I call bullshit on all of it tbh.
Our goal this season wasn’t to win the league, it was to qualify for the CL. We did that. The fact that we managed to do so while being top of the league for 170+ days is down to a few factors: other teams that would normally be thrashing us to get into the Top 4 have all, through some perfect storm, gone to complete **** this season (Chelsea can still mathematically get relegated, despite spending over £600mil).
We improved in areas we needed to over the summer and winter windows to secure CL, and we did exactly that. We played really good football at times, getting results against teams that would previously have embarrassed us. We found ourselves top of the pile before the WC, and haven’t moved. Even City strayed but they, unlike the other teams and indeed, us, had the ability to right themselves and gain ground on us. We knew that was coming. They haven’t won 4 out of the last 5 EPL titles through luck or complacency from other teams. They did it because they’re really just that ****ing good at football. We aren’t anywhere near that level (yet). But, we gave them a decent run. If we hadn’t, it would’ve been them 20+ points ahead of everyone else on their own.
We were officially out of the running when we drew to West Ham. Our points lead was a cushion because we knew we probably weren’t going to beat City at the Etihad. Our advantage evaporated in the three games before we went there. So we’re now relying on miracles to win our first title in 19 years. City just have to be City to get their first since last season.
Stranger things have happened.
