Ten Games In [R]

[Dark Savante]

So as we tend to do, let's have thee ten game review. How do you think the league is shaping up, and so on?

[mhtwins113]

It seems like Chelsea's league to me. Their hunger and attitude reminds me of us in '06-'07: they've been on the losing end of things for just too long and they don't want to have that feeling yet another time, so they just seem to be on a mission to destroy anything and everything in their way (minus Liverpool, of course :rolleyes:).

Liverpool are pretenders riding their luck, today was a harbinger of things to come.

Arsenal = done.

Our complete non-chalance and (what I perceive to be) arrogance in our play is going to haunt us until the squad decides to flip the proverbial switch. We seem to have settled into a mindset of "we're the Double winners and twice defending Premier League champions, we can play when we need to and coast otherwise". Maybe I'm just being melodramatic, but this has been eating at me since the Liverpool match. I won't even go into the other elephant in the room: Sir Alex's, to put it mildly, confounding and stubborn tactical errors.

[Charleysurf]

I had a top 4 of Chelsea, Liverpool, United and then Arsenal predicted for the PL (although that was before we bought Berbatov) and that's the shape of it tonight. It's hard to call from here on in though.

It's hard to see Arsenal doing better than 4th now that they seem to lost the fight in midield (Flamini missing may be a big reason for this), but Liverpool still look very strong. They lost today but they played really well. They looked a lot more purposeful and driven than we have looked in recent games.

We've lost an edge. Maybe it's just a natural loss of hunger after winning 2 PLs and a CL, but it's dissapointing. Chelsea are not as good as the press would have had us believe judging by their abject performance last week. This league is there for the taking if we could get back to the usually clinical form of last season.

I'd like to see Evans and Foster playing in the defence more. I think Foster is going to end up as our number 1 and that's why Fergie has ruled out any loan move. I'd like us to speed up that transition. He's more commanding in his box than VDS and it might help us avoid losing so many goals from set pieces. And I'd like Evans putting more pressure on Rio and Vidic so they don't fall from last seasons standards.

In midfield I'm hoping things will improve now that Carrick is back. A combination of him, Fletcher and Anderson could work well as a midfield 3 in the tricky away games.

Up front is tough. It seems like Berbatov will always play just because we've paid so much money for him. But really we can't afford to push Tevez out from the club. We need him involved. As we saw today, Rooney is still going to be inconsistent.

We definitely have the squad to win the big prizes this year. But unless the players really have the hunger for it then it's just not going to happen.

[iDiveStevieG]

I see it as being Chelsea's title to lose, with Liverpool hanging on for quite sometime, eventually fading as we get deeper into the season. We'll be right there with them, until it turns into another two horse race with United and Chelsea. Arsenal won't win the title but I feel as if they won't be empty handed at the end of the season.

[MUFC_BARLOW]

Up front is tough. It seems like Berbatov will always play just because we've paid so much money for him. But really we can't afford to push Tevez out from the club. We need him involved. As we saw today, Rooney is still going to be inconsistent.

I think it will always be:

........Berbatov

............ Rooney


For first choice anyway.

when tevez came on today however it was:


Rooney.........bebratov...........ronaldo

.....................Tevez


I dont think its just because of the money we paid for berbatov that he will always lay. Its bcause fergie has been a fan of him for years, he compliments rooney better than tevez and he creates alot more chances than any other player in the team (how may assists has berba got this season now???).

However, i would still want fergie to try out:

Tevez..........Berbatov...........Ronaldo

...................rooney

i think this could work

[SirManchester]

I really don't think the top four will change and that only highlights the massive gap between said clubs and the rest. Villa are closest for me in breaching that but I can see them burn out, like they did last year come run-in. I don't think the squad changed significantly enough to accomplish otherwise.

It's Chelsea's to lose and our's and Liverpool's for second. In the end I think Liverpool, as much as they improved and Benitez seemed to have learned a few things as well they don't have the neccessary depth to make it and will eventually be overtaken by Chelsea and fight United for second place.

[433tom]

United all the way. I predicted we would have a tough start to the season. But here we sit only 5 points back with a game in hand against Fulham (after a lot of injuries and playing like S___T). The second half of the season we play every team in the top half at home... except Hull (sic). I said in the preseason thread that if we were within 5 in mid-December we would win it by 5. I'm standing by my prediction.

Having said that, Fergie needs to forget putting our 4 bug guns on the ptch at the same time and think a bit more about his midfield pairing (mainly when he starts subbing people).

But the thing that has got me really baffled is how often our defenders have switched off over the past few weeks. It's got to be a disease. Perhaps he needs to just leave Wes at RB and hopefully they will settle.

