Monday Morning Manager: WK7
It’s all about what happens in those critical moments – you can look at it as luck swinging one way or another or you can look at it as symptomatic of a larger attitude. Gary Cahill makes a hideously bad tackle on Alexis Sanchez early in the Chelsea vs. Arsenal match and easily could have been sent off in the opinion of commentators who know the finer points of the rules far better than I. He is only shown a yellow and Chelsea go on to win without Arsenal ever really troubling either Chelsea goalkeeper (other than, you know, concussing Thibaut Courtois and sending him to the hospital). Everton had a solid point against Manchester United well within their reach only to see David De Gea come up big while Leighton Baines did not. United went on to win their first match of the season against a decent opponent. Finally, at White Hart Lane in the Mauricio Pochettino derby, Younes Kaboul appeared to be guilty of a sending-off worthy infringement about halfway through the second half for which only a yellow card was awarded despite Kaboul being the only defender within five yards of the play when he brought Mane down.
In all three cases, the team with the bigger reputation got the break. You get the feeling that in all three cases the “lesser” team (Arsenal, Everton, and Southampton) needed that break to go their way to have a chance to get a result. On the other hand, the team with the bigger reputation expected the break to go their way, took it in stride and continued on to victory. It’s the difference between thinking you can win and knowing you should win. Even Manchester United, with their stuttering start and problems at the back, are still Manchester United at the end of the day.
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The Title Race - where we discuss how the aspirants for the title and the four Champions League spots are doing against those two goals.
Chelsea – That second goal really made their summer spending look pretty good, didn’t it? Arsenal presented a greater challenge than they did a year ago but Chelsea showed that they have improved over last season as well.
Manchester City – Not particularly impressive against a team that hasn’t looked very good against other big clubs in recent weeks. Still, they did what they needed to do and kept a clean sheet which is a great thing after the Eliaquim Mangala horror show last weekend. I heard Rory Smith of The Times on a radio interview this morning discussing where City stand in the title race and I liked his answer. He said that the current Chelsea squad will require that City be at their best every single week. The spark of hope that that might happen was the first indication from Yaya Toure that he might return to being the dominant player he was last season.
The Race For Europe – We can now feel good about breaking out City and Chelsea for the title and monitoring what will surely be a thrilling race for the remaining two Champions League places here.
Liverpool – It wasn’t fantastic but it was a solid 2-0 (see note at the end of the paragraph) home win against a team that they should beat. It was good to see Adam Lallana get into the action even if he’s still unlikely to repay his transfer price. He can play a key part in matches like this where Liverpool need their squad players to fill in the numbers, play winning football against mid-table teams, and keep the first team rested. Back to the note from the first sentence, I’m considering this a 2-0 win rather than a 2-1 win because the penalty call was horrible. Liverpool really earned a clean sheet on the merit of their play.
Arsenal – Just as soon as Arsenal supporters were warming to Mesut Ozil again, he looked lightweight against Chelsea. Playing mostly in his preferred central attacking role with talented attackers around him, he wasn’t crisp enough or strong enough to create in a crowded attacking third. He was definitely in good spots but just didn’t seem to be up to the challenge of making anything of them. The Wilshere opportunity was the easiest one to criticize because it was the most obvious but if Ozil had done better there would have been more than one reasonable opportunity to analyze. It is also worth questioning Arsene Wenger’s selection of Santi Cazorla over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. You certainly appreciate Jose Mourinho’s logic behind selling Juan Mata when you see Andre Schurrle and Oscar flying around on defense the way they did in stark contrast to Hazard blowing by Cazorla like he wasn’t there on the run that ended in Koscielny fouling him for the penalty. You get the sense that the Ox might have been better positioned and better suited to help out on defense without sacrificing attacking firepower.
