Chelsea have two wins in six games, following the 1-1 home draw with Southampton, and the fact that their lead at the top of the Premier League table -- courtesy of Manchester City's defeat at Burnley -- has increased to six points is not down to them.
With such a margin and a game in hand, it would take a cataclysm for Jose Mourinho not to win his third league title at Stamford Bridge. With the League Cup already in the bag, it's a successful campaign for the "Special One."
Yet it also might be the sort of season that leads you to rethink a thing or two. A month ago, I suggested that Chelsea were suffering from fatigue and wear and tear. It wasn't some kind of brilliant intuition, just a reflection on how Chelsea looked and Mourinho's own words in describing how so many of his players were not 100 percent.
It looked that way on Sunday. Ronaldo Koeman's side were their usual, organized, intense selves and, though Chelsea could have scored more, to be fair, so could the visitors.
What struck you was how Mourinho's crew got bossed around in midfield. Nemanja Matic is still either not fit or going through a down cycle while Cesc Fabregas and Oscar look as if they're running on fumes. Diego Costa opened the scoring, but it was his first goal in two months.
That sluggishness translates into points lost. Chelsea have scored first in each of their past 16 games in all competitions and traditionally, when a Mourinho team takes the lead, they choke the life out of the match, exploiting the counter and frustrating the opposition.
Not this one, though, and not now. In nine of those sixteen games, Chelsea conceded an equalizer after going ahead. In the previous 28 matches this season, it happened just four times.
You also can contrast with last season. Chelsea were nowhere near as good as they are now and yet, after scoring first, they conceded an equalizer only 10 times in 57 games. It's obvious something has changed.
Mourinho has consciously avoided rotation this season and he's also been fortunate that Chelsea have largely avoided long-term injuries. That has meant his starters have played a lot of minutes, which is somewhat surprising when you consider that guys such as Oscar and Fabregas especially have tailed off physically in years past.
It's not as if the manager did this because he didn't realize that players might get tired or worn down. Chelsea have an army of sports science and conditioning guys who -- you presume -- greenlighted Mourinho's choices. All he can do is trust their judgment.
You wonder though where Chelsea would be if they were still in the Champions League and FA Cup and were struggling physically like this. Plus, you can be pretty sure that it's something Mourinho and his staff are looking at, if only to ensure this doesn't happen again next season.
Fine margins in France
It seems crazy but the French title race could well come down to a single disallowed goal. An effort from Marseille's Lucas Ocampos was parried on the goal line by Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes but, in the ensuing scramble, the ball appeared to cross before being bundled back out.
Had it not been disallowed, Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille would beseparated by a single point, with nine games to go.
But Ligue 1 has neither goal-line technology nor additional assistant referees behind the goal and the match official, Benoit Bastien, was in no position to see clearly whether the ball had crossed the line.
The game ended in a scoreless draw, leaving Lyon in first place with a gap of two points over PSG and four over Marseille. If Lyon win the league by a single point -- or Marseille lose it by a margin of two -- you can be sure we'll be reminded of the ghost goal that wasn't given.
Ibra's controversial rant
Zlatan Ibrahimovic channeled his inner Emile Zola following PSG's 3-2 defeat at Bordeaux with his very own "J'accuse" directed at French referees and the French league. He added that France didn't "deserve" a team like PSG. He also appeared to call France a "s--- country" and, though he later denied that, was quickly chastised by politicians.
"I spoke about football," Ibrahimovic said later. "I lost the game, I accept that but I can't accept when the referee doesn't follow the rules. It's not the first time and I'm sick of it. My sincere apologies if anyone was offended or took it the wrong way."
What set off his ire was the performance of referee Lionel Jaffredo and, in particular, a backpass to Cedric Carrasso that the Bordeaux keeper picked up without consequence or punishment.
The French League have opened an inquiry and Ibrahimovic risks a suspension which, of course, is the last thing PSG manager Laurent Blanc needs right now. He's already facing a massive fixture pile-up, including three games in the space of six days because of PSG's runs in the League Cup and French Cup. With the team still alive in the Champions League as well, there won't be much relief there either.
I guess at the very least you can't accuse Ibrahimovic of not caring.
Has Van Gaal found his system?
Manchester United turned in arguably their best performance of the season in beating Tottenham 3-0 on Sunday. And while some simply chalked it up to Spurs' futility which, on the day, was frightening, that would be reductive.
Louis van Gaal mixed it up (again) but at least he conjured up a system which, generally, had his best available players in their best positions. The 4-3-3 saw Wayne Rooney at centre-forward, with Ashley Young and Juan Mata wide, Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick in the middle of the park and Marouane Fellaini acting as a spoiler, shuttling between midfield and attack.
