1. Jose's plan requires absolutely perfect execution, one mistake and you are done.
2. Yes we had a good run of games where we did not make the mistakes, but it was never sustainable
3. Now we have 3 games in a row where the mistakes crept back in and boom we are toast
4. When we are in a hole, there is no plan B, this team is not quite capable of switching gears from disciplined defence to all out attack
5. Simply put, Jose's coaching methods need a much higher caliber of defensive players who are not so error prone (not Aurier, Davies, Dier and Sissoko) to get you titles.
So yes our top of the table position while it was fun, was a bit of a red herring . Realistically top 4 is the aim - which at this point looks tough in itself.
And honestly even if we do get back on a run of good results, this football is horrible to watch.