The Premier League Weekend Winners And Losers
United's comeback started at the back, while Arsenal and Spurs suddenly appear upwardly mobile again...
WinnersManchester United
Panic over. United went back to basics at Goodison Park, a strategy embodied by the recall of the rugged Nemanja Vidic at the expense of the rusting Rio Ferdinand, and the result was a straightforward resumption of normal service. 0-1 may not sound like much but a clean-sheeted victory was the perfect tonic to clear last week's hangover. For all the understandable fuss over the mayhem at Stamford Bridge, United's narrow victory at Goodison was the critical scoreline of the weekend, a must-make victory urgently required to right a wrong and keep City in respectable reach. A five-point lead is much like a two-goal lead because so much depends on the next sway. If the next pointed shift is to City's advantage then their lead will become serious stuff. If it is reduced in United's favour, the champions will loom large again.
So with the title race now lodged on a pivot point there was no margin for error for United at Goodison and their single-goal victory was precisely what Sir Alex Ferguson had in mind when he plotted the appropriate response to last Sunday's undisciplined humiliation."It's about time we won 1-0," he reflected afterwards.
To have been dropped in these circumstances must bode particularly badly for what remains of Rio Ferdinand's future at United and the omission of Anderson also served as an endorsement of reports that he had been singled out for the hairdryer treatment last Sunday. His future may already be a thing of the past and it spoke volumes that Sir Alex preferred instead to deploy Wayne Rooney in an unfamiliar midfield role. A second telling insight into United's mind-set was the fact that their talisman did not make a single touch of the ball in Everton's penalty area. United are on the defensive. All they need now is the appearance of Old Trafford's favourite pantomime villain - a critic - and their siege mentality will be complete.
Not that United should require any additional assistance beyond a generous helping of soft opposition for the rest of the year. This midweek's Champions League tie against Otelul Galati should be one of the most one-sided in the competition's history and end with a victory to all-but guarantee progress to the knock-out stage. After that, United's domestic progress should be relatively serene. Just take a look at their Premier League schedule for the remainder of 2011: Sunderland (h), Swansea (a), Newcastle (h), Villa (a), Wolves (h), QPR (a), Fulham (a), Wigan (h), Blackburn (h).
By the start of 2012, the mauling of Manchester could already be a distant memory.
Robin van Persie
We ran out of superlatives weeks ago. In the absence of any words still befitting his brilliance, a heap of statistics will just have to provide confirmation of his climb to elite standing: Van Persie's hat-trick at the Bridge was only the fourth scored against Chelsea in the Premier League, the first by a visitor this millennium, and culminated with his 28th goal in 27 league games this year. But then again, sometimes words aren't necessary. To appreciate the level Van Persie has reached, just look out for the reaction of Fernando Torres when the Arsenal captain ran on to Florent Malouda's inadvertent through-ball to put his side back into the lead.
He has become so good that his opponents now expect him to score and are giving up trying to stop him.
Aaron Ramsey
A coming-of-age performance. The Welshman's season has mostly been a quiet affair, but it picked up momentum after his winner in Marseille and what turned up at Stamford Bridge was an arrival as worth waiting for as those by Cesc Fabregas against Juventus and Jack Wilshere against Barcelona in February.
Theo Walcott
Credit where it's definitely due. He was excellent.
Tottenham Hotspur
No longer favourites for fourth, but only because they have been promoted to joint-favourites to finish in third. Chelsea beware: Spurs are on the march and looking upwardly mobile.
Their football before the interval against a QPR side suffering from an inferiority complex was frequently sublime and their second-half laxity only served to embellish the class of Gareth Bale's match-clincher. The combination of passes that culminated in the Welshman's sumptuous strike must be an early contender for team goal of the season.
If we were being picky then we would add a few lines about the poverty of Spurs' set-piece defending - it must be a North London thing because Arsenal's pathetic concession to John Terry the day before was Friday Football ragtag nonsense - but a more preferable option would be to ponder the full potential of Spurs' progress up the league table.
