ohmelads

I think those 1/20 odds are bookies covering their arses. Liverpool are only 5/1 to get CL, and 4/1 with some bookies.

If Longstaff is out then Joelinton and Willock are needed in the centre and then I could see him starting Isak out left and Wilson up front against Arsenal. It's either that or Gordon wide left, and on current form I'm not sure he'll go for that in such a big game.

Isak looks so much better on the left against teams that drop this deep. When he's up front he drops deep anyway, but he couldn't get in the game today until he was moved wide. Wilson on the other hand loves these kinds of games where defences sit deep. He's so shartp in and around the box whereas Isak does his best work further out. I see no reason why we can't start both. Gordon is a work in progress. He looks low on confidence and probably needs a goal to get going.

If you can't find a touch then it's onside.

We look as complacent as most of the predictions. Isak hasn't got in the game. Think he might be better out left in this game. This is more Wilson's type of game against a low block, especially with them now defending a lead. Not sure who would come off though. Gordon has been hit and miss today. Looks very low on confidence.

We look complacent. Missing Longstaff again - he works harder than anyone and allows the others to play.

You're defending a system that is totally anti-competitive and corrupt. The Champions League money goes to the same small cartel of clubs year on year, which extends the gap to everyone else, creating a viscious circle. Even if someone somehow breaks in, they very quickly lose all all their best players to the cartel. It is not just difficult - it is impossible for a club outside those 6 to break in and remain there by 'fair' means. There's 2 decades of evidence to back that up. Are you aware of how Champions League money is actually distributed? Even if we finish 3rd and Man U finish 4th, we will receive considerably less CL money next season because it is paid out based on a club's European performance over the past 10 years (their coefficient ranking). It's an absurd situation and is the reason the major leagues in Europe have had the same teams dominating for decades. Are sugar daddy owners the solution to the problem? Yes and no. Under such a corrupt system, there is zero way to compete with the cartel by fair means.

Liverpool have almost a fully fit squad and play 4 of their last 6 games at home. They'll be firm favourites in all 6 games and VAR is there if they need it. People are looking at their form so far but I'm not sure they've had a run of fixtures this kind all season, and if they did, it would've come with European games midweek. Some of the teams they are playing have nothing to play for now. We need 4 wins and a draw from the last 7 to be out of sight. Every game is massive until we get to that.

I'm confident Liverpool will go on a big run because of their fixtures and returning players. Their next opponents Forest are in horrendous form. Then they travel to West Ham. That's a potentially tricky one depending on which West Ham turn up, but we saw first hand why they're struggling, and that's Liverpool's trickiest away fixture. Brentford (0 wins in their last 5) and Fulham (1 win in their last 6) look like they're already thinking about the beach so it's a perfect time to be playing them now. Villa and Spurs are the other tricky ones but both are at Anfield. Liverpool's other away games are Southampton and Leicester. I think I read they have the best remaining fixtures of any team in the league on paper. People will say look at their form over the season, but Thiago and Jota are back in the fold and there's basically a fully fit squad now. They made the same late season run two seasons ago. They're a far bigger threat than Villa. They've got a game in hand on Villa and go level on pts with a win, and far better GD. Villa's fixtures are far tougher, as are Brighton's (they play Man City, Man U, plus Arsenal away, Villa away, and a cup game against Man U). Neither Villa nor Brighton have the huge squad depth Liverpool do or the number of players with experience of these situations, and to be honest, I don't see them getting the "breaks" from officials/var either when it really matters (look what happened to Brighton). To go on the kind of run Liverpool need, you normally need the kinds of fixtures Liverpool have. 72 points (5 wins and a draw from our last 8) is a big ask but would put us mathematically out of reach of Liverpool, and I wouldn't see anyone matching that. Tottenham is must win for us and I reckon Spurs fans are thinking the same. I think neither side would take a draw if offered.

Probably wouldn't have have changed the result, because we were shit everywhere, but he was blatantly missed. We lost the midfield battle and the midfield three were all to a man terrible. Longstaff covers a massive amount of turf and does the less glamorous work. I sometimes wonder if he's underrated because of his local roots. He has been missing sitters, which is frustrating, but if he was Brazilian, I think fans would love him for what he does do.

Kane leaving a foot in on a defender on the deck. Imagine that was Mitrovic?