[cr7torossi]

Chelsea have got 2 or 3 points less from the same games last season. While they have thrashed a few poor teams on the way, this team is nothing as ruthless as Mourinho's 95-point team and nowhere as good against any decent opposition.

Performance against teams that qualified for Europe:-
Home:- 1 W, 2 D, 1L
Away:- None played

Again, Liverpool is being underestimated in this thread. Year-on-year, they are probably 7 or 8 points up from last season and have had an extremely tough start to the season.

Performance against teams that qualified for Europe:-
Home:- 1 W
Away:- 3 w, 1 D, 1 L

Us; we have been flat. The rotation is hurting us both at RB and in attack. More importantly, having Carrick and Scholes out means that we are left with only one central midfielder which is why I am going to reserve my judgement on our performances until both of them are back.

Performance against teams that qualified for Europe:-
Home:- None played
Away:- 1 w, 2 D, 1 L

Arsenal:- Poor. I saw them in pre-season and nothing has changed.

Performance against teams that qualified for Europe:-
Home:- 1 D
Away:- None played



Performance against teams that qualified for Europe:-
Home:- 1 W
Away:- 3 w, 1 D, 1 L

[Father Ted]

Considering injuries (Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick) and "disruptions" (Ronaldo, Neville coming back), we're sitting pretty at this stage. Plus after next weekend, we will have played our 3 toughest games (on paper at least) with still 27 games to go. Still not convinced by Chelsea considering they have only gotten 1 point out of 6 in their two big games at home so far. Liverpool are Liverpool, they'll be done by the turn of the year.

A little off topic after reviewing the fixture list, last Prem game on May 24? Jeez, thats late.

[sdotsom]

Think it's us and Chelsea. Chelsea have looked quite strong, tbh, but the idea that we haven't hit top form yet is comforting. The number of times we've gone like this - slow starts to warm into the season, then nice unbeaten runs after January - I'd still like to think we can win our EPL again.

[johno]

When I say I don't feel that Liverpool will be contenders for the title its not based very much on what we've seen so far. It is more grounded in my feeling about them over the last few years. Those who are annointing a champion or declaring a loser, in anything other than jest, is being premature as it is early days yet. We'll know more about the character of these teams after christmas. We'll see how Scolari handles that.

[The Jitty Slitter]

I remember posting in one of the other threads that midfield was going to be crucial.

Even though Berbatov looks the bomb, the points he will add over Tevez (if Utd continue 442), will be marginal.

Of far greater importance seems to be the midfield - which is really up in the air.

For me, whether Utd can take it or not is going to depend hugely on how much more you can nurse out of Scholes, and how Carrick goes.

The big surprise is Alonso.

If he is back and has a great season, then Liverpool have maybe the best midfield 3. Which makes it all the more galling that Arsenal didn't buy him.

Finally, if the recession really is a depression, some clubs are going to be seriously in the shite come Jan.

[Rewinder]

Liverpool are already in serious trouble financially, but they are in discussions with the crown prince of dubai about a deal, so they may only get stronger.

[benni...]

10 games in, and its nice to see Hull get where they've gotten so far. I still expect them to drop to at lowest, 13th.

We started slow as usual. We are slowly but surely picking up the pace. Our defense has come under a lot more pressure than this time like season. There have been some horrendous error's. On the same token, the midfield hasnt really helped. Thats what happens when you play two attacking players as center midfielders.

To be fair to our midfielders, Darren Fletcher has been top notch since the start of the season. I dont think he's done too much wrong. Since Scholes is going to be out for a while yet, Darren Fletcher deserves to partner Michael Carrick in midfield.

Also maybe this specific inquiry deserves its own thread, but here we go. I can understand resting and rotating Giggs and Anderson, because at CM, neither are 90 minute players. But why is Fletcher getting rotated?

The forward line is fine AFAIC. Maybe Tevez needs to get more games with Berbatov, but ... we will see.

We are going to get better when Scholes returns. That much is obvious. Its wether SAF decides to ask Scholes to do the job of a 25 year old re: his CM role. Instead of as a schemer/retainer.

All of us have not played Arsenal yet, so that could help our campaign. It could probably kick start a real run of good form.

[yikchi]

Chelsea looks strong especially against weak teams. They just go out and demolish mediocre opponents. It's their league to lose, imo. Also, they don't have Cole and Essien, when J. Cole comes back it could only help and there is always a chance for them to strengthen in the next transfer window.

I think United is the only team that can catch Chelsea. However, CL and the trip to Japan might throw us off. We have the capability to win the league but we need to get going quickly. A few more slip ups and it might be just too much to ask to catch Chelsea.

