Five teams at the top of the Premier League, divided by a single point. Even their goal-difference differs by only two. And yet it’s impossible not to view all five teams differently, in part because of the fixture list and in part because past performance inevitably affects how we view the present.
That’s why, while Arsenal have played some undeniably brilliant football this season, most notably in the 3-0 Premier League win over Chelsea and in the 6-0 Champions League victory over Ludogorets Razgrad, it probably doesn’t pay to get too carried away. After seven straight wins, the draw against Middlesbrough last Saturday, when a win would have taken Arsenal top, was an all-too-familiar intrusion of reality.