2018/19 Newcastle (a) 3 pts Fulham (h) 3 pts Man Utd (a) 3 pts Watford (a) 0 pts Liverpool (h) 0 pts Brighton (a) 3 pts 2017/18 Newcastle (a) 3 pts Stoke (h) 3 pts Man Utd (a) 0 pts Watford (a) 1 pt Liverpool (h) 3 pts Brighton (a) 1 pt So far we have scored 12 and conceded 7. Last season we had scored 13 conceded 5. So like for like we are 1 point up but have scored 1 less and conceded 2 more (using Stoke as the comparison with Fulham ... if I had used Swansea or WBA we would be 2 points better off this season ...and the goals would be scored 8 conceded 5 if I used the Swansea game or scored 9 conceded 5 if I used the WBA game. ) Think this kind of shows how there has been a bit of a over reaction to the past 3 weeks. I will try and keep this updated so we can have an accurate comparison with last season. COYS
Interesting that 6 games in, Spurs have played 3 of the PL current top 6, yet in spite of the alleged "crisis" are : - averaging 2 pts per game - 3 pts up like for like with 2017-18 If that is "crisis" , I wonder what "business as normal" will look like ...
PL (like for like with 2017-18 after 7 games) : Pts +3 GF +1, GA +1. The concern is not so much the points at the moment, but the GF/GA. The good news is that Spurs have already played 5 of their away games at this early stage.
Fixtures for October : October 3 – CL : Barcelona (H) October 6 - PL : Cardiff (H) October 20 - PL : West Ham (A) October 24 – CL : PSV Eindhoven (A) October 27 - PL : Man City (H) October 30/31 - LC : West Ham (A) Poor old Citeh, and their cruel away fixtures if the PL games were reversed.
PL (like for like with 2017-18 after 8 games) : Pts +3 GF -3, GA 0. The promotion pairings with last season relegated is as follows : - Fulham for WBA - Cardiff for Stoke - Wolves for Swansea
PL (like for like with 2017-18 after 9 games) : Pts +3 GF -5, GA -2. The alarm bells are ringing loud now on the GF after just a quarter of the season gone.
Looking at our matches compared to the same games last season makes interesting reading. 2018/19 Newcastle (a) 3 pts Fulham (h) 3 pts ...swap with stoke Man Utd (a) 3 pts Watford (a) 0 pts Liverpool (h) 0 pts Brighton (a) 3 pts Huddersfield (a) 3pts Cardiff (h) 3pts ... swap with West Brom West Ham (a) 3pts Man City (h) 0 pts Wolves (a) 3pts .... swap with Swansea TOTAL ... W8 D0 L3 ... 24 points plus 9 GD 2017/18 Newcastle (a) 3 pts Stoke (h) 3 pts Man Utd (a) 0 pts Watford (a) 1 pt Liverpool (h) 3 pts Brighton (a) 1 pt Huddersfield (a) 3 pts West Brom (h) 1 pt West Ham (a) 3 pts Man City (h) 0 pts Swansea (a) 3pts TOTAL... W6 D3 L2 ... 21 points plus 11 GD So far we have scored 19 and conceded 10...we failed to score in one game. Last season we had scored 22 conceded 11...we failed to score in 2 games. I could have made us be plus 6 points this season by swapping round the replacements so Wolves replacement was West Brom (where we lost last season). This season we have had serious injury problems to contend with too. Our CL form is much worse but we have done a little better in the League Cup so far. All in all we have given our selves a solid base to build on. edit ... correct cos I made a dumbass mistake
PL (like for like with 2017-18 after 11 games) : Pts +3 GF -5, GA -3. Hanging in there (but the GF is a concern wrt the rest of the current PL top 5) .
PL (like for like with 2017-18 after 13 games) : Pts +6 GF -3, GA -4. Almost back on track with the GF.
And so we come to the first real assessment of the season to date. The PL campaign is +6 pts "like for like" . Verdict : The League Cup campaign has been workmanlike. Verdict : meh. The CL campaign to date has effectively been snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Verdict : December is going to be brutal, and will IMHO determine the tone for the rest of the season. There are 9 games to play, and they effectively come in two blocks : Block 1 = 5 games in 14 days Block 2 = 4 games in 11 days In terms of the PL season compass, there are an extra 8 "like for like" points up for grabs (so plenty of motivation there for the squad) . The CL now comes down to matching the Inter result in the last tie. Sadly as PSV have nothing to play for, that probably means needing to win at Barca. A real Audere est facere moment needed there. The League Cup QF tie is another NLD, and I suspect the results of the Barca game + the preceding PL NLD will cast the team sheets + determination in that game for both sides. There is comfort in the fact that Pochettino Spurs squads have repeatedly ramped up during the Christmas fixture period, and then have a very good 2nd half PL campaign. However the injury list has been worse IMHO than previous seasons, and there is the chance that the WC summer will finally take its toil on our Bel/Inger Spurs. Time will now tell ...