The current top six teams’ records after the first ten games are –

It’s one of the closest title races that I can remember with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all on twenty three points while Chelsea are only one back on twenty two points. If it remains this close we can look forward to one of the tensest and most exciting seasons that we have experienced.

Manchester City started off strongly winning their first six games but they have faltered in the last four picking up only five points out of twelve.

Liverpool have the weakest defence leaking 1.3 goals per game and Tottenham have the tightest giving up a meagre .5 goals per game.

After a slow start Arsenal are unbeaten in the last eight Premier League games, only dropping points to Middlesbrough who put up a stalwart display of defence. While in those eight games we have outscored the opposition by twenty goals to six.

Chelsea faltered against Liverpool and Arsenal but have rebounded winning their last four without conceding a single goal. Manchester United cannot be counted out as although they are eight points adrift in eighth place, Mourinho will be foaming at the mouth and urging them on – plus they will most likely bring in new players during the January transfer window.

Games against each other may well be the deciding factor and the record of those games so far this season is below. In this area Liverpool are unbeaten and have the edge with seven points already in the bag, Spurs and Everton are also unbeaten.

The next nine games, listed below, will take us into 2017 and to the half way point in the season.

Liverpool appear to have a distinct advantage in the next nine games as they only meet two of the top six and starting with Watford they have a run of six very winnable games.

Arsenal have yet another difficult November ahead and the outcome of the next two games against Tottenham and Manchester United will give us a measuring stick on our season.

Will we see the newest version of Arsenal or will we see a return of the “old”?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Written by GunnerN5

That’s Giroud; of course, that I am talking about for those who may have been wondering over recent weeks what FFP stands for. On he bounded looking determined, rested and raring to get goals and that is exactly what he did. With his first touch of the game he put us back ahead and then shortly after with just his second touch he scored again this time from a corner, powerfully guiding the ball over the keeper’s out stretched hand. Smiling from ear to ear he knew that he had saved the day and the thought crossed my mind as he reeled away in celebration knowing he put the game completely out of Sunderland’s reach that the only thing missing from this picture was a Superman cape with the letters FFP on the back. Welcome back Ollie you have been missed.

Arsenal’s training session in the North East in preparation for next week’s North London Derby went exactly to plan. Arsene Wenger was able to completely rest Özil who surprisingly didn’t even travel and bring Oxlaide-Chamberlain in for Walcott and Gibbs for Monreal giving the two regulars an extra week to recover, again in preparation for next week, although, it took very little time to see that there really isn’t a lot of difference between all four of them. Oxlaide-Chamberlain and Gibbs are able deputies and both highlight the depth and strength of the squad.

The Ox started confidently, buoyed by his two goals in mid week against Reading; it was his excellent cross that Sanchez headed home to get us off the mark.

This goal was on the back of a twenty-one pass move but although Sanchez still had a lot to do when the ball came in the star of this show was the quality of the cross. It is made all the better when compared with some of the crosses Alex has sent over this season which can only be described as somewhere between bad and woeful and so when he shaped to send in what turned out to be a thing of beauty I feared the worse but fear I needn’t have because boy did he deliver. Well done young man.

Shortly after Gibbs and he dispossessed a Sunderland player by their corner flag, Ox ran in and shot from the most impossible angle when Iwobi and Sanchez were waiting on the 18 yard line. Iwobi put his hands in front of him to indicate where he had wanted the ball played and Sanchez threw his hands in the air in frustration. Alex glanced guiltily at the bench, aware of his school boy error and from then on his confidence slowly waned and he gradually drifted out of the game until he was subbed in the second half.

As we all know we should have put this one to bed a lot earlier but we were clearly lacking a killer instinct. Özil as I said didn’t travel, Iwobi is just too nice; he is the kind of boy you would be happy to meet your mum; he needs Ian Wright to take him under his wing to teach him just how to be more of a selfish, fatherless person. Apparently Wenger commented in the week that he thought that Iwobi is trying too hard in front of goal, suggesting he needs to relax more, gotta agree with that. It wouldn’t surprise me if he gets a bit of a rest now, starting on the bench mid-week as well as the coming weekend as more of the Cav return namely Giroud. Sanchez will probably move out to the left to replace our up and coming Nigerian star.