Manchester United – A solid win. Everton don’t appear to be the team we hoped they’d be coming out of the summer but they certainly have top half of the table talent. Given where Manchester United have been in recent weeks the win has to be seen as a good one following up the win over West Ham. Neither will convince us that United are ready to be seriously discussed as an elite team this season but at least the bleeding has stopped and the foundation has been put in place to start entering that elite discussion. Oh, and man that Angel Di Maria guy seems like he might have been a bargain even at that huge cost.
Tottenham Hotspur – Not exceptional by any stretch of the imagination but like United and Liverpool it was a solid win against a credible opponent that could end up being a solid building block on the way to something better. The most impressive thing about what Spurs did was that for the first time I’ve seen they seemed to be implementing Pochettino’s preferred high line pressure defense. Southampton seemed largely incapable of dealing with that press for the portions of the match I got to see because the kickoff of the Chelsea/Arsenal match was delayed. As noted in the column intro though, things could certainly have gone the other way based on the Kaboul call or the great chance that Mane missed.
Everton – It seems like it’s about time to remove Everton from this category. Coming off of last season and a seemingly successful summer in the transfer market there was every reason to think that Everton would make a run at a Champions League spot. What we’ve seen so far just isn’t enough to think that they’re anything more than a better-than-average mid-table team. Even a draw with a less-than-full-strength Manchester United wouldn’t have certified Everton as a top four contender but failing to take advantage at a time when United probably lack at least some confidence signals to me that they are definitely not qualified to remain part of this conversation.
The Relegation Zone - where we examine events at the other end of the table as established clubs flounder and newly promoted clubs reveal who they are going to be this season.
Crystal Palace – A win against Hull City would have carried them out of this conversation for sure but losing 2-0 and losing Scott Dann for what looks like it will be a significant chunk of time keeps them in the conversation for at least a little longer. You get the feeling that there are enough worse teams in the league than the Eagles but some of those teams have greater means to spend in January so it would do them well to make sure they put some distance between themselves and the relegation battle while they can.
West Brom – They were solid enough against Liverpool for me to feel good about moving them out of the relegation scrap. There was no doubt who was the better team on Saturday but there are definitely three worse teams in the league if not more than that.
Sunderland – Finally a win and with it some goals from their forwards. Not out of the relegation woods by a long shot but at least they have that first win of the season. If Steven Fletcher’s brace signals a rebound to his former highly efficient ways then the Black Cats could well rise up the table. If it was just a flash in the pan against a Stoke City team that clearly didn’t show up this weekend then Gus Poyet could spend all season looking up at most of the league.
QPR – They’re pretty much done. Hard to like much about what we’re seeing from Harry Redknapp’s team or where improvement might come from before January.
Burnley – A great memory for the players and those who made the trip to the King Power Stadium but even road draws aren’t going to be enough to keep them up. They need wins. At least they managed to put up a crooked number on the scoreboard that wasn’t a zero. That’s something.
Newcastle – Another comeback draw and this time against a team that we, at least briefly, thought was going to be legitimately good this season. Papiss Cisse has now scored four goals with two braces. If he can find a run of form similar to his first few months at the club that can at least get the Magpies to January then there may be hope. At that point they can try to cope with the fact that they’ve gotten next to nothing from big summer signings Remy Cabella, Siem de Jong, and Emmanuel Riviere. Cabella and Riviere both started this match on the bench while de Jong is projected to be out of action until early 2015. Apparently the transfer market genius we saw a few years back hasn’t been a repeatable thing.
Newcomer of the Year - where we track the progress of players new to the Premier League this season
Angel Di Maria – Yes, Diego Costa is banging in goals and Fabregas is nearly as prolific as an assist man. The reason Di Maria leapfrogs the two Chelsea men is that you could easily see either Spanish international struggling if thrust into this Manchester United squad. Di Maria has created and scored in equal measure and largely been responsible for them being in anything other than a really embarrassing position in the table. If you were starting a team from scratch and had to choose any of the three you’re picking Di Maria and that’s good enough for #1 on this list.
