Topic: The PL run-in

[simesy]

I think we could lose 3 or 4 games and still win it seeing as anyone can beat anyone else on their day in this league and already some unexpected wins against the "big" clubs from smaller teams. We certainly wont need any where near the same amount of points as the last 2 seasons I think 80+ will do it.

[Simplexity]

First time in a long time where I have no idea who will win it. If City end up winning it I will be absolutely amazed, they look a million miles from a title winning side.

[Wingman]

First time in a long time where I have no idea who will win it. If City end up winning it I will be absolutely amazed, they look a million miles from a title winning side.

No idea? Really? So how many teams do you think will be in the title race?

I’m predicting one. Us. Not by as much as last year, but at least 5 points clear at the finish line

[Reeves]

Spurs to challenge this season? Win their game in hand and they're fourth. Great manager who can organise a defence, with a point to prove and looking deadly up front.

[Knight]

I don’t think anyone is capable of getting over 90 points this season. We might be but the CB position is a big worry. Fortunately no one else is either which is a relief. City have massive issues at the back and up front and if De Bruyne has another injury hit season there’s no way they can possibly win it.

[SinceSixtyFive]

First time in a long time where I have no idea who will win it. If City end up winning it I will be absolutely amazed, they look a million miles from a title winning side.

I beg yer fecking pardon? 

[Knight]

Spurs to challenge this season? Win their game in hand and they're fourth. Great manager who can organise a defence, with a point to prove and looking deadly up front.

They’ve definitely got a decent team again. Signings from last season have settled. They can’t defend at the moment though. And I suspect mourinho can’t fix that without breaking his attack.

[Ghost Town]

People need to calm down a bit about all this ''crazy season'' and ''I genuinely can't predict...''

It's been a weird start, but there's a pretty good chance things will settle down as we go into the new year, if not before.

[killer-heels]

Spurs to challenge this season? Win their game in hand and they're fourth. Great manager who can organise a defence, with a point to prove and looking deadly up front.

No chance.

But I do hope they are our main challengers because that means we are 100% winning the league. The only team that challenges that makes it 80-20 in our favour is Man City. Anyone else and it’s 100-0 in our favour.

[Fromola]

Spurs to challenge this season? Win their game in hand and they're fourth. Great manager who can organise a defence, with a point to prove and looking deadly up front.

They've got the firepower. Mourinho will put his best team out in the Europa League and go for all the cups, so they'll be shattered by the run in and unlikely to keep Bale and Kane fit. You can't completely write off a side with Bale, Kane and Son in it though and coached by a manager who knows how to win titles. It's their best chance to win a cup though.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

no

[Jm55]

People need to calm down a bit about all this ''crazy season'' and ''I genuinely can't predict...''

It's been a weird start, but there's a pretty good chance things will settle down as we go into the new year, if not before.

From our perspective it’s not even been *that* mad.

The Villa game, thankfully, appears to have been a freak. Other than that we’ve won every other match bar a draw at Goodison which were extremely unlucky not to have won.

That performances yesterday was no worse than the one against Watford at home (or a few others) last season either - as ever we found a way to get it done.

[Fiasco]

Losing Virgil for the season is a huge blow but I'll still be disappointed if we don't retain our title this season. We're yet to really click and after quite a tricky start, we're only a VAR mess away from winning 5 out of the first 6. The Villa result was embarrassing but hopefully down the line it'll turn out to be a freak aberration and nothing more (results have been fucking crazy all over Europe this season, so bare that in mind).

Our strength in depth from the midfield upwards looks good and the players still look hungry and motivated which is key. They'll also want to prove they aren't reliant on Van Dijk while simultaneously wanting to win things for him.

I think we'll get about 90 points and that should be enough.

[Larse]

If all our players were fit Id have no doubt we are in a great spot. What worries me and most fans is VVDs injury and our overall CB situation. Only having one fit CB is worrying. If Matip gets and stays fit then I have no doubt of us winning the league.

I think we'll get about 90 points and that should be enough.

The way its looking 85 might be enough. If you look at City up until now there is no way they reach 90 points.

[Mr_Shane]

Losing Virgil is a blow, but we know how to win titles now. The two players we cannot afford to lose for long periods of time are Henderson and Alisson. I would probably add fabinho to the list now because of Virgil's injury.

[kavah]

It reminds me of a league table from the late 70s, just missing Ipswich 

1 Everton
2 Liverpool
3 Aston Villa
4 Leicester City
5 Leeds
6 Southampton
7 Crystal Palace
8 Wolves
...

[Richie69]

Spurs to challenge this season? Win their game in hand and they're fourth. Great manager who can organise a defence, with a point to prove and looking deadly up front.

They should really have 4 more points too, threw away two home games at the death.

They have a great forward line but the rest of the team is pretty average.

[him_15]

Everyone seems average this year.

[Dave McCoy]

Except us.  If you take out the fluke Aston Villa game we've been the best and most consistent team so far.  Unfortunately we can't take out that game so peoples opinions are going to be affected by that but from a stats perspective we're the best team in the league and should only get better assuming we get someone on the field that can win some headers.

[PentaJ]

I know this is not a transfer thread and neither am I intending to turn this into one. But over the weekend links have emerged to CB`s. I know the sample size is small but based on the games so far do you guys think we need another senior CB or do we play out the season as it is. If we are to attack the title, we still need proper defense. Not advocating new CB will improve it but it will reduce the stress on players by a lot

[killer-heels]

If all our players were fit Id have no doubt we are in a great spot. What worries me and most fans is VVDs injury and our overall CB situation. Only having one fit CB is worrying. If Matip gets and stays fit then I have no doubt of us winning the league.

