Premier League winners and losers: Man City, Wirtz, Benitez, Glasner, Brighton, Aaronson, O'Neil
Manchester City are embracing their pantomime villain role, but there is less good time being had by Wirtz, Glasner, Carrick and others. It's a weird time for Barclays, but persist we must.
Manchester City Top of a division they might soon be expelled from, singing from the same process-respecting, cartel-shunning hymn sheet and fully embracing their role as the villains in an infernal pantomime with no heroic lead. It's an almighty and absurd mess but Manchester City are thoroughly enjoying themselves and, at least for now, cheaters are very much still prospering.
Walter Benitez As the presumably unrelated Rafa might attest: the Jerzy Dudek to Liam Delap's Andriy Shevchenko. Benitez is a dream of a second-choice keeper, and a remarkable Palace pick-up on a free last summer.
In 13 appearances he has kept six clean sheets, played an important role in Conference League trophy glory, saved two penalties in a shoot-out win over Millwall and inspired a victory over Mr. Marinakis and a returning Oliver Glasner.
That is pure cult hero; Dean Henderson can rest easy and take his time recovering. Crystal Palace On the one hand,the Premier League is utterly, irretrievably and irredeemably broken.
On the other, Palace are 12th and the world is healing. The seamless shift in formation and approach after the red card?
Fabian Hurzeler's substitutions and tactical flexibility? The squad depth to not only cope but thrive with the most debilitating injury list in the division?
The fact their last seven Premier League wins have been to nil? Gary O'Neil Only four clubs have spent less time leading in the Premier League this season, but while each languish in the bottom six, Ipswich are sat snugly in the top half.
With their three wins delivered by goals scored in the 90th minute or later, the Tractor Boys are a quarter of the way to a reasonable safety target after six games. And first-season parachutist O'Neil might be the biggest guarantee of survival that currently exists in the Premier League sphere.