There was not much in the way of pace but that's OK: You have plenty of guys who can pass and move and create opportunities, which is what Van Gaal has built his career and his reputation on. He knows this version of 4-3-3 better than anyone, having employed it for the best part of two decades and it's something he can teach and develop.
What's more, there's a certain "portability" to the system. When everyone is available, you can plug Angel Di Maria in for Mata or move Daley Blind back to midfield in place of Carrick and stick Luke Shaw or Marcos Rojo at left-back (or Rojo in central defense) without losing you shape. Or you can bring Adnan Januzaj in. But the basic building block -- the 4-3-3 -- can remain unchanged.
Will he stick with it or will he pull another system and combination out of the hat? Stay tuned. I know what I'd do.
Rooney needs to box clever
If you haven't seen the video of Wayne Rooney sparring with former teammate Phil Bardsley in his kitchen and apparently getting knocked out cold, well, that's what the Manchester United striker was referencing with his celebrationafter his goal on Sunday.
Both Van Gaal and Rooney were dismissive regarding the hullabaloo it generated.
"I think it is a ridiculous world where I have to answer questions [like that]," Van Gaal said. "What is this world, twisted?"
"That's the world we live in today," Rooney added. "It's in my own home, it's not public, it's what friends do, they mess around in the house. It was a couple of mates in a private house and somehow it's managed to get on the front page of a national newspaper."
There are a couple points to make here. First, it's fair to ask Van Gaal about it because he's the United manager and Rooney has a contract with the club. Unless he has special exemptions in his deal, there are clauses that bar players from engaging in dangerous activities, such as skiing or skydiving. Putting on gloves and "messing around" with a mate may or may not be covered by it because it might not ordinarily be considered dangerous.
But when that mate is Bardsley, who evidently packs a mean punch and is willing to smack Rooney in the face, it becomes an issue. Rooney certainly appears to get knocked out cold. Either that or he's some kind of stuntman because he falls backwards, feet in the air, his head an inch or so away from striking what looks to be his kitchen counter on its way down.
As for invading his privacy, sure, Rooney has a point. He's in his own house and is entitled to expect that privacy to be respected. Sadly, it often doesn't work that way. But he might pay closer attention next time to whom he invites back into his kitchen. Whoever filmed that scene wasn't doing so from miles away with a magic X-ray camera.
Let's just be grateful nobody got hurt and, maybe next time, use a bit more caution. Or better yet, don't have a next time unless it's in a gym, with headgear and trained professionals.
Bale and Ronaldo under scrutiny
Real Madrid's game against Levante ticked a number of boxes for manager Carlo Ancelotti. It got three points and a decent performance (although the team tailed off in the second half), it marked the return to the starting lineup of Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric and it saw Gareth Bale break his scoring drought with a pair of goals.
But, of course, it wouldn't be Madrid without controversy. Bale celebrated by covering his ears in a clear reference to the booing he'd received from portions of the Bernabeu and criticism from parts of the media.
Just why this should cause upset is beyond me. If anything it's his way of saying "your actions don't affect me." A bit like when you were a kid, covered your ears and said "na-na-na-na, I can't hear you!"
Sillier still is the assumption that Cristiano Ronaldo's reaction to the two goals somehow indicates a deep resentment of Bale. The Welshman's first came after he picked up a deflected Ronaldo shot and poked it into the back of the net. (Ronaldo was still throwing his arms in the air and lamenting his bad luck while Bale celebrated.)
The second was a Bale deflection on a Ronaldo effort that may or may not have gone wide. The Portuguese, who didn't appear to notice Bale's touch, looked as if he was going off to celebrate believing he had scored.
Like most superstars, Bale and Ronaldo are distant and few know them well, other than those who work with them daily. But those who do suggest there is no animosity there and that they simply have particular personalities.
Ronaldo is a bit of a diva, a prima donna, but his teammates don't mind because he outworks most of them in training, produces so much and there is no malice in his behaviour.
Bale, meanwhile, is low-key and laid-back and, if there's one thing he doesn't crave, it's the spotlight.
Pellegrini's fate is not sealed
So many seem intent on comparing Manchester City's current campaign under Manuel Pellegrini to the 2012-13 season under Roberto Mancini, which ended in the Italian's dismissal 12 months after winning the league (something Pellegrini, of course, did last year). Using that logic, is it certain that City will have a new manager next season?
I wouldn't be so sure. Several key relationships had deteriorated towards the end of Mancini's tenure and that's not the case here. Furthermore, City are still under financial fair play sanctions and their net spend for the next two years is capped at $50 million each season, which means you can't have the kind of massive squad overhaul a new boss would likely demand.
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