Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Premier League Results Match Week 11: Liverpool Extends Table Lead; Manchester City Loses Again; Arsenal and Chelsea Share The Points; Newcastle Chops Down Trees; Tractor Boys Win As Spurs Disappoint Again; Van Nistelrooy Concludes Successful Interim Run For Manchester United

Liverpool extended its lead in the Premier League title chase to five points over Manchester City. The Reds defeated Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield for their ninth league win of the season while the Citizens lost a second consecutive league match, making its four straight defeats across all competitions for the defending Premier League champions.

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah had the goals for Liverpool in the first and second halves respectively, both tallies coming from Liverpool counter attacks. Salah was in the clear with only one defender to beat in the 20th minute of the first half when he was taken down by Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey. Curiously, there was no foul called but Nunez alertly pounced on the ball and slotted it past goalkeeper Emi Martinez. Salah would later break free on another counterattack in the 84th minute and, free from obstruction, beat Martinez for Liverpool’s insurance goal. The non-call on Bailey’s first half takedown of Salah became more interesting after the match. Replays clearly showed Referee David Coote waved off appeals for a rather clear foul after initial reactions presumed he had ruled advantage to Liverpool resulting in Nunez’s strike. On Monday, Coote was suspended by the PGMOL after a video circulated of the referee spewing anti-Liverpool sentiments. The video, filmed some years ago, includes some salty adjectives applied to former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool fans, critical of Coote’s work in seasons past, may take some smug satisfaction in Coote’s current dilemma but are far more interested in their club’s success under their new manager Arne Slot. The Reds lead both the Premier League table and the new Champions League table in that competition’s revised new format, winning 15 of 17 matches across all competitions under Slot, the best start ever for a manager of a Premier League club.

Meanwhile, the man often thought of as rivaling Alex Ferguson as the greatest Premier League manager ever is having a rough time of it. Pep Guardiola saw his Manchester City team lose a fourth consecutive match in a 2-1 defeat at Brighton. The losing streak is the longest in Guardiola’s tenure in Manchester and has at least temporarily derailed the march toward a fifth consecutive Premier League title. Things began brightly for Guardiola when Erling Haaland banged in his 12th goal of the season to give Manchester City the lead in the 23rd minute of play versus Brighton. Neither side could capitalize on their chances from that point until deep into the second half when Brighton’s Joao Pedro scored in the 78th minute on a poacher’s goal amid a goalmouth scramble. Five minutes later, former Celtic player Matt O’Riley scored in his Premier League debut for Brighton as the Seagulls disposed of the defending league champions. Brighton is now one of four teams (Chelsea, Arsenal, and Nottingham Forest being the others) sitting on 19 points, four back of Manchester City and nine points behind Liverpool’s scintillating pace.

Chelsea’s Pedro Neto drilled an equalizer in the 70th minute to salvage a point versus Arsenal in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. Both clubs fell further behind league leading Liverpool with the Gunners failing to win for a fourth consecutive time in league play. Arsenal will be encouraged, however, by the return of Martin Odegaard who assisted Gabriel Martinelli’s 60th minute goal which provided the Gunners with their short-lived lead. Odegaard, a source of much of Arsenal’s creativity in attack, had been sidelined for two months before taking the pitch on Sunday. Chelsea sits third in the table over the fourth place Gunners on goal differential in an impressive start to Manager Enzo Maresca’s reign at the club.

Nottingham Forest is fifth after the Tricky Tress relinquished a halftime lead to concede three second half goals and lose 3-1 at the City Ground to Newcastle. Forest has now lost as many games as they have won at the City Ground while the Jekyll and Hyde club has garnered the second most away points in the league this season. Resurgent Newcastle has now won back-to-back matches against clubs then residing in the top three.

Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, continued a frustrating run of alternating wins and losses over its last six matches. Spurs had an opportunity to go third in the  table on goal differential this past weekend. Instead, Manager Ange Postecoglou’s club were upset at home by Ipswich Town to fall all the way to 10th in the table. Ipswich Town’s 2-1 victory was the first Premier League win for the club in 22 years. Sam Szmodic’s spectacular bicycle kick gave the Tractor Boys the lead in the 31st minute. It became 2-0 at half time after rising young star Liam Delap scored his sixth goal of the season for Ipswich Town. A second half goal by Rodrigo Bentancur proved too little, too late for Spurs.

Ipswich Town moved out of the relegation with their victory, leapfrogging a losing Crystal Palace side which could soon be under new management. The Eagles lost 2-0 at home to Fulham in a London derby at Selhurst Park. Manager Oliver Glasner’s side has lost its last ten league matches when conceding the first goal as the Eagles simply do not have the firepower to recover from an early blow. Glasner may be a victim of his own success last season as his underwhelming squad may be finding its true level this season.

Seventh place Fulham, meanwhile, is teasing supporters with possible  European qualification after a second straight win which leaves the Cottagers just a point behind third place Chelsea.

Southampton’s jubilation over the Saints’ first win of the season last week was short lived as the Saints fell back to the bottom of the table with a 2-0 loss at previously winless Wolverhampton. Every team in the Premier League has now won at least once with Wolves beginning to show signs of relegation reluctance with two consecutive draws preceding Saturday’s win.

Manchester United completed its four-match unbeaten run under interim manger Rudd van Nistelrooy with a 3-0 over Leicester. It was the second victory over the Foxes in the past two weeks while van Nistelrooy also presided over a Europa Cup win over PAOK and a league draw with Chelsea. Ruben Amorim takes over as Manchester United Manager following the international break. The management change at Manchester United came after the Red Devils lost at struggling West Ham.

The Hammers have reverted back to terrible form since that match, failing to score in Saturday’s goalless drudge match with Everton which followed on an ugly 3-0 negative result at Nottingham Forest. Things are not yet at crisis stage with West Ham still five points clear of the drop line, but Manger Julen Lopetegui has delivered nothing to excite Hammer fans since following the boring, yet ultimately successful run of former manager David Moyes. Everton, meanwhile, are not free of relegation worries despite having lost but once in their last seven matches. The Toffees are three points clear of the drop line after drawing for the fourth time in that run.

