Chaos Is A Ladder
“Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder.” This is a quote from Lord Petyr Baelish from Game of Thrones. I’m sorry if you thought you were safe from GOT references by now, but my students will tell you my references are never current.
READ MORE: The Europa League: A Pot Worth Winning by Chris Hallenbrook
SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW: YouTube / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok
At the start of the season, it was reasonable to expect (at most) a two-team title race. The United Arab…sorry, Manchester City typically only has to outlast one challenger in its march to the title as they have in five of the last six seasons. Arsenal seemingly took the challenger role from us.
But currently we are 21% through this campaign with eight matches in the books. Spurs, Arsenal, City, and Liverpool are all within three points of one another at the top of the table, painting a far more entertaining picture.
But Chaos MAY Be A Pit For City
All of these challengers and all of this chaos may defy Lord Baelish’s words and actually be a pit for the defending treble winners. They have been a fine-tuned machine for six seasons on the trot. The entire league has been blown out or the title has been won on the final day. At the most though, they’ve only had to outperform one team down the home stretch.
City are capable of putting it into gear knowing the task at hand. They see the scenarios and attack. One team draws Brighton, and one hits a three-game wobble. The trophy becomes theirs. It’s been that easy, or at least how easy building a dynasty can be.
But if the current picture holds, and one can never be overly sure in October, it’s a new situation for them. They’d have three other teams to worry about, not one. All the challengers could take points off each other. But they could also take points off City. One challenger’s wobble could directly help another. It wouldn’t be neat and clean. Pep likes and thrives on clean.
Our Mentality Monsters
Such a scenario would help the clever teams. The teams that score in Kloppage time and come from behind to win with 10 men. Our mentality monsters thrive on emotion, moments, and wild crowds. Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool are people I trust to ride the wave, seize the moment, and snatch points in the chaos.
Admittedly, there is an excellent chance Man City make me look like an overly optimistic idiot when all is said and done. It doesn’t matter how many teams are in striking distance when you consistently close the season out on 15, 18, and 20-match winning streaks. This is a feat the champions are always capable of. But I choose hope. After all, chaos is a ladder. The climb is all there is.
