On Saturday, Adebayor face-stomped Robin van Persie. That was the first bush-league move from Manchester City all season... unless you count Adebayor's celebratory slide in front of Arsenal's grumpy fans. Other than the antics of the Premier League's version of Terrell Owens, though, City has looked every bit the part of a contending team. They counter-attacked with surgical precision against Arsenal, so much so that I would say they may possess the best counter-attack in the entire league. That alone makes them incredibly dangerous. Spurs were on bye this week. At least, that must be what they told the players, because I have no other explanation for the total lack of energy and emotion from a Tottenham side that had every reason in the world to want to put the boot in the neck of a Manchester United side that whups them every season. But let's call that game a fluke. As Ape Man pointed out during our live chat of the game, the Spurs defense is always pretty decent. Now that they have 4 potent strikers and midfielders like Lennon, the injured Modric, and Palacios, they're stacked in every aspect of the game. It would be a surprise if any one of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U, or Chelsea didn't make the top 4, but can't you say the same about City and Spurs now, too? Are their rosters any worse? Are their resources any less? At this point, why should there be any distinction between the big four of the last several years and the upstarts this year?

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