There have been a dearth of surprises or shocks. City, under Pep Guardiola, spent the most moolah and, unsurprisingly, have dominated. Liverpool are once again enjoying their label as mere pretenders, bashing in goals while the pressure is off, Tottenham Hotspur are threatening to be the bridesmaids once again in everything they enter, the Chelsea powers have fallen out with a title-winning manager and Arsenal are in constant crisis. Twas ever thus.
The only eyebrow-raising moment, in truth, has been the form of Huddersfield Town. The Terriers were red-hot jollies to be relegated and after thrashing Crystal Palace on the opening day and latterly beating Manchester United they looked like pulling off a fairytale by surviving against all odds. They had one of the more modest budgets in the Championship so in the top flight they were horribly hamstrung.
Sadly, though, the dream might be turning sour. And the status quo of the mega-rich money men could have another cash-strapped victim. Huddersfield have been magnificent but they might be about to run out of puff.
Last time out they were beaten 2-0 at home to relegation rivals Palace. It was a stark reminder of how their fortunes had changed. It is now two wins in 13, a sequence which puts them in jeopardy. They are six points in front of Southampton with an inferior goal difference.
The Saints, of course, could be resurgent with new manager Mark Hughes at the helm and the general view is that they have too many quality players to come unstuck. And it was interesting how their players praised Hughes for his intensity following the FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic. That’s clearly what has been missing from their armoury so far.
Huddersfield’s big problem is goals. They don’t score enough. Only a hopeless West Bromwich Albion have notched fewer than their 25.
Another potentially damaging factor is the loss of midfield player Danny Williams. Williams has been praised by coach David Wagner recently.
The fixture list is not kind, either. Matches against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal will mean matches against more ‘digestible’ opponents could become fraught affairs.
As a last hurrah then for a dull season, why not take the +150 from William Hill that, sadly, Huddersfield slip back to the second tier?
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