1) Aubameyang captaincy surely in doubt
Mikel Arteta has had his fill when it comes to off-pitch issues at Arsenal, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has given him another. We only know one side of the story but the manager’s position is that Aubameyang returned late from a trip abroad and, not for the first time, violated one or more of his “non-negotiables”. Arteta was already grappling with his captain’s dwindling goal output to the extent that Aubameyang was benched at Everton last Monday. Now he must consider whether dropping him from the squad that convincingly beat Southampton is sufficient punishment. Arsenal’s inconsistent young team need better leadership from their senior players, a theme yet to be consigned to history despite Arteta’s efforts, and there must be huge question marks over the 32-year-old’s status as captain now. Nick Ames
2) Watford unable to dine out on clean sheets
It’s now 26 matches and counting since Watford’s last clean sheet in a Premier League match – that 3-0 victory over Liverpool on 29 February 2020 under Nigel Pearson. In the hope that they don’t have to wait until the next leap year to achieve another, Claudio Ranieri has promised his players a meal out for every clean sheet they can manage. They came within six minutes of getting one against Brentford on Friday before conceding two late goals. Unfortunately for Emmanuel Dennis, who scored his seventh goal of the season, his steak is on ice for a while longer. “I walked up to him [Ranieri] after the Manchester United game and said, ‘you need to pay for dinner,’ and he said, ‘it wasn’t a clean sheet!’,” said the striker. “I said, ‘you’re lucky but we’ll try next week to keep a clean sheet so you can pay for dinner’. A very expensive one.” Ed Aarons
3) Antonio needs help up front for Hammers
Michail Antonio has been a revelation after his reinvention. He was the league’s joint top-scorerearly in the season but he is now on an eight-game goal drought in all competitions. It is worth noting that the former winger and wing-back, yet to score more than 10 goals in a top-flight season, is the lone senior striker at a club who stand a genuine chance of securing a top-four finish. If there is a question what Antonio can be expected to do – is his ceiling 15 goals? 20? – it also illustrates the importance of buying in January. Failing to score at Burnley should not be attributed just to him on a day when only Declan Rice excelled, but it was the sort of scrappy game a professional penalty-box predator might have won. Richard Jolly
4) Chelsea still lack cutting edge
Chelsea have scored three goals in their last two games, but there is still no sign of a clear identity in attack. The European champions are not like Manchester City and Liverpool; it is rare for them to blow organised teams away. Creating clear chances often feels like a slog and it should be a worry that Chelsea’s most effective attacker during their victory over Leeds was Antonio Rüdiger, who won both Jorginho’s second-half penalties. Indeed, there was not much of a celebration from Thomas Tuchel when the Italian sealed the win in added time. Even Chelsea’s first goal against Leeds, crisply converted by Mason Mount, only came when they won possession high up the pitch and caught Marcelo Bielsa’s side out of shape. Otherwise it was too predictable. The title is likely to prove out of reach if Chelsea cannot sharpen their cutting edge. Jacob Steinberg
5) Attitude important for struggling Everton
When Richarlison was taken off just before the hour mark at Crystal Palace, he looked disgruntled by the decision. The Brazilian had offered very little in the time he spent on the pitch, thanks to a mixture of good defending and Everton’s incredibly defensive style of play. After making his way to the back of the dugout, he settled in for a good sulk, even when Everton got back into the game thanks to his replacement, Salomón Rondón. Lucas Digne has missed the past two games for apparent off-field reasons, a sign that not everything is right at a club who have now won once in 10 matches. The cracks are showing before a crucial period for a frustrated group of players. With significant January investment unlikely, Benítez needs his best assets onside or they could face an even more troubling second half of the season. Will Unwin
6) Rodgers welcomes back terrific Tielemans
It was difficult to look beyond James Maddison for Leicester’s star turn in the 4-0 win over Newcastle given the quality of his play, particularly the outside-of-the-boot pass that led to his team’s second goal, scored by Patson Daka. But pulling the strings a little further back was Youri Tielemans. The midfielder returned from a month-long injury lay-off in Thursday’s Europa League defeat at Napoli and he cut loose here. There were the two goals, both lashed high into the net – the first from the penalty spot – but as pleasing for the manager, Brendan Rodgers, was the vision and accuracy of his passing together with his work without the ball. It was Tielemans’ pressure that led to the turnover for the opening goal and there would be a crucial defensive header to keep Newcastle out at 1-0. No Leicester player made more tackles. It was the complete performance. David Hytner
7) Gerrard looks forward after Anfield loss
Ambition dominated Steven Gerrard’s thoughts following his Anfield return and the second defeat of his Aston Villa reign. Could his team have shown more in a game that Liverpool dominated but finished nervously after the introductions of Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Sanson by the visitors? “You can go too gung-ho too early against the top sides and get hit for a big scoreline,” the Villa manager pondered. “But I’ll look at myself and whether I should have done it earlier.” Five games in, the new Villa manager is already thinking ahead to days when his team start on the front foot at places such as Anfield. “I want the players and people at the club to be as ambitious as myself,” he added. “I am not saying my ambitions are different to theirs, but we won’t settle for anything except trying to improve. It is still early days but we have seen enough to believe we can take this club forward, finish the season in a positive position and build.” Andy Hunter
8) Guardiola backs struggling Grealish
Following another underwhelming performance by Jack Grealish against Wolves, Pep Guardiola defended his £100m signing while admitting he must add to the two goals and three assists he has recorded in all competitions for Manchester City this season. “One day it will unlock and he’ll score or he’ll make a goal,” said the manager. “Jack is a player whose decision-making is really good. In the final third he has to do it [better], but it will come. When you are a forward and the other team plays with 10 players or nine players in the box [as against Wolves] it’s so difficult. When one team doesn’t want to play – always it’s so difficult.” That is all fair but what is undeniable is that Grealish, having arrived from Aston Villa at great expense, is yet to truly sparkle for City. Jamie Jackson
9) Sørensen steps into breach for Smith
Twenty minutes into a sodden Saturday evening fixture Dean Smith had problems. Grant Hanley’s shoulder had popped and, despite a valiant attempt to continue, his night was done. With an already patched-up defence, Smith turned to the utility man Jacob Sørensen. Having joined from Esbjerg last summer, the Dane appeared 32 times in Norwich’s Championship title run. All bar one of his 20 league starts came as a stand-in left-back. The exception was a rare outing in his preferred defensive midfield role, which is where his 10 previous Premier League minutes had come. A natural fit to come on at right-centre back against Manchester United, then. But Sørensen was not fazed. His four blocks and five interceptions were both team highs, while eight successful presses were bettered only by Josh Sargent. Even faced with Cristiano Ronaldo’s stepovers, Sørensen remained unmoved. His efforts embodied a valiant display by the hosts, even if they came away empty-handed. Sam Dalling
10) Penalty calls a result of top teams’ pressure
The margins are often very small at the highest level of the professional game, and Saturday summed this up perfectly. Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all won thanks to a penalty. Many will shout about conspiracies and big-club bias but it is actually just the nature of modern football, where better teams with deeper squads dominate matches and tire out the opposition. They spend more time in the box, ultimately giving them greater chance of earning a spot-kick once defenders make mistakes. The call for handball against João Moutinho was questionable but justifiable, and few could argue with the others. None of the victorious teams were at their best on Saturday but still spent most of their matches on top – United’s possession level was the lowest of the four at 54%. Even if all four sides can perhaps count themselves lucky to win, luck is another thing teams need to be successful. Will Unwin
SOURCE : guardian
