Season 2021-22 Opinion Talking Points
It is between Us and Burnley
37 Comments
Right, we are at the home stretch of the season — 8 games to play, 4 points separating Everton Football Club from the drop zone. I think Southampton, Brentford and Newcastle United will be safe. Leeds United are on a ‘new manager' bounce, and they are playing good football, so I think they will also be okay.
3 among the present bottom 4 of the table will get relegated — Everton, Burnley, Watford and Norwich City. Watford and Norwich are nipping at Burnley's heels — just 2 and 3 points behind respectively — albeit having played 1 game more than Burnley. Watford have been playing good football and they have some seriously good attacking players and Norwich have just registered an important victory that keeps them in the hunt, but it will take a minor miracle for either of them to jump above the other 3.
So, I think the last relegation place will be between Burnley and us. Our run-in looks like this:
Leicester City (H)
Liverpool (A)
Chelsea (H)
Leicester City (A)
Watford (A)
Brentford (H)
Crystal Palace (H)
Arsenal (A)
And Burnley's:
West Ham Utd (A)
Southampton (H)
Wolves (H)
Watford (A)
Aston Villa (H)
Spurs (A)
Aston Villa (A)
Newcastle Utd (H)
On paper, Burnley have an easier run of games, especially the 3 games against imploding Southampton and Aston Villa. And their last game at home will be against probably an ‘on the beach' Newcastle team who would have likely secured safety.
The point is that Lampard needs to get the players to approach each of the remaining 8 games with a ‘must win' attitude. Yes, he needs to be pragmatic, especially away from home. But, he also needs to take a bold approach by asking the players to keep composure, and get us scoring more goals.
Our defence is what it is — but I firmly believe that the goals we score will be what will get us to safety. We have a decent forward line in Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin, Gordon, Gray, Van de Beek, even Iwobi. These guys need to start firing and putting a bit of daylight between us and Burnley.
The Goodison Park fans have been magnificent — especially since it became clear that we are in a relegation battle. They will play a crucial role in helping us with our remaining home games. There are exactly 40 days before the end of the season –- everybody needs to focus and stay positive and help our players achieve to the best of their ability. We can do this! COYB!
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Reader Comments (37)
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2 Posted 13/04/2022 at 17:46:58
For us the pressure is not off by any means, next up Leicester at home is massive. A win will give us some essential breathing space, and confidence, before Liverpool, Chelsea, and Leicester away.
3 Posted 13/04/2022 at 18:18:35
With the 4 point gap, Dyche can go to his Moyes-esque underdog mentality and tell his players that everyone thinks they're already gone and the pressure is eased a little bit.
We must beat Leicester, Palace and Brentford at home and hopefully get at least a point against Chelsea.
Our away form has shown slight signs of improvement, despite results, and I'm a firm believer in the "we're due something away from home".
Just a couple of draws might be enough.
4 Posted 14/04/2022 at 05:36:05
5 Posted 14/04/2022 at 05:52:58
We have really got to beat Leicester next week. They play in the EL tonight and Newcastle on Sunday before our fixture. We will have had a 10 day break. There away record isn't great either in comparison to previous seasons winning at Burnley, Norwich and Brentford.
As for Burnley, not sure they are picking up 4 wins from there remaining 8 games having won 4 all season.
6 Posted 14/04/2022 at 06:53:02
I know they are on a run with the new manager bounce, but despite that, I don't think Leeds are out of the woods. Certainly not out of touch from us. And look at their goal difference.
Even Newcastle, although I think they've done enough and have enough. As do we.
7 Posted 14/04/2022 at 08:12:43
That last place could even go down to goal difference so we need to park the proverbial charabanc at our old ground. (I'd love it if we nicked a point to scupper their title hopes.)
8 Posted 14/04/2022 at 08:16:13
9 Posted 14/04/2022 at 09:23:46
Leicester (h)
Palace (h)
Brentford (h) and
Watford (a)
Points on the board is the critical factor at this stage.
10 Posted 14/04/2022 at 09:41:06
Many believed that Leeds replacing Bielsa would have a detrimental effect on them it hasnt in fact quite the opposite, in December the bookies had Newcastle being relegated now that looks unlikely.
So stop torturing yourselves trying to predict results and just concentrate on what we do next Wednesday, at the moment we are in a better place than Burnley, Watford and Norwich and let's hope it stays like that.
11 Posted 14/04/2022 at 10:45:59
12 Posted 14/04/2022 at 10:58:03
13 Posted 14/04/2022 at 10:58:10
14 Posted 14/04/2022 at 11:12:47
15 Posted 14/04/2022 at 11:36:53
4 points by next Sunday for Everton. Burnley lose the battle of the clarets in East London, followed by a 1-0 home defeat against Southampton.
Meanwhile Brentford beat Watford in what is my closest Premier league local Derby.
Simples. Calma as they say in Italiano
16 Posted 14/04/2022 at 12:51:42
I reckon we need 8 points. Eight from eight sounds doable - five from seven will sound even better.
