Salah and Liverpool top Premier League winners and losers

Winners

Mohamed Salah and Liverpool
Certainly one of Liverpool’s most outstanding points during the last two months has been the tempo of their play when in possession. It’s been straightforward to identify, the ball handed round midfield a lot and so slowly that Jurgen Klopp expressed his frustration to James Milner when he was substituted on Sunday.

However it has oblique impacts too: Earlier than Liverpool would break shortly, in order that when one of many full-backs was inevitably entrusted with advancing the assault they’d obtain the ball on the run. With this slower play, the full-backs have time to maneuver up the pitch earlier than receiving the ball and so get it to toes moderately than working onto it. Opposition defences are set and the entire thing grinds to a halt.

There’s a cause for it, and it’s far less complicated than the idea that the introduction of Thiago Alcantara into the staff has slowed them down. With so many defensive gamers lacking, Liverpool have performed barely extra risk-averse soccer by way of midfield for concern of ceding possession and being counter-attacked by opponents earlier than their makeshift defence is about. That’s significantly true with out Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in central midfield to guard that defence.

As Klopp made clear, it was an issue towards West Ham too. However when you might have Mohamed Salah on the pitch, you might have an opportunity. He was offered with the ball on the large proper of the penalty space and three West Ham outfield gamers between him and the objective. Two shimmies and a dip to the left and he all of the sudden had the ball on his left foot. A low-percentage scoring alternative turned a high-percentage one. There’s a cause why Salah is the primary Liverpool participant since Ian Rush to attain 20 or extra objectives in a season 4 years in a row.

As a substitute, it’s Liverpool’s mesmeric second goal that proves their new-found confidence after consecutive away wins for the primary time since September. The imaginative and prescient of Trent Alexander-Arnold to identify the crossfield change. The anticipation of Xherdan Shaqiri to play the Andrew Robertson position, surging down the left flank to take the ball on the run and play a superb first-time move. The precise-left touches from Salah to regulate the ball and dink it previous Lukasz Fabianski. These are the hallmarks of the Liverpool we keep in mind.

It has been a superb few days for Klopp and his staff. They can’t get again the factors squandered over winter, however they’re removed from out of the title race. Beat Manchester Metropolis at Anfield subsequent weekend, a fixture wherein they’ve been unbeatable during the last 15 years, and they are going to be some extent behind Metropolis and have their mojo again. Then the race to the end between England’s two greatest groups during the last 5 years begins.

Newcastle’s new type
Much, much better. Callum Wilson has suffered a objective drought during the last six weeks, however this demonstrated what is feasible whenever you get gamers nearer to him and repair him adequately. Newcastle doubtlessly have the most effective match striker within the backside half, however there’s solely a lot a centre-forward can do when working in a distinct postcode to the remainder of the staff.

There’s a (comprehensible) concept that you simply make your staff extra defensively resilient by defending deep and defending your individual penalty space. This was the counter-argument: Press increased up the pitch and win possession within the opposition half and you’ll ease the strain in your central defenders and goalkeeper.

The arrival of Graeme Jones as a coach should be mentioned. Watching the touchline on Saturday and you might see Jones micromanaging Newcastle’s gamers whereas Steve Bruce stood behind him. However that needn’t – and shouldn’t – be bought as a adverse on Bruce. One of the best teaching groups work together with people holding duty for numerous points of the method. So long as Newcastle enhance on their outcomes and efficiency, it doesn’t matter how the sausages are made.

With Fulham and West Brom drawing, West Brom persevering with to concede objectives and Scott Parker admitting that new arrivals at Craven Cottage are unlikely this week, Newcastle have taken an enormous step of their bid to keep away from a relegation scrap that they need to by no means have been a part of within the first place. This should give them impetus to make use of the consequence and the way wherein it was achieved as a blueprint to design the second half of their season.

Patrick Bamford
A critically good centre-forward efficiency in entrance of the watching Gareth Southgate. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Ings are most likely forward of Bamford within the race to play up entrance for England within the Euros after Harry Kane knacks his metatarsal in April, however the England supervisor should have been mightily impressed with what he noticed.

Bamford’s end (all the time the headline) was beautiful, swept with minimal backlift earlier than Kasper Schmeichel may set himself and so unimaginable for Leicester’s goalkeeper to dive and save. However his assists had been simply nearly as good, exhibiting imaginative and prescient to fit the ball between the traces to Stuart Dallas and exhibiting fantastic selflessness to play the ball throughout the goalkeeper for Leeds’ third.