The way its looking 85 might be enough. If you look at City up until now there is no way they reach 90 points.

At the start of the season i predicted we would need 85 points and I am sticking to that. The only slight doubt would be that City lost 9 games last year but still clocked up 81 points.

[Knight]

At the start of the season i predicted we would need 85 points and I am sticking to that. The only slight doubt would be that City lost 9 games last year but still clocked up 81 points.

Very few draws last season for City?

[mikeb58]

Think we'll walk it myself...the rest are all average/shite!

[Reeves]

I know this is not a transfer thread and neither am I intending to turn this into one. But over the weekend links have emerged to CB`s. I know the sample size is small but based on the games so far do you guys think we need another senior CB or do we play out the season as it is. If we are to attack the title, we still need proper defense. Not advocating new CB will improve it but it will reduce the stress on players by a lot

We can cope if our centre halves stay fit but if they don't we will lose points. And chances are they won't. Given what's at stake I think it would be prudent to buy another and treat Matip as a bonus when he's fit. We've not been this dominant for 30 years and in a few season may fall back again. We need to take advantage whilst at the top.

[JackWard33]

People need to calm down a bit about all this ''crazy season'' and ''I genuinely can't predict...''

It's been a weird start, but there's a pretty good chance things will settle down as we go into the new year, if not before.

Yup ....teams have played 5 or 6 games after a severely limited preseason

[Morgana]

People need to calm down a bit about all this ''crazy season'' and ''I genuinely can't predict...''

It's been a weird start, but there's a pretty good chance things will settle down as we go into the new year, if not before.

Now the wheels are falling off Everton I’d be surprised if we aren’t 10 points ahead going into the New Year

[clinical]

We'd be 3 points clear if it wasn't for VAR and refs who don't know the rules.

[na fir dearg]

Spurs to challenge this season? Win their game in hand and they're fourth. Great manager who can organise a defence, with a point to prove and looking deadly up front.

good one 

[JackWard33]

Just checked fbref.com and we have comfortably the best xG/90 in the league - you can't put your house on xG averages of course but they're indicative

Given how many players we've had out but more than that one of our 6 games was the worst xG against game since Klopp came here (Villa obv) - that's pretty remarkable

[Schmidt]

Agree with those who say that not having fans isn't necessarily the cause of some of these strange results. City last season were dropping points often way before lockdown, the only reason they were even considered to be in the title race was because of their form the previous season. United have been terrible since that 'wonderful night in Paris', Chelsea are entering their second season with a fraud in charge so nothing shocking there, Spurs are Spurs and Arsenal have an awful squad.

The only real outlier is the Villa game and we've had those types of games before, albeit very rare and not as absurd (Watford/City last season, Spurs just before van Dijk arrived). The first few games always result in the odd team or two in the top four that you wouldn't expect, the only difference this season is the teams that you would expect to see there have mostly been out of form for a long time.

I do think teams like Spurs and Leicester have another great shot at top four this season, though the latter will probably struggle with injuries and fitness, especially as they're so reliant on Vardy.

[iamnant]

We'd be 3 points clear if it wasn't for VAR and refs who don't know the rules.

And it would have been a deserved win - not only should Pickford have been sent off, but obviously with the clearly onside goal.

The narrative would already be very different and more along the lines of where we are this season so far.

[FlashGordon]

Spurs to challenge this season? Win their game in hand and they're fourth. Great manager who can organise a defence, with a point to prove and looking deadly up front.

I mean he hasn't been able to organise a defence in about 5 years.

[DangerScouse]

Aguero out for a month according to the guardian.

[rob1966]

Aguero out for a month according to the guardian.

Tampon

[deFacto please, you bastards]

I think we could lose 3 or 4 games and still win it seeing as anyone can beat anyone else on their day in this league and already some unexpected wins against the "big" clubs from smaller teams. We certainly wont need any where near the same amount of points as the last 2 seasons I think 80+ will do it.

We lost 3 games last season and still finished wtih 99 points. 

[DangerScouse]

Tampon

[Marty 85]

People need to calm down a bit about all this ''crazy season'' and ''I genuinely can't predict...''

It's been a weird start, but there's a pretty good chance things will settle down as we go into the new year, if not before.

This! Given teams never had a pre season and the situation with covid it was always going to be a bumpy start to the season for all teams. We will see a return to the mean pretty soon. We're only 5 games in for crying out loud. I know SKY/BT/Premier League want everyone to believe it's a wide open race but it's really not. We'll pull away soon.

[ljycb]

We'll pull away soon.

That City game next months feel massive. Still think it’s between just us two.

[wige]

That City game next months feel massive. Still think it’s between just us two.

I don't. City have been exactly what the table suggests - average. Not attacking well and still vulnerable. TAW Neil was comparing their xG values between this and last season at same stage, they're way down.

Whoever finishes above us wins the league I think. City don't look any better than Spurs from what I've seen.

If Fab & Gomez, supported by Matip, form a decent partnership - I think we win this league by about 10 points.

[smutchin]

People need to calm down a bit about all this ''crazy season'' and ''I genuinely can't predict...''

It's been a weird start, but there's a pretty good chance things will settle down as we go into the new year, if not before.

Aye, we're only six games into the season. Let's not forget that after six games last year, Bournemouth and West Ham were both in the top six.

Crazy Villa result aside, we've made a pretty decent start, all things considered. Long, long way to go though. Spurs are clearly improving but it's too early to talk about them as genuine title contenders. City don't seem to have progressed from where they were last season, but again it's too early to write them off. Can't see the table starting to settle down before the end of November at the earliest, but I do see every reason to believe we can retain our title.