There are no major shocks at the top of the table. The top 5 remain the same with Real Madrid and Barcelona in the top two spots, followed by Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Arsenal.

Chelsea come in at 6th and Liverpool are 8th. Manchester City jumped 9 places but, at 11th, just missed out on the top 10.

The Premiership is still the best represented league in the table with seven teams in the top 20.

However, Newcastle's season in the Championship in 2009-10 saw them drop out of the top 20, with Deloitte estimating their position to be somewhere between 40th and 50th. The Premier League's strong presence in the table is largely down to the huge incomes received from Sky TV and it's losing the estimated £38m from Premiership TV, to be replaced by around £5m from Championship TV money that's hit Newcastle hard.

Sunderland, their arch-rivals who remained in the Premier League last year, overtook Newcastle in the list with a position some ten points higher despite lower gate receipts.

Newcastle's fall is likely to be short-lived. With a return to the Premiership this year and decent performances to date, Newcastle's revenues will be up on last year and they are expected to return to the top 20. It is also likely that they will leap-frog Sunderland to become the north-east's richest club again.

This demonstrates just how massive an effect the Sky sponsorship has on the ability of clubs to compete financially.

However, for much of that time I've also despaired that if a team defends deep we've got no answer. Yes we own the pitch up to their 18 yard box, but then we're shut out. There's no decisive pass, no directness or flair to break the defence down. This lack of ability to get goals out of possession is the biggest barrier to us winning silverware.

Sunday was a fairly typical example. Chelsea all but relinquished control of two-thirds of the pitch for long periods. But they were comfortable doing so, defending deep and hitting Arsenal with strong, determined attacks when we eventually lost the ball.

I almost felt sorry for Petr Cech, standing out in that awful weather with nothing to do all afternoon. Okay he had to make a couple of saves but Arsenal's ratio of chances to possession was low. Again.

How can I say this after the 6-0 drubbing of Blackpool or some of the other great results we've had? Because Blackpool defended poorly - far too high up the pitch allowing us to get behind them with our pace. Plus of course we have good days and bad ones. But to win things we need to break down the difficult teams, be less predictable and find the decisive shot on goal.

It was forgivable while we developed our glorious style of football. But this criticism has been around for a while now and has yet to be addressed - pretty football is great, but we need end product.

I can't think of a manager I'd rather have at the club than Arsene Wenger. But that doesn't mean we should ignore a serious failing in our game play. If Arsenal want to win trophies, they need to learn a lesson from Chelsea and know when to go for the jugular. Chelsea are progressing from a team that wins but isn't pretty to watch, to a more stylish - yet still winning team. We need to go from being a great team to watch to a team that picks up titles.

It's true that I'm not a Chelsea fan and yes, I do wish my club had your financial backing and of course I wish my team had won the Premiership last season. But that's not why I'm glad Chelsea lost on Saturday. It's much simpler than that, and more complimentary to Chelsea.

The reason that I'm glad Chelsea lost on Saturday is that is shows they CAN lose. It shows the league is open and any one of a number of teams have a chance of winning it. Because up until this week, although we are only a few games in, Chelsea looked amazing. Brilliant. Unstoppable.

They've had a raft of great players for several years. After a shaky start - as newly put together teams always do - they had gelled into a solid and impressive team, so much so that last season they rightfully won the title.

But even the performance last season pales against the start to this one. As not only a non-Chelsea fan but someone who actively dislikes Chelsea (having been spat on by the home fans above me at Stamford Bridge) it takes a lot for me to admit it, but Chelsea have been absolutely stunning in the first games of this season.

For me, they have been determined and ruthless for some time, but what they lacked was the beautiful flowing football enjoyed by fans of Arsenal and Manchester United. They won, but were not attractive. You can't say that this year. They've been entertaining to watch and devastatingly effective.

The problem was, it looked like they could create an unassailable lead within the first ten games and that would mean a boring season. Thankfully two losses in a week have shown they can be overcome. They can slip up and there is room for challengers to push them all the way to the end.

Unfortunately for non-Chelsea fans, the main challengers failed to capitalise. Arsenal in particular squandered a great chance to narrow with a woeful display at Sunderland. Manchester United only crept a point nearer thanks to the usual resilient Bolton performance.