Even then we danger overlooking how Bamford has improved most beneath Marcelo Bielsa. Beforehand he had a bent to play as a focal-point centre ahead, ready for the ball to return into his head or toes moderately than creating the choice for the move himself. Watch him now to see how he drops into area to hyperlink up play or arcs his runs to interrupt between central defenders. Bamford lacks the lightning tempo of some Premier League strikers. Now he’s making up for it with recreation intelligence.

This has been a superb breakout season for Bamford, coming halfway by way of his skilled profession. He’s now 5 objectives away from his objectives whole in 45 Championship matches final season and that’s taking place as a result of his motion is healthier, his ending is extra correct and his confidence is increased. The one English participant with extra Premier League objectives this season is Kane.

A word too for Leeds in general, who suffered a backlash after the effusive reward piled upon Bielsa initially of the season. The 11 gamers on the pitch for his or her third objective on Sunday all performed within the Championship final season. That’s proof of a staff far higher than the sum of its element components.

Brighton
Lastly. That is what Graham Potter needs from this Brighton aspect, a efficiency outlined by their array of technically proficient midfielders interchanging possession and shifting into area to obtain the ball however accompanied by a faultless defensive show which means their strikers solely must take one probability to win the sport. Watching Aaron Connolly intention the ball into the one a part of the objective that was blocked, you’ll be able to see why.

This has been a troublesome interval for Potter. Brighton are the final staff within the nation to file a house victory this season and final season wasn’t a lot better both. They’re a deeply irritating staff to look at, undone by profligacy in a single penalty space and occasional lapses of focus or positioning within the different.

However they had been an excessive amount of for a depressing Tottenham. The magnificent Yves Bissouma – the poster boy of their scouting and recruitment mannequin – protected the defence and Leandro Trossard, Pascal Gross and Alexis MacAllister ran the midfield. That is the plan that Potter believes in so strongly and, when it really works, you’ll be able to see why Brighton’s hierarchy have a lot religion in it. Now keep up and purchase a higher-class centre ahead in the summertime.

Manchester Metropolis’s title cost
It wasn’t fairly, you perceive. Pep Guardiola made quite a few modifications and located Sheffield United to be a cussed opponent buoyed by their midweek victory at Outdated Trafford. However Metropolis discovered a means, sat on their lead and defended it within the method that has now develop into customary.

For all their dominance beneath Guardiola between 2017 and 2019, Metropolis by no means managed to file 12 successive victories. They’ve now set a brand new membership file. When this unbeaten league run began they had been thirteenth within the desk. When the successful run started they had been ninth. Having gone high for the primary time since August 2019, they are going to be assured of sustaining that place.

Metropolis are additionally purring whereas their supposed title rivals drop away. For all Manchester United’s enchancment over the previous few months, Metropolis have taken seven extra factors than them within the final fortnight and that does appear to be title-race defining.

The journey to Anfield subsequent weekend is essential for numerous causes. Manchester Metropolis haven’t received there in any competitors since 2003 and in latest seasons have been blown away by early Liverpool salvos. A loss subsequent weekend may simply provoke a harmful spiral with Metropolis’s subsequent run of league video games.

However Guardiola shall be eager to emphasize to his gamers that subsequent weekend additionally supplies them with the prospect to put down a marker towards the defending champions and to show Liverpool’s defensive disaster. It hasn’t all the time been the case during the last 18 months however, proper now, no staff in Europe fancies dealing with them.

Chelsea’s new meritocracy
Had you been advised three weeks in the past that Callum Hudson-Odoi and Marcos Alonso would begin as Chelsea’s wing-back pairing, you might need assumed both a defensive disaster or a tactical meltdown from Frank Lampard. When Thomas Tuchel did precisely that for his second match in cost, it provoked social media outrage from a piece of Chelsea’s assist. You don’t even get to play the match today earlier than the judgement is delivered.

However it labored. Hudson-Odoi was Chelsea’s only chance-creator and appears born to play the wing-back position towards opponents who’re intent on sitting deep. Taking part in with wing-backs permits the 2 gamers working behind the centre ahead to remain nearer to the center of the pitch and work across the lead striker.

In Winners and Losers in midweek, I wrote about Ben Chilwell’s suitability to play at wing-back and concluded that he was most likely higher as a full-back as a result of he tends to show again moderately than overlapping his man. I questioned whether or not Christan Pulisic is likely to be suited to the position, however Tuchel as a substitute sees the forgotten man Alonso as the most effective of each choices. His underlapping run into the penalty space, contact and end is precisely what he specialises in and precisely what Chilwell struggles at.

