The table tends to 'settle down' and look a little like how it will come the end of the season. However:
Here's last season after 10 games:
View attachment 233548
Granted, a better league position than now, but only 2 points off the relegation zone and 5 points off the bottom. Here's the table after 20 games:
View attachment 233550
Proper in the proverbial.
Here's 2021/22 after 10 games
View attachment 233549
A better league position and points total - but the form dip already apparent. After 20:
View attachment 233551
Far too close for comfort.
What's the point I'm making?
On the face of it: we look OK, and (unless something catastrophic happens whether it point reduction or a major injury crisis) I think it will stay that was this season, despite the trend of the last couple of seasons. Ultimately, because the teams in the bottom 3 now are worse than the previous (and I can't see another 'Newcastle' happening).
But as a few others have mentioned - it's gameweek 10 - 20 which has knackered us recently : only 5 points from 10 games.
It's a low bar, but if we're on the 20 point mark after 20 games I can see us being anywhere between 7 and 12 points clear of the relegation zone - which would surely be insurmountable for the bottom 3 claw back.
Let's just have a nice comfortable mid-table obscurity finish to the season FFS.