Villa were good, but I think today exposed cracks that have appeared in the last two games. West Ham hit the post and dominated us early and Brentford even moreso. West Ham defended like we did today and the Brentford game we did play very well second half, but it papered over the cracks. Villa exposed them. A wake up call or a blow to morale ahead of next week? I don't think today is down to any individuals but I think now is the time to drop Burn. Fans have been calling for it for weeks but we have been grinding results. Gordon also has done himself no favours this week with his tantrum followed by an abject performance with no positional discipline. He works harder than ASM but also wanders more which I think would drive Howe mad especially away from home in a game like this. Most worrying thing about today was our midfield three were anonymous. Bruno, Joe and Willock. Longstaff misses sitters but he puts in a shit tonne of work that goes unseen and I think we missed his industry today. He does a lot of the dirty work that allows others to play.

It's like someone's asked ChatGPT for a caricature of the stereotypical Villa fan.

Lucky to still be in it and ended the stronger side, but the timewasting has been ridiculous and the ref added nothing on. Players need to keep their heads cos they're gonna do the same this half. Up to the ref to try and get the game restarted quicker.

Coutinho's been out ages and last started when they were losing games. Cash hasn't played in the last three, and Kamara's started one of the last five. Bailey though is good news for us but for context we're missing our top scorer.

Sounds like Rashford might only miss one league game, against Forest. We probably want him back fit to face Spurs mind. They're the easier side to finish above given the table now and the game in hand. If Spurs beat them, it gets a lot tighter. Still not counting out Liverpool considering their run and returning players, plus the fact us, Spurs, and Man U play each other, and the tougher fixtures we have. Yes they need a big winning run, but we ourselves went on a five-game winning stream as soon as our tough spell ended.

Looking at their full backs, the fact we're missing ASM and Almiron, and how poor we looked with one winger and one full back that can attack, this could be Gordon's chance. It'd be a bold move but I don't think Howe will care about the optics. We played far better with Gordon on and our injuries limit our options.

That's the Guardian nowadays. They write for a pretentious middle class chin-stroking crowd. Their podcast is the same. Mitrovic got an 8 game ban for little more. If you are making an example of Mitrovic and being consistent, you have to give Robertson some sort of ban.

I think even if we get CL, our strategy will be to look for more Brunos and Botmans - players who stand out in their leagues in Europe and we reckon they can succeed in the PL (imagine what those two would go for now.) We've done that well so far so I don't see a major shift in strategy now even if we do need to look at improving the first XI in one or two areas. I think we are actively trying to avoid bidding wars with the kinds of clubs who have far bigger wage bills. The one marquee Premier League signing we tried to do was Maddison but that was probably because of their financial situation and we seemed to have a clear run at it at the time. Otherwise, I think the strategy has been going for potential that has yet to peak like Gordon, or those who we think have flown under a lot of people's radar (like Burn, Targett). I don't see us spending most of our transfer and wage budget on someone like Rice. He would want the same wages teams like Man U or Liverpool would offer him.

Brentford are happy to let teams have the ball. We went for solidity with Willock out wide and consistency of lineup despite a busy week but clearly it isn't working. Burn is tired and out of form. Longstaff needs a rest. One full back, one winger and one striker gives us little threat against a team happy to sit back, and they'll do that even more now we're a goal down. I'm a massive Howe fan but he got the lineup wrong and needs to make the changes now.

Need to stay at 0-0 til we can sort it out. I'd go with Gordon or Anderson on for Longstaff and Willock back in the middle.

We look very leggy. Burn especially has for a while. Willock out wide against a team happy to let us have the ball isn't working.

What more does McTominay need to do to get a yellow there? Was the ref just not watching?

Very true. We've waited all season for them to turn a corner. I just think the the quality of returning players like Diaz, Jota, plus Gakpo or Nunez potentially finding their feet and showing some form, it just takes a couple of them to hit their stride or some dodgy decisions to pull them out of trouble. I think they're no worse than Spurs this season with more potential, and Man U are now entering the business end of Europa League and FA Cup with decent opposition. That's why I'd keep an eye on Liverpool perhaps the most.

I think Liverpool are still the biggest danger, just because they have the highest ceiling in terms of pedigree and players coming back and the best squad and experience. Their Arsenal game is massive because a win there would give them a massive lift. Just takes three of those weekends where they've got Southampton or Forest and we've got Arsenal or Chelsea, and they have the easiest run in of everyone.