Brentford and Bournemouth, meanwhile, are in that mid-table gray zone with no fear of relegation and yet scant hope for  a European place. The Bees defeated the Cherries 3-2 on Saturday to move one point ahead of Bournemouth into 11th position in the table. Yoane Wissa scored twice for the Bees, his sixth and seventh goals of the season placing him joint third in Premier Leaguer goal production this season. 

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Thursday, November 7, 2024

Premier League Preview: Match Week 11

Manchester City and Arsenal try to right the ship the weekend after both clubs have struggled in recent weeks. Manchester City dropped a third consecutive match across all competitions during the week in Champions League action against Sporting Lisbon. The winning manager in that match was Ruben Amorim who the Citizens will be seeing much more of when the Portuguese manager takes the reins at Manchester United in a few weeks. A final score of 4-1 during Tuesday’s match was a humiliating exclamation point on Manchester City’s recent downturn in form. A defense depleted by injury played without discipline and conceded two penalties. Striker Erling Haaland, meanwhile, missed on his own penalty try. City returns to league play at Brighton on Saturday and the Seagulls will not be an easy opponent for Manchester City to recover their form against.

Only the top three clubs have fewer losses than a Brighton side which gave league leading Liverpool a competitive match at Anfield last week before falling in the end. Liverpool is home again this weekend to face  Aston Villa. Manager Unai Emery’s Villa team has won just one of its last five matches, a run punctuated by a 4-1 loss to Spurs last week.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will be on the road at Stamford Bridge as it tries to pick up the pieces after losing two of its last three league matches. A loss to Chelsea and a Liverpool win over Aston Villa would put the Gunners 10 points back of the Premier League top spot, reducing Arsenal’s championship hopes to just a glimmer. The team’s attacking woes were again on display in a1-0 Champions League loss to Inter Milan during the week. Chelsea, however, has been lukewarm at home, winning only two and drawing one of its five league matches at Stamford Bridge. The Blues’ early season scoring barrage has slowed considerably, with the team averaging just over one goal per match in its last four matches versus the three goal per match pace of Chelsea’s first six games of the league season.

Newcastle snapped a five-match winless run in defeating Arsenal last weekend. This week should serve as a barometer as to whether that Newcastle win was more a reflection of Arsenal’s troubles. The Magpies must go on the road to face a surprising top four club in Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees burst into the Champions League places with their third consecutive league win last weekend. Forest will be a tough out for the Magpies as the Tricky Trees have lost just once all season, Liverpool and Manchester City being the only other Premier League clubs to have stumbled just once.

Tottenham Hotspur will try to build on its dominating home win over Aston Villa last week when Spurs welcomes currently relegation bound Ipswich Town to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Tractor Boys are one of only two clubs, along with fellow relegation zone occupant Wolverhampton, not to have won a match this season. Wolves, meanwhile, will face the third relegation zone occupant, Southampton, in a key survival battle on Saturday.

West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui, meanwhile, could be facing his own survival battle when the Hammers host Everton at London Stadium. Only Brentford, of clubs not currently relegation bound, has conceded more goals than the Hammers under their new manager. The West Ham defense has been wide open and has lost any resemblance to the disciplined and pragmatic, even if boring, style of former Manager David Moyes. Everton shored up their own defensive failings, which marked the early part of their season, to put together a five-match unbeaten run before an unexpected 1-0 loss to Southampton last week. The Toffees have conceded just four goals in their last six matches after conceding 13 goals in losing the first four matches of their season.

Manchester United has had difficulty finding the net in its Premier League matches as only Crystal Palace and Southampton have scored fewer goals than the Red Devils this season. Up next on the league schedule for interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is a visit from Leicester on Sunday. The Foxes, under former Nottingham Forest Manager Steve Cooper, have experienced the most success of the three newly promoted clubs. After capturing seven of the twelve points available over their last four matches, the Foxes are 15th in the table, five points clear of the relegation line. Club legend Jamie Vardy, at 37 years old, leads Leicester with four goals this season.

Crystal Palace has failed to find the net in four matches this season and only twice has the club scored more than a goal in its 10 contests to date. The absence of injured Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton does not provide optimism with respect to Saturday’s London derby with Fulham. The Cottagers defeated Brentford in a London derby last week and are flirting with a top half finish while the Eagles continue their survival mission, flying just two points clear of the relegation line.

Brentford fell out of the top half with last week’s loss to Fulham and this week the Bees travel to in-form Bournemouth. The Cherries have sandwiched wins over Arsenal and Manchester City around a draw at Aston Villa in their last three matches. 

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Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Premier League Results Match Week 10: Liverpool Back On Top; Bournemouth Ends Manchester City’s Unbeaten Run; Arsenal Falls Again; Nottingham Forest Joins Top Four; Spurs Smash Villa; Chelsea and Manchester United Share The Points; Saints Be Praised !; Bees Lose Another Lead

Some of the top clubs are licking their wounds after the weekend results as the Premier League table at the top seems less fixed than recent seasons. Liverpool sprinted back into the lead with Mohamed Salah striking the winner at Anfield to defeat a pesky Brighton side. The Reds moved past Manchester City into the top spot as the Citizens lost for the first time in 33 matches in a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth. Arsenal, meanwhile, lost for a second time amid a three-match winless run as Newcastle defeated the Gunners 2-1 at St James Park. Aston Villa lost its tenuous grip on the top four in a 4-1 embarrassment at Tottenham Hotspur. Both Villa and Arsenal fell out of the top four. Nottingham Forest is now in third place after the Tricky Trees defeated West Ham 3-0 for their third consecutive win. Chelsea is fourth by virtue of a goal differential advantage over Arsenal and Aston Villa after the Blues picked up a point in a 1-1 draw at Manchester United. The tightly congested Premier League table sees Bournemouth and Newcastle level on points in 9th and 10th position, respectively, just three points removed from the top four after both clubs knocked off traditional powers on the weekend.

Liverpool, of course, is no stranger to a title race. There were understandable questions, however, as to how the transition to a new manager would go after a long period of prosperity under the legendary Jurgen Klopp. Things are going just fine under Arne Slot, however, as the transition has gone as smoothly as could be hoped for. The  major difference to date is greater attention to the defensive end of the pitch where the Reds have conceded only six goals this season. Only one other Premier League side has conceded less than eleven goals. Some things, of course, have not changed, such as the sight of a curling left-footed strike by Salah leading Liverpool to victory.