Chelsea have additionally discovered a defensive solidity in Tuchel’s first recreation in cost. They’re but to face a shot on course and Tuchel got here inside seconds of turning into the primary Chelsea supervisor to cease their opponent having a shot of any form since Opta began gathering information in 2013. That can clearly be examined shifting ahead – Wolves and Burnley barely tried to assault them – however it’s attention-grabbing to notice how Tuchel likes to maintain 5 males (three centre-backs and two midfielders) behind the ball even once they assault. That’s a shift from Lampard’s choice for pushing additional gamers ahead to complement the assault when struggling to interrupt down deep defences.

It was too early on Thursday to label Tuchel a loser and too early right this moment to label him a winner. Tottenham on Thursday will present the primary probability to look at his staff towards higher-class opposition and Spurs might check Chelsea’s new tactical plan.

However we are able to not less than conclude that there’s a new meritocracy at Chelsea beneath Tuchel. The arrival of any new supervisor provides the squad a clear slate and a possibility to impress, however that appears significantly clear right here given the change of formation and magnificence. If nothing else, will probably be fascinating to look at how Tuchel’s Chelsea evolve throughout his early weeks in cost.

Eberechi Eze
He’s completely good, doubtlessly probably the most thrilling participant within the backside half of the Premier League. If which means Crystal Palace find yourself promoting Eze for £40m-plus additional down the road, so be it; that’s how well-run golf equipment do issues and the trick is to benefit from the growth of mentioned gamers when you have them earlier than reinvesting the proceeds sensibly. If it’s adequate for Leicester Metropolis, it’s adequate for Palace.

Losers

Jose Mourinho
A defeat so damning on Tottenham’s supervisor as a result of it was so bloody predictable. We winced on the sight of this staff lethargically trying to unpick Liverpool in midweek with Harry Kane absent and winced on the considered their prospects with out their greatest participant. If this was not the worst staff efficiency of Mourinho’s tenure, the primary half was certainly the worst 45 minutes.

Suspicions that Tottenham had been ripe for dismantling on Sunday evening solely grew when Mourinho picked three central defenders towards the worst house aspect within the nation. That formation sometimes depends upon the wing-backs to supply the creativity, however Mourinho chosen two unnatural wing-backs in Ben Davies (left-back) and Moussa Sissoko (central midfielder). They created one probability every.

The shortage of Kane clearly supplies a part-explanation. The draw back of his higher duty to knit collectively the strands of Tottenham’s assault moderately than merely main it’s that his absence would go away a deeper gap than it beforehand had. Gareth Bale appears to be like half-broken, Steven Bergwijn is a runner however not a finisher and I’m not even certain why Tottenham purchased Carlos Vinicius to then by no means play him and go away him rusty for exactly the time he was wanted.

However that isn’t a adequate excuse. Mourinho should have labored on a plan within the build-up to Sunday’s recreation and but Tottenham performed like a staff with none semblance of attacking technique. Tanguy Ndombele may have performed as a No. 10 to extend his inventive affect or extra attacking wing-back choices. However extra vital than that was that Tottenham moved the ball at velocity by way of midfield to tug Brighton’s defenders (who lack tempo) out of place. As a substitute we noticed the identical depressing half-speed soccer that solely ever appears to result in half-chances. Tottenham’s anticipated objectives whole at half-time? 0.03.

Mourinho insisted after the match that his staff did apply strain within the closing 20 minutes, however forgive me for holding again the prizes for that. Spurs had been 1-0 down towards a staff with one house league win since 2019 – I’d bloody hope that they’d try to equalise. That doesn’t even meet the naked minimal customary required.

And there’s a barely broader difficulty right here too. Mourinho defined the dearth of power within the first half – significantly in attacking areas – as a result of a number of Tottenham gamers are “unhappy”. You possibly can interpret that in all method of how (Mourinho’s vagueness was certainly deliberate), however the supervisor should settle for his personal culpability in that course of.

Think about the next situation: At work, you might have been given a process and advised to do it the way you see match. Quite than play it protected, you select to attempt one thing a bit of completely different that has a better ceiling of success if it comes off. When it doesn’t come off, your supervisor lambasts you not simply in entrance of your friends however on nationwide tv. The subsequent time your teammates are given an an identical process, how are you prone to method it? Will you additionally attempt one thing experimental that your competitor might not count on? Or are you way more prone to play it protected for concern of being given the identical remedy? Welcome to Tottenham’s Dele Alli downside.

Mourinho now has a significant issue on his arms. Tottenham are having fun with a worse ‘begin’ (and we are actually previous midway) to a season than in any of the 5 full campaigns beneath Mauricio Pochettino. If that nugget handily omits Pochettino’s fall from grace season, the emotional fatigue following the Champions League closing heartache made a change vital.