I don't see Liverpool sustaining this for an entire season. They are definitely better in the league than previous seasons but they have already ride their luck too many times this early in the season. They don't have the depth to challenge the league for an entire season.

It's the same old Arsenal, don't see them winning anything this year other than the FA cup or Carling cup.

Hull city is here to stay, at least for this season. They remind me of Bolton a few years back with Geovanni providing the magic in the midfield a la Kevin Nolan.

I think W.B.A. is going down, they try to play with footie with the big boys but don't have the talent to do so.

[Harry Boulton]

So far, so good. The loss to Liverpool apart it's been alright. The dropped points have been disappointing but you can't win them all. Losing to Liverpool is the only result which has really let me down so far. The rest I can give or take.

I think it's shaping up to be us or Chelsesa for the title, but only because I view Liverpools early season form with a degree of cynicism. I've seen them start brightly before and fade away and there has been an element of good fortune about them so far which doesn't strike me as the form of a championship winning side. Late goals, own goals and teams capitulating for them, rather than because of them, it all adds up to a side riding their luck as much as they are creating it.

Arsenal look finished already but you really never know. They're only a point behind us and 6 off the top, which is not conclusive at all. Their form looks aweful though and they lack belief, from their display against Stoke. Saying that Rory Delaps throws have caused problems for everyone they have played so far. They won't be the first to be defeated by him. But I would expect better from a side that porports to be a title challenger.

Villa look fantastic so far. They play with such verve and poise and Agbonlahor and Young have struck up a great undersanding with Carew. They look like a side in progress. Arsenal need to watch out. To stsnfd still is to move backwards and all that......?

Tottenhams terrible start to the season was THE talking point of the opening 10 games at some points. However, with Money-Grabber Redknapp in charge they have 7 points from their last 9 and appear to be on the up, so to speak.

[Val1]

I think the title is Chelsea's to lose. Let's face it, you and Chelsea have had significant injuries already, but Chelsea knows how they are going to line up week in and week out. While any team that relies on Malouda and Anelka for goals will struggle some games, Drogba and Essien's loss seem hardly felt. As for you guys, I'm still not sure, after two seasons of a diminishing Scholes, Carrick and Hargreaves struggling to get 20 games healthy in a row, that Ferguson knows how you would line up if he had everyone healthy. Everyone at Liverpool knows that Rafa likes a lineup for each opponent, but I think that uncertaintly is not helping you. And while we all know, after three seasons now in the Premiership, that Berbatov is the second coming of Dennis Bergkamp, I still think Tevez is your most impactful player and you are just weaker without him. Liverpool is stronger this year, so of the top four, it is the only team that seems improved, so that is the wildcard. Course, they haven't been hit by injuries like you and Chelsea, but sometimes teams make it through a season without any injuries. Those teams usually win something. As for the Arse, we're floundering and we squandered our easy start to the season. I didn't expect to finish above 3rd, and now we've got a dogfight with Villa for 4th, but if we don't know how to win and close out a season, they don't either.

Other than that, Hull has been an enjoyable surprise and I hope they continue to wreak havoc on the premiership. Same can be said of Rory Delap, his destruction of Arsenal notwithstanding. Tottenham were too good to be bottom of the table for so long, and they'll scrap back into mid-table. As a plastic Boro fan, I am enjoying their standing after 10 games. I'd love to see them finish 7th or 8th, though that won't happen.

Other than the race for the title, the biggest issues will be whether Newcastle can recover form to escape the relegation zone (or whether they will have to battle it the whole of the season) and the kind of money Man City will have to spend come January, and what it does for them.

In any event, we'll still have 4 teams in Champions League quarterfinals, so expect more bleating from Platini. While Arsenal are clearly struggling, we're also more creative and explosive than any other team sitting fourth their respective league. I expect another year of European domination for England, with Liverpool winning it all again.

[cr7torossi]

Chelsea continue their impersonation of Scolari-Portugal in their results.

[Father Ted]

So... 11 games in and is it all doom and gloom now? Sure we lost a few more points on the other 3. But all is not lost, just 8 points behind and a game against Fulham in hand. Next 3 Prem games up are:

Stoke(H)
Villa(A)
Citeh(A)

[Invincible]

What we have to do is get our act together(for goodness sake, how do you lose a game like we did on Saturday?), hope Liverpool drops more points along the way, then hope that both Liverpool and Arsenal do the business against Chelsea.(Because let's face it, Chelsea destroy any team not in the 'big 4'). It's the only way I see us catching Chelsea and 'Pool.