At least it’s St. Totteringham’s day.

Of course, no doubt about it, we are miles ahead of expectations.

That said, this league is so difficult that title chances are not easy to come by and it feels like we've thrown away a really good in the last few games.

We're still in it.

And were Gabriel, Holding, Jesus and White really poor?

Truly an eve of bittersweet outcomes.

Unfortunately whatever happens at the etihad, we have to go to Newcastle away and I just can’t see us getting a win there. Which you’d think we will 100% need.

Come on Decaf, we aren't winning it now. No chance.

We can't defend at all at the moment. City will rip us to shreds.

We gifted them all 3 goals really.

We weren't going to come back from 3-1 on 90 minutes and we did.

Don't confuse a 'small chance' with 'no chance'.

If City beat us on Wednesday, which of course is the likely outcome, then we are getting into no chance territory.

Of course, even if we beat City they will probably still be favourites. The likelihood of us wining all of our other game, or City not winning their, are not great.

It is

I didn't think he was poor, but I wonder in retrospect about whether benching Trossard when he was in such form was a great decision.

Not saying I wouldn't have started him because he's been mostly great since his comeback but tonight I thought he was not his usual self and we all know he's not the most clinical and so it proved.

What was of great concern was with 20 minutes to go we had no urgency and we’re almost waiting for the game to end. That attitude is of great concern. We gift them goals and then we have no credible plan to play fluidly against packed defences. Arteta must develop as a coach and work on this. One dimensional play will continue to harm us.

Highly optimistic, I'm with you !

We can beat City on Wednesday. It's not over yet.

We scored 3 goals against the packed defence on a night when Jesus messed up a few chances.

This is what we are up against. When Arsenal and Utd were going head to head,.both with great teams, the talk was always about twists and turns as they near the finish. With City, the universal expectation is that they will win all of their games. It's a monster and with Haaland they have a player who allows them to batter the weaker sides while we work hard for our wins.

So you thought we played well against the bottom team.

But then if we pull off a win at City , the narrative around winning at Newcastle ( a ground that before last season we have a very good record at ) becomes different

City have got some tough games too , that final period when they will have the Madrid games plus the Brighton & Brentford away games is not going to be easy and the former will take a lot of their attention as priority . The problem is we need to be keeping the pressure on them to make that a potential issue , that’s why last nights result is damaging

You said "we have no credible plan to play fluidly against packed defences". We scored 3 goals. Our problems are at the back. Our attacking play is very good.

The 4 points dropped in the last two games are very damaging. An unlikely win at the Etihad would turn things right back in our favour and pile all the pressure on them. Had we won the last two games a draw at City would have suited us just fine.

Spot on. Saliba is a big miss. We'll score against City I'll wager but they'll score more. I am resigned to "funny ol' game territory". They'll creep ahead but I am hoping they drop points against teams fighting for survival.

Hi Dec,

Not sure our attacking play is that great either. Up until about 15 mins to go we hadn't had a single shot on target in the 2nd half.

You are right, though, our defending of late has been shocking.

My fear now is that after such a great season it is all going to fizzle out and we will ending up trailing City by a significant number of points. We will then be accused of bottling it and, to an extent, it is hard to argue otherwise.

We all looked at the run-in and pointed out the tough games we have but it's the games we really should have won that are now harming us. If you can't beat Southampton at home then you really do not deserve to win a title, especially gifting them 3 goals like we did.

Yeah realised that just after I posted. That’s crazy even after 3 disappointing results.

Does give Weds a sort of Anfield ‘89 vibe. *%^@ or bust.

Isn't the problem with Jesus the fact that he is playing much deeper than he did when he was scoring goals.

Don't we need him or someone up front to help Saka and co pick up the rebounds etc

It’s over.

Even if you beat city we’re just as likely to choke against Chelsea.

Absolutely gutted

This team needs another strong character in it.

It’s deader than a decapitated dodo.

Can we win the title? Mathematically, sure! Likely? Very low chance based on current form.

