I can't see any other team other than Chelsea winning the premier league, they are already five points ahead of Manchester City having played at both Manchester grounds.

 

Man City have another gear to find yet. I think this Chelsea team is very good, but I think Mourinho's problem is he will play for 1-0s. Should have beaten Man Utd, but trying to defend the game lost you two points. Will be interesting to see how things are around Christmas time.

I can't believe how poor Tottenham are performing in the league so far, I expect in January they will go for a striker with pace which they are obviously lacking with both Soldado and Adebayor both under performing.

 

Southampton really have been performing above expectations with the success of rebuilding their squad as well as making a healthy profit. I'm not sure that they'll manage to finish top four this season but top 6 is looking incredibly likely which will be a fantastic achievement.

 

It's also great to see Alan Pardew being provided with time to turn Newcastle around which he's managed to do within the last 6 games, incredible how they've managed to climb from 19th to 8th so fast.

 

Chelsea are now 8 points ahead of Manchester City with Chelsea played City, United and Liverpool away from home already. I can't see Chelsea slipping up with the league title this year.

Chelsea have this wrapped up. Already played United, City & Liverpool away. Don't think they'll lose a single game at home and may only suffer one shock/fluke away defeat to a mid-table team. As excellent as they've been I don't see Southampton being a genuine threat which leaves City who are already miles behind and not even playing that well. Everyone else is not in the picture.

Edited November 10, 201410 yr by Dobbo

Tottenham are awful because there's a rotten mentality within the players. Saves Levy right, because with AVB I think they could have become genuine top 4 contenders. They have so many average/poor players, and players that only play when they want to. Lamela just cannot adapt to the pace of the game, Eriksen is horribly inconsistent. They sold their best defender in the summer. Just a horribly average side, with fans that believe they should be challenging every season just because they had a couple of good years.

 

I don't believe Chelsea have the title wrapped up, it's far too early to be making those sorts of assumptions. Whilst I agree they look excellent, the problem will come early next year when they're still in four competitions, and balancing the squad will become more of an issue. They bottled the title last season, and they will go through a wobbly patch at some stage. They're usually good against the top sides, it's the middle ground sides where they usually slip up.

 

Such a weird season so far. Lots of teams over-performing/under-performing. You can be 13th, and win two games then you're in the top 4. Madness.

In really good form at the moment. Sakho and Valencia are on fire, pleased for you cos out of the London clubs West Ham are my favourites. Be interesting to see what happens if/when Andy Carroll comes back in to the picture.

 

I do find it funny how no-one seems to be calling for Fat Sam's head anymore though :D

 

Carroll came on against Villa and almost won the game for us! Our crossing has noticeably improved this year (thanks to Cresswell and Jenkinson) so maybe he can be a real asset to the team.

 

Hope Southampton qualify for Europe this year, for too long the same teams have been getting there almost by default and Southampton finishing in the top 6 would shake it up.

 

Tottenham have been in decline since 2012 imo (and letting Bale go). In late 2011 they were on fire and if Chelsea hadn't won the Champions League that year, they would have got there then who knows? They always seem to be changing managers/players and there's no sense of planning which the over-achievers this year have shown.

 

Great season so far, Chelsea could do with a challenger though, the rest of last years top 7 have ranged from inconsistent to awful :lol:

Edited November 15, 201410 yr by ML Hammer95

Carroll came on against Villa and almost won the game for us! Our crossing has noticeably improved this year (thanks to Cresswell and Jenkinson) so maybe he can be a real asset to the team.

 

Hope Southampton qualify for Europe this year, for too long the same teams have been getting there almost by default and Southampton finishing in the top 6 would shake it up.

 

Tottenham have been in decline since 2012 imo (and letting Bale go). In late 2011 they were on fire and if Chelsea hadn't won the Champions League that year, they would have got there then who knows? They always seem to be changing managers/players and there's no sense of planning which the over-achievers this year have shown.

 

Great season so far, Chelsea could do with a challenger though, the rest of last years top 7 have ranged from inconsistent to awful :lol:

 

I think Southampton will fall away eventually, but them having a European spot is a realistic opportunity. While all are under-performing currently Liverpool/Spurs/Man Utd/Arsenal are only three/four wins together away from hitting a patch of form, and right now from 4th-15th it's really, really close. At some point in the near future a couple of those teams will hit form.

 

Spurs' problem is just a lack of top players needed. I don't think Lamela is suited to the Premier League. Hence he looks quite good in Europe with a slower pace, but come a league game and he's horribly inconsistent. Just in general a lack of 3 or 4 really good players that other teams would want. Infact I think they only have Loris. Fact is when they were good quite good they had Bale/Modric/Van der Vaart all in great form. They have no-one like that currently.

I think Southampton will fall away eventually, but them having a European spot is a realistic opportunity. While all are under-performing currently Liverpool/Spurs/Man Utd/Arsenal are only three/four wins together away from hitting a patch of form, and right now from 4th-15th it's really, really close. At some point in the near future a couple of those teams will hit form.