Things have changed quickly for Manchester City. Saturday’s loss to Bournemouth not only put an end to a club record 32 match Premier League unbeaten run which included 26 victories and six draws for the serial titlists, but also marked a second consecutive loss for the Citizens after an EFL Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur during the week. Injuries, many in the defensive end, have riddled Manchester City’s squad. The embattled back line saw Ruben Dias the latest to miss action on Saturday, joining center back partner John Stones on the injury list. Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake played through injuries on Saturday while Kenny Walker returned to the lineup despite having not trained in almost three weeks. Bournemouth has now claimed the scalps of both Arsenal and Manchester City in the last three weeks. Saturday’s victory was the Cherries’ first ever topflight win over Manchester City.

Arsenal failed to score for the second time in three weeks in its match at St. James’s Park as the absence of midfield maestro Martin Odegaard is taking a heavy toll. There is also the ongoing discussion, of course, as to whether the Gunners need a true striker as the early season form of converted midfielder Kai Havertz has cooled considerably. Arsenal faced a Newcastle side at St. James which was desperate to snap a five-match winless league run which had put the job security of Manager Eddie Howe in question. The Magpies, however, were buoyed by a midweek Cup win over Chelsea and a 12th minute Alexander Isak goal on Saturday goal put them in control in front of the roaring Toon army. From there, it was Newcastle’s defense which put the final stamp on the 1-0 victory over an Arsenal side which could find no answers in attack.

Nottingham Forest moved past Arsenal and three other clubs as the Tricky Trees moved from seventh to third place in the table with their 3-0 defeat of West Ham. It marked the first time in more than a quarter of a century that the Tricky Tress have won three consecutive Premier League matches. The clean sheet was the fifth of the season for virtually impenetrable Forest as only Liverpool have kept their opponents off the scoresheet more often than the Tricky Trees who have thrived under Manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s pragmatic and disciplined approach. Much of the club’s scoring, meanwhile, has come from striker Chris Wood who, after again finding the net on Saturday, has eight goals in this season’s ten matches and is just one short of tying the career mark for Nottingham Forest.

Surprising Forest also scored a win off the pitch this week as Arsenal Sporting Director Edu Gaspar has resigned his post with the Gunners to take up a position for Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis. In addition to the Tricky Trees, Marinakis, known for fiery outbursts when displeased with officiating, also owns Olympiakos and Rio Aves with rumored intensions to add to that group. The win at the City Ground was surprisingly just the second home win of the season for Nottingham Forest which has enjoyed most of its success on the road with only Liverpool having a better away record.

Aston Villa had been undefeated on the road until Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Rejuvenated Spurs responded to last week’s disappointing league loss at Crystal Palace by toppling Manchester City in the Carabao Cup during the week and then inflicting Villa’s first away loss in convincing fashion. Dominic Solanke, relatively quiet this season after his splashy offseason acquisition, scored twice for Spurs. Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, two individuals singled out for poor performance last week against Palace, also stepped up for Manager Ange Postecoglou’s side. Kulusevski assisted on the first of Solanke’s goals while Maddison finished off the scoring in the 96th minute.

Chelsea’s point against Manchester United moved it level on points with both Aston Villa and Arsenal and into possession of fourth place in the table based on goal differential. A rare goal from Moises Caicedo proved the equalizer for Chelsea just four minutes after Bruno Fernandes had given United the lead on a 70th minute penalty kick. It was Caicedo’s first goal of the season and fourth in 90 appearances for Chelsea. The Ecuadoran’s calling card is breaking up the opponents’ attacks, something he is doing with unparalleled success this season as he leads the Premier League in combined tackles and interceptions. Manchester United Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy remained unbeaten as he waits to hand the reins over to permanent appointment Ruben Amorim with the Red Devils having toasted Leicester 5-2 in the Carabao Cup during the week.

Leicester recovered from that pasting to earn a point at fellow promoted side Ipswich Town on Saturday. Former Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew scored his second league goal of the season for the Foxes with his equalizing strike in the 94th minute.

Palace also shared points this weekend when center back Marc Guehi tied matters in the 77th minute at Wolverhampton. The Eagles got their earlier goal courtesy of fellow defender Trevor Chalobah as Crystal Palace found a way to overcome the meager threat posed by its attacking players. Only Southampton has scored fewer goals this season than the Eagles who were without star Eberechi Eze for the match.

The prayers of the Southampton Saints were answered in the 85th minute when Adam Armstrong scored to stun Everton 1-0 for the Saints’ first win of the season. The Saints victory ended a five-match unbeaten run for Everton and gave Southampton supporters at St. Mary’s a sliver of hope that the Saints might yet ascend from the relegation zone.

Week 10 in the Premier League ended in dramatic fashion Monday when Fulham’s Harry Wilson scored twice in stoppage time to give the Cottagers a come from behind 2-1 win over Brentford at Craven Cottage. The Bees have now dropped 14 points from winning positions this season. 

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Friday, November 1, 2024

Premier League Preview: Match Week 10

An eventful week saw Manchester United sack its manager, win its Carabao (EFL) Cup match versus Leicester in resounding fashion and name a new manager in waiting. The club moved quickly to replace Eric ten Hag, announcing the signing of Sporting Lisbon Ruben Amorim on Friday. That was two days after interim manager Rudd Nistelrooy was on the touchline for a 5-2 thrashing of Leicester in the EFL cup. Van Nistelrooy will get a few more games in charge as Sporting Lisbon’s Amorim will not take over till after the next international break. On Sunday van Nistelrooy and the Red Devils are at Old Trafford to face an angry Chelsea squad which was bounced from the EFL cup by Newcastle on Wednesday. The Blues will be a far more formidable test for Manchester United, which faced a heavily rotated Leicester line up in midweek.

