1. Liverpool playing like serious title contenders
Liverpool's James Milner (left) and manager Jurgen Klopp laugh after the final whistle. Dave Howarth
Dave Howarth
LIVERPOOL MAY NOT be the “last wonder of the world” — a point which Jose Mourinho made sure to emphasise during the week — but there’s no doubt that their start to the Premier League season has been highly impressive.
At one point yesterday, it even looked like Jurgen Klopp was set to mark his one-year anniversary at the club in fitting fashion, by moving to the top of the Premier League.
Gareth McAuley’s late consolation goal for West Brom meant the Reds had to be content with moving second in the table, narrowly behind Arsenal on goal difference.
But make no mistake, Liverpool dominated for much of the game and fully deserved their victory, with man-of-the-match Philippe Coutinho particularly influential amid a dominant Anfield display.
Klopp was therefore justified in afterwards claiming it would have been a “joke” had the Baggies emerged with an unlikely point — after all, they seldom threatened and scored with their only shot on target.
Tony Pulis’ side held Tottenham last week, but simply could not contain an in-form Liverpool team.
In recent weeks, the Reds have been talked of as potential title contenders and recent displays suggest there is substance to the hype.
Under Klopp, Anfield in particular has become a fortress, with Liverpool now unbeaten in 12 home Premier League games.
Pulis, meanwhile, added his name to this Liverpool’s list of admirers: “They’re a good side, with the players they’ve got and on the bench, they’ve got a clear run at this title,” he told BT Sport. “When you look at the clubs that have played in Europe, they’ve got a real chance this year.”
2. Unbeaten Spurs have cause for concern
Tottenham Hotspur's Erik Lamela appeals for a penalty during the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium. PA Wire / PA Images
PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images
Despite being the only Premier League side who are still unbeaten, Mauricio Pochettino admitted he is “concerned” after three successive draws.
“It’s true we need to improve if we want to be a real contender. It’s true after two games away at West Bromwich and Bournemouth, you must win at least one,” the 44-year-old manager said.
Speaking on TV3 during the week, Graeme Souness put forward the theory that Tottenham were over-training, citing how “heavy legged” they appeared during a 0-0 draw with Leverkusen in the Champions League.
And while the Argentine coach would probably dismiss such talk, he did acknowledge that there was a sluggishness about Spurs’ performance at the Vitality Stadium against Bournemouth on Saturday.
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“We missed the freshness to be sharp in the last third,” he added. “Second half we dominated, but it was more difficult to create chances to score.”
With the season less than 10 games in, it must be a serious worry if the coach is already acknowledging his players are tired.
And it is not the first time this complaint has been levelled at Spurs under Pochettino’s watch. In their last two campaigns, they have wilted and finished poorly amid the season’s climax — and that was without the added pressure of Champions League football.
3. Arsenal suffer amid Santi Cazorla absence
Arsenal's Santi Cazorla was unavailable yesterday. Adam Davy
Adam Davy
THERE WAS A distinctly familiar feeling at the Emirates yesterday.
After a disappointing start that encompassed a loss to Liverpool and a draw with Leicester, winning their next six Premier League games on the bounce had many commentators speaking about Arsenal in excited tones.
Yet in typical Gunners fashion, just when they start to look unstoppable, the team put in a decidedly average performance and drop points in an extremely winnable game.
Praise has been heaped on Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez for their roles in this fantastic run.
And while the trio have undoubtedly been important players, none of them could make the difference in the stalemate on Saturday, but the contribution of the equally influential Santi Cazorla has been overlooked to a degree.
Arsenal suffered significantly last season without the Spaniard, who played just 15 times in the league during the 2015-16 campaign.
Cazorla was absent through injury again for the below-par 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough, and Wenger rightly highlighted his absence as being key.
“You always miss Cazorla at home. From deep midfield into the final third his pass is always quick, accurate,” said Wenger, whose side will be knocked out of first place if Manchester City avoid defeat against Southampton on Sunday.
“Cazorla, I don’t really know when he will be back. We have to see how he recovers on Monday.”