17 Posted 14/04/2022 at 13:43:52
18 Posted 14/04/2022 at 14:08:38
19 Posted 14/04/2022 at 14:27:36
I'd rule out Leeds on the basis I don't see both us and Burnley catching them. Maybe one of us, but Burnley have only won four games all season. I think it's more a case of we could climb higher eg above Leeds or stay down there with Burnley
20 Posted 14/04/2022 at 14:53:05
Our home games are key - play compact with intensity at home, play deep and go long away from home. Retain a back 4 and midfield 3 in all remaining games. Focus on set pieces in defence and attack. Back to basics for the rest of the season.
Play Gordon, Richarlison and Iwobi in every game they are fit for. Forget Alli, Gomes, El Ghazi for the rest of the season.
21 Posted 14/04/2022 at 15:39:30
They would need to do something they have just about achieved in 30 matches so far and I can't see that happening as they are a poor team.
What we have to do is give solid rearguard performances and cut out the silly mistakes. Squeaky bum time but I have seen a small improvement happening lately and think the players who have come in may just have reassured the other players.
Time for Richarlison to stop banging his hand on the floor because he's missed a good chance too. He owes us some goals from open play.
22 Posted 14/04/2022 at 17:00:17
23 Posted 14/04/2022 at 19:45:14
24 Posted 14/04/2022 at 20:20:36
Just want this miserable, shit season to end, re-group and start afresh next season.
25 Posted 14/04/2022 at 20:51:28
26 Posted 14/04/2022 at 23:38:29
27 Posted 15/04/2022 at 02:23:26
Anyway as we are on the subject of last Day great escape, hard to believe now, but even a win for Everton would not have been enough, had Sheffield utd, who at the time were 2-1 up against Chelsea had either drew or won.
Half a minute into stoppage time, Chelsea scored the winner that sent Sheffield utd down instead of Everton, so you could say we were a matter of a couple of minutes away from the drop, what was even more Bizarre was the penalty we got and players hesitant to take it.
At one stage Big Nev strode down the pitch but thankfully Stuart took the ball off Nev, what we did not know at the time is Stuart's only other previous penalty was for Chelsea, and he blasted it over the crossbar.
So it is not as bad as that final minutes end of season of 94, but we need to get a few wins to steady our nerves a little.
28 Posted 15/04/2022 at 04:21:34
Yes! I did say that and stand by it. Leeds are not, by any stretch, out of it quite yet in my opinion. They have a brutal run-in.
After my last "friendly debate" on the American ownership thread, I'm hoping Leeds doesn't go down though, and Everton and Leeds both stay up. Leeds adhere to a metrics based / Moneyball approach to recruitment. And if they actually go down, after my passionate defense of Moneyball metrics approach to footy, a Leeds relegation will be used like a rubber hose to whip me with!!!
In the end, the nice thing about the win against Man U, is that we really do hold our destiny in our own hands. If Burnley go on a tear and win 50% of their remaining games, they finish on 36 points. That equates to us winning 3 of our remaining 8 games to stay up. Quite honestly, if we can't do that, we don't deserve to stay up!
I still can't believe we're even talking about this! Stay up, put this absolutely wet, steaming pile of chocolate soft-serve ice cream shit behind us, and move on! I'm eager to see what Frank will do in a full season next year.
Survive, and look to the future under a young, energetic manager who wants to play some fluid, high-octane footy.
We can't go down. It's literally surreal that it's possible. We have to wipe the slate clean, stick with our manger, gain consistency, forget the stupid signings and the merry-go-round of managers, and slowly and consistently move back up the table over the next few years.
29 Posted 15/04/2022 at 04:25:58
I think the magic number is 37. Don't know why, just have a feeling.
35 of 36 might to the trick. But 34 seems awfully low to me for survival?
30 Posted 15/04/2022 at 06:45:03
Laurie(#16); Tell her she can wear the rest as well as that sort of thing can ruin your halftime cuppa never mind the match.
31 Posted 15/04/2022 at 08:13:59
It's gonna be tight one way or another. Hopefully Mina can come back and hit the ground running as he seems to make a huge difference to us. Could well be his last games for us so hopefully he gives us a good leaving present.
Leicester at home looks crucial before a very tricky run. They have looked much better recently with Fofana back to full strength and Dewsbury-Hall seeming quite a talent. Hopefully they are distracted by EL but look in decent form.
32 Posted 15/04/2022 at 08:37:02
I can't wait until the summer Nd the look forward to next seasons challenge for European qualification.
33 Posted 15/04/2022 at 09:14:38
34 Posted 15/04/2022 at 09:32:56
35 Posted 15/04/2022 at 16:08:27
36 Posted 15/04/2022 at 17:19:45
37 Posted 21/04/2022 at 23:59:41
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1 Posted 12/04/2022 at 17:31:33
Palace (A)
Man City (H)
Arsenal (A)
Chelsea (H)
Brighton (H)
Brentford (A)