1
Heavy slot players idle in City’s idleness
Liverpool from late 2024 reminiscent of the side of late 2019 that ended up winning the club’s first title in 30 years. Then a 3-1 home win against Manchester City put Jurgen Klopp’s side up eight points above second placeand nine over City. In 2024 they are nine points above second and 11 above City – let’s hope there is no pandemic to interrupt the season. There are eight players from that squad still at Liverpool, and if football is more measured under Arne Slott, Sunday’s potential knockout was achieved in the heavy metal fashion of a Klopp team. “I knew Jurgen left the team in a very good place,” the diplomatic Dutchman said afterwards.
While Slott is enjoying his first season in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola has been subjected to “sacked in the morning” chants, another ritual for every English footballer. Even Alex Ferguson was subjected to it in October 2005 when Middlesbrough beat his team Manchester United 4-1a defeat which prompted the departure of Roy Keane. Ferguson climbed out of the hole with a 1-0 win over Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. Guardiola was hoping for the same at Anfield, but his battered side seem unable to unleash any dogs of war. At Anfield, City were without success, while the same defensive mistakes of recent weeks were still evident. “If I don’t want that pressure, I resign, I go home and I don’t have that weight on my shoulders,” Guardiola said before the game. Is a Keane-style sacrificial sacrifice necessary? Kevin De Bruyne’s marginal role continues to intrigue. John Brewin
2
Stage gurus face off in a London derby
The cult of the decor specialist is growing rapidly. One marked Premier League The corners and free-kicks coach was recently spotted signing autographs outside a stadium. At West Ham, Nicolas Jover’s call to ‘blitz’ Arsenal’s opener, a move they repeated in the first half, caught the eye. And when Gabriel Magallanes nodded, Pablo Sanz, who looks after West Ham’s set details, looked horrified. Although the NFL-style move was shown publicly for the first time, Julen Lopetegui said he and Sanz were fully prepared. According to Lopetegui, the goal should not have remained after Lucas Paqueta’s block on Jurien Timber. And it was hard to see how VAR had missed a clear foul, even amid a seething mass of bodies. One can only imagine what Mikel Arteta’s reaction would be if his team were the recipient. Back to the drawing board for Jover? The officialdom will surely be careful next time. JB
3
Fernandez is finally showing his worth
Life is better when your £106.7m midfielder finally seems to be getting his money’s worth. It’s fair to say that Enzo Fernandez is in no rush. The Argentina international joined Chelsea in January 2023, a month after helping his country win the World Cup, and initially struggled to live up to the hype. A series of poor performances have raised doubts about Fernandez’s suitability for English football. Eyebrows were raised further when he underwent hernia surgery at the end of last season and Chelsea improved in his absence. That campaign also included a spell on the bench, but Fernandes responded. He regained his starting place and scored his second goal in as many games in Chelsea’s win over Aston Villa. He heeded Enzo Maresca’s plea to make more runs forward and also provided many important assists. Jacob Steinberg
4
Everton abandoned Diche’s principles
In a 4-0 defeat by Manchester UnitedEverton were a strange, anti-Sean Dyche footballing proposition, sloppiness allowing their hosts to offend them far too often. Case in point: Amad Diallo’s tackle on Caramels captain James Tarkowski led to Joshua Zirkzee’s second goal. As Dyche said: “It’s really hard for me to take it today because we attacked for their first goal and then they countered. I was very surprised to go 1-0 down like that and it was a clear mistake at the time. I thought in the first 30 minutes we were good in most ways. The next challenge is the last pass or finish – this is the hardest part to change. The third goal is crazy from our point of view and it’s such an important goal anywhere in the Premier League. Jamie Jackson
5
Will Son shine again for Spurs?