4. Harry Arter deserves to start in Austria
Harry Arter has impressed for Bournemouth of late. PA Wire / PA Images
PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images
In a game featuring the talented likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Eric Lamela, it was notable that none of the trio had quite the same level of influence as Harry Arter.
The Ireland international was superb as Bournemouth earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Spurs at the Vitality Stadium, deservedly picking up the man-of-the-match award for his troubles.
Manager Eddie Howe has suggested in the past that Arter is good enough to force his way into the Ireland team and few would disagree based on Saturday’s performance.
It’s easy to envisage Arter being well capable of stopping top international sides from playing, just as he did with Tottenham yesterday.
With the player yet to win a competitive cap, it remains to be seen whether Martin O’Neill thinks Arter can be as invaluable to Ireland as he clearly is for Bournemouth.
But the 26-year-old, an unused sub for the Boys in Green’s opening 2018 World Cup qualifier with Serbia, surely now deserves a chance to prove himself — so far this season, he has been comfortably the most impressive Irish midfielder in the Premier League.
5. David Moyes in serious trouble
Sunderland manager David Moyes gestures on the touchline during yesterday's match. PA Wire / PA Images
PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images
It’s less than 10 Premier League games into his tenure as Sunderland boss and already, there is a sense of haplessness about the David Moyes regime.
Sunderland sit bottom of the table on two points — five plus goal difference away from safety.
Winston Reid’s last-gasp goal for West Ham yesterday was a particularly cruel blow, as the Black Cats’ disastrous start to the season was exacerbated when they were on the verge of earning a precious point.
With Sunderland looking like relegation certainties on current form, the club’s autorities, who are renowned for hiring and firing managers more regularly than most, must now be strongly tempted to part ways with Moyes.
Think of it this way — who is more likely to guide the club to safety, Moyes or previous boss Sam Allardyce, who is once again available for hire after his short England stint came to an embarrassingly premature conclusion?
Sunderland have pulled off more than one ‘great escape’ in recent years in order to narrowly retain their Premier League status.
This season, irrespective of who is in charge, the Black Cats are likely to struggle given the dearth of quality in the squad.
Consequently, staying up this season would surely represent their most impressive and unlikely survival feat yet.
Additional reporting by AFP
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Liverpool playing like serious title contenders and more Premier League talking points
1. Liverpool playing like serious title contenders
LIVERPOOL MAY NOT be the “last wonder of the world” — a point which Jose Mourinho made sure to emphasise during the week — but there’s no doubt that their start to the Premier League season has been highly impressive.
At one point yesterday, it even looked like Jurgen Klopp was set to mark his one-year anniversary at the club in fitting fashion, by moving to the top of the Premier League.
Gareth McAuley’s late consolation goal for West Brom meant the Reds had to be content with moving second in the table, narrowly behind Arsenal on goal difference.
But make no mistake, Liverpool dominated for much of the game and fully deserved their victory, with man-of-the-match Philippe Coutinho particularly influential amid a dominant Anfield display.
Klopp was therefore justified in afterwards claiming it would have been a “joke” had the Baggies emerged with an unlikely point — after all, they seldom threatened and scored with their only shot on target.
Tony Pulis’ side held Tottenham last week, but simply could not contain an in-form Liverpool team.
In recent weeks, the Reds have been talked of as potential title contenders and recent displays suggest there is substance to the hype.
Under Klopp, Anfield in particular has become a fortress, with Liverpool now unbeaten in 12 home Premier League games.
Pulis, meanwhile, added his name to this Liverpool’s list of admirers: “They’re a good side, with the players they’ve got and on the bench, they’ve got a clear run at this title,” he told BT Sport. “When you look at the clubs that have played in Europe, they’ve got a real chance this year.”
2. Unbeaten Spurs have cause for concern
Despite being the only Premier League side who are still unbeaten, Mauricio Pochettino admitted he is “concerned” after three successive draws.
“It’s true we need to improve if we want to be a real contender. It’s true after two games away at West Bromwich and Bournemouth, you must win at least one,” the 44-year-old manager said.