League leading Manchester City, still undefeated and riding a three-match winning streak despite an increasing injury list, will face a tricky Bournemouth side on the south coast. The Cherries defeated Arsenal just two weeks ago and stole a late point at Aston Villa last Saturday. Manchester City has overcome a host of injuries in rising to the top of the table. Rodri is out for the season, Kevin De Bruyne is out indefinitely. Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker are all out for the Bournemouth match while defender Manuel Akanji is a question mark.

Man City played a youth infused line up in a midweek loss to Spurs as the Citizens bowed out of the Carabao Cup. The win was costly for Tottenham Hotspur, however, as defender Mickey van de Ven pulled a hamstring. Van de Ven’s speed is crucial to Manager Ange Postecoglou’s risky attacking scheme which leaves acres of space for Spurs’ opponents to exploit. On the positive side, forward Son Heung-min is expected to return for this weekend’s match against visiting Aston Villa. The Villans were surprisingly knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace midweek, just days after conceding a 96th minute equalizer to Bournemouth. The draw with the Cherries was the third deadlock in the past three league matches for Aston Villa which is still clinging to fourth position in the table by a point over Chelsea.

Liverpool and Brighton will meet at Anfield on Saturday just days after the Reds defeated the Seagulls in a midweek Carabao Cup tilt. That match saw five goals being scored and the attack-oriented sides can again be expected to ripple the nets. The Reds plethora of attack options has easily compensated for the injury absence of Diogo Jota with Cody Gakpo notching a brace versus the Seagulls on Wednesday.

Arsenal gets center back William Saliba back from suspension and Manager Mikel Arteta is hopeful his other starting center back, Gabriel, will be fit to go when the Gunners visit Newcastle which defeated a collection of Chelsea reserves during the week but are in dire need of ending a five-match winless run in the Premier League.

West Ham, meanwhile, has been on a rollercoaster for the past few weeks. The Hammers were humiliated by London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, administered their own beatdown of lowly Ipswich Town, and then ended the Manchester United career of Eric ten Hag with a victory at London Stadium last week. The Hammers now head to Nottingham Forest, which is just two points outside the top four under Manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The majority of results, however, have come away from the City Ground where the Tricky Trees have won just once and suffered their only league loss.

That lone loss of the season for the Trees was inflicted by Fulham, which will be home at Craven Cottage to face Brentford this weekend. A tightly contested battel could be in store for the mid table sides with the ninth place Bees holding a one-point advantage over the Cottagers in the standings. Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa lead a high-flying Brentford attack which has not been slowed down by the departure of striker Ivan Toney during the offseason. Mbeumo’s eight goals are second in the Premier League to Erling Haaland and Wissa has five goals for a Brentford side which is joint third in the Premier League in goal production this season. Unfortunately, the Bees have also conceded more goals than any club not in the bottom three.

One of those bottom three clubs has started to show signs of life after a dreadful start to the season. After conceding five goals to Brentford for loss number six of the season, Wolves recovered to play competitively in a 2-1 loss to Manchester City before grabbing a point at Brighton with a stoppage time goal. A confidence infused Wolves side will now greet Crystal Palace to Molineux Stadium. The Eagles have also been on an upward trajectory but lost star Eberechi Eze to injury in a midweek Carabao Cup win over Aston Villa. The Cup win followed a London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur for the Eagles’ first Premier League win of the season last weekend. The loss of playmaker Eze could disrupt the Eagles’ flight pattern, however. Midfielder Adam Wharton was also injured in the midweek match. The opportunity is thus there for Wolves to win for a first time in this campaign and perhaps extend the tenure of Manager Gary O’Neil.

Winless Southampton are the only club below Wolverhampton in the table. The newly promoted Saints have found the net only six times this season, joint lowest in the league. Meanwhile, they have conceded 19 goals, a total exceeded only by fellow relegation zone occupants Wolverhampton and Ipswich Town. Everton comes to St. Mary riding a five-match unbeaten run which has lifted the Toffees five points clear of the drop zone. The Toffees are greatly improved since the Saints eliminated the Merseyside club from the Carabao Cup back in September. No Everton opponent has scored more than a goal in the Toffees five match Premier League unbeaten run.

Ipswich Town, meanwhile, has conceded ten goals over three consecutive losses as the Tractor Boys prepare to get back at it this weekend versus Leicester. The newly promoted Foxes are level on nine points with Everton but suffered a painful loss versus Manager Steve Cooper’s former Nottingham Forest team last weekend. That loss was followed by a trouncing at the hands of Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Cooper’s frustrations got the best of him at Old Trafford, and he has been suspended from the touchline for Saturday’s match. 

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Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Premier League Results Match Week 9: Ten Hag Sacked After Manchester United Loss; Liverpool and Arsenal Draw; Manchester City Tops Table; Cherries Grab Late Point At Villa; Chelsea Triumph At Bridge; Spurs Fail To Show Versus Palace; Wolves Snag Point At Brighton; Foxes Felled By Trees

The Eric ten Hag era is over at Manchester United. After a 2-1 loss to West Ham the embattled manager launched into his customary whine about referee decisions and missed chances. Now he is gone.

Ten Hag did have a point about the officiating on Sunday. An exceptionally soft foul was spotted by VAR in the 92nd minute, causing the match referee to overrule his on-field decision and award the winning penalty kick to the Hammers’ Jarrod Bowen. One could even agree that Manchester United had the better chances, particularly in the first half where  the Red Devils’ misfiring attackers characteristically missed those chances. Manchester United has but eight goals the entire season. Only Crystal Palace and Southampton have scored fewer goals. The appalling output has made winning difficult for the 14th place Manchester club. The Red Devils have lost more often than they have won this season after finishing with the lowest Premier League point total in the club’s history last season.

Despite two cup titles in his first two seasons, ten Hag is gone as Manchester United prepares to throw another dart in attempting to recapture their former magic. Ruud van Nistelrooy takes over in the interim while another search begins. Ten Hag’s misfortune contrasted with joy on the opposite touchline. West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui badly needed Saturday’s London Stadium win after what had been a rough start to his maiden season in east London which included last week’s 4-1 squashing at Spurs.

While Manchester United supporters are left to question their club’s uncertain future, Manchester City is back on its accustomed perch at the top of the Premier League table. The Citizens rode a fifth minute Erling Haaland goal to a 1-0 victory over a surprisingly game Southampton side.

