Newcastle (1st; 27pts; +38) - the Magpies enforce their way to the top in imperative fashion. Nobody and nothing can stop them in these early months.
Player of the month: Santiago Bernal (DC/DM) 8.48
0 Current first team injuries.
Manchester United (2nd; 24pts; +18) - it was a relatively easy month in terms of fixtures for the Devils but they made the most of it and closed it with a massive win against arch-rivals Manchester City. This allows them to move up the table and they are now as close to Newcastle as ever.
Player of the month: Kôtarô Kawaguchi (DC/DM/MC) 8.40
2 Current first team injuries:
Abdoul Konaté (D/WBL) - 12-21 days (lower back stress facture)
Almamy Traoré (AMR/ST) - 3-5 weeks (broken ankle)
Blackburn (4th; 24pts; +10) - Rovers cruise past tough fixtures this month and important victories over Everton, Arsenal and Manchester City will have additional value in boosting the confidence of their players.
Player of the month: Savio Barreto (DC) 8.08
1 Current first team injury:
Lars Persson (DC) - 6-8 weeks (hip injury)
Leeds (5th; 22pts; +17) - minor slip against high flying Citizens deprives Leeds of a perfect October although they did make up for it with convincing win against fellow contenders Chelsea.
Player of the month: Phillip Foose (DC) 8.40
1 Current first team injury:
Diego Herrera (ST) - 2-3 months (torn hamstring)
Chelsea (6th; 16pts; +6) - the Blues had only one serious fixture in October but suffered a bad loss against Leeds in it. This means they are unable to improve on their league position this month.
Player of the month: Lee Sung-Ho (DM/MC) 7.72
3 Current first team injuries:
Leonardo Martinez (DC) - 3-12 days (fractured wrist)
Dany Varillas (DM/MC) - 2-3 weeks (twisted ankle)
Andy Conroy (GK) - 1-5 days (broken wrist)
Liverpool (12th; 12pts; +2) - it was a terrible start of the month for Liverpool when they conceded heavy home defeat to Newcastle although much easier fixtures against relegation threatened teams slightly repaired the damage. It's the third month in a row that sees Liverpool occupy bottom half position although they now have three games in hand and should be able to improve on that.
Player of the month: Pierpaolo Voltolini (AML/ST) 7.48
2 Current first team injuries:
Juan Gabriel Travieso (DC) - 2-3 weeks (fractured ribs)
Daniël van Bremen (M/AMC/ST) - 4-10 days (sports hernia)
Other teams to watch:
Manchester City (3rd) - the Citizens lost a bit of momentum but remain very close to the top and keep their ambitions for a top four finish.
Everton (7th) - the Toffees are now closest to the contenders and it will be interesting to see if they can push for European qualification.
Arsenal (9th) - the Gunners are still well positioned to attack higher grounds.
West Ham (11th) - as expected the Hammers are unable to maintain their impressive early form and fall in the bottom half.
Crewe Alexandra (16th) - they register two wins this month and ease relegation fears a little.
Crystal Palace (17th) - they are the only club outside the bottom three yet to win a game in the league.
Swansea, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa occupy the bottom three without a win on their books. It looks especially dire for Boro and the Villains as they have only managed a single draw so far.
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