decisions by the assistant referees are only advisory to the referee; their decisions are not binding and the referee is allowed to overrule an assistant. Assistant referees were formerly called linesmen.
Nothing amazing about this. You are a pony sensationalist thats all
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This coming from a guy crying about ref decisions and crying about Milner not getting sent off
Refs miss sendings off all the time. What you don't see everyday is ignoring the linesman and awarding a goal, especially when it was indeed offside.
Failing to send a player off or overruling your linesman. Which of these is sensationalist?
posted on 13/12/21
Those links are the same incident rehashed.
Overruling a linesman is so common and not amazing you couldn't find more examples. Your own link starts "In a majorly controversial call..."
Unless a ref is compromised I don't see how they can have a better view of whether it was offside than the linesman anyway
I don't think you know what sensationalist means. This doesn't even begin to compare to the Milner incident you're crying about.
posted on 4/6/22
comment by Culèr: Back Soon (U9489)
posted on 12/12/21
City won’t win it as you have too many passive, crab footballers and no real cutting edge up front.
Liverpool don’t have the squad and keep getting lucky results
Chelsea are pretenders
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Classic
posted on 4/6/22
You’re obsessed with me Boris simple as that