The three points move Manchester City past Liverpool after the Reds shared the points with third place Arsenal in a 2-2 draw at the Emirates on Sunday. Both Liverpool and Arsenal will have conflicting emotions regarding the deadlock. While Liverpool will rue the relinquishment of their pole position in the table, there will be satisfaction in coming back twice on the road at a top three rival. They will be frustrated, however, at not getting a win while facing a devastated Arsenal back line. Beginning the day without suspended center back William Saliba, the Gunners would lose defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber to injury during Sunday’s match. While Arsenal will be irked to have relinquished the lead not once, but twice at home there will also be relief to have survived without further damage. In fact, Arsenal almost pulled it out in the end when a late goal by Kai Havertz was disallowed for a foul in the play’s buildup. Fittingly, the two clubs’ biggest stars factored in the result. Bukayo Saka, who was questionable to even play, opened the scoring for Arsenal in the ninth minute. Mohamed Salah would then close out the scoring with Liverpool’s second equalizer in the 81st minute. The Reds fell to second in the table, a point behind Manchester City. Arsenal is now five points from the top with their defensive health appearing ominous at the moment.

Aston Villa remains behind Arsenal on goal differential after the Villans also shared points on the weekend. Bournemouth striker Evanilson shocked the faithful at Villa Park with his header on the final play of the match which knotted the sides at one goal apiece. The Cherries rarely threatened during the match before snatching the point in smash and grab fashion. While Evanilson provided  the one shining moment, Bournemouth’s unsung hero  was goalkeeper Mark Tavers who had seven saves, several of the mission critical variety.

Tottenham Hotspur must have misunderstood the starting time for their match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Spurs never showed up and fell victim to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s winner for Crystal Palace. The 1-0 derby defeat continued a worrying storyline for Tottenham Hotspur as the combination of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison in the  midfield does not work and both were withdrawn in Saturday’s loss. The poor form of Maddison, who began his Spurs career in such bright fashion, is particularly worrying. Crystal Palace won for the first time this season, perhaps relieving some of the pressure on Manager Oliver Glasner. Mateta enjoyed a bit of redemption one match after he was benched for poor performance. Eberechi Eze, also poor this season, notched his first assist of the campaign with a nifty back heel pass to his towering French teammate. Spurs lost for a third time in five away outings this season and lost any momentum provided by last week’s thumping of fellow London side West Ham.

Elsewhere in London, Chelsea prevailed 2-1 over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge to become the only other club in the top seven, beside Manchester City, to win this weekend. Cole Palmer’s goal in the 47th minute proved the winner as the man they call “Cold” scored for the seventh time this season, the  joint third highest total in the Premier League. Newcastle lost for the third time in a five-match winless run as the seat of Manager Eddie Howe becomes warmer.

Chelsea leapfrogged Brighton into fifth position in the table with the win as the Seagulls squandered a late two goal lead in a 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton. Brighton led 2-0 until Wolves scored in the 88th minute. It still should have been a case of being too little too late for Wolves but for a Brighton mistake in stoppage time. Substitute Mats Wieffer inexplicably passed the ball to Tommy Doyle, the lone Wolverhampton player defending against Wieffer and three Brighton teammates in the Wolves end. The ensuing counterattack saw Doyle assist a 93rd minute equalizer by Matheus Cunha. Wolverhampton’s second point of the season transferred ownership of the bottom place in the table to Southampton.

Ipswich Town, meanwhile, replaced Crystal Palace in the bottom three as the Tractor Boys lost 4-3 at Brentford, marking their third consecutive loss. Bryan Mbeumo scored twice for the Bees, his second goal proving to be the dagger in the 96th minute of the seven goal back and forth match. Brentford had come back from two goals down to take the lead on Mbeumo’s 51st minute penalty kick with Ipswich Town being reduced to ten men. The Tractor boys were not done, however, as Liam Delap struck an equalizer for outmanned Ipswich in the 86th minute, setting the stage for Mbeumo’s stoppage time winner.

The win moved the Bees up four places in the table to ninth, one point above Fulham which dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Everton. Striker Beto scored his first goal of the season for Everton to stun the Cottagers with a 94th minute strike which extended the Toffees’ unbeaten league run to  five matches. The earlier Cottager goal by Alex Iwobi, a former Toffee, was thus wasted as Fulham have now dropped 10 points from winning positions this season.

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, is knocking on the door of European qualification as the now seventh place Tricky Trees laid the wood on Leicester in a 3-1 win Friday at King Power Stadium. Chris Wood scored twice, moving his season’s haul to seven goals and continuing a late career renaissance for the 32-year-old New Zealander who scored 14 times last season. Wood, of course, is a youngster compared to Leicester’s lone goal scorer on Saturday, 37-year-old club legend Jamie Vardy. The home loss was extra painful for Leicester Manager Steve Cooper who led Nottingham Forest to their Premier League promotion by winning the Championship playoff in 2022. Cooper was sacked by the Tricky Trees last season. 

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Friday, October 25, 2024

Premier League Preview: Match Week 9

One game overshadows all the others this weekend when Liverpool goes to the Emirates on Sunday to take on a suddenly vulnerable Arsenal. Injuries took a toll in last week’s loss as the sidelining of Bukayo Saka further slowed an Arsenal attack which was already without Martin Odegaard. Saka’s availability for the clash with Liverpool remains a question after Saka sat out a second consecutive match with his hamstring problem when the Gunners downed Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday. Manager Mikel Arteta has, perhaps intentionally, been giving conflicting signals regarding Saka's fitness for the weekend. If Saka misses again, Arsenal could depend even further on the remarkable home form of Kai Havertz who will try to match the legendary Thierry Henry by scoring in a sixth consecutive Premier League home match for the Gunners. A loss at the Emirates will be worrying as Arsenal are already four points behind Liverpool entering this match. Though it remains early days, recent seasons have proved there is little room for dropped points at the top of the Premier League table. Sunday’s match also poses an important test for Liverpool. The club has won seven of its eight Premier League matches but last Sunday’s narrow win over Chelsea was the first time Liverpool had faced one of the current top seven clubs in the table. Liverpool’s only loss was to eighth Place Nottingham Forest. Even a depleted Arsenal will represent a step up in competition versus the majority of clubs which have fallen to the Reds so far.

