Monday Hoddle of Coffee: Weekend Recap, October, 31, 2016

So here’s the good news: We’re undefeated through 10 games. We’re on pace to finish on 76 points, which would be a club record in the EPL era. We have the best defense in England. We’ve done all this despite the fact that we have not yet used last season’s best XI even once in the Premier League. This is all very good.

Here’s the bad news: Of the six sides expected to chase Champions League football we are solidly fifth best. United is a clown car dumpster fire and is doing their damnedest to make us all think last year’s Chelsea struggles weren’t a blip on Jose Mourinho’s record but perhaps a sign of real regression.

But after United the remaining four excluding Spurs all look very solid: Chelsea will be as good as we are defensively at some point in the near future and they have better attacking talent. Arsenal looks more sturdy defensively and, again, has better attacking talent. Liverpool and City both look like title challengers. We’re good. But we’re a step off their pace.

I’ll have more on this in tactics posts later this week, but for now I’d love to hear what you all think is behind our struggles of late. How much do we miss Kane and Alderweireld? How much of it is just flukey finishing that should level out over time? How much is about coaching? Discuss away, y’all.