Were Harry Redknapp's side to win their remaining game in hand - remember their season-opener against Everton was postponed because the underclass didn't have enough plasma televisions - then they would trail the champions by
just a solitary point with a quarter of the campaign elapsed. In longer-term reality, eclipsing either of the Manchester behemoths is too much to expect, but it's much harder to foresee any reason why third place should be beyond their reach.
The substantive advantage Tottenham have over Chelsea - assuming the battle for third does indeed develop along those head-to-head lines - is that, unlike Andre Villas-Boas' ageing and thinner squad, Spurs will not be burdened by Champions League football in the new year and have elected instead to minimise the Europa League as an under-25s competition. Around February and March, when the the knock-out stages can burden domestic affairs, a lack of baggage could be critical.
In the shorter term, two other comparisons should stand Tottenham, now level on points with Chelsea with a game in hand, in better stead. The first is the fixture list, because whereas Chelsea must travel to Blackburn on Sunday before facing Liverpool (h), Newcastle (a), Manchester City (h) and Wigan (a) on consecutive weekends ahead of what is poised to be a pivotal clash at White Hart Lane, Spurs 'only' have to face Fulham, Villa, Bolton and West Brom over the next month before hosting Chelsea three days before Christmas.
And the second is that while Andre Villa-Boas could 'only' populate his bench with Jamal Blackman, Ryan Bertrand, Oriol Romeu, Romelu Lukaku, David Luiz, Florent Malouda and Raul Meireles, Spurs' substitutes this weekend were Carlo Cudicini, Roman Pavlyuchenko, William Gallas, Jermain Defoe, Sebastian Bassong, Jake Livermore and Sandro. Judging by that listing, it would be no exaggeration to summarise that while Chelsea's squad is wafer-thin, Spurs have considerable strength in depth.
Joint-favourites for third, did we say? Hmm. Spurs should consider asking for an upgrade.
Manchester City
Victory acquired with ten men? Another title-winning hallmark ticked off the checklist, then.
True, they should have strolled to victory at home to Wolves, but a hard-fought win will do them no harm.
Fulham
Their season still hangs in the balance ahead of a testing run of fixtures - Tottenham (h), Sunderland (a), Arsenal (a), Liverpool (h) - but the win at Wigan, only their second in ten league games this term, has at least arrested an alarming slide down the table for the time being.
Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll
Is their pairing beginning to develop into a genuine partnership? Carroll's poke at the Hawthorns from Suarez's assist was the eighth goal their union has produced in ten starts together, which is a particularly impressive statistic in the context of the widespread understanding that they have yet to form an understanding of their own.
Liverpool
Now for the bad news after a good win. Steven Gerrard's latest setback has reportedly left the player distraught and though the Telegraph's declaration that 'the news on Gerrard is Liverpool's most important result of the season so far' reeks of hyperbole, another lengthy lay-off for their captain would be a hefty setback for Liverpool's stated ambition of attaining Champions League football. Whatever plans Kenny Dalglish had for incorporating Gerrard and Suarez - his best two players - into the same team will have to be put on hold yet again.
So far, Suarez has responded well to the extra responsibility thrust upon him by the captain's unavailability - since the Uruguayan's arrival in January, Gerrard has joined him on the pitch in just eight matches - but his own magnetism to bad news will surely take a weighty toll sooner rather than later. West Brom's complaints about his alleged antics to win a penalty that he didn't seek let alone appeal for were entirely bogus, but the mud has already begun to stick. Last week, Suarez was denied a clearish penalty against Norwich and the way Lee Mason turned away from Saturday's incident, leaving the decision to an unusually-brave linesman, may also have been an example of an official refereeing by what he's read in the papers.
Bad news is bad news because it invites more of the same. All the good reason, therefore, for Liverpool to get their own message out before it's too late.
Swansea
Blackpool are a recent warning from history to remind Swansea and their promoted peers how quickly an enthusiastic start can be pummelled into a vicious downward spiral, but all the signs so far are encouraging. Of the three newbies, Swansea particularly impressed this weekend and, though it's a bit early in the campaign to hype about six-pointers, it only takes a small step of the imagination to foresee the six-point gap from Bolton chiselled out by this Saturday's win proving a relegation-saver in six months' time.