 

Spurs' problem is just a lack of top players needed. I don't think Lamela is suited to the Premier League. Hence he looks quite good in Europe with a slower pace, but come a league game and he's horribly inconsistent. Just in general a lack of 3 or 4 really good players that other teams would want. Infact I think they only have Loris. Fact is when they were good quite good they had Bale/Modric/Van der Vaart all in great form. They have no-one like that currently.

 

People said that about Newcastle in 2011/12 season as well, but they ended up 5th and were in Champions League contention on the last day! That season, Liverpool and Chelsea had shockers by their standards in the league which let Newcastle in. Similar to what's happening this year, no!? Southampton will finish above Tottenham and Liverpool I think, especially if they have a good January.

 

Think the top 4 will be Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal then Man United although the 3rd/4th is between like six clubs :) Arsenal always do just enough and I'm sure Man United will come together eventually :mellow:

Manchester United should be finishing top four, their team is arguably one of the best right now with their attacking options the /second best in the Premier League. LVG has had a poorer start in comparison to Moyes especially with the money the former has spent.

Not sure where all these attacking options were in the last 3 fixtures. Top 4 will be a huge struggle.

Not sure where all these attacking options were in the last 3 fixtures. Top 4 will be a huge struggle.

 

Its hard to imagine them not putting a run of form together though. Particularly if they strenghten in January (which they almost certainly will). van Gaal is slightly overrated but no mug.

 

Who else will finish top 4 in your opinion? Except the mighty Hammers :P

People said that about Newcastle in 2011/12 season as well, but they ended up 5th and were in Champions League contention on the last day! That season, Liverpool and Chelsea had shockers by their standards in the league which let Newcastle in. Similar to what's happening this year, no!? Southampton will finish above Tottenham and Liverpool I think, especially if they have a good January.

 

Think the top 4 will be Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal then Man United although the 3rd/4th is between like six clubs :) Arsenal always do just enough and I'm sure Man United will come together eventually :mellow:

 

Right now I think Chelsea is the only club guaranteed of Top 4. If Sanchez gets injured for Arsenal then I don't know what will happen. I'm hoping once Sturridge comes back Liverpool will push on. We'll see where Southampton are around Christmas time. Like I say at some point Man Utd/Arsenal/Liverpool will hit form and then by then perhaps teams will have figured out how to deal with Southampton. They have also yet to play any of the big clubs bar Liverpool, so we'll see what happens when they play the rest! It's nice to see them doing well though.

 

Man Utd I just don't know about. I've not really watched them enough, but Di Maria aside I think their attacking options are massively overrated. Van Persie is really struggling, and their defence and midfield is still awful. I think they will miss out again personally, they've still too many cracks in their team.

Its hard to imagine them not putting a run of form together though. Particularly if they strenghten in January (which they almost certainly will). van Gaal is slightly overrated but no mug.

 

Who else will finish top 4 in your opinion? Except the mighty Hammers :P

 

Well I'm a United fan and I'm not totally convinced they'll get it. They've had one good game all season (Vs. a lacklustre QPR) and scraped wins against all of Everton, West Ham & Palace all of which they could have dropped 2 points in. As much as it pains me to say it, Liverpool will definitely pick up when Sturridge returns so they may just sneak it. I seriously don't think the most arduous fans of Southampton or West Ham would say they'll get a top 4 this season but it's good to see these teams up there, Swansea too! Spurs could go either way too, but I can see them losing crucial games come season end.

 

Hard one to call but I'm begrudgingly going to have to go with the same top 4 as last season (albeit in a different order).

Apparently the Liverpool board have discussed sacking Rodgers!! Would be a disgrace if true, remember where Liverpool were under Hodgson and Dalglish. Tbh, they're performing equally poorly this year, but come on!

 

Man United are interesting, as they have less points now than last year under Moyes (with better players and easier games). Despite that, the fans seem pleases with van Gaal so far - he does seem a more natural fit for the role. The defence is shocking though, especially for a club of their stature. Teams like Southampton, West Ham and Stoke have much better defensive units than them.

 

Finally, of course West Ham don't make top 4 :lol: We'd be happy finishing top half, playing good football and capable of giving anyone a game. The Olympic Stadium could be a gamechanger though ;)

Really? That would be pretty shocking considering he turned them from walkovers into title challengers in under 2 seasons. The fickle nature of football I suppose.

 

They do have fewer points this season but personally I'm more confident we can actually improve long-term under Van Gaal whereas with Moyes there was always that "glass ceiling" feeling that, for example, we'd never win away to a big team. Maybe what's helping Van Gaal is that now the fans aren't expecting immediate success so he's under a bit less pressure but with Moyes coming off the back of a title-winning season the expectation levels remained the same which in hindsight were far too ambitious. He did deserve more time in one sense, but deep down I felt even after 5+ seasons under him we'd still not be challenging for titles whereas under Van Gaal I feel a lot more optimistic as long as we get these first few seasons going in the right direction.