I would bet money on Chelsea winning back-to-back titles. They've found something under Ancelotti they had been missing and it's made them a more complete team - likely to not only win them more silverware but also more admirers. But I really, really hope it stays close through to the end. That's when we'll see the best not only of Chelsea, but of the greatest league in the world.

Tuesday night was one of frustration for the two English clubs involved in the group stage. Manchester United were held by a very resilient Rangers team and Tottenham let a two-goal away lead against Werder Bremen slip out of their hands to also end with a draw.

On Wednesday night we saw an outstanding display from Arsenal who strolled past Braga, and a very accomplished performance from Chelsea to beat MSK Zilina.

These results mirror the teams' start to the season. Chelsea couldn't have stamped their authority on the Premier League any more clearly than they have with their first 4 games and deservedly top the table. Admittedly they haven't faced the toughest of opposition yet but even so, 17 goals in four games with only 1 conceded is a fantastic start.

Chelsea dominated the first half against Zilina taking a deserved 3-0 lead into half-time. However, after another goal just after the break they sat back and had a dissapointing spell, allowing Zilina to get back into the game and claw a goal back. While Chelsea still had a comfortable lead, this was surprising from a side that happily put 6 goals past Wigan and West Brom.

Arsenal are just behind Chelsea in the Premiership table thanks to a draw with Liverpool on the opening day of the season. The Gunners are playing beautiful football with confidence, even against Bolton who historically have posed the team a problem.

Against Braga, Arsenal showed how they can not only dominate possession with crisp passing and excellent movement, but they can be incisive and make that possession count. Arsenal started the game intent on a win and had that sealed by half time. Encouragingly they didn't then dip like Chelsea, but kept chasing right through to the end and the only question was why only six? A great commanding display from Fabregas led the team but they all played their part. Chamahk pulled the defenders out of position to give others opportunities, Wilshere made some great forward passes and the defence was solid.

In comparison, Manchester United had a poor night on Tuesday. Yes Rangers came with only Plan A - park the bus in front of the goal. That said, United had two failings. First, the players on the pitch didn't play well. United are usually the kind of team that can undo a tight defence (it's usually Arsenal who struggle there) and their lack of success was as much down to their failings as it was to Walter Smith's tactics.

The second failing was Ferguson's choice of substitutes. Fair enough that he wants to rest key players if he believes he can win the game. But you keep them on the bench in case the game needs changing. And it did. Nil-nil against Rangers is two points lost for Manchester United and he should have had Berbatov, Scholes and nani on the bench ready to shake-up the team.

Finally, Tottenham 'were taught a lesson' about the Champions League on Tuesday. Spurs showed their potential in the first half, taking a two goal lead and delighting fans with the quality of their football. Their attacking play was strong and the defence was certain, giving the confidence to push forward. But the second half highlighted where they still have work to do. They left Werder Bremen too much room behind the midfield and Lennon failed to double up on the left defence. Bremen deserved to equalise and Spurs were even lucky to get the draw by the end. That said, the evening should have been satisfying for Spurs fans overall - a point away from home against a strong team and signs of the potential of the team.

So an interesting first week in the Champions League. There's a long way to go and team form changes over the season but we should see at least three, if not all four, English teams proceed to the next stage.

It was only a few short weeks ago that Chelsea were clear at the top of the league and playing as if they could never lose.

Yet now they are a mere point ahead of Manchester United, three above Arsenal, have lost two games in a row and have been rocked by personal scandals affecting two of their key defensive players.

Manchester United, meanwhile, have Rooney in a rich vein of form and have a history of strong run-ins to the end of the season. Arsenal don't look so strong but are racking up the points and have closed the gap above them.

So who will lift the trophy?

If Arsenal want to be real title contenders they need to turn games like the away fixture against Sunderland into an opportunity to come home with at least a point. The 0-1 result was disappointing but not wholly unexpected if you take into account most of Arsenal's squad were coming back from international duty, the team had just lost the in-form Van Persie and Sunderland were fresh after a two week hiatus. As for the 3-0 Man City loss in the Carling Cup, Arsenal's youngsters (and oldster Silvestre) came unstuck against a City side content to really bear their teeth at the Gunners and who desperately needed a win after 6 consecutive draws. Both games were wintery occasions away to a battling sides in the north - in recent seasons an unfortunate indication that Arsenal might suffer. In other words, the losses to Man City and Sunderland were just about forigveable. The Chelsea defeat was not.