Diego Costa – He was largely invisible and isolated against Arsenal until the ball from Fabregas unlocked the defense. There was still plenty for Costa to do and he did it with style. Not bad for a guy who isn’t training much. No shame being second place to Di Maria in the best year for new arrivals in the Premier League in ages.
Cesc Fabregas – He was more involved than Costa due to the nature of his position and wasn’t exceptional until he was. The connection with Costa ensured that there was no late worry trying to rebuff a furious Arsenal comeback attempt.
Alexis Sanchez – It’s hard to fault Sanchez specifically against Chelsea as the entire attack wasn’t quite good enough. There was some solid play and the great ball to Wilshere that the England man should have done better with but you still want more from such a high profile signing in your biggest match of the season so far.
Radamel Falcao – Di Maria is getting most of the press today and deservedly so but Falcao contributed for the third week running and given the quietness from those below him on the list that was enough to move up the list.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – Back in stride after two assists on Swansea’s two goals. The goals have been coming from a lot of different places for the Swans but the assists almost all seem to come from the same place.
Graziano Pelle – Tough week dealing with Spurs this week.
Dusan Tadic – See above.
Leonardo Ulloa – A second quiet week in a row despite the Foxes tallying two goals.
Andrew Robertson – There are a bunch of players at the fringe of this list with Robertson (assist and clean sheet in a win) putting his nose ahead of Joseph Schlupp (goal) on the basis of a more consistent role all season in addition to a better Week 7 contribution.
Just Missing Out: Danny Welbeck, Daley Blind, Ander Herrera, Eric Dier, Kieran Trippier, Joseph Schlupp, Patrick van Aanholt, Fraser Forster, Thibaut Courtois.
Dropping Off: Danny Welbeck
The Phantom Point All-Stars – Yes, we’re going to keep tweaking this one until we get it right. We’re going to re-instate the Joel Ward All-Stars (defending phantom statistics – blocks, interceptions and tackles), re-classify the Mido All-Stars (all attacking phantom points – SOTs, corners won, successful crosses) and add an all-around category for players who throw in a little of everything for a massive phantom point weekend.
Joel Ward All-Stars
Ben Mee – If you want to know why Leicester City didn’t score more on hapless Burnley then look no farther than Ben Mee and his four blocked shots, four interceptions and three tackles won. Huge match despite his club giving up two goals.
Andrew Robertson – We usually don’t give out this award if you’ve gotten a clean sheet or a goal/assist as those players are fairly obvious to anyone reading a match report. The reason for Robertson’s appearance despite both an assist and a clean sheet is that he supplemented those with a blocked shot, four passes intercepted and four tackles won. Throw in two successful crosses and a corner won and it was a huge match for the newcomer to the Prem.
Alan Hutton – There is a dangerous game picking defenders against better teams but it does mean they’ll be in position to block shots (2), intercept passes (2), and win tackles (5) as Hutton did against City. You just have to make sure you don’t pick the guy who fouls a lot and picks up a card or commits a penalty.
Mido All-Stars
Yannick Bolasie – He’s an up and down player and this week was an “up” with a great all-around performance that skewed heavily toward his attacking. He got two blocked shots on the defensive end but he took a shot on target, completed two successful crosses and won five corners. That’s a full card of phantom points for a team that didn’t score a goal.
David Silva – His two shots on target generated most of his points but he was certainly in the spirit of the Mido All-Stars as he was everywhere when City were doing good things. If he plays like that all the time bigger days are coming soon.
All-Around All-Stars
Jordi Gomez – We’re adding one to the All-around category and taking one away from the Mido All-Stars this week because Gomez was exceptional at both ends of the pitch. In addition to his assist he managed three interceptions, three tackles, two successful crosses and two corners won.
James Tomkins – Another one with an assist but what can I saw, there were lots of goals. Tomkins also chipped in with five interceptions, a tackle and a shot on target.