However then a change is meant to convey a brand new temper and is meant to permit gifted footballers to specific themselves in a brand new mild. Fourteen months after Mourinho was appointed, Tottenham look roughly the identical as they did in Pochettino’s closing weeks. They’re gaining extra factors per recreation than Pochettino did till November that season (1.2 vs 1.7), however then Tottenham have signed 9 new first-team gamers beneath Mourinho.

Loads of Tottenham supporters should be questioning whether or not that is all price it. They emotionally invested a lot in Pochettino’s Tottenham partly as a result of he took them to beforehand unthinkable locations but in addition as a result of he created a tradition throughout the squad that actually did bleed into the temper of the fanbase. They had been pleased with their boys and there was an intangible sense of group between the weather of the membership.

What’s actually to emotionally spend money on now? A League Cup win ends the silverware drought however hardly units pulses racing. The staff is attacking as whether it is working inside a pleasure vacuum. The connection between supervisor and gamers appears to be like to be wavering, loss of life by way of a thousand indignant Mourinho post-match press conferences. And so they’re not even successful video games to vindicate his autocracy.

Manchester United’s Massive Six intent…once more
This wasn’t an issue lead to isolation; no draw away from house towards a Massive Six staff might be bought as that. This wasn’t an issue efficiency in isolation both; Manchester United created probabilities towards Liverpool and created them towards Arsenal too.

However whenever you mix all of Manchester United’s ends in these matches a sample emerges that’s problematic. Since Scott McTominay’s objective towards Manchester Metropolis in March 2020, Manchester United have performed 631 minutes towards Massive Six opponents with out scoring from open play. Their solely objectives had been penalties from Bruno Fernandes in a 6-1 house defeat to Tottenham and Bruno once more towards the identical opponents final June.

We’ve mentioned it loads of instances earlier than, however that 6-1 defeat appears to have spooked Solskjaer into being extra risk-averse towards higher-profile opponents. They will end within the high 4 fairly simply and should nicely proceed to mount a obscure title problem, however they’ll certainly not win the league with no little extra gusto.

This season, a desk comprising intra-Massive Six league matches has United fifth of six with 0.67 factors per recreation. That’s far beneath Liverpool (2.33 ppg) and Manchester Metropolis (1.6 ppg) and Metropolis might nicely enhance that file over the subsequent two months. That could be the distinction come Could.

It’s additionally a bit of odd as a result of it represents a shift in Solskjaer’s method to such matches. Final season, United completed second in that desk with a file of 1.6 factors per recreation, 0.5 ppg increased than Manchester Metropolis and Chelsea. Additionally they scored 15 objectives in these matches. In comparison with one to this point this season.

And on Saturday they may have completed extra towards an Arsenal staff lacking Kieran Tierney (their greatest attacking full-back and second-highest probability creator this season), Bukayo Saka (their highest probability creator this season) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. United had a nearly match squad, totally match attacking unit and Arsenal’s highest probability creator that began the match was Alexandre Lacazette with 13. The sport was there for Manchester United to impose themselves upon it they usually largely ceded that benefit.

Southampton’s VAR misfortune
To lose out as soon as to a questionable VAR name is galling. The truth that the ball rebounded off his thigh gave Matty Money a half-defence for his handball non-offence, however his arm was definitely raised excessive and the deflection was slight; it may so simply have been dominated the opposite means.

However the kicker was the late offside name that robbed Southampton of some extent. The notion of ‘stage’ has been deemed void by the introduction of VAR’s dotted traces, however this was as shut as we now have seen any determination this season. We stared on the miniscule distance between the road between armpit and arse as if judging an anatomical recreation of rock-paper-scissors and had been nonetheless not sure how the decision would fall. And that’s earlier than you get onto the topic of frame-rate accuracy that warps the entire train right into a guessing recreation.

Leicester with out their two greatest gamers
If Manchester United’s title problem fell away as quickly as we took it critically, Leicester Metropolis’s has evaporated earlier than anybody actually gave it any severe thought.

This defeat got here by way of the absence of two key gamers. Jamie Vardy is a much better centre-forward than Ayoze Perez shall be, and the failure to spend money on an efficient back-up striker might nicely value them their quest for Champions League qualification.

However it’s Wilfred Ndidi who they actually miss. The all-passing, all-intercepting, all-running central midfielder would have damaged up so a lot of Leeds’ assaults in a way that Nampalys Mendy simply can not mimic. If Ndidi doesn’t begin 80% of Leicester’s video games between now and Could, they’ll proceed to go away themselves uncovered to the counter assault. Leeds had an excessive amount of area and an excessive amount of enjoyable within the area between defence and midfield.

Everton
Why should you do that to us? Why should you make such leap forwards after which fall again into awkward mediocrity within the area of the identical fortnight? Who do you assume you’re, West Ham?

Daniel Storey