Arsenal have been turning the Emirates into a fortress and in recent seasons have registered good results against the vast majority of Premiership teams including Liverpool and Manchester United, (last season's Champsions League semi final being the exception). Chelsea, on the other hand, have won thier last two games at the Emirates with a combined score of 7-1 in their favour.

It wasn't always this way. Between the 95/96 season and the 03/04 season Arsenal lost only twice to Chelsea in all competitions and on occasion racked up some fantastic home and away wins against the Blues. The turning point came toward the end of Ranieri's reign when Arsenal, 2-1 up on aggregate at half time in the Champions League quarter final second leg, let Chelsea back in crashing out 2-3 to an 87th minute Bridge winner.

Since then, Arsenal have won only twice in 14 fixtures against their London rivals. Pyschologically, that Champions League exit in the season of Arsenal's "Invincible" squad must have been a huge blow but a further factor tells the story of Chelsea's dominance. On both occasions Arsenal won, Didier Drogba wasn't playing. The Ivorian giant has tormented Arsenal since his arrival at Stamford Bridge in 2004, netting 10 past Arsene Wenger's men, including the two he scored last week. Crucially, Arsenal have let winning positions slip against Chelsea on 3 occasions since 03/04 - in the 2006/7 League Cup Final, in the 2007/8 Premier League Emirates fixture and in the 2008/9 FA Cup semi-final - and it has been Drogba's goals and presence which have been telling on each occasion. If Arsenal had been able to register a victory in (any of) those games the Emirates trophy cabinet would likely be a little less threadbare for the seasons after 2005.

My point is this - Arsenal need to find a way to reverse the curse of Chelsea. They may not be able to dominate like they did in the pre-Mourinho era as Chelsea are a very different proposition but if Arsenal can at least give as good as they get - as they do against Manchester United and Liverpool - they even the odds for picking up that elusive trophy. This season Drogba has been almost impossible to stop irrespective of who he is playing against but if Arsenal are to progress past Chelsea in knock out competitions or get one over them in the league they need to find a way to lock him up. Either that, or wait until Didier is sold or retires.

As a small postscript, I find it interesting that frequently one player is able to perform so well against specific opposition over several years, even when that opposition change manager, players or stadium. Torres' recent dominance of the normally solid Ferdinand-Vidic defensive pairing of Manchester United might be a case in point. I was talking about the Drogba effect on Arsenal with a friend this week and he reminded me that Le Tissier always scored against his club, Newcastle. Another friend, a Derby fan, said that embarressingly Steve Claridge always netted against the Rams. And, at least, I can console myself that Arsenal have produced many outstanding players who have been significant thorns in the side of other clubs - Henry tormented Middlesborough and Leeds, Pires always scored against Spurs and Ian Wright hit the back of the net against everyone.

To find answers to this question, I compiled a "Best of English Football" league. I don't know why British newspapers/statisticians don't employ this more often but the Brazilian press use the criteria "percentages of available points won" as a league ranking. This eliminates the problem of looking at a league table with "games in hand" to take into account. For example, let's say if Aston Villa had won their first two games at the start of the season they would have a percentage of 100% (6 points won / 6 points available) after two games and would finish above a team who had won two but drawn one which would have a percentage of 77% (7 points won / 9 points available). The advantage of this is that you can also compare teams across divisions or even countries even if they have played vastly different numbers of games. So, using this criteria let's compile an elite league of 12 made up of the top 3 from the top four English divisions. This is what it looks like.

Percentage of available points won.

1. Chelsea (Prem) 81%
2. Leeds United (CCL1) 80%
3. Man Utd (Prem) 76%
4. Arsenal (Prem) 73%
5. Bournemouth (CCL1) 68%
6. Newcastle (CCC) 67%
7. Charlton (CCL1) 64%
=7 MK Dons (CCL1) 64%
=7 Rochdale (CCL2) 64%
=7 Dag & Red (CCL2) 64%
11. West Brom (CCC) 60%
12. Cardiff (CCC) 60%

This league of leagues shows how the Premiership really is a league of extremes in which the top teams have to perform extraordinarily well maintain a title challenge. The top 3 Premier League teams appear in the top 4 overall form positions. Arsenal, despite being 3rd in the Premier League are producing results 6% better than Newcastle who are top of the Championship. Another factor in favour of the Premiership teams has been the lack of draws in the top half of the Premier League this season – more points are being won by more teams. Well done to Leeds United too, who are clearly dominating League 1 taking 80% of points available to them.