Speaking on TV3 during the week, Graeme Souness put forward the theory that Tottenham were over-training, citing how “heavy legged” they appeared during a 0-0 draw with Leverkusen in the Champions League.
And while the Argentine coach would probably dismiss such talk, he did acknowledge that there was a sluggishness about Spurs’ performance at the Vitality Stadium against Bournemouth on Saturday.
“We missed the freshness to be sharp in the last third,” he added. “Second half we dominated, but it was more difficult to create chances to score.”
With the season less than 10 games in, it must be a serious worry if the coach is already acknowledging his players are tired.
And it is not the first time this complaint has been levelled at Spurs under Pochettino’s watch. In their last two campaigns, they have wilted and finished poorly amid the season’s climax — and that was without the added pressure of Champions League football.
3. Arsenal suffer amid Santi Cazorla absence
THERE WAS A distinctly familiar feeling at the Emirates yesterday.
After a disappointing start that encompassed a loss to Liverpool and a draw with Leicester, winning their next six Premier League games on the bounce had many commentators speaking about Arsenal in excited tones.
Yet in typical Gunners fashion, just when they start to look unstoppable, the team put in a decidedly average performance and drop points in an extremely winnable game.
Praise has been heaped on Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez for their roles in this fantastic run.
And while the trio have undoubtedly been important players, none of them could make the difference in the stalemate on Saturday, but the contribution of the equally influential Santi Cazorla has been overlooked to a degree.
Arsenal suffered significantly last season without the Spaniard, who played just 15 times in the league during the 2015-16 campaign.
Cazorla was absent through injury again for the below-par 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough, and Wenger rightly highlighted his absence as being key.
“You always miss Cazorla at home. From deep midfield into the final third his pass is always quick, accurate,” said Wenger, whose side will be knocked out of first place if Manchester City avoid defeat against Southampton on Sunday.
“Cazorla, I don’t really know when he will be back. We have to see how he recovers on Monday.”
4. Harry Arter deserves to start in Austria
In a game featuring the talented likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Eric Lamela, it was notable that none of the trio had quite the same level of influence as Harry Arter.
The Ireland international was superb as Bournemouth earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Spurs at the Vitality Stadium, deservedly picking up the man-of-the-match award for his troubles.
Manager Eddie Howe has suggested in the past that Arter is good enough to force his way into the Ireland team and few would disagree based on Saturday’s performance.
It’s easy to envisage Arter being well capable of stopping top international sides from playing, just as he did with Tottenham yesterday.
With the player yet to win a competitive cap, it remains to be seen whether Martin O’Neill thinks Arter can be as invaluable to Ireland as he clearly is for Bournemouth.
But the 26-year-old, an unused sub for the Boys in Green’s opening 2018 World Cup qualifier with Serbia, surely now deserves a chance to prove himself — so far this season, he has been comfortably the most impressive Irish midfielder in the Premier League.
5. David Moyes in serious trouble
It’s less than 10 Premier League games into his tenure as Sunderland boss and already, there is a sense of haplessness about the David Moyes regime.
Sunderland sit bottom of the table on two points — five plus goal difference away from safety.
Winston Reid’s last-gasp goal for West Ham yesterday was a particularly cruel blow, as the Black Cats’ disastrous start to the season was exacerbated when they were on the verge of earning a precious point.
It came amid a difficult 24 hours not helped by former United player and coach Ryan Giggs appearing to question Moyes’ recruitment policy during his stint as the Red Devils’ boss.
With Sunderland looking like relegation certainties on current form, the club’s autorities, who are renowned for hiring and firing managers more regularly than most, must now be strongly tempted to part ways with Moyes.
Think of it this way — who is more likely to guide the club to safety, Moyes or previous boss Sam Allardyce, who is once again available for hire after his short England stint came to an embarrassingly premature conclusion?
Sunderland have pulled off more than one ‘great escape’ in recent years in order to narrowly retain their Premier League status.
This season, irrespective of who is in charge, the Black Cats are likely to struggle given the dearth of quality in the squad.
Consequently, staying up this season would surely represent their most impressive and unlikely survival feat yet.
Additional reporting by AFP
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