Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Premier League Week 5 Results: Manchester City Stays Perfect; Spurs Use Extra Time To Cut Down Blades; Seagulls Bombard Troubled United; Liverpool Slay Wolves; Arsenal Edges Everton; Villa Grounds Eagles With Late Goals

Manchester City spotted West Ham an early lead before the Citizens scored three second half goals to remain unbeaten and untied on the season. James Ward-Prowse had put West Ham in front and the Citizens were being frustrated early on by West Ham’s low block defense and some outstanding goalkeeper play by Alphonse Areola. The comeback started when Jeremy Doku scored his first goal as a Manchester City player less than a minute into the second half. Bernardo Silva put City ahead at the 76-minute mark and 10 minutes later Erling Haaland scored his league leading seventh goal of the season. Manchester City remained top of the table with their fifth win in as many matches. West Ham, meanwhile, suffered its first loss of the season against two wins and a draw.

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur also delivered comeback victories to remain undefeated, two points behind Manchester City. Wolverhampton’s Hwang Hee-Chan stunned Liverpool with a goal just seven minutes into the clubs’ match at Molineux Stadium. It wasn’t until the second half that the Liverpool attack began to flash. Mohamed Salah assisted Cody Gakpo’s equalizer and then found Andy Robertson who deposited the matchwinner into the net in the 85th minute. Wolverhampton, which failed to put a shot on the correct target in the second half, was victimized by an own goal in stoppage time to end matters.

Tottenham Hotspur stayed undefeated with late drama in north London. Spurs were surprisingly on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline with newly promoted Sheffield United at the end of regulation time. Eight minutes into stoppage, a Richarlison goal breathed life into his side.

Two minutes later, the Brazilian striker would assist the winner by Dejan Kulusevski. The 98th minute goal was the latest winning comeback in Premier League history and continues a fairy tale start to Manager Ange Postecoglou’s Premier League career. The Australian was named Premier League Manager of the Month for August and has won both of his September matches to continue a four-match winning run. Sheffield United Manager Paul Heckingbottom, meanwhile, can only bemoan another near miss as all four of the Blades’ losses this season have been by a single goal, the last three defeats coming in the 88th minute or later.

Brighton heaped further misery on Manchester United when the Seagulls soared to a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford. Brighton leads the league in goalscoring, and a porous Manchester United defense was no match for the Seagulls. Saturday’s loss marked a fourth consecutive match in which the Red Devils conceded more than one goal, an undesirable feat which hadn’t been accomplished by the club since 1979. United has also lost three times in its opening five matches for the first time since 1989. Brighton has now won their last four league matches against the Red Devils and are currently fifth in the Premier League table after winning four of five matches this season. The Seagulls will also play their first ever European match this week, hosting AEK Athens in the Europa League.

Aston Villa moved up the table, to seventh position, with a thrilling 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. In yet another Saturday comeback in the Premier League, Villa was losing by a goal after 86 minutes of play against the Eagles. Jhon Duran would knot matters before regulation time ended and a controversial penalty kick would give the Villans the lead eight minutes into stoppage time. A 111th minute goal by Leon Bailey would then remove all doubt. Crystal Palace Manager Roy Hodgson, who became ill before the match, was absent as his Eagles crash landed.

Arsenal eked out a 1-0 victory over Everton in Sunday’s late match. Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the match in the 69th minute as the Gunners remained two points behind Manchester City and level on 13 points with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. Trossard was deputizing for Gabriel Martinelli who was forced off in the first half with a hamstring injury. David Raya, meanwhile, kept a clean sheet in his goalkeeping debut for Arsenal as Everton has now harvested just two goals from five matches, both of those goals coming in a 2-2 draw with Sheffield United.

Luton Town have also scored just twice but have played only four matches, all losses, after the Hatters’ 1-0 defeat on Saturday at Fulham. Carlos Vinicius scored the winner for a Cottagers side which has scored just a goal or less in four of its five matches, managing to win two of those contests, as the club navigates life after the departure of striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Newcastle, another former club of Mitrovic’s, ended a three-match losing run with a 1-0 victory over Brentford. It was a close affair with the Magpies earning the victory on Callum Wilson’s penalty kick after Anthony Gordon was taken down by Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flecken. Wilson is unerringly accurate from the spot, converting on his last 11 penalty kicks taken. Brentford lost for the first time in its last eight league matches dating to last season.

Chelsea continued to spin its wheels in a goalless draw at Bournemouth. Both clubs failed to convert opportunities and both goalkeepers played well. Chelsea was held scoreless for a second consecutive match and has just one win, over basement dweller Luton Town, this season. Bournemouth Manager Andoni Iraola continues to search for his Premier League win.

Burnley’s Vincent Kompany can celebrate his first point as a Premier League manager after his Clarets drew 1-1 at Nottingham Forest. The Clarets defeated the Tricky Trees in August at the City Ground in Carabao Cup play and Forest Manager Steve Cooper cannot be happy with his club failing to come away with a victory from two home matches with Burnley. Forest was perhaps fortunate not to lose this second meeting. After former Chelsea player Callum Hudson-Odoi had knotted matters in the second half with his first goal for Nottingham Forest, Lyle Foster looked to have given Burnley a late win but was deprived by a VAR ruling of a handball in the buildup.