But, when it comes to goals scored per game, what does the league of leagues look like?

Average goals per game (gpg).

1. Arsenal 3.2
2. Chelsea 2.5
3. Man Utd 2.3
4. Cardiff 2.1
5. West Brom 1.9
=5 Leeds 1.9
=5 Rochdale 1.9
=5 Dag and Red 1.9
9. Charlton 1.6
10. Newcastle 1.5
11. Bournemouth 1.3
12. MK Dons 1.2

This league demonstrates, then, that Arsenal are scoring far more freely than anyone else in the top 4 English divisions, netting 0.7 more goals per game than Chelsea and everyone else. In fact, the best teams from Europe are not scoring 3 goals per game either: Barcelona 2.6 gpg, Inter 2.5 gpg. Even in the SPL where the old Firm usually dominate the rest of the league convincingly, Celtic top the gpg ratio at only 2.0. Again, the Premiership seems to be the division to watch in order to see goals. Much has been made this season of Cardiff's free-scoring in the Championship but they still average less gpg than Chelsea and Manchester United.

Strangely, Bournemouth and Newcastle can't muster more than two goals per game and yet they are leaders of their respective leagues. This shows, of course, that defence is equally important to success. Or, in other words, goal difference (goals scored – goals conceded) is obviously an even more important indication of whether a team are winning and winning well. Arsenal fans won't be happy if Arsenal concede as many as they score.

So, here is the goal difference league across the four divisions divided by the number of games played by each team. The number in the league then is the number of goals MORE that a team scores than their opponents on average per game.

1. Arsenal +1.9
2. Chelsea +1.8
3. Manchester United +1.7
4. Leeds United +1.4
5. West Brom +1.1
6. Cardiff + 1
7. Newcastle +0.9
=7 Rochdale +0.9
9. Charlton +0.7
=9 Dag and Red +0.7
11. Bournemouth +0.5
12. MK Dons +0.3

When Arsenal fans have gone to watch Arsenal this season they have been watching a team that averages more than 3 goals per game and who beats teams by almost a clear 2 goal margin. Or, the average Arsenal score this season has been a 3-1 win to the Gunners. No other team is able to dominate teams quite so thoroughly in all 4 divisions. Cardiff, who have done well to score so many goals, seem to concede a lot as they only manage to beat teams by one goal each time.

These statistics are clearly not the be all and end all in comparing teams across the divisions. Bournemouth are topping League 2 with a very low goals scored and goal difference. It seems apparent that the outcome of a league – especially at the business end of the season – will be down to many other competing factors including when and against whom goals are scored and conceded. What these statistics do show, however, is that Arsenal supporters should be a fairly happy lot right now. Nowhere in England or probably Europe is a team scoring so many goals in order to overturn teams so completely.

As a Gooner myself I say long may it continue!

With that in mind, what did we learn? Well, for thing, that United would a much more rigid outfit playing a straight 4-4-2, rather than the more fluid 4-3-2-1 concoction of past seasons. While this could be seen as a regression to a more simplistic style of play, it should get the best out of Rooney, who should now get to play as a more traditional centre forward, and Berbatov, who played in a 4-4-2 during his Leverkusen and Spurs peak. This formation puts more pressure on the central midfield, and with Owen Hargreaves seemingly no closer to making any kind of a comeback, the jury is out on whether a combination of Carrick and Fletcher will be able to dominate in the middle of the park. More will be expected, also, of the bustling but limited Park Ji-Sung and the frustrating show-pony Nani now that Ronaldo has sashayed out of Manchester, though the fleet-footed Valencia made an encouraging cameo. Rooney and Berbatov should score more than last season, and Owen may well chip in with a few, fitness permitting, but how many goals United score from midfield will be the key to them retaining their title.