Alexander Kolarov – He doesn’t start as often as you’d like but every once in a while he tantalizes us with an effort like this one with five interceptions, three successful crosses and two corners won.
Danny Drinkwater – There were a lot of goals this week which means that the majority of big fantasy performances came with goals or assists. Drinkwater was solid across the board with three interceptions, a tackle, a shot on target, and two corners won. Not spectacular but we can call it “the best of the rest”.
The Fake Narrative of the Week - It is impossible to go a week without encountering a narrative somewhere in the football media that appears to be totally made up for the sake of gaining attention. They usually fall into the categories of made up transfer rumors, hanging on too long to a mental image of who a player was and not who he currently is, or preying on a long-held stereotype based on club, nationality, or position. When I come across them, I'll let you know and then let you know why I think they're silly.
Everton are a good team. They were good last season. They employ the US National team goalkeeper. They have a few of those Belgians everyone was talking about at the World Cup. They have a recent history of punching above their fiscal weight. They have a great rivalry with one of the traditional big clubs in English football. The buys they made this summer made positive headlines. They employ four current/very recent England players (Baines, Jagielka, Barkley, Barry) and another (Stones) who seems destined to ascend to a regular place in the very near future. Roberto Martinez works as a pundit on US TV frequently and is very likable in that role. These are all reasons that people want to buy into Everton as a very good Premier League team. Through seven matches it turns out that their ceiling might be “average Premier League team” this season. They aren’t any more injured than anyone else at this point in the season and they just don’t look convincing. It isn’t the losses to Chelsea or Manchester United or draws with Arsenal and Liverpool – those are never a huge shock to anyone – but rather it's the draw to Leicester City and the loss to Crystal Palace that makes the season look pretty dismal. Maybe they overachieved last season. Maybe they have another gear yet this season. The problem with calling them anything other than average is that Aston Villa have had at least as difficult a schedule and have conceded seven fewer goals and secured four more points. At the very least, Everton are going to have to prove it to us in a serious and sustained way before we let them in the list of clubs considered better than mid-table.
Sponsor I'd Like To See - As you can see from the lack of sponsorship for this column or this page, there's room for some additional corporate involvement here at the Rotoworld.com Premier League page. In a blatant attempt to solicit any sponsors who may be reading, I'm going to start suggesting some sponsors who might want to call the nice people at NBC Sports to find out what it would take to become part of the team.
Any Internet Service Provider – If someone wants to find an audience that is interested in a big internet pipe coming into their home then they need look no farther than the Premier League fan who is watching one match on his TV while having another on a laptop and yet another on a tablet. I’m not naming any names but being the official internet service provider of that seems like a good way to endear yourself to the Premier League-loving audience.
Random Closing Thoughts - Well, this one's pretty obvious and it will be how we close out the column each week at least until a better idea comes along.
My Second Club – Really? I decide on the Foxes as my second team and they immediately play their two worst matches of the season. Have they finally realized they’re in the Premier League and contracted stage freight? Apparently their defense is as susceptible to attacks from Burnley as they are from attacks to the big boys which hints at something more akin to Blackpool’s first year in the Premier League as opposed to that of Reading.
This Week’s Good Points: Things went more or less to script for a second straight week with only Newcastle being able to claim a legitimately good point on the road to what had been the fourth place team at the start of the weekend. Given that Newcastle were (and still are 18th) any road point is a good one.
The Good Points Table: Leicester City: 8; Crystal Palace 4; Aston Villa 3; Stoke City 3; Sunderland 3; Swansea 3; West Brom 3; West Ham 3; Burnley 2; Newcastle 1.
This Week’s Bad Points: If Newcastle’s is a good point then Swansea will rue giving away two points to a relegation struggler at home with the opportunity to stay in the top four on the line. No, they were never going to stay up in that rarified air for long but there’s certainly no need to give the spot away.
