Following on from Manchester City`s heroic displays to get back on track for a top four finish, the next two games could provide the momentum needed to gain the advantage over their closest rivals, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Liverpool.
The table as it stands:
4. Tottenham 27pts
5. Aston Villa 26pts
6. Man City 25pts
7. Liverpool 24pts
With the Citizens now just two points behind Tottenham, the following fixtures could determine which team would be in the best position to secure a Champions League spot leading into the busy New Year schedule.
Predicting the outcome of the following games is purely speculative, although it does give us an insight into how the table could play out.
| Saturday 12th December | Table |
| Bolton – Man City | 4. Tottenham 30pts |
| Tottenham – Wolverhampton | 5. Man City 28pts |
| Man Utd – Aston Villa | 6. Aston Villa 26pts |
| 7. Liverpool 24pts |
– Man City Win: I can see City winning this one after the progress made last week.
– Tottenham Win: Spurs should win this game comfortably; I cannot see Wolves causing an upset unfortunately.
– Man Utd Win: As much as I would like the Rags to lose, it is unlikely.
| Sunday 13th December | Table |
| Liverpool – Arsenal | 4. Tottenham 30pts |
| 5. Man City 28pts | |
| 6. Aston Villa 26pts | |
| 7. Liverpool 24pts |
– Arsenal Win: Things keep going from bad to worse for Liverpool, a loss at home to the Gunners would be another nail in the coffin. The Merseysiders usually have a knack of pulling something out of the bag when all looks lost- unfortunately for them, so do Arsenal. No change in the league standings.
| Tuesday 15th December | Table |
| Sunderland – Aston Villa | 4. Tottenham 30pts |
| 5. Man City 28pts | |
| 6. Aston Villa 27pts | |
| 7. Liverpool 24pts |
– Draw: Highflying Sunderland face a shockingly bad Portsmouth before this fixture, a game which could provide them with the impetus to come away with a point- and doing us a favour in the process.
| Wednesday 16th December | Table |
| Liverpool vs Wigan | 4. Man City 31pts |
| Tottenham vs Man City | 5. Tottenham 30pts |
| 6. Aston Villa 27pts | |
| 7. Liverpool 27pts |
– Liverpool Win: Rafa Benitez will probably buy some more time with a win against Wigan, even Liverpool can`t fail to win this one, can they?
– City Win: This is a close one to call as Tottenham are undoubtedly a good side, however, the Citizens cannot afford to lose this game or else they will fall five points behind Harry Redknapp`s hopefuls. A draw will suffice but we really should be looking for a win. Difficult to predict.
If everything goes according to plan (which it most certainly will not!) then City should find themselves up in fourth place, providing a good footing to push on for more.
Tottenham is without a doubt, the hardest of our upcoming premier league fixtures- all the way to mid February. These few months are where our season could be defined and we cannot let the opportunity slip away, our next two games are vital.
Our squad has proven that they have the ability to compete at the top and it seems that the players are finally starting to realise that they need to show the desire to win every ball, in every game – not just the high profile ones.