Talking of formations, as we were, Chelsea have ditched their Mourinho-inspired 4-2-3-1 for a 4-1-2-1-2 (or 4-4-2 diamond, if you prefer) a favoured formation of their new manager during his Milan days. It's stylistically similar to the style adopted during the early days of Luis Felipe Scolari's ill-fated reign and its usage could see Ancelotti suffer a similar fate to the avuncular Brazilian. While an attempt to change the playing style of Chelsea's arch-pragmatists is no bad thing, one gets the impression that Ancelotti decided on this formation before appraising his playing staff and is now having to shoe-horn players into unfamiliar roles. Malouda is a left-winger who loves to get chalk on his boots and looked much less comfortable having to come inside to make way for Cole's shuttling runs from left back (his subdued performance was a shame, given that towards the end of last season under Hiddink he looked rejuvenated, back to his inspired Lyon pomp) and with Anelka's natural instinct also being to drift out to the left channel, that side of the pitch could get somewhat congested. By contrast, Chelsea's right flank was a no-man's land in the first half, with both Essien and the uncomfortable right back Ivanovic unwilling to surge forward down that flank. It took the introduction of the galloping Jose Boswinga at half-time to give some semblance of balance. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea's players can adapt to the new style, or whether it will be as easily stifled as Scolari's system was. However, if Ancelotti can coax yet another goalscoring season from the irrepressible Lampard and get Drogba back to his battering ram best, there will be another title challenge from the Londerners' ageing squad.

What we learnt from the Community Sheild was scant, in all honesty. Ahead of a new season, more questions than answers remain for these sides. Can they both adapt to their new styles of play? Do either side have plan B if and when things go wrong? Do the ageing figureheads of Chelsea's squad have one more title push in them? Will United's midfielders score enough goals? Does Petr Cech realise that the combination of his black and fluorescent green shirt and headgear makes him look like a character from Tron?

We'll have to wait a while for answers, but what's undoubted is that these two sides will be in the scramble for the title again. Much will depend, though, on how long it takes them to adjust to the new formations and the upheavals of the summer. In a title fight with a dangerous looking Liverpool side, a zesty, underrated Arsenal and possibly even big spenders Manchester City, both of these sides are going to have to hit the ground running starting next weekend. Thankfully, their dress rehearsal today showed plenty of promise.

A few short observations:
1) The ghost of Mourinho hangs around Stamford Bridge now. Who is brave (or stupid) enough to come to a pressure cooker of a club with an aging squad and expect to match the achievements of the special one?

2) Chelsea have been flat recently. Ballack has been off, Anelka's goals have dried up and even the steadfast Cech has been a bit wobbly (witness Torres' first at Anfield). But, maybe it was the loss of Essien above all which cost Scolari the essential segment of a starting XI spine.

3) Working for a football club is a rollercoaster of a ride. My sister-in-law was an English teacher to some of Scolari's coaching staff. Now, she's out of a job.

4) Question is: will the Brazilians and Portuguese who congregated around Felipão also hand in their transfer requests by this summer...?

5) You heard it here first: Scolari to move back to Brazil and replace Dunga as manager of the national XI in time for World Cup 2010.

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

I live abroad but have been lucky enough to see the entirety of the last three Arsenal games on cable here. Despite the excitement over a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge, I think Arsenal`s struggles are not over, by any means. Arsenal did not "deserve" the Chelsea win based on the performance, in my opinion. If the linesman had called RVP`s first, there was little that suggested Arsenal were about to turn things around. Chelsea, for their part are also struggling in some departments, and were not "agricultural enough" (to quote one strange piece of commentary) to push for the equaliser.

I`d love to be proved wrong, of course, but here are some reasons why I`m still worried for Arsenal...

1) The current Arsenal EPL line-up is a strange hybrid of the Carling Cup youth team and the 1st team squad. Injuries have necessitated this situation. Oddly, the hybrid lacks the unpredictability and energy of the younger team or the experience and resolve of the established team.

2) No width in any of the games. Denilson and Nasri were kept busy chasing Cole and Basingwa and rarely penetrated the final third. Clichy is lively but often cuts inside. Eboue, Rosicky and Walcott are sorely missed. Again, injuries are the culprit here. The returning Sagna helped here against Chelsea.

3) Denilson and Song. I have yet to see anything from these two that really convince me they are more than squad-filler. I know they are young and in development but if every winning team has a spine, these are surely only temporary segments.

4) Fabregas should get forward more. I feel that with the uncetainty behind him on the pitch, Fabregas is being forced to play a bit deeper than he would prefer. People liken him to Scholes, but Fabregas rarely has the edge of box opportunities to score that Scholes has had. Fabregas was scoring for fun at the start of last season - when he had Flamini behind him. Wenger needs to do something about that hole that Fabregas tries to cover for. Maybe...