Norwich
Paul Lambert's quest to make post-match interviews a cure for insomnia may not be earning Norwich any friends in the media - those not banned from Carrow Road, that is - but it could be argued that the calmness he has installed to a club which should be giddy after such a rapid rise through the leagues was exemplified by Grant Holt's unsavable injury-time penalty. After all that fuss about the award, and in the knowledge that his kick would be the last of the game, it was some finish.
Then again, it could just be that Holt took a penalty which was unsavable and his manager's monosyllabic dampners had no influence on proceedings. Nonetheless, to stick to the point of the argument being made, it's the calmness of Norwich's approach to a new life in the big time that is really worth talking up.
Losers
Chelsea
Last week, a first defeat to a promoted side in 64 matches. This week, a second successive derby defeat and confirmation that Chelsea have been passed the baton as the Premier League's latest crisis club. The reminder that this is a season of fickle fortunes ought to provide a measure of relief, but closer inspection of Chelsea's failings this weekend suggest that their present woes may yet prove profound unless emergency surgery is carried out.
Andre Villas-Boas' easy summer has been washed away by an unexpected autumnal downpour and all of sudden the Chelsea manager, with very little experience to call upon, has plenty of problems to fix - so many, indeed, that he could be forgiven for wondering just where to start. In every department on the pitch - goalkeeper, defence, midfield and attack - he has issues to resolve and few simple answers.
If he is true to his roots as a disciple of Jose Mourinho then he will start his review at the back and ponder whether the high defensive line he has introduced can succeed with the players currently at his disposal. It is a system that not only requires pace in defence but also plenty of energy in midfield and judging by Saturday's mountain of evidence, with Arsenal spurning four clear chances in addition to the five scored, Chelsea lack those crucial attributes. It is no statistical quirk that Chelsea have currently conceded more goals at this stage of a season than in any other during the Abramovich era but a straightforward warning that they are in need of a fix.
There were certainly warnings aplenty this weekend. While the creaking John Terry literally made for an easy and convenient fall-guy, one telling post-match statistic was that the triumvirate in the Chelsea's midfield - Frank Lampard, Ramires and Jon Obi Mikel - made less interceptions combined than the excellent Laurent Koscielny personally completed for their opponents. Such was the poverty of their contribution that calls for the introduction of Oriol Romeu as a second defensive shield are not without foundation despite the youngster's raw inexperience.
With contests soon to come against Liverpool, City and Spurs, all of whom are also comfortable operating with a five-man midfield, Villas-Boas may have no choice but to renumber Chelsea's 4-3-3 formation if his high-line approach is not to end in systematic failure.
Andre Marriner
Chelsea were unfortunate in one critical moment, however, because Wojciech Szczesny's let-off when the scoreline was still at 2-2 defied sense or convention. If Koscielny was adjudged the last man then why is a defender ever sent off for committing a professional foul when a goalkeeper still stands between attacker and goal?
Daniel Sturridge
Two big games and two no-shows. Bothersome.
Laura Williamson
So wrote the Daily Mail hack this Saturday morning when asked 'if you were a manager, who would be first on your teamsheet?':
'Petr Cech. Still the best goalkeeper in the league. Chelsea's central defenders tend to change frequently but Cech can always be relied upon to make crucial saves when it matters. World class'.
Ooops.
The harsh reality is that Cech has ceased to be worthy of world-class status since his return from his head injury almost five years ago and has declined so rapidly of late that a new goalkeeper should be at the top of Villas-Boas' shopping list next summer.
Adel Taarabt
There's a chasm between the player Taarbat actually is and the player he thinks he is. To put the discrepancy to scale, it's approximately equivalent to the difference between the way QPR folded at Tottenham in the first-half and the manner in which they competed after the interval as a result of Taarabt's second half-time substitution in three games.
Blackburn and Anthony Taylor
Just what is it about referees and handballs these days? The first answer is that they are not alone in struggling to differentiate between hand to ball and ball to hand. Television seems obsessed with highlighting any and all instances when the ball hits an arm or shoulder and pundits even seem to have somehow managed to make law their idea that a player should always be punished if the ball hits his arm having travelled what's perceived to be in their eyes a lengthy distance.