Obviously gutted. Obviously wanted to win, but strangely relieved. I have no hope of winning the title and am proud of this side.
Truth is they have no experience on how to win a title. Surprisingly, neither does Arteta....yet. I thought being part of a managerial staff that has won it a few times gave you the experience but it doesn't . Wenger won a title against a much bigger side in France. He knew what it takes.
I'm going to enjoy the rest of the season actually even if we lose at City, which I think will end a draw.
The positives we are way ahead of schedule in our development as a club. This season was supposed to be a fight to get back to the CL. Now we are catapulted ourselves as title challengers for the foreseeable future.
Other than 2 or 3 positions that need addressing, mental toughness is the biggest issue.
Soc is correct. There's childhood optimism and there is logical assumption.
Admitting we aren't going to win it isn't defeatism, it's practical.
Do I want the players to think that? No. Do I think they already do? Yes.

Strangely, with the pressure off the squad might play with a freedom and effectiveness we haven't seen. When the referee at Bolton stole our title hopes in 2003, we played the rest of those games with a free flow, easily beating teams like this same Soton side with 6 goals while playing bench players like Pennant.

And riding that freedom into a relatively easy FA Cup win
And look launching an invincible season
Where we didn't make those same mistakes.

As much as Ramsdale has been brilliant he can also drop stupid clangers. What on earth was he thinking .
FFS. He had other options but chose to go for the most ridiculous one. Being too clever for his own *%^@*** good. I'm so pissed off because that had us on the back foot from the off.
We score first last night and we win that game comfortably.
As much as I want Viera to succeed everyone could see last night he was shite. But Arteta stubbornly kept him then took the piss further by keeping him on at half time.
Why would you not play Trossard from the start or give Emile Smith Rowe a try. The boy is just watching on and sees everyone given a go but he stays on the bench.
Arteta is treating him shockingly and I just don't understand why.
What a shocking fall from grace it is for Emile Smith Rowe.

Wait. So we've won 12 games at home and 11 away, but because we fail to beat the bottom club at home, none of those other 23 wins count and we don't deserve to win the league?

Vieira I mean what were they thinking. He was absolutely pony and has been all season. I honestly don’t know what Edu and Arteta had in mind when they signed him for 30 million instead of tielemans or someone else.

Mark my words Emile will be sold this summer. They just don’t trust him and for him not to get minutes last night says a lot. Artetas comments about him are telling

I think you will see some very interesting outgoings this summer.

Even in that scenario, a Jurassic Park style revival is not impossible.
Don't be like the Jeff Goldblum character!

I think it was an arrogant move. Saints are rubbish so lets give him another go.

But Emile Smith Rowe would also have been a risk. Surely Jorginho would have been the sensible option?

Vieira wasn't the reason we didn't win, the game, however.

I was surprised he didn’t change it up and start Trossard and Jorginho.

It’s weird it’s like we have our 11 but if you rest 1 of the players it all falls apart

Australian stage and screen icon Barry Humphries has died aged 89

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-22/ ... /102236144

Are you referring to the period after they scored their 3rd? If so, I don't blame them. I was so gutted I barely had the strength to raise my glass to my lips. The fact that our players, Ødegaard in particular, had the will to get us going again, speaks volumes.

I do agree we were a bit one dimensional going forward after they had brought on the extra defender, still trying to thread the needle and get crosses in when we needed to be taking shots. Trossard improved us when he came on. I thought Nelson again showed why his is quite a handy option against a low block.

It is weird. Finely tuned engine I suppose? City on the other hand have a storeroom full of OM spare parts that can slot in seemlessly.

I have no idea what Arteta is going to do on Wednesday. I'm going to get well oiled before the game ... this is all a bit much for the nerves.

This Emile Smith Rowe thing is weird. There’s more to this than meets the eye, I’m sure. Call it a hunch.

Arteta doesnt trust him. He obviously displays a bad attitude in training or something. The comments about him not taking care of himself and diet are telling.

Expect him to be sold this summer.

Feels like a situation not dissimilar to KT

The light might be fading but it hasn't gone out. We might just win up there. Worse teams than us have done that.