Manchester City will be watching Sunday’s match with interest after presumably strolling past Southampton Saturday at the Etihad. The Citizens remain the only undefeated Premier League club, and the Saints are one of four winless sides, having lost seven of their eight matches to date. A collapse last week versus fellow newly promoted side Leicester, in which the Saints squandered a two-goal lead, had to be deflating for a squad which was already floundering. Southampton has conceded more goals this season than any side but for bottom of the table Wolverhampton. On Saturday they will face the league’s highest scoring team and defending champion. The Saints are thus unlikely to have a prayer. Then again, that is the stuff that upsets are made of.

Just a week after its surprising upset of Arsenal, Bournemouth faces another stern test at Aston Villa. Aside from the signature win over the Gunners, the Cherries have been competitive in most every match this season. Before the Arsenal win, all of Bournemouth’s contests had been decided by no more than a goal but for an absorbed pasting by league leader Liverpool and a two-goal margin in a Cherries victory over relegation bound Southampton. Aston Villa, meanwhile, has lost only to Arsenal but some worries were surfacing after back-to-back draws with Ipswich Town and Manchester United. A throttling of Fulham last week will have provided a confidence boost. The victory put the Villans in sole possession of fourth place and cemented their best start to a Premier League season in more than a quarter century.

Brighton lurks just two points behind Aston Villa and the Seagulls are flying after back-to-back victories over Spurs and Newcastle. Wolverhampton visits Brighton this weekend. Cellar dwelling Wolves put on an uncharacteristically strong performance against Manchester City last week before ultimately conceding in the fifth minute of stoppage time for their seventh loss of the season. Saturday’s match at Brighton will show whether last week’s competitiveness was an anomaly or whether there is hope for the league’s current cellar dweller.

Newcastle is reeling after a home loss to Brighton extended the Magpies’ winless run to four matches. Manager Eddie Howe’s side has scored just two goals in its last four league outings and has been whitewashed in its last two times out. Newcastle visits Stamford Bridge on Sunday to face a Chelsea side anxious to get back on track after falling out of the top four with its loss to top of the table Liverpool last week. The Blues have found the net with regularity at Stamford Bridge, scoring 17 goals in the last six matches at the London venue. Chelsea star Cole Palmer has been particularly brilliant at home, averaging a goal or assist every 63 minutes at Stamford Bridge in Premier League play. Trying to put the brakes on Chelsea’s attack will be two former Blues in Magpie fullbacks Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento who, in an odd scheduling twist, will get a second chance on Wednesday when the two clubs meet again in an EFL Cup match at St. James’s Park.

Former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter was rumored this week as a potential replacement for Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, whose fall from grace is remarkable. The Eagles showed so much promise at the end of last season but have failed miserably out of the gate this season. Crystal Palace is without a win and sitting among the three clubs in the relegation zone. Even the losses of Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen are not sufficient to explain the awkward landing of the Eagles in the drop zone. The club will attempt to get off the schneid at home this weekend in a London derby versus Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs star Son Heung-min is a huge doubt for the match with a hamstring but even that absence should not stop Spurs from defeating Palace for a sixth consecutive time. Tottenham Hotspur is seventh in the table after winning another London derby versus West Ham last week.

The Hammers are home this weekend to Manchester United for a contest of embattled managers. New West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui is off to a horrendous start in east London which includes a record three consecutive losses at London Stadium to start the season and a humiliating 4-1 loss at London rival Tottenham Hotspur last week. Both Lopetegui and technical director Tim Steidten are catching strays from fans for poor play but also a poorly constructed team. Steidten purportedly won a power struggle with former manager David Moyes, making him even more the focus of blame for the travails of the current manager and players. Manchester United Manager Eric ten Hag, meanwhile, remains a target for supporters but somehow seems to retain the commitment of management if only because the club has failed to find a suitable replacement to take over the Red Devils who currently sit 12th in the Premier League table after a worst ever finish last season. There has been a bit of an upturn, however, with a comeback win versus Brentford at Old Trafford last weekend and a Europe League draw with former manager Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce during the week.

Brentford returns home this weekend where the Bees have won three of their four home matches to date. Their opponent is an Ipswich Town side still seeking a first win as the Tractor Boys are perilously just a point above the relegation line.

Everton is five points clear of the drop after posting two wins and two draws in their past four matches. The Toffees host Fulham at Goodison Park on Saturday. The Cottagers have dropped two straight contests, albeit to top four sides Manchester City and Aston Villa. Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite should be back in the squad after recovering from a thigh injury. Leicester has improved its chances of survival with back-to-back victories as the Foxes take the pitch versus Nottingham Forest on Friday. The Tricky Trees are eighth in the table under Manager Nuno Espirito Santo, having lost just once this season. Striker Chris Wood has scored three goals in his last four league appearances. Leicester Manager Steve Cooper faces the club which sacked him last year, adding more spice to an East Midlands derby. 

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Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Premier League Results Match Week 8: Arsenal Beaten; Liverpool Edges Chelsea; Manchester City Tames Wolves With Late Winner; Spurs Hammer West Ham; Manchester United Ends Drought In Win Over Bees; Palace Woes Continue With Loss At Forest; Everton Extends Unbeaten Run

Arsenal fell from the ranks of the unbeaten as Bournemouth capitalized on a man advantage to sink the Gunners with two second half goals. Arsenal’s William Saliba was hit with a red card, the first of his career, in the 32nd minute for tripping a Bournemouth player near the center circle. The depleted Gunners kept matters scoreless until the 70th minute when the Cherries Ryan Christie scored from a corner kick. A Justin Kluivert penalty kick nine minutes later sealed the 2-0 victory for the Cherries. The loss of Saliba was too much to overcome for an Arsenal side that was already playing the match without injured stars Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. The Saliba red card will have additional consequences as the defender will be suspended for the huge upcoming match against league leading Liverpool.