And on that subject, Sanchez was a bit like a one of those super dooper Swiss Army Knives which is able to do anything and so is he. The problem is that there is such a great deal of choice you have to take time to consider which tool would be the most appropriate for the job in hand and so with Alexis; he is so multi talented that the possibilities available to him are so much greater than other players and because of that he often takes more time than necessary which usually involves trying to beat one more player than is needed when more often than not a simple pass would be more effective.

Sunderland were poor but even so they still managed to give us a scare when the referee’s selected decision making ignored the fact that Sanchez was being pulled back in the Sunderland box which should have been a penalty to us but five minutes later he had no problem awarding one at the other end which Defoe put away to level the score.

It was all set up for Giroud and he wasn’t going to waste this chance to show everyone what they had been missing. Ramsey reappeared amidst the celebrations of Giroud’s first and it immediately became apparent that he is so much more than a box to box player. Elneny is a box to box player and while I am on that subject he deserves special mention for the calm, controlled performance that he put in today. The Egyptian will run from the edge of our box to the edge of the opponent’s box but will rarely go in. Watch Ramsey, by contrast, he can run from box to box with the best of them but notice in the short period that he was on yesterday how many times he glided into Sunderland’s box adding to the attacking threat. In fact he played a part in the fourth goal when Gibbs hit the post and Ramsey played it onto Sanchez whose nimble feet seemed to dance on a sixpence before he poked it past their helpless goalkeeper.

Job done, game over, banana skin avoided, Sanchez was my man of the match, sometimes he can be frustrating but that is only because he offers so many possibilities. Moving on, oh how I am looking forward to next weekend, it would have been a bit of a shame if spuds had lost to Leicester, shame in the way, that is, that it would have taken some of the shine off next week when we inflict their first loss.

COYRRG

Written by LB

An early kick off on a Saturday up in the wilds of the North East and who knows what the 90 minutes might bring. If Eddie’s theory about the players training in the mornings and having a kip in the afternoon is correct, then let’s hope the lads hit their perfect peak at 12.30 today.

So far the Mackems are having a dismal season with 2 draws and 7 defeats from their first 9 fixtures. Let’s hope and pray that it’s not us who allows them any release from this calamitous run.

Whenever we travel to Sunderland, I have to remember it’s a degree or two cooler up there, though, today, the weather looks mild, with a light breeze and little chance of rain. Perfect October weather for playing football it would seem. The Stadium of Light pitch should be in good nick, too.

Hopefully we can keep the crowd quiet early on and maybe nick an early goal. In other words, the normal recipe for a day of reduced tension and low blood pressure.

In his post match interview on Wednesday evening, David Moyes was asked about being sent to the stands by Chris Kavanagh (the referee). Moyes had to ask who Chris Kavanagh was! He does seem a little lost since he left Everton.

Sunderland also intended to travel straight back after the match in midweek but were kept overnight on the South coast by fog. Hopefully that also disrupted their plans for today’s game. I’ll take any advantage, me.

Team news

It appears that Ramsey and everyone’s favourite Frenchman are back and in the squad. Perhaps neither will start, though with the continued absence of Santi, there does appear to be an opening for Aaron to provide some creativity in the box-to-box role. By the way, the signs for Santi are good and there’s even talk that he might have a test to see if he can play. It never seems a good idea to rush someone back, especially if there are able deputies, so I still think Santi will be out.

Theo and Nacho also face tests. Nacho is covered by Kieran. Lucas is out for a while after being clobbered by a Reading Neanderthal, so maybe the Ox would be the obvious replacement on the right.

C’mon you Gunners. Three points would make me feel a whole lot better and set the weekend up nicely.

(BR is without internet at present, hence the short, hastily written pre-match. Hopefully normality will be resumed for Tuesday.)

Written by chas