Stottie

The supercomputer has raised Liverpool's estimated point total by one to 69 after our draw at the Emirates. So we are still behind them. Their defence is "0.6", despite conceding twice as many goals as our "0.5" one. It's like when the BBC extended their top half table to 11th position.

I think that's now thirteen competitive games since a team has scored a go-ahead goal or equalizer against us. The last one was Billing for Bournemouth on September 17.

What a bunch of whingy diving entitled cunts. Great to see us ferk them up. Would've like to see more Maxi (or Isak) but their time will come.

I'm pretty confident about our chances. Peeking over the fence, but if I were Arteta, I would be happy with a draw and not going gung-ho if it exposes them to a counter. They have Spurs away next then Man U again. That's three potential defeats in a row and "Bottled it!" headlines just waiting to be written if their lead were to evaporate. Never mind going ten points clear, their aim today should be to not lose and consolidate their position at the top. Arsenal still have to play City twice, so there is a long way to go.

10 straight wins at home for them, but only one clean sheet in there. If there are going to let us score, they'll need two to win, something only Man City and Liverpool (98 minutes) have managed going back a long time. The team tonight will feature Botman, Trippier and Pope, and therefore be better than the one that beat them 2-0 at SJP. I'm quite confident, but ultimately think its a free hit and would caution against over enthusiasm. My main concern is someone getting worked up and sent off by a homer ref, which will affect us for other, more winnable games to come.

My favourite DMs are ones capable of playing 8 so Tielemans would tick that box. I think our midfield is pretty good,so I don't see DM a must-spend-big transformative position and the priority is replacing injured Shelvey. If there is money, I think it needs to go towards getting more goals in the team.

Chelsea setting themselves up to lose another Salah and KDB through kneejerk recruitment.

In a soaking wet game that is going affect all our your finesse play, a big-man striker should really be putting himself about to help make something happen. Despite his size, Wood offers much less in physicality than Wilson. He's been disappointing in that regard.

Played them off the park seven months ago, so I'm confident we'll get something. Just no Chris Wood please. Even ASM in the middle would be better. I've only seen the Arsenal highlights from yesterday, but that has to be the worst Brighton have defended all season. But for VAR though, they would have scored three themselves. The Saliba mistake was was like Titus Bramble.

ASM is definitely looking to pass it more now. He set up Joelinton with a great opportunity, but it was skied like the others. We had an intense spell of pressure before the subs came on, so I wouldn't blame Howe for the timing of the ASM/Wilson introduction. The question mark is whether Wood should have started. Wood is bigger than Wilson, but Wilson is more physical.

I don't think you can expect the same quality of delivery when it is pissing down with rain. In the rain, the usual thing is to get your shots on target (ahem), so the keeper spills them.

2.5 xG so we did enough to win. Just didn't take the chances. Ref should have got the cards out earlier for persistent fouling, but we still had the chances to do it without them.

Yes, the table is from Soccerstats. Click on a club name and that table will come up for them. More fun with stats says that in the 10 game form table, we are top on points, we are top scorers, and we've conceded the fewest, in games that featured Spurs, Man U, and Leicester away and Chelsea home. Soccerstats doesn't do xG, but it also looks like we are top 2 for most xG for and fewest xG against in that 10 game period. Sven Botman is also yet to lose a match for us. In gripe mode, the Palace VAR fiasco denied us two points. Liverpool's winner at Anfield only cost one point.

Look at who we have left to play home and away. Especially home. Howe's home record in 2022. P17 W12 D4 L1 F30 A10 Pts 40 Keep that up and given who we can take points off at home, Top 4 looks likely.

50% clean sheets now. Five Thirty Eight puts us our CL chances at 50% as well. Liverpool's game in hand fixture is Chelsea away.

Peak Wenger-era Arsenal goal. Completely clinical.

On this evidence you win the league if you're top at Christmas. Unless you're "mentality monsters" called Liverpool, in which case its a one in four probability.

We've got six games, four league and one in each cup by Jan 15. If things are still looking good, and a signing or two could cement Top 4, then I think we have to go for it. The risk is that super moneybags owners will buy Man U and Liverpool, and the task will only get harder. Howe and Ashworth can spot players, so I see less need for "so called top signings". No one would say that about Dan Burn, but he's helped get us to third. If the idea is for Bruno to play 8, I don't think we'd need a big name to play DM, since both CHs are good on the ball. Conversely if Wilson and Isak are both having fitness issues, we'll need a striker and they're not cheap.

Leicester last six P6 W4 D1 L1 F10 A1. However expected goals is 6.5 for, 6 against. We're outperforming xG too, but not to that extreme degree.

Bruno has to be replaceable because of the risk of him leaving for Real, PSG etc. To stop this happening, we need to get into CL asap and to pray the new Brazil manager picks him. We got him into the WC debate, he's massively benefitted from coming to NUFC, but we didn't get him into the starting eleven. Pretty much all the others would be replaced due to age or ability upgrades. I've just seen the match cam and the pen is stonewall. It's actually a brilliant reflex save, given that the guy's hands start behind his back.

I see all of our players as replacable, even Bruno, Trippier, and Botman, but ASM deserves a proper go at Eddie Howe NUFC 2.0 before we think of replacing him. There is too much talent there, and it is a rare talent. Holding onto Wilson (perceived injury prone) and Almiron (perceived no end product) has paid dividends, and Maxi may make it a third. For ASM himself, a bit more shooting practice wouldn't go amiss. Trippier and Schar pack much more power.

Thuram has big numbers in the Bundesliga if you look at minutes played, not simply appearances.

I'd normally have bad feelings about this game, but Eddie and the lads have been excellent at overcoming whatever doubts I have, usually based on performances under previous managers, perceived curses, and the like. We could have done with playing them in the first eight or so games of the season when the Brenda Nout stories abounded, but it mightn't make any difference. Some of Leicesters recent form has been due to easier fixtures, and we're not an easy fixture any more. They're undoubtedly on form though and have a talented squad, so it'll be a tough test.

The decisions and the Miggy chance should not be forgotten when assessing the performance. The actual goal being fortunate also makes it easy to downgrade how the lads did.

Yes, there is so much going on around the club. injuries aside a tidal wave of good news, that the City performance and Wolves goal are easily forgotten. The stats people, Wey Aye Scout Kev and Sanjay on Twitter, both said Almiron's numbers were all up BEFORE he went on the scoring run. Kev's first article on the NUFC.co.uk website now looks like prophecy. The reason I'm saying this is that pre injury this season, ASM's production numbers were all up and were leading the side. Shot creating actions per minute played etc. The classic ASM criticism has always been "fancy tricks with not enough end product", but in those first games in 22/23, he was the biggest attacking contributor to the team. If (I want to say "Since") we have become a Top 4 team, we're going to have to play against probably 10-12 out of 19 teams in a low block. That will shut down the counter and space in behind, so dribbling past or through them will only become more useful. This last time may prove to be an injury too far for ASM, you never know, but he was looking promising before it, and promising in a Howe team way, not a "give to to him on the halfway line and pray" Steve Bruce way.