Q1) Yes. Absolutely.

Q2) Yes. But what if a team can change systems after a half and look completely different? Could Barcelona, ManU and Arsenal all manage to “choke off” Chelsea’s game when they were down? As for “players getting old and leaving” :p… that’s no issue for Chelsea for the next 1-2 seasons. But yea Giggs, Scholes, Ole and Neville are in their twilight…. and ManU *might* not be able to find a footballer as PHENOMENAL as Ryan Giggs soon enough.

Q3) It would be fan bias if I was speaking for ANY other club. But I’m speaking for back-to-back EPL champions, amassing 90+ points each time, and a club that boasts one of the best squads. Realistically, IF Chelsea plays up to its own level and score 90+, I see a majority chance for them to retain the title. Expecting 92/94 sort of a scenario to occur is just as fanciful as expecting EPL to be decided over goal difference. Having said that, I have NO doubt that if Chelsea slip, ManU have enough cushion and quality to fly by. Point being, its not my bias, but the last 2 years of record that convinces me Chelsea at its best can not be defeated, and I say this WHILE acknowledging ManU as an amazing team and paying them loads of respect!

I don’t believe that we (MU fans) should become disillusional in thinking that “we have already won the league”. A lot can happen between now and May. On the other hand, we should appreciate and savour the position we’re in. It took a lot of hard work to get there. However, SAF’s approach to this whole thing is to take it one step at a time.
1. Get a good start…
We tried it last season and it failed. This season it worked.
2. Get consistency…
We’re currently winning games that we’re expected to, unlike last season
3. Try to get top and see how well Chelsea can chase…
We did it, and now its up to Chelsea to catch us. Somewhat un-familiar to them (actually, to be precise, to Mourinho)

So far, so good. Wheter we can go all the way? Who knows? Who cares? at least SAF’s accomplished what he set out as his goals so far.

We can never discard Chelsea. Firstly, they are still the team everyone fear at the moment (even though MU is on top). Secondly, they deserve respect for being the Champions. The have proved that they did not become Champions by luck. They worked bloody hard for it. Our guys are also working hard, but unfortunately, with the standards CHELSEA have set, they have to work smart as well.

I said beginning of the season that I think we can do it this year. I still feel that way, but it is definately NOT going to be easy.

Let me rephrase it so that maybe you’ll understand it better:

It took other teams time to cope with Arsenal’s system – why? because they took their game to such a high level and they played with such perfection that you had to do something special to counter that. Arsenal were stopped by two things – that core of players getting older and leaving, and with the rest of the Premiership learning how to choke off Arsenal’s game, the one they had finally perfected by 2004.

Same with Chelsea.

If you are willing to allow for all relevant factors to be taken into account, then you’ll realise that it’s never just one thing that makes or breaks a season. A lot of things come into account, and the Premiership adapting to the champions’ style of play is one of them.

For the record, I never ZEROED the possibility of ManU getting 90 (for 100 YES and I’m ready to put on it!!). I even showed, they’re heading for late 90′s. But I expressed my doubts over the consistency required for it

I didn’t say you did mate.

and yet again I’ll do so quoting one of the reasons you sighted for Chelsea’s late slump:

And in that improved quality of league you expect, no matter how remotely, 2 premiership teams to amass 90+ points in a season!!! Lordddd….you ManU guys have started talking things of slimmest probabilities! THIS is what you should call “FAN BIASâ€?!

No, I was merely stating a possibility to counter this statement by you:

still maintain – if ManU takes the EPL, it’ll be because Chelsea will fail to perform like previous 2 years, not because ManU will set any 100 pointer records or anything!!

Anything else?

Do you agree that the Premiership has improved because other teams had to play better and invest more money in order to catch up with the Arsenal of 2003/2004 and Chelsea of 2004/2006?

Do you agree that it is only a matter of time before a weakness in a system is found and exploited?

Do you agree that it is fan bias to believe that your club will only come 2nd if they under-perform, and not because the other team plays better than them throughout the season?

Off the point but a much called-for correction: One, when Wenger came to Highbury they did not turn into no INVINCIBLES!! It took Wenger his second season to win the league by a SINGLE point!! And when they did become invincible, the EPL had been watching Arsenal play for a long time under Wenger. Your Arsenal analogy to Chelsea is pathetic at best.

For the record, I never ZEROED the possibility of ManU getting 90 (for 100 YES and I’m ready to put on it!!). I even showed, they’re heading for late 90′s. But I expressed my doubts over the consistency required for it, and yet again I’ll do so quoting one of the reasons you sighted for Chelsea’s late slump:

“I’d point to an improved quality in the Premiership”

And in that improved quality of league you expect, no matter how remotely, 2 premiership teams to amass 90+ points in a season!!! Lordddd….you ManU guys have started talking things of slimmest probabilities! THIS is what you should call “FAN BIAS”!

But two points to counter what you just said – 1) the teams that ‘did’ accumulate 90+ points did so under very specific conditions – they were lucky, they had few injuries and the players complemented each other perfectly.

If those conditions are present, then a top team can be expected to put on a 90-points show. United need to avoid injuries, they’ve already shown that the players play well together and that they are a bit lucky this season.

2) When Mourinho came to Chelsea, it took people more than a year to figure out how to counter him (same with Arsenal’s Invincibles) and his tactics. I’d point to an improved quality in the Premiership, Chelsea’s lack of interest in the last couple of games of the season (when they’d already won the title) and teams knowing how to counter Chelsea as keys to that 91 point haul. Get all your inputs before drawing conclusions

I still maintain – if ManU takes the EPL, it’ll be because Chelsea will fail to perform like previous 2 years, not because ManU will set any 100 pointer records or anything!!

Fan bias, inaccurate as well. Chelsea could put up 92 points, United could put up 94 and win. That would be ‘perfoming like previous 2 years’ for Chelsea, and United won’t need to break the 100-points barrier, right?

Come on, don’t lose your head because you’re talking to dumbass fans

“Don’t get me wrong here and start getting all touchy. There are no undertones. All I’m doing is presenting some facts…”

Uri/Hugo: If only your brains weren’t suffering from selective-reception syndrome, you would’ve ended up saying something better.

Ahmed: Numbers speak man. Numbers speak. Coz each team makes its own numbers. But I will agree with you saying “Who is to say United can’t?” – because if you can make the numbers, you can break ‘em too. Fair enough. But Ahmed, I’m quite surprised how people, including you, have largely missed the point. While I have genuinely expressed admiration for ManU, my sole point of throwing past numbers was assessing the “LIKELIHOOD” for that kind of consistency. Chelsea grabbed 46 of their first 48 points last season. There was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong, no major injuries, no bust-ups in the camp and yet we ended up 91.

Julio: No doubt, Arsenal will cast a massive indirect impact on the title race. But they’re well out of contention, even Wenger has admitted that.

Jeff/MKL: No, no I never called it a blip! Secondly from the picture you’re drawing, the second half seemingly SO much more advantageous than the first, you’re probably anticipating a 100 pointer? Hmmm… okay fine, your club, your optimism…. you wanna put money on it? 1000 pounds, I give you 3:1 odds in your favor. Say?

I still maintain – if ManU takes the EPL, it’ll be because Chelsea will fail to perform like previous 2 years, not because ManU will set any 100 pointer records or anything!!

Why is that? Just wanna use the stats that prove the point? Logic doesn’t imply to that? Or you just wish that if you write it, United would really suffer the mini-slump and Chel$ki would go past them?