Edited November 15, 201410 yr by Dobbo

Apparently the Liverpool board have discussed sacking Rodgers!! Would be a disgrace if true, remember where Liverpool were under Hodgson and Dalglish. Tbh, they're performing equally poorly this year, but come on!

 

Man United are interesting, as they have less points now than last year under Moyes (with better players and easier games). Despite that, the fans seem pleases with van Gaal so far - he does seem a more natural fit for the role. The defence is shocking though, especially for a club of their stature. Teams like Southampton, West Ham and Stoke have much better defensive units than them.

 

Finally, of course West Ham don't make top 4 :lol: We'd be happy finishing top half, playing good football and capable of giving anyone a game. The Olympic Stadium could be a gamechanger though ;)

 

 

Really? That would be pretty shocking considering he turned them from walkovers into title challengers in under 2 seasons. The fickle nature of football I suppose.

 

They do have fewer points this season but personally I'm more confident we can actually improve long-term under Van Gaal whereas with Moyes there was always that "glass ceiling" feeling that, for example, we'd never win away to a big team. Maybe what's helping Van Gaal is that now the fans aren't expecting immediate success so he's under a bit less pressure but with Moyes coming off the back of a title-winning season the expectation levels remained the same which in hindsight were far too ambitious. He did deserve more time in one sense, but deep down I felt even after 5+ seasons under him we'd still not be challenging for titles whereas under Van Gaal I feel a lot more optimistic as long as we get these first few seasons going in the right direction.

 

The reports of Liverpool sacking Rodgers are a farce, no surprise all the reports are coming from rubbish papers and TALKsport! There will have been meetings this week I'm sure, but I don't think Liverpool would sack him. However we have gone from full throttle to pedestrian in the space of 6 months. Some of this can be blamed on Rodgers because we've changed our tactics and I don't think it suits our players. But secondly we just never got a Suarez replacement, especially since Sturridge is injury prone. That being said I think once Sturridge is back and fully fit we'll become a more dangerous outfit again as our midfield players miss him massively.

 

I said when Man Utd hired Moyes he would not work out, and I was right! Van Gaal though is getting an easier ride at the moment than he should be. There was poor recruitment again in the summer imo from them, and their defence really suffers from having too many headcases that you have no idea what they're going to do next (Smalling/Rojo/Rafael). Will be interesting to see how the game goes against Arsenal.

Any team would struggle losing Suarez to Barcelona and then Sturridge to injury. Then you have Balotelli, Lambert and Borini who haven't scored a league goal between them this season

 

I don't think Rodgers has helped himself though. I think it's been quite clear all season that Balotelli has struggled to play as a lone striker and yet there's been little effort to provide him with support.. whether that is a 2nd striker or even playing Sterling up top

 

Also thought it was a bit of a farce how Lovren in particular walked back into the team vs. Chelsea after Toure's performance vs. Real Madrid. So much for players playing for their place in the team

 

I wouldn't consider sacking him at all though. I do still have faith and hope that things will improve once Sturridge is back. Luckily the teams we're competing with have been equally as bad, so we haven't lost too much ground just yet

 

Any team would struggle losing Suarez to Barcelona and then Sturridge to injury. Then you have Balotelli, Lambert and Borini who haven't scored a league goal between them this season

 

I don't think Rodgers has helped himself though. I think it's been quite clear all season that Balotelli has struggled to play as a lone striker and yet there's been little effort to provide him with support.. whether that is a 2nd striker or even playing Sterling up top

 

Also thought it was a bit of a farce how Lovren in particular walked back into the team vs. Chelsea after Toure's performance vs. Real Madrid. So much for players playing for their place in the team

 

I wouldn't consider sacking him at all though. I do still have faith and hope that things will improve once Sturridge is back. Luckily the teams we're competing with have been equally as bad, so we haven't lost too much ground just yet

 

Sometimes you have to put these things in to perspective. Look how badly Klopp has started this season at Dortmund - yet most teams in the world would take him as a manager given half the opportunity.

 

Having neither Sturridge/Suarez for the majority of the games has been a massive blow. You take Costa/Aguero out of Chelsea/City and they would struggle. But that imo is a blame on Liverpool because we didn't buy a replacement for Suarez, and we were poorly prepared for Sturridge getting injured.

 

It's disappointing to be under-performing, but right now there's quite a few players badly out of form in Henderson/Balotelli/Lovren/Sterling. The latter has not been the same since Hodgson threw him under a bus.

Still fancy Man City to win the league. Nice to see the Premier League be a two team race at least! Hopefully the Aguero injury isn't as bad as it looks.

It always was a nonsense to declare the title race over in November. After all, it just takes a few rogue ball boys and that's the unbeaten record gone.

Don't think Mourinho wanted the fuss anyway. It wouldn't have been anywhere near as talked about had their start not been so blistering compared to anyone else.