It is cheering to hear the boos. Chelsea, with two domestic titles and an appearance in the Champions League final over the past four seasons, were jeered by some spectators following the home draw with West Ham. There was an unfavourable reaction in the Anfield crowd, too, after Liverpool split the points in consecutive Premier League home fixtures with Fulham, West Ham and Hull. The elite seem as fallible as the journeymen.

You need not be a pedant to find fault. Manchester United, the defending champions, were staying true to recent type when they drew a blank on Saturday while drawing at White Hart Lane. In nine away games in the league they have scraped together eight goals. You have to run an eye down to Portsmouth, in eighth position, to find a side that is more tame on its travels.

Arsenal's toils could have grave consequences. They have drifted into fifth place and while it would take relatively little to correct that state of affairs, Arsène Wenger's line-up does not suggest that it is absolutely sure to rise. If Aston Villa, who stand above them, have their imperfections then so, too, do Arsenal. Much more of this and fans will start to dread the prospect of their club losing Champions League revenue next season while also experiencing problems in realising the anticipated profit on the Highbury Square property development.

All of this is a tonic for others. If Wenger has his injury problems, Gareth Southgate not only rued missing players but had to include others who were not really fit in a Middlesbrough line-up that still merited its draw with Arsenal on Saturday. For the moment it does not seem utterly outlandish to visualise Aston Villa holding tight to a Champions League spot. Martin O'Neill's squad has its limitations, but, with the programme nearing the midpoint, there is no proof that the restrictions are all that much more severe than those experienced by Wenger.

The Arsenal manager may take heart purely from the knowledge that some rivals whose outlay in the transfer market is far higher than his still fail to get a proportionate benefit. It was beyond imagining that Chelsea would be averaging one victory in three over their league programme at home. Yet the reasons behind that record are easy to identify.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's system, with its overlapping full-backs, depends on the space that exists more commonly in away fixtures. He does have Deco as a prompter, but the 31-year-old can look careworn, as he did against West Ham. Scolari also wondered aloud if there would be sufficient service from midfield if he picked both Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka from the kick-off as outright forwards. The manager, in all likelihood, would prefer to have a player who can present a danger from a number of areas, but Chelsea were gazumped by Manchester City when it came to landing Robinho.

Conversely, the Brazilian is, so far, the single recruit who gives any credence to the notion that Mark Hughes's squad will evolve into a global force. The moralists would have sighed in satisfaction when Everton, a club of comparatively slender means, came up with a last-minute winner at City from Tim Cahill, who was signed from Millwall for a frugal £1.5m five years ago.

Affluence has a habit of making itself felt in the long term, but that is all the more reason to rejoice while the wealth is failing to register. Dimitar Berbatov, purchased from Tottenham for £30.75m, did look as if he had all the credentials to become an Old Trafford favourite. Wasn't there a hint of an Eric Cantona in his ability to create chances for others and to convert them on his own account? The resemblance has gone missing. Berbatov, a playmaker of a centre-forward, has two Premier League goals for United so far, and even they came superfluously in sweeping home wins over West Brom and Stoke.

At least the Bulgarian has not yet become a cause célèbre. Anfield growled when Robbie Keane, recruited from Tottenham for £20.3m, stayed on the bench throughout Liverpool's 2–2 draw with Hull. Rafael Benítez had his tactical rationale for that policy but it seems unthinkable the Ireland striker would have stayed on the sidelines if he had consistently been showing the form associated with him at White Hart Lane.

With the exception of the Manchester City coffers, money is tight. The Premier League can only benefit from an element of surprise if the cash that does remain in circulation goes on having so fitful an effect.