5) ...Abou Diaby should be the new Vieira. I`ve long admired Diaby and I`m not sure why Wenger is using him on the wings (ie. vs Man City). He is strong in the tackle and growing in stature. He has a good touch and a powerful shot. I believe he should be given the games to develop (instead of Denilson) as the holding midfielder Arsenal so badly need. On the wings he is no more than average.

6) Bendtner. I can`t figure this guy out. Again, he`s young, but with Eduardo missing we rely on him a lot. Generally, when he starts I find he runs out of ideas, has a donkey touch and seems to frequently choose the wrong runs (vs Villa, for example). But, he does pick up some goals and he looked lively coming on as a sub in the Chelsea game...

Any other views on this? Are Arsenal really title contenders again after that Chelsea win?

But, how much do the games between the big 4 affect the outcome of the Premiership? Is a “six-pointer” really a six-pointer? Is it possible for Arsenal to do relatively badly against Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool but still retain a title challenge – or is the opposite the case – beating off your closest rivals is the essential first step to domination in the domestic league? This question has long puzzled me and I haven’t read too much by way of explanation for it.

So, I thought I’d turn Statto, and donning my slightly worn-out A-level Maths-with-Stats hat, I set about trying to work it out…

The Big 4 League
To do this, I looked at all the results between the big 4 stretching back to the 2002/03 season. This was just before the Abramovich effect lifted Chelsea into England’s elite and the big 4 was, to all intents and purposes, christened. In the season before this, the 2001/02 season Chelsea finished mid-table and you could make a case for Leeds being part of the Premier League’s elite (strange days indeed!). From the 2002/03 season until today the final Premiership League table has always included Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in its top five. In only two exceptions was the top 4 breached by a team which was not a part of the big 4, in fact, by Newcastle (who finished third in 02/03) and Everton (who narrowly finished fourth ahead of their local rivals in 04/05).

Quite simply for each season from 2002/03 until 07/08 I pulled out the games between the big 4 and compiled a new league based on their results against each other in the Premier League. We can call it the Big 4 League. Like a Champions League group stage table, the big 4 play each other home and away in a total of 12 fixtures per season. If one of the big 4 were to win all their games home and away against the other members of the big 4 they would bag 18 points and top the Big 4 league. Make sense?

After this, I took the Big 4 League I made for each season and had a look to see how it compared with the final Premier League standings for each season. If results between the big 4 were significant, so the theory goes, the order Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United appear in the Big 4 league should closely resemble the final standings in the Premier League for that season. If not, there shouldn’t be a clear correlation.

When the big 4 play each other
In exactly 50% of cases (12/24), Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United finish in the Big 4 League in exactly the same order as they do in the Premiership. Interestingly, in 5 of the last 6 seasons, the Premiership winner is the same as the Big 4 League winner. For example, in their Untouchables season of 03/04 Arsenal managed home and away wins against both Liverpool and Chelsea, tallying 14 points in total against their closest rivals. Not surprisingly, they won. Chelsea topped that in 05/06, taking 15 points off other members of the big 4, winning the league in the process. Past form suggests, therefore, that if Liverpool continue their promising start and stay on top of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United over the course of the season they should have a very strong chance of taking the title.

In almost all cases (23/24) teams finished in the same positions in both the Big 4 League and the Premiership, or were removed by only one place. The sole exception came in the 06/07 season. Somehow, and this seems to be an anomaly and a frustrating one at that for fans of the Gunners, Arsene Wenger’s men managed to win the Big 4 League with 11 points beating Manchester United home and away in the process but finished fourth in the Premiership. The lesson from that situation must surely be that once you’ve done the hard work of clocking points over your closest rivals you need to make sure you pick up the wins on the road against weaker teams – a factor lacking in Arsenal’s form from that season.

Interestingly, Liverpool's league form against other members of the Big 4 is absolutely atrocious. They've repeatedly finished bottom of the Big 4 league and so have unsurprisingly never breached the top 2 by the climax of an EPL season. By bagging 6 points by November, Rafa Benitez's men have already equalled their season-best performances of the past six years against Man U, AFC and Chelsea. Again, good omens for the Anfield faithful that perhaps this is their year.

I’ve copied all the big 4 leagues below so you can draw your own conclusions too.

