Look at the title race, then look at the stats, odds and the team finally getting their head together... United champions!

A WORD of warning.

- 

A friend had a saying about statistics being used to make a judgement on what might or might not happen in football.

He said they were the last refuge of the scoundrel. Or something like that.

And we all know the more general maxim about lies and damned lies.

But it is the international break, so for the Premier League obsessive, there has been plenty of time to look at facts and figures from the opening 11 games if you are interested in that sort of stuff.

And if you had a lot of time to fill, you might even have looked at the tables at this stage of every season in Premier League history.

Here is what you would have found.

In 16 of the 33 seasons, the team that has led after 11 fixtures has gone on to win the title.

That means that on 17 occasions, a team that has been top of the table after 11 games has NOT gone on to become the champions. And the team responsible for five of those instances was Arsenal. The last side not to win the Premier League after being top at the 11-game mark was Arsenal.