Leicester than zero? - Premier League 2018/19

[G-Man]

Liverpool at Rafa's Newcastle in the penultimate day of the season... that has some potential drama.

[Sporting]

They've clearly all been blinded by this 'nail-biting' title race.

(And Pogba? I mean, have a word with yourselves...)

From what I can gather the players are sent a shortlist in January (why so early?). And who decides who's on the list?

[Ray de Galles]

From what I can gather the players are sent a shortlist in January (why so early?).

I can't imagine footballers are the swiftest at dealing with their correspondence and paperwork. They should find a way to conduct the voting via Instagram.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Liverpool at Rafa's Newcastle in the penultimate day of the season... that has some potential drama.

Yeah Love story, with a similar ending.

Maybe the players voted during the three months where pogba had players running around alongside him, and was basically scoring a goal a game.

[Satchmo Distel]

I'm not sure about Agüero being in the XI either. He's good but not that good, despite being City's all-time top scorer (which is partly a product of his playing for them when they are banging in 100+ goals a season).

Pogba played one sublime pass yesterday but one bit of a genius a game where he's otherwise anonymous is not what he's paid to do. Woeful free kick into the wall as well.

[Sean of the Shed]

Saturday is the 5th anniversary of the slip that was seen round the world. I hope Liverpool are going to commemorate it in some way against Huddersfield tomorrow. Maybe set up a big soapy slip and slid on the pitch before the game and invite Stevie G back down to take a big Wheeee! down it.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Manchester United fans now refer to him as Slippy G, which always raises a smile.

[Satchmo Distel]

It's definitely not all over but I think being out of the Champions League gives Man City a huge advantage. Burnley is not a walkover but their defence is leaky. I would, however, hedge my bets as there are definitely some weak links at the back (Kompany, Walker, Zinchenko as a defender) and sometimes they overplay in attack (Wenger-like).

Slightly fancy Chelsea to beat Man U but it's very tight: 0-0 draw favourite?

[Tony C]

I'm not sure about Agüero being in the XI either. He's good but not that good, despite being City's all-time top scorer (which is partly a product of his playing for them when they are banging in 100+ goals a season).

Oh, I think he might be that good.

167 goals in eight seasons, many of them including substantial injury lay offs.

Your argument is a little disingenuous. Would you reduce the achievements of other great goalscorers based on the fact that they played for successful teams?

[Janik]

Liverpool have 3 piss easy fixtures left. Man City have 3 much tougher ones. There is one point in it. I would still make Liverpool favourites

You are wildly underestimating Wolves there. They are comfortably the hardest opponent that either will face, and it's Liverpool, not Man City, who have them on their schedule. Wolves record against the top six this season now reads 4-4-3 (their record against Huddersfield is 0-0-2!). They have also beaten Man United and Liverpool in the FA Cup. Leicester are probably the next toughest, but they are much less likely than Wolves to pull off an upset (2-1-5 in their league fixtures to date against the leading sides). Newcastle and Burnley are much of a muchness (10 points in 7 games for both so far in March and April), and Brighton, who City face, are clearly more difficult than Huddersfield. But that is more than balanced by neither have a cat's chance in hell of winning and the gap between the two being at least as marked as that between Wolves and Leicester.

Liverpool now have the tougher run-in.

[ad hoc]

Nah, the top two aside, Leicester and Burnley are the current form teams in the division. And Brighton away on the last day when they will almost certainly need points is not going to be a pushover however bad they are

[Jah Womble]

I'd tend to agree more if we weren't talking about Man City.

[elguapo4]

Yeah,if you have Brighton needing the points and City needing the points,there's only one place the points are going.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Liverpool also have to play two games against Barcelona in this run in now don't forget. Games I think they'll take very seriously as suddenly the CL looks like their most realistic trophy chance.

[Arturo]

Yeah,if you have Brighton needing the points and City needing the points,there's only one place the points are going.

From our experience of Chris Hughton...yes.

His situation is intriguing to Norwich fans, given that the pattern of Brighton's Premier League tenure and results seem weirdly similar to our own when he was in charge. Hughton managed a mid table finish initially before it all unravelled the following season.

The difference is that he was canned by us with five games to go after a pitiful home defeat against relegation rivals WBA. Brighton's equivalent was the Cardiff match recently. We faced a horrible run in. So do Brighton. We couldn't score. Neither can they.

So Norwich fans now have the chance to see what Hughton might have done had the trigger not been pulled. Admittedly, we're talking about different eras, clubs and circumstances, but the similarities are striking.

For what it's worth, I hope they survive.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Liverpool also have to play two games against Barcelona in this run in now don't forget. Games I think they'll take very seriously as suddenly the CL looks like their most realistic trophy chance.

Yes, with the away game followed by Newcastle away three days later, and then the home three days later. Tough ask that, three games in six days, two away from home. OTOH, Liverpool look mentally tough at the moment, which is to Klopp's credit off of the pitch and van Dijk's on it.

[Third rate Leszno]

Leaving aside all our various bad-minding and fate-tempting and pact-making, it would not be at all surprising if Man City stumbled against Leicester or Burnley, and then Liverpool did the same against Wolves. In fact, I'd bet at least one of those three "non-wins" will happen (whereas Huddersfield and Brighton can be written off with 99% confidence).

Yeah, that's how it feels to me - City will struggle against Burnley but probably find a way to win, but I can see them dropping points against Leicester if Vardy and co. go at the weak spots in City's defence with the pace they're capable of.

I've had a terrible feeling of impending doom about Liverpool v Wolves for months now, I'd almost rather they slipped up now to avoid the pain of it happening on the last day, but I don't see them dropping points against Huddersfield or Newcastle.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

From our experience of Chris Hughton...yes.

His situation is intriguing to Norwich fans, given that the pattern of Brighton's Premier League tenure and results seem weirdly similar to our own when he was in charge. Hughton managed a mid table finish initially before it all unravelled the following season.

The difference is that he was canned by us with five games to go after a pitiful home defeat against relegation rivals WBA. Brighton's equivalent was the Cardiff match recently. We faced a horrible run in. So do Brighton. We couldn't score. Neither can they.

So Norwich fans now have the chance to see what Hughton might have done had the trigger not been pulled. Admittedly, we're talking about different eras, clubs and circumstances, but the similarities are striking.

For what it's worth, I hope they survive.

Certainly ahead of Cardiff. But Even I think that brighton and Chris Hughton should have a conscious decoupling at the end of the season. Next season is only going to go one way otherwise.

[Patrick Thistle]

I think both Man City and Liverpool will win all their remaining Premier League games.

[Sporting]

I think both will win their final match and that Liverpool will win tonight. Beyond that I wouldn't like to say.

[Gangster Octopus]

Newcastle United revenge for 1996.

[hobbes]

I don't know why everyone is debating this. It's been obvious since Man City went ahead on points that they were going to win.

[caja-dglh]

*Slightly* less transparent than Rogin there, hobbes. It has worked up to a classic end to a season given the ridiculous number of points both teams will likely finish with. As a result it is going to suck for whichever team doesn't prevail.

[Sporting]

Just imagine if Huddersfield picked up a point this evening. Would leave all of us looking more than silly.

[Ray de Galles]

I think we'll be fine.