The Bad Points Table: Manchester United: 10; Liverpool 6; Spurs 5; Everton 5; Manchester City 3; Stoke City 3; Arsenal, Villa, Palace, Newcastle, Southampton, and Swansea all 2.
Dangerous Territory for Stoke City: For a club of modest resources, making a transition from one style to another isn’t easy. Mark Hughes seems to be the ideal man to move from Tony Pulis’ all-physical-all-the-time style to one that is still physical but brings in elements of entertaining attacking football as well. The Potters are certainly easier on the eyes than they have been in years past with a bunch of new attacking players. What is equally clear is that the change in identity has led to inconsistent results as they seem to fluctuate between stout defense and not, fluid attacking and not. I don’t want to overreact to the loss to Sunderland but it doesn’t feel like something that would have happened under Tony Pulis. 3-1 to Chelsea? Sure. A winless team? Probably not.
What did we find out? Arsenal are better but Chelsea are exceptional and better isn’t enough for a title chase this season. The absence of Wayne Rooney really wasn’t a big deal at all. Yaya Toure isn’t entirely calcified. Southampton have the distinct smell of “best of the rest” or “this season’s Everton” but nothing more.
The Steve Bruce Honeymoon: It is a remarkable thing that Steve Bruce has done in the transfer market over the past 18 months. Most of what he’s touched – Davies, Huddlestone, Livermore, Long, Jelavic, Robertson, and Hernandez – have turned to gold and Robert Snodgrass looked like a solid buy until he was injured. Michael Dawson and Allan McGregor are also no worse than OK buys. The question is with all of these transfers playing well how do Hull City only have two wins this season? Somehow these individuals are not coming through as you’d hope for as a team.
West Ham Transformation: The rumor was that Sam Allardyce was on the brink of being fired over the summer because West Ham were struggling and, even worse, they were struggling while not playing “West Ham football”. While at Bolton, Big Sam crunched the numbers and arrived at the conclusion that the way to punch above your weight was to have a big physical defense, get the ball up the wings and cross it in to a bulldozer of a forward or two. It worked to great effect for Wanderers until, spoiled by strong results, the supporters decided they wanted to be entertained as well. Upon his arrival at West Ham, Allardyce purchased Stuart Downing and Andy Carroll in hopes of replicating a similar formula only to find that a) Andy Carroll, despite his size, is apparently extremely fragile and b) West Ham supporters had far less patience for 1950s football than Bolton supporters did, especially when the results weren’t great. To his credit, the manager accepted change (or was willing to accept change that was forced upon him rather than being fired). Stuart Downing has been repurposed as a central player to great effect and the new attacking signings – Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho – have been great. West Ham sit seventh and have affected the sort of transition Stoke City is trying to make with far fewer hiccups.
The Next Gylfi – I wrote last weekend about Adam Lallana being the next Gylfi Sigurdsson (great at mid-table but out of his depth cast as a star for a big club). It got me thinking about this phenomenon and other players in that situation. Where it all led is the fact that the names I arrived at seem to be overwhelmingly English. Gareth Barry, James Milner, Joleon Lescott, Shawn Wright-Philips, Scott Sinclair and to a slightly lesser extent Ashley Young were all names that jumped to mind. I don’t know if it is the home grown rules or over-exuberant hope for bringing in the next marketable English star that causes big clubs to over-value these players. There are certainly some foreign examples as well with Marouane Fellaini being the biggest (in reputation, height and size of hair) recent one. Just something for all of us to think about as we look at as we prepare for the eventual bidding wars for Saido Berahino and Ross Barkley. The Wayne Rooney’s and Frank Lampard’s are few and far between.
What’s Next? We get a weekend off for the international break and then jump right back into the deep end with Spurs traveling to the Etihad. Have Spurs figured out how to play high line defense? Will Yaya Toure continue to reemerge? That’s the only marquee match-up of the weekend but it should get things started with a bang (on the NBC Sports Network)!
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