Our title chance is now hiding in plain sight…

Whether you like a bet or not, bookmaker odds are a very good guide to expectation and chances – even though occasionally outsiders like Leicester win and make a mockery of the markets. One incredible development following our incredible win at Brighton was to see our title price fall to an extreme low of 5/4.

That means we’re now classed as having a better chance of winning the Premier League than the percentage quoted, before the season started, for us to finish in the top four (clearly our main objective). Incidentally the price to achieve that regardless now stands at an astonishing 1/33 which translates as a 97.1% probability that we will be back among Europe’s elite next season, even if we don’t sustain our period at the summit of the division.

Zinchenko is a vital cog…

There were many superb performances throughout our line-up at the Amex on Saturday night, but our summer defensive signing from Man City stood out for me. He completed exactly an hour on the pitch and departed the action with us leading 3-0 and our clean sheet intact. It wasn’t just his defensive actions that were notable in the game, he made plenty of key passes and interceptions further infield and up the pitch – looking comfortably assured under-pressure and always finding the right option. Mikel Arteta is clearly protecting his fitness, as only one of his 11 performances for the club has resulted in him being on the pitch for the full duration, but that freshness will be vital as the season progresses.

Front four all on target…

It will give the boss great satisfaction that all four of his starting eleven’s most attacking players got on the scoresheet yesterday. This season has been notable for how happily we are sharing the goals around the squad. Interestingly, before the World Cup break we’d reached an astonishing milestone of a double-figures (11) number of different scorers in just 14 Premier League games.

I can confidently guess that that will be some kind of record for reaching that kind of total in such a short time. We’re also at double-figures in assist providers in the league campaign too, which again speaks volumes for how linked up and purposeful our style of play is.