Curtis Jones was at the center of Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday. A foul on the midfielder, committed by Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, sent Mohamed Salah to the penalty spot to register the match’s opening score. After Niclas Jackson equalized early in the second half, it was Jones who scored what would prove the winner in the 51st minute when he slotted in a cross from Salah at the far post. The league’s stingiest defense then held off a dangerous Chelsea squad to record Manager Arne Slot’s tenth victory in his 11 games in charge at Liverpool. Chelsea is now winless in their last 10 matches against Liverpool across all competitions.

Manchester City stayed a point behind Liverpool with a dramatic stoppage time winner to defeat Wolverhampton. Few expected the match against the table’s worst side to bear any drama at the Etihad. Wolves, however, jumped to the lead in the seventh minute before the homestanding Citizens equalized later in the first half. The two sides battled through a scoreless second half before John Stones headed in Phil Foden’s corner for a winner which was first disallowed on the field for an alleged offside. VAR would cause the referee to reconsider, and Manchester City had its three points as a worthy effort by Wolves come to nothing for the league’s cellar dwellers.

Aston Villa moved past Chelsea into fourth position in the table with a convincing 3-1 win at Fulham. The Villans scored three consecutive times after Fulham jumped to an early fifth minute lead courtesy of a goal by Raul Jimenez. Morgan Rogers quickly equalized for Aston Villa in the ninth minute. Ollie Watkins then gave Aston Villa the lead with his 59th minute goal, his fifth of the season. Five minutes later Fulham went down to ten men and five minutes after that Aston Villa had its insurance goal when Issa Diop found the net. The Villans are off to their best league start after eight games in 26 years.

Brighton and Hove Albion are two points outside the top four after an impressive 1-0 away win at Newcastle. The ageless Danny Welbeck scored the only goal of a match which saw Newcastle lose a Premier League game at St. James’s Park for the first time since January. The thirty-three-year-old Welbeck, who has four league goals this season, is two years older than Brighton Manager Fabian Hurzeler.

Tottenham Hotspur Manager Ange Postecoglou got a much-needed response after his club collapsed versus Brighton in their last league match. After conceding an opening goal, Spurs would equalize by halftime and then slam the Hammers with three second half goals inside of eight minutes to win 4-1. Mohammed Kudus provided the only moments of note for the Hammers. Kudus scored the opening goal as the Hammers took their surprising lead in a match where they would later  be overwhelmed. A frustrated Kudus would later be red carded for laying hands on not one but two different Spurs players during a second half melee. West Ham will hold its breath as Kudus could potentially be hit with a lengthy suspension for violent conduct.

Manchester United conceded an opening goal to Brentford before Alejandro Garnacho ended a 316-minute Premier League goal drought for the Red Devils to equalize. Rasmus Hojlund would later strike the winner in the 2-1 Manchester United win. While some pressure might have eased on Manager Eric ten Hag with the win, the fact remains the three points only moved United from 14th to 12th position in the table, unaccustomed territory for the Red Devils.

There was no change in table position for the league’s bottom six teams. Everton extended its unbeaten run to four matches with a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town.

The pressure, meanwhile, increased on Crystal Palace Manager Oliver Glasner after his relegation bound Eagles fell 1-0 to Nottingham Forest. The defeat was a third consecutive loss for Crystal Palace, which is shockingly yet to win this season after finishing last season by  winning six of their last seven matches. The Eagles have the fewest goals in the Premier League. In fact, Chris Woods’ winning goal for Forest was his fifth of the season, the same number of goals scored by Crystal Palace as a team in this Premier League campaign.

Southampton remains in the bottom three with Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton after Leicester overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat the Saints 3-2 at St. Mary’s. The Saints led 2-0 at halftime before a sinful second half saw their lead slip away before Jordan’s Ayew’s 98th minute stoppage time goal completed the Foxes’ comeback.

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Friday, October 18, 2024

Premier League Preview: Match Week 8

The Premier League returns to action with a tasty top four matchup as league leading Liverpool hosts a dangerous Chelsea side at Anfield. Liverpool has won six of seven matches, three in succession after a shocking home defeat against Nottingham Forest back in mid-September. Chelsea, meanwhile, is undefeated since an opening week loss to Manchester City and the Blues are currently in fourth position in the table by virtue of goal differential over Aston Villa. Sunday’s contest, in a sense, will represent an irresistible force colliding with an immovable object. Only Manchester City has scored more goals than Chelsea. No club has conceded fewer times than the measly two goals allowed by Liverpool this season. The Reds will be missing goalkeeper Allison who is out with a hamstring issue, but deputy keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has performed admirably when called upon in the past. Chelsea’s defense will be without suspended players Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella though perennially injured Reese James is rumored to potentially be experiencing one of his infrequent spells of fitness. The match at Anfield marks the initial meeting between first time Premier League managers Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca.

Another new manager experiencing success to date is Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler. The 31-year-old manager, the youngest in Premier League history, has the Seagulls in sixth place based on a current goal differential advantage over Newcastle. That margin will be put to the test on Saturday when the Seagulls visit St. James’s Park to face the Magpies. Newcastle has been hamstrung in recent matches by injuries to strikers Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, forcing Manager Eddie Howe to employ winger Anthony Gordon in an unaccustomed tip of the spear role. Isak could be available this week while Wilson is a lesser possibility.

Arsenal appears to have dodged a bullet with Manager Mikel Arteta indicating that Bukayo Saka’s injury sustained on international duty is not serious and the winger is tracking toward being available for the Gunners’ match with Bournemouth. Arteta’s side is already playing without the services of injured captain Martin Odegaard who is getting closer but will not make it for the bout with the Cherries. Bournemouth has lost three of four matches, scoring just once during a dismal run.

No club has been as dismal as Wolverhampton, however. Wolves has lost four in a row and six of its seven matches so far.  Already allowing three goals per match, Manager Gary O’Neil’s club now must face Manchester City, which leads the league in goals. Good luck.

A loss at the Etihad just before the break snapped a five-game unbeaten run for Fulham. The Cottagers are back home this weekend to host Aston Villa. Eighth place Fulham is only three points back of the visiting Villans who are level on points with fourth place Chelsea. The Cottagers have played well at home this season, but this has not been a good match-up for them in the past as Aston Villa have won five of the last six meetings between the teams.