And it's a nonsense which reached its nadir this weekend. According to the Match of the Day commentator for Norwich-Blackburn, the replays of Steven Nzonzi's alleged handling offence were "ambiguous". It was an unusual description but peculiarly apt because the offence itself has become ambiguous. Nobody seems entirely sure what handball is anymore. Too many grey areas have been added to an issue that should essentially be black and white. Ball to hand should only be considered hand to ball if and only if the interference can be deemed deliberate.
John Ruddy
A crack after just one mention of an England call-up. And so that's that for that idea.
Joe Hart
He is becoming the pushy type.
An Over-Represented Area Of The English Top Flight
Another defeat for Wigan, another defeat for Bolton, another bad day for Blackburn. Beyond the city limits of Liverpool and Manchester, it's looking grim up north-west.
Sunderland and Aston Villa
A point to draw little or no solace from.
Bolton Wanderers
Unlucky for some - Wanderers have been defeated in thirteen of their last fifteen Premier League matches. Their last draw, incidentally, was as long ago as February.
Wigan Athletic
Eight successive defeats for a team that has only scored six goals in ten games this season.
Alan Hansen
Just in case you were confused by the 'banter' about which Manchester team Hansen has backed for the title, these are the two declarations - one for City, one for United - which were presumably under reference. No wonder he only ever sits down on Match of the Day. All that knee-jerking must make for a chronic condition.
A coming-of-age performance. The Welshman's season has mostly been a quiet affair, but it picked up momentum after his winner in Marseille and what turned up at Stamford Bridge was an arrival as worth waiting for as those by Cesc Fabregas against Juventus and Jack Wilshere against Barcelona in February.
Theo Walcott
Credit where it's definitely due. He was excellent.
Tottenham Hotspur
No longer favourites for fourth, but only because they have been promoted to joint-favourites to finish in third. Chelsea beware: Spurs are on the march and looking upwardly mobile.
Their football before the interval against a QPR side suffering from an inferiority complex was frequently sublime and their second-half laxity only served to embellish the class of Gareth Bale's match-clincher. The combination of passes that culminated in the Welshman's sumptuous strike must be an early contender for team goal of the season.
If we were being picky then we would add a few lines about the poverty of Spurs' set-piece defending - it must be a North London thing because Arsenal's pathetic concession to John Terry the day before was Friday Football ragtag nonsense - but a more preferable option would be to ponder the full potential of Spurs' progress up the league table.
Were Harry Redknapp's side to win their remaining game in hand - remember their season-opener against Everton was postponed because the underclass didn't have enough plasma televisions - then they would trail the champions by
just a solitary point with a quarter of the campaign elapsed. In longer-term reality, eclipsing either of the Manchester behemoths is too much to expect, but it's much harder to foresee any reason why third place should be beyond their reach.
The substantive advantage Tottenham have over Chelsea - assuming the battle for third does indeed develop along those head-to-head lines - is that, unlike Andre Villas-Boas' ageing and thinner squad, Spurs will not be burdened by Champions League football in the new year and have elected instead to minimise the Europa League as an under-25s competition. Around February and March, when the the knock-out stages can burden domestic affairs, a lack of baggage could be critical.
In the shorter term, two other comparisons should stand Tottenham, now level on points with Chelsea with a game in hand, in better stead. The first is the fixture list, because whereas Chelsea must travel to Blackburn on Sunday before facing Liverpool (h), Newcastle (a), Manchester City (h) and Wigan (a) on consecutive weekends ahead of what is poised to be a pivotal clash at White Hart Lane, Spurs 'only' have to face Fulham, Villa, Bolton and West Brom over the next month before hosting Chelsea three days before Christmas.
And the second is that while Andre Villa-Boas could 'only' populate his bench with Jamal Blackman, Ryan Bertrand, Oriol Romeu, Romelu Lukaku, David Luiz, Florent Malouda and Raul Meireles, Spurs' substitutes this weekend were Carlo Cudicini, Roman Pavlyuchenko, William Gallas, Jermain Defoe, Sebastian Bassong, Jake Livermore and Sandro. Judging by that listing, it would be no exaggeration to summarise that while Chelsea's squad is wafer-thin, Spurs have considerable strength in depth.