Conclusion
So, do games between the big 4 constitute “six-pointers”? Clearly, what I’ve discussed here is just one small idea with a very small sample size, but, yes, how the big 4 do against each other seems to reflect significantly in the outcome of the Premier League based on the form of the last six seasons. With this in mind, Arsenal had better begin taking the points off their rivals. A home win against Man United at the Emirates would be a good place to start.

The Big 4 Leagues from the 02/03 season to the 07/08 season
07/08 Pts W L D GD Order the Big 4 finished in the EPL
Manu 13 4 1 1 +6 1
Chels 08 2 2 2 -1 2
Arsnl 06 1 3 2 -1 3
Lpool 04 0 4 2 -4 4

06/07
Arsnl 11 3 2 1 +2 4
Manu 08 2 2 2 +1 1
Chels 07 1 4 1 -1 2
Lpool 06 2 0 4 -2 3

05/06
Chels 15 5 0 1 +10 1
Manu 08 2 2 2 +1 2
Arsnl 04 1 1 4 -5 4
Lpool 04 1 1 4 -6 3

04/05
Chels 14 4 2 0 +5 1
Manu 12 4 0 2 +3 3
Arsnl 05 1 2 3 -3 2
Lpool 03 1 0 5 -5 4

03/04
Arsnl 14 4 2 0 +5 1
Chels 07 2 1 3 -1 2
Manu 06 1 3 2 -1 3
Lpool 06 2 0 4 -3 4

02/03
Manu 14 4 2 0 +8 1
Arsnl 07 1 4 1 -1 2
Chels 06 1 3 2 -2 3
Lpool 05 1 2 3 -5 4

Last year I seem to recall, Spurs were going to finish above Arsenal!

So, who do you think will finish top this season?

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

So here are the results :

No more than £600 - 13%
£600 to £1000 - 32%
£1000 to £1250 - 13%
£1250 to £1500 - 8%
£1500 to £2000 - 5%
I'd pay anything to watch my team 29%

So whilst I'm not surprised that 32% wouldn't pay more than £1000, I'm surprised that 29% of you said you'd pay anything to watch your team.

So, while many ticket holders are thinking of giving up their season ticket, because for them it's becoming far too expensive, there will always be a large number of fans that are willing to pay, what ever the club demands!

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

We're always on the look out for new writers. So if you fancy writing about your team, please get in touch.

Scolari is a huge risk for Chelsea. It's true he is proven as a manager in various countries and is considered to be the man with the golden touch in cup competitions taking Brazil to glory in 2002 but I forsee teething problems at Chelsea. Scolari, ever since his bullish playing days as a central defender nicknamed 'wooden leg', is not a subtle character. He's not Arsene Wenger. Neither is he charismatic, and he probably won`t be learning English in a hurry. He's not Jose Mourinho. Furthermore, one criticism of the recent Chelsea squads is that they are a lifeless machine who've won without the flare or charm of, say, Arsenal or the present Manchester United squad. But, Scolari's teams, while successful, have always been a bit brutish and dogged and prone to the odd pitch-side brawl. If you want quality with style, he's not Sir Alex Ferguson. Also, his choice may be all about taking Chelsea to the prize of European glory - surely Abrahamovich's sole reason for pushing for his appoitment - but he has rarely turned teams into domestic league winning material for the long haul. His successes have been in the knock-out stages of cups where he seems to inspire - by sheer angst from the touchlines - teams to give 110%. But, can he replicate this for European and English club football? Nobody knows.

So, even if the Champions League is Abrahamovich's coveted target, expect tensions when Scolari rubs up against the media, Chelsea's fans, opposing managers and maybe even his own players. I stand to be corrected, but I predict a fireworks display.

Update from last entry:
1) Paraguay 2-0 Brazil in a WC qualifier. A very limp display from the men in yellow last Sunday has the press asking questions about manager Dunga once more. The general consensus: they preferred him when he was the WC winning captain fantastic he once was and not the rather vacant coach he now is. They face Argentina tomorrow in another qualifier.
3) Sport amazingly overturned Corinthians 2-0 at home to win (on away goals) the Copa Brasil for the first time in their history!
4) Nautico have been ordered to play their home games in another stadium for the forseeable future, the Botafogo player was charged and the Botafogo Director denied the charges against him and so his case rumbles on...