Elsewhere in London, Tottenham Hotspur will be hosting a derby with West Ham. Spurs squandered a two goal lead in a brutal loss at Brighton before the break. West Ham entered the break in a much more positive mindset, having seemingly found their missing attack in a 4-1 pounding of Ipswich Town which marked Manager Julen Lopetegui’s first win at London Stadium.

Ipswich will be engaged in a relegation rumble at Portman Road with visiting Everton on Saturday. The Tactor Boys are just a point above the relegation line, one point behind 16th place Everton. Ipswich had drawn four consecutive matches before being blown out by the Hammers before the break. Calls for the sacking of Everton Manager Sean Dyche have died down a bit after the Toffees captured all five of their season to date points in their final three matches before the break.

Another manager, however, could surprisingly be in trouble. No one expected to be talking about the job security of Crystal Palace Manager Oliver Glasner after the Eagles finished last season strongly after the Austrian’s February appointment. Palace is a disaster so far this season, however, with the Eagles winless and sitting in the dreaded relegation zone after seven matches. David Moyes has been rumored as a possible Glasner replacement as the Eagles prepare to face Nottingham Forest. Nuno Espirito Santo, on the other hand, entered the season on a short leash but has the Tricky Trees in the top half of the table with just a single loss on their resume. Santo will miss Monday’s match at the City Ground due to his disciplinary suspension dating to a volatile moment at Brighton some weeks ago.

Leicester leads the three newly promoted sides with six points to date as former Nottingham Forest Manager Steve Cooper tries to win over the supporters of his new club. A win Saturday at relegation bound Southampton is essential toward that end for Cooper.

And then there is the case of Manchester United. Embattled manager Eric ten Hag drags his 14th place squad to Brentford for a matchup with the Bees on Saturday. The Dutch manager told the media this week that they are “creating fairytales” and “bringing lies” by suggesting his job may not be secure. The reality is that ten Hag guided the team to its worst ever Premier League performance last season and this is the worst start to a season after seven matches in the club’s history. The proud franchise is currently among the bottom three clubs in goal production. A loss to the industrious Bees, currently three places above United in the Premier League table, would surprise no one. Ten Hag chalking it off as no big deal would be no surprise either. 

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Friday, October 11, 2024

Half of The Top Four Is Under New Management

Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta continue to battle as their clubs vie for the Premier League title. Neither of their clubs is currently topping the table, however, and a potential new challenger has now crashed the top four. Both that new challenger and the current Premier League leader are under new management as Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca are off to better starts than their club supporters could have ever hoped for.

Liverpool, of course, was expected to contend after Jurgen Klopp bequeathed a talented roster which ran third behind Manchester City and Arsenal last season. No one, however, expected the transition to Slot’s regime to go so smoothly that the Reds would sit above those two to this admittedly early point in the season. Without making wholesale changes, the former Feyenoord manager has instituted a bit more caution into Klopp’s helter skelter gameplan. Attack minded fullbacks Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have been challenged to attend more to their defensive responsibilities. A double pivot of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch provides additional cover in front of a back line that was showing leakage as the Klopp regime wound down. The stronger defensive shape has led to only two goals being conceded to date in Liverpool’s seven Premier League matches. By comparison, Arsenal has conceded six times and Manchester City has leaked eight goals to date.

On the attack, Liverpool has been more judicious in its attempts. Big chance creation, those goal attempts where a player is expected to score, are up even though shots are down more than eight shots per match in the first seven contests under Slot versus the final seven matches under Klopp. Culture wise, there has been little drama during the transition so far and Mohamed Salah seems much happier now that he is out from under his deteriorating relationship with former manager Klopp. All seems well after the club has won nine of its first ten matches across all competitions under Slot. The true test, of course, will be when inevitable adversity is encountered at some point during this long season.

Another positive manager story is unfolding at Stamford Bridge. When Slot’s legendary predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, announced his departure last January, Liverpool fans had several months to acclimate to the idea of a regime change before the May announcement of Slot’s appointment. Things were a bit more jarring for Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino had just overseen a strong season ending run of five consecutive victories by his young Chelsea squad, capping a run of 15 games where Chelsea lost just once as a difficult start to the 2023/24 season quickly faded into memory. Then two days after the final match Pochettino was gone, purportedly a mutual decision between the Argentine and Chelsea club ownership based on irreconcilable differences. Pochettino, who stayed just one season at Chelsea, is now in his early days  of managing the United States National Team and already voicing aspirations that he would really like to be managing Argentina.

Less than a month after Pochettino’s abrupt departure, Chelsea fans learned their new manager would be Enzo Maresca. The Italian won the Championship in his own one season at Leicester, admittedly limping a bit across the finish line to the consternation of Fox fans. Maresca had failed miserably in his one other top job with Parma where he was fired less than halfway through his maiden season. A presumed big selling point for Chelsea ownership was the Italian’s time spent on the staff of Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola.

There was some understandable doubt among Chelsea supporters as to whether they were seeing an upgrade on the touchline from the vastly more experienced Pochettino. There can be little complaint thus far. Maresca has Chelsea back in the top four and his club is performing in exciting fashion. Only Manchester City has scored more goals than Chelsea this season. This week Maresca was named the Premier League Manager of the Month for September. The new manager has been quick to assert himself at Chelsea and has taken controversially hard stands to cast veteran players Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell from his plans for the season.

On the pitch, Maresca has implemented three key changes. His club uses a short passing game focused on build up play and possession versus the more aggressive transition-based style of Pochettino. Secondly, one of Maresca’s two fullbacks will invert in attack seeking to create a numbers advantage in midfield. Finally, much to the delight of supporters, rising star Cole Palmer is featured in a number 10 role where he can be even more influential than under Pochettino where he was spending time on the right wing. The former Manchester City player was also recognized Friday, being named the Premier League Player of the Month.

While Palmer’s star continues to rise, other young players such as Noni Madueke and Niclas Jackson are also showing improvement. Even defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo appears more comfortable in Maresca’s disciplined system and is showing flashes of the star he once was at Brighton.

There is a long season ahead as the new Chelsea and Liverpool managers get to take a breath during this international break. Both should feel good, however, at their performance so far.

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