Joint-favourites for third, did we say? Hmm. Spurs should consider asking for an upgrade.
Manchester City
Victory acquired with ten men? Another title-winning hallmark ticked off the checklist, then.
True, they should have strolled to victory at home to Wolves, but a hard-fought win will do them no harm.
Fulham
Their season still hangs in the balance ahead of a testing run of fixtures - Tottenham (h), Sunderland (a), Arsenal (a), Liverpool (h) - but the win at Wigan, only their second in ten league games this term, has at least arrested an alarming slide down the table for the time being.
Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll
Is their pairing beginning to develop into a genuine partnership? Carroll's poke at the Hawthorns from Suarez's assist was the eighth goal their union has produced in ten starts together, which is a particularly impressive statistic in the context of the widespread understanding that they have yet to form an understanding of their own.
Liverpool
Now for the bad news after a good win. Steven Gerrard's latest setback has reportedly left the player distraught and though the Telegraph's declaration that 'the news on Gerrard is Liverpool's most important result of the season so far' reeks of hyperbole, another lengthy lay-off for their captain would be a hefty setback for Liverpool's stated ambition of attaining Champions League football. Whatever plans Kenny Dalglish had for incorporating Gerrard and Suarez - his best two players - into the same team will have to be put on hold yet again.
So far, Suarez has responded well to the extra responsibility thrust upon him by the captain's unavailability - since the Uruguayan's arrival in January, Gerrard has joined him on the pitch in just eight matches - but his own magnetism to bad news will surely take a weighty toll sooner rather than later. West Brom's complaints about his alleged antics to win a penalty that he didn't seek let alone appeal for were entirely bogus, but the mud has already begun to stick. Last week, Suarez was denied a clearish penalty against Norwich and the way Lee Mason turned away from Saturday's incident, leaving the decision to an unusually-brave linesman, may also have been an example of an official refereeing by what he's read in the papers.
Bad news is bad news because it invites more of the same. All the good reason, therefore, for Liverpool to get their own message out before it's too late.
Swansea
Blackpool are a recent warning from history to remind Swansea and their promoted peers how quickly an enthusiastic start can be pummelled into a vicious downward spiral, but all the signs so far are encouraging. Of the three newbies, Swansea particularly impressed this weekend and, though it's a bit early in the campaign to hype about six-pointers, it only takes a small step of the imagination to foresee the six-point gap from Bolton chiselled out by this Saturday's win proving a relegation-saver in six months' time.
Norwich
Paul Lambert's quest to make post-match interviews a cure for insomnia may not be earning Norwich any friends in the media - those not banned from Carrow Road, that is - but it could be argued that the calmness he has installed to a club which should be giddy after such a rapid rise through the leagues was exemplified by Grant Holt's unsavable injury-time penalty. After all that fuss about the award, and in the knowledge that his kick would be the last of the game, it was some finish.
Then again, it could just be that Holt took a penalty which was unsavable and his manager's monosyllabic dampners had no influence on proceedings. Nonetheless, to stick to the point of the argument being made, it's the calmness of Norwich's approach to a new life in the big time that is really worth talking up.
Losers
Chelsea
Last week, a first defeat to a promoted side in 64 matches. This week, a second successive derby defeat and confirmation that Chelsea have been passed the baton as the Premier League's latest crisis club. The reminder that this is a season of fickle fortunes ought to provide a measure of relief, but closer inspection of Chelsea's failings this weekend suggest that their present woes may yet prove profound unless emergency surgery is carried out.
Andre Villas-Boas' easy summer has been washed away by an unexpected autumnal downpour and all of sudden the Chelsea manager, with very little experience to call upon, has plenty of problems to fix - so many, indeed, that he could be forgiven for wondering just where to start. In every department on the pitch - goalkeeper, defence, midfield and attack - he has issues to resolve and few simple answers.