Son Heung-min has scored three league goals so far this season and registered four assists. There is no reason to panic, but two of these goals came against Everton and one against West Ham with comfortable wins. He was not as sharp as in previous seasons. At 32, it might feel like while he still has a lot to contribute, the slow decline has begun. “I have no idea from him that he is worried about it,” said Ange Postecoglou. “We’ve had different players go through those spells. The key is to keep our focus and not worry too much about what has gone before. I’m sure the goals will flow again.” What is clearly true is that Son is much more comfortable playing on the left than through the middle, and that the absence of Dominic Solanke and Richarlison makes it harder for Tottenham to retain and recycle possession, making them much more -dependent on the transitions. Jonathan Wilson
6
Repeated fouling by Evanilson falls to Wolves
If Justin Kluivert’s hat trick from penalties for Bournemouth created history and then Evanilsson’s role to be fouled for all three as he became the first individual to win three penalties in one Premier League game. “Crazy…crazy…crazy,” said Gary O’Neill when asked about his team’s defense. After a four-game unbeaten run and a 4-1 demolition of Fulham the previous week, there was a return to the chaotic defending and poor decision-making of earlier in the season. The manager had opted for the same formation and approach that had been so successful at Fulham. “If we got the game back, we’d try something different,” he admitted, having his own, perhaps fateful, contribution to the madness that plunged his team. Perhaps Mario Lemina, deployed here as a centre-back, is not a defender after all. JB
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7
Brentford are building a fortress without Tony
Brentford have turned their pitch into a fortress this season, handling opponents with impressive ease under Thomas Frank. The manager’s ability to integrate talent such as Kevin Schade and rotate attacking players answers those critics who attributed his previous success to Ivan Toni’s goals. Without the England striker, Brentford have scored three or more goals in four consecutive home league games for the first time since 1984. so far and is in first place in the table for the hosts of the championship. “I think I have some good challenges because I have a lot of good offensive linemen who want to play,” Frank said. “We went very offensively. We played with four wings and forwards plus a number 10 in Mikel Damsgaard, but because they all play high, they worked very hard.” Defeats by Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham highlight the gap with the top teams, but Brentford, now in eighth place, may even start to close it in the second half of the season. Yara El-Shabouri
8
Magpies lose their shooting boots
Eddie Howe is right to be worried. Although the Newcastle manager appeared hopeful of Alexander Isak’s thigh injury Crystal Palace may not be serious, his side’s lack of goals has become a major problem. Despite almost grabbing a win at Selhurst Park after benefiting from a Mark Guehi own goal, they offered little else in attack and managed just 14 goals in 13 Premier League games. The return of Callum Wilson should help, but Howe said he may need to work on his side’s confidence in front of goal before they face leaders Liverpool on Wednesday. “In football, trust is very fragile and it’s something we have to protect at all costs,” he said. “I support the players because we know they have the ability and we have to try to get them to their best form. It’s always a delicate thing too, you want them fit at the same time and we haven’t had that this season.” Ed Ahrens
9
Silva plays in Forest’s wing cohort
After a scattered approach to recruitment, Iota Silva is proof that there is a serious methodology on the way Nottingham Forest do transfer business now. The Portuguese winger arrived from Vitoria de Guimaraes this summer for £6.5m and has shown he has the talent to deserve a higher price. Nuno Espirito Santo gave him his first Premier League start after 11 shifts on Saturday against Ipswich. From the first minute he showed speed and energy to cause problems for the visitors. He also won the match-winning penalty, in truly theatrical fashion, but it was an indication of the threat he posed. With Forest’s wing cohort including Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga and Ramon Sosa, there is plenty of depth in a key area for Nuno as they hope to keep the momentum going. Will Unwin
10
Stuttering seagulls tarnish the flying start
Brighton may spend Friday night in second place but Fabian Hürzeler was in no mood to reflect on their excellent start on the south coast after they were pegged to the bottom side, Southampton. If there’s one complaint about the German so far, it’s that his side have struggled to see off bottom-half teams at home. The draw against Southampton followed similarly disappointing results against Ipswich and Wolves, which could have made their lofty position look even more impressive had they been converted into wins. “Disappointment is part of football,” Hurtzeler said. “Negative experiences are part of the process and we didn’t deserve more today, so we have to keep improving, keep pushing and try to be better in the next game. It’s early in the season and we shouldn’t focus on results, but on performance.” EA
