We are only 16 games in but a few surprising quirks in form already look likely to define this season’s title race.

For the past few seasons the champions have finished with 85-90 points. Since Arsenal’s unbeaten season (2003/4) successive champions have dominated teams at home averaging 50 points out of a possible 57, yet the top two in the league at the present time have patently struggled on their own patch. Chelsea and Liverpool have just 8 wins out of a possible 16 between them from their ‘banker’ games, although in the Londoners defence they can point to fixtures against other Big Four teams. By contrast both teams are flying away from home Chelsea winning all 8 away games and Liverpool 6 out of 8.

Most pundits have put the pair’s home failings down to the defensive tactics of their opponents. As United discovered on Saturday evening, a team willing to play a 10 man in defence can last a long time against even the most tested and motivated team. Yet for Liverpool in particular, tame goalless draws against Stoke, Fulham and West Ham point to a psychological shotcoming rather than a tactical failing.

United have watched teams metaphorically ‘park the bus’ in front of goal for nearly two decades now and overcoming it has become second nature to players and supporters down the years. As Nemanja Vidic demonstrated against Sunderland, it’s not always the most talented of players who breaks the deadlock but the most determined. The Serbian’s inspired jog into the penalty area meant hasty re-writes of premature obituaries on United’s title defence but it also underlined the importance of a kitchen sink approach lacking in recent Liverpool failures. Some may say United ‘got lucky’ but I didn’t see the same ‘never say die’ determination from the Merseysiders and this may ulitmately have an impact on their title challenge.

For Chelsea the problem seems more endemic, a malaise seems to be afflicting the club that has little to do with what happens on the pitch. Since their initial title successes under Mourinho, Roman Abramovitch seems to have grown bored with the whole business of owning a football club. This state of affairs is reflected in transfer activity since their last title win. The purchase and sale of Shevchenko, the failure to land (or chase) Robinho, even the appointment of Scolari all point to a man who has moved onto pastures new. Didier Drogba’s on/off transfer requests, his behaviour in the Champions League Final and a growing sense of ennui among players and supporters reflects a club unsure of its future. At present Chelsea are financially unsustainable: they owe Roman the thick end of £700m, a loan they are unlikely to be able to repay based on their moderate income and are weighed down with some of the highest earners in the world. The mission statement to make the club self-financing by 2011 seem highly over-ambitious and the less said about Peter Kenyon’s pledge to ‘turn the world blue’ the better…

Not that everything is hunky-dory in M16. If Ronaldo’s exploits in the derby raised eyebrows, his dramatic ‘limp off’ (where’s the sniper?) against Sunderland has had conspiracy theorists alather. Meanwhile our new ballet dancer cum centre-forward hasn’t endeared himself by failing to chase forward or back in any meaningful sense since his arrival from Spurs for a Veron sized tranfer fee. The ostracisation of Tevez has resulted in a less hungry looking outfit than last term and that doesn’t bode well for the business end of the season. Then there are the habitual FA decrees and suspensions inflicted on the club because, oh yes, we’re Manchester United. I wouldn’t be surprised if we got docked points for spoiling Brian Barwick’s Saturday night out next…

On the other hand, Rooney appears refreshed, Carrick looks like he’s come of age as a midfield leader/playmaker and Darren Fletcher is having a breakthrough season as his tough tackling deputy. Tokyo is just around the corner and United, the only English team to win the World Club Championship, are likely to become the first to win the new FIFA sanctioned competition. I suppose it could be worse…