Murph, again, while I can accept that some games are worth the draw, I believe that has much more to do with the opposition, the venue, and the players one has available for the match, than what a potential season-end rival did that week during October. You can't spend the whole season looking over your shoulder at how everyone else is doing as a barometer of one's success; all you will succeed in doing is fail to separate yourself from the pack.
The table doesn't lie - if you're not good enough to qualify for the CL, chances are that come the sharp end of the season all you will have are mathematical odds that never transpire. If you want to be assured of being in the title race you need to win 26-28 matches over the course of the season, and the ones where you miss are not all going to coincide with games that rivals also dropped points. Some games are going to be unwinnable due to circumstances outside your control, but the decision to bank the draw rather than risk injuries or losing while going for the win should not be made based upon the success or failure of another club that week unless the games are running out. And if the games are running out but you've been eliminated from European competition, then what say have you on which day of the week you play?
This topic is perhaps not a tiny molehill, but you're making a mountain out of it. I believe the saying goes that one would always rather have the points than the game in hand, but you contradict this "wisdom" by preferring to chase rather than lead.
