We're back to proper football after another interlull, and how I wish that wasn't the end of the good news. Sadly, the news is anything but.
Liverpool (7W 0D 1L: 21 pts.).The mugsmashers continue to re-establish their bona fides under Arne Slot, who has, it must be said it if hasn't been said already, slotted in seamlessly. It's a pity that his first name doesn't lend itself quite as well to such scintillating wordplay. That said, he's reinvigorated a squad that finished a somewhat distant third a season ago to the point that they sit top of the table. Absent an uncharacteristic loss at home to Nottingham Forest, they've looked like they're back to their best even after losing Allison to injury. In winning against an increasingly competent if not quite competitive Chelsea, Slot showed that he has the chops to steer this side through choppy surf. From bad to possibly worse, Liverpool pay us a visit a week hence...
Man City (6W 2D 0L: 20 pts.).It's after weekends like these that I wonder whether stoppage time should operate on a principle similar to golf: the better you are, the more you're handicapped. Facing a draw against bottom-of-the-table Wolves, City found a late, late winner deep in the throes of stoppage time-the second time in recent memory that such a goal has allowed them to claim points they didn't deserve. Against the likes of Wolves, it almost has to feel like we need a new rule that says, "okay, yes, so there will be stoppage time, but, given your massive and entirely legal financial advantages, you can only advance four players past midfield" or some such. Absent such a rule, we still have to suspect that City, deprived of Rodri's dark arts, are far from the imperious, indomitable inevitability that they've been. More hope has been drawn for lesser evidence...
Arsenal (5W 2D 1L: 17 pts.).It wasn't supposed to be this way. It was supposed to be a thing of a beauty, not this, this abomination. We were supposed to defeat Bournemouth easily and comfortably and climb, at least temporarily-and our own players, apparently-had other plans Courtesy of sloppy back-passes from Trossard and Kiwior, we found ourselves down a man and on the short end of a 2-0 scoreline that, if anything, flattered us. Maybe it was the third kit. Maybe it was Jared Gillett on VAR. Maybe it was the absence of Saka and Odegaard. Maybe it was the Merino/Rice/Partey midfield sitting too deep. Whatever the case, we already find ourselves in the now all-too-familiar position of hoping that those ahead of us (two now, instead of just one) drop points while we avoid the same.
Aston Villa (5W 2D 1L: 17 pts.).This may be strange to say, but I feel like there's a drop-off from third to fourth despite the fact that there's still a drop-off from us to Villa. Yes, we will definitely have to be mindful of Emery's men despite or even because of the squad overhaul, but we also should be mindful of how soft their early season fixtures have been. Aside from our visit to Villa Park, which they lost 0-2, their toughest fixture has been away to Fulham, who sit ninth. It might also be worth noting that Fulham were reduced to ten men for 30 minutes or so, not that we'd know anything about how red cards affect outcomes. Sophomoric snark aside, Emery is too good a manager to be written off, and we'll have keep one eye on the rearview mirror even as we chase those ahead of us.
The dregs...Okay, so that might be a bit harsh. We're hardly scraping the bottom of the barrel, after all. That said, it's worth asking: are Brighton for real? Are Chelsea? Can any of Tottenham, Newcastle, Fulham, or Bournemouth mount a serious challenge? Do you want to know what's perhaps the most fun about this series of rhetorical questions? Here it is: I've just rattled off the names of ten clubs and still haven't found a legitimate reason to mention Man U. With them as with Tottenham or Newcastle or Chelsea, we find ourselves in the savoury position of pondering what the right mix of results would preserve the status quo. I for one don't want to see Postecoglou or Howe or Ten Hag sacked. Let the walking dead keep walking, I say. For ourselves, I want six points from each set of fixtures. From there, let them each somehow claim dramatic results against Liverpool and Man City, not just to preserve their managers' precarious positions but also to pave the way for us to ease past those rivals.
Right. Let's leave off there, then. The fixtures will come fast and furious for the next few months. We may feel a bit down, but we're certainly not out. Not yet. No, not yet...
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