If he is true to his roots as a disciple of Jose Mourinho then he will start his review at the back and ponder whether the high defensive line he has introduced can succeed with the players currently at his disposal. It is a system that not only requires pace in defence but also plenty of energy in midfield and judging by Saturday's mountain of evidence, with Arsenal spurning four clear chances in addition to the five scored, Chelsea lack those crucial attributes. It is no statistical quirk that Chelsea have currently conceded more goals at this stage of a season than in any other during the Abramovich era but a straightforward warning that they are in need of a fix.
There were certainly warnings aplenty this weekend. While the creaking John Terry literally made for an easy and convenient fall-guy, one telling post-match statistic was that the triumvirate in the Chelsea's midfield - Frank Lampard, Ramires and Jon Obi Mikel - made less interceptions combined than the excellent Laurent Koscielny personally completed for their opponents. Such was the poverty of their contribution that calls for the introduction of Oriol Romeu as a second defensive shield are not without foundation despite the youngster's raw inexperience.
With contests soon to come against Liverpool, City and Spurs, all of whom are also comfortable operating with a five-man midfield, Villas-Boas may have no choice but to renumber Chelsea's 4-3-3 formation if his high-line approach is not to end in systematic failure.
Andre Marriner
Chelsea were unfortunate in one critical moment, however, because Wojciech Szczesny's let-off when the scoreline was still at 2-2 defied sense or convention. If Koscielny was adjudged the last man then why is a defender ever sent off for committing a professional foul when a goalkeeper still stands between attacker and goal?
Daniel Sturridge
Two big games and two no-shows. Bothersome.
Laura Williamson
So wrote the Daily Mail hack this Saturday morning when asked 'if you were a manager, who would be first on your teamsheet?':
'Petr Cech. Still the best goalkeeper in the league. Chelsea's central defenders tend to change frequently but Cech can always be relied upon to make crucial saves when it matters. World class'.
Ooops.
The harsh reality is that Cech has ceased to be worthy of world-class status since his return from his head injury almost five years ago and has declined so rapidly of late that a new goalkeeper should be at the top of Villas-Boas' shopping list next summer.
Adel Taarabt
There's a chasm between the player Taarbat actually is and the player he thinks he is. To put the discrepancy to scale, it's approximately equivalent to the difference between the way QPR folded at Tottenham in the first-half and the manner in which they competed after the interval as a result of Taarabt's second half-time substitution in three games.
Blackburn and Anthony Taylor
Just what is it about referees and handballs these days? The first answer is that they are not alone in struggling to differentiate between hand to ball and ball to hand. Television seems obsessed with highlighting any and all instances when the ball hits an arm or shoulder and pundits even seem to have somehow managed to make law their idea that a player should always be punished if the ball hits his arm having travelled what's perceived to be in their eyes a lengthy distance.
And it's a nonsense which reached its nadir this weekend. According to the Match of the Day commentator for Norwich-Blackburn, the replays of Steven Nzonzi's alleged handling offence were "ambiguous". It was an unusual description but peculiarly apt because the offence itself has become ambiguous. Nobody seems entirely sure what handball is anymore. Too many grey areas have been added to an issue that should essentially be black and white. Ball to hand should only be considered hand to ball if and only if the interference can be deemed deliberate.
John Ruddy
A crack after just one mention of an England call-up. And so that's that for that idea.
Joe Hart
He is becoming the pushy type.
An Over-Represented Area Of The English Top Flight
Another defeat for Wigan, another defeat for Bolton, another bad day for Blackburn. Beyond the city limits of Liverpool and Manchester, it's looking grim up north-west.
Sunderland and Aston Villa
A point to draw little or no solace from.
Bolton Wanderers
Unlucky for some - Wanderers have been defeated in thirteen of their last fifteen Premier League matches. Their last draw, incidentally, was as long ago as February.
Wigan Athletic
Eight successive defeats for a team that has only scored six goals in ten games this season.
Alan Hansen
Just in case you were confused by the 'banter' about which Manchester team Hansen has backed for the title, these are the two declarations - one for City, one for United - which were presumably under reference. No wonder he only ever sits down on Match of the Day. All that knee-jerking must make for a chronic condition.
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