He couldn’t, could he? He could, you know.

If anybody could steal another Premier League title while nobody is looking, it’s Jose Mourinho.

No one knows the joint better: the layout, the alarms and when the guards catch a nap. He also knows the type of gang you need to pull off such a heist.

He’s been there and done it three times already, in two spells at Chelsea, and his name is increasingly being whispered as a possible contender in this strangest of seasons.

A week ago, it seemed Liverpool and Manchester City had recovered from their respective wobbles and restored sanity to the title race.

They fought out a draw that didn’t really hinder either and, if the game petered out as entertainment, it showed – in the first half hour at least – that they are a class or two above the rest.

But the cruel decimation of the Reds’ defence continues. Trent Alexander-Arnold is out for a month with a calf injury and now, almost sadistic in its timing, Joe Gomez could miss most of the season with a damaged knee. This could change things.

City have already firmed as bookies’ favourites but have their own injury problems.

And their failure to find the net or even top gear – after doing so for fun for the last three seasons – raises the tantalising prospect of the title going to someone else.

It has already been described as the most open season for years but now the chances of ‘another Leicester’ are being seriously discussed – not least by Leicester themselves who just happen to be top.

Chelsea are the other more obvious candidates with some of their big signings making their presence felt, but if neither Manchester United nor Arsenal look up to it, that leaves Spurs.

Creeping surreptitiously into second place despite the most demanding itinerary of all – they’d done a Marco Polo and back before it started – they are beginning to look the business.

The prospect of another trophy may just be enough to keep Gareth Bale off the golf course.

But that the EPL suddenly seems to be open sesame is down to the champions’ incredible bad luck. To lose one international centreback might be misfortune, but three in a row?

The triple whammy of long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and now Gomez is as devastating as it is uncanny.

No doubt there’ll be conspiracy theories, but it does leave the once-impregnable Liverpool defence looking more like a bouncy castle than a fortress.

Key man now will be Joel Matip, who, like Gomez, is on familiar terms with the medical staff and has only just returned from a lengthy absence.

The tall Cameroonian is under-rated and a cool presence at the back, but his injury record suggests he is not the rock Klopp will need as the relentless schedule goes into overdrive next month and winter sets in.

No major club in living memory has suffered so many injuries to key men in the same position – one after another – in such quick succession.

And even with the resources of a billionaire club, Jurgen Klopp is going to be hard pressed to cover for until the January transfer window at least. It will be like papering over the Grand Canyon.

All this and Pep Guardiola still not knowing his best XI will not have escaped the attention of the Tottenham manager.

If this is to be a ‘Leicester season’ who better to take advantage than the old fox at the new Lane.

Last weekend a last-minute Harry Kane goal at West Brom kept Spurs right in the mix.

After an opening day defeat to Everton, no one fancied Spurs’ chances. And the erstwhile Special One looked like yesterday’s man.

But the cunning is still there as is the ability to spot a player. His signings, although modest apart from the return of Bale, have worked.

Pierre-Emile Hojberg and Matt Docherty may not have hit the headlines for their previous clubs but their grit and intelligence make them vital cogs at Spurs.

And the talented, attack-minded Sergio Reguilon is making Manchester United realise what they missed at left back.

Son Heung-Min has flourished as a goal scorer under Mourinho’s tutelage and the wily old boss is even getting a tune out of Tanguy Ndombele whom, last season, he publicly shamed, as well as Giovani Lo Celso.

He tried tough love with Dele Alli but it worked only for a couple of games.

But far outweighing the few failures has been the masterstroke of turning Harry Kane into a No.10 without any loss of goals. He’s like two players now.

Bale has yet to really click but has opened his account and stayed fit. He also looks to be ‘up for it’ after being treated like a leper by Zinedine Zidane.

Even at 31, the quality is there and if he raises his game, he could lead a charge for the title come the spring. Bale, Kane and Son is a front trio of which dreams could be made.

Whether it stretches to the first title since 1961 is anybody’s guess, but Mourinho will be well aware it’s far from impossible.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.