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Friday, September 15, 2023

Premier League Week 5 Preview

The Premier League returns from international break this weekend with the Champions League set to follow just a few days later. The defending Premier League and Champions League titlist, Manchester City, travels to London Stadium Saturday to take on West Ham. The Hammers are a top four club right now, based on a better goal differential than Arsenal. West Ham has collected ten points after four matches, its best start since 1999/2000 and newcomers James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez seem particularly shrewd transfer additions as the club reinvests after the sale of former star Declan Rice. Expect Manager David Moyes to have his charges concede the vast amount of possession and look for the counter strike opportunity, an unappealing but successful strategy to date for the London club. Manchester City, of course, are perfect on the season despite the transfer losses of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyadh Mahrez and the long-term injury sustained by Kevin De Bruyne. Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez have stepped up into increased roles with the club while Erling Haaland once again leads the league in goalscoring with six tallies to date.

Liverpool is also in the top four as they travel to Wolverhampton for Saturday’s early match on the weekend schedule. A rebuilt Liverpool midfield could see another new face as Ryan Gravenberch, a transfer deadline day purchase from Bayern Munich, could make his debut. Gravenberch joins Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo as new midfield additions this season for the Reds.

A suspended Virgil Van Dijk and an injured Trent Alexander-Arnold will be missing this week from the Liverpool defense that has conceded the second fewest goals in the league. Their absences may not matter, however, against a Wolverhampton side which has fewer goals to date than all but the clubs currently in the relegation places. Toothless Wolves scored the fewest goals in the league last season and could contend for that nefarious distinction once again.

Sheffield United, meanwhile, has scored no more goals than Wolves this season and the newly promoted Blades have scratched out just a single league point. They are unlikely to add to that total on Saturday when they face a Tottenham Hotspur side which is thriving under new Manager Ange Postecoglou. A victory on Saturday would mark the best league start for a Spurs squad since the 1965/66 season. Only Brighton has scored more goals than Spurs who sit behind only Manchester City in the table and whose 11 goals match those put in the net by the Citizens. Supporters have applauded the aggressive attacking style of Postecoglou’s club, a marked contrast to former defensive minded mangers Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. The style creates some defensive vulnerability but that’s unlikely to be a worry against the blunt Blades attack.

Brighton is just a point outside the top four as the Seagulls head to Old Trafford to face “Team Chaos” this weekend. Manchester United has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Antony is on  a leave of absence after abuse allegations were leveled against the Brazilian winger. Jaedon Sancho, a potential replacement in the lineup for Antony, is off training by himself after a heated dispute with Manager Eric ten Hag. Meanwhile, injuries on the back line could see Harry Maguire back on the pitch for ten Hag. The Seagulls will be ready to swoop as Manager Roberto De Zerbi’s club has continued its fine form last season despite key transfer losses such as midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo. Brighton’s league leading 12 goals includes 4 by 18-year-old sensation Evan Ferguson who could be a question mark Saturday after a minor knee knock while on international duty with Ireland. On loan Barcelona forward Ansu Fati could be a reasonable backup plan should he make his club debut at Old Trafford. Brighton has defeated Manchester United in their last three league meetings though they tripped up in the FA Cup semifinals against the Red Devils last May.

Arsenal will be on guard for a shock outcome when the Gunners travel to Goodison Park to face Everton Sunday. The Toffees defeated the Gunners at Goodison in Sean Dyche’s debut as Everton Manager last season and have not won at the home of the Toffees since 2017. The case remains, however, that Arsenal is very good, and Everton is very bad. The Gunners are yet to lose while Everton is yet to win this season. Arsenal does have some injury concerns with Thomas Partey likely out for a month with a thigh problem. Midfielder Partey had been seeing some minutes in defense deputizing for the injured Jurrien Timber. Gabriel Jesus, however, has returned from injury to enhance the Gunner attack. Everton received some hope for the future this week with the announcement of the club’s purchase, pending league approval, by American firm 777 Partners. While the proposed new owners already own several other football clubs across the globe, there are some skeletons in the closet, such as unproven past allegations of fraud, which could complicate the approval process. On the pitch, Everton are facing a third consecutive season of fighting against relegation with a below quality roster.

Crystal Palace is a surprising seventh in the table despite having said goodbye to club legend Wilfried Zaha in the transfer window and having played to date without injured winger Michael Olise. Striker Odsonne Edouard has found the net three times for the Eagles, Eberechi Eze has been a creative force in midfield, and only Manchester City and Liverpool have allowed fewer goals than Crystal Palace. Defender Marc Guehi could possibly miss Saturday’s match versus Aston Villa, however, after suffering a knock while on duty with England. Aston Villa are one of the more difficult Premier League clubs to evaluate on results so far. Manager Unai Emery’s men have drubbed relegation battlers Everton and Burnley but have themselves been thumped by an aggregate 8-1 margin in losses to Newcastle and Liverpool. The Crystal Palace test will help measure the quality of the Villans who will be looking to extend a current nine match home win streak across all competitions.

The “Dukes of Draws” will face each other at St. James Park when Brentford visits Newcastle. The two clubs failed to reach a decision in a joint league high of 14 matches last season. The Bees have continued that trend this season with three draws in their four matches to date. Newcastle Manager Eddie Howe should be so lucky. His side has underperformed expectations in three consecutive losses. Newcastle scored only two goals across those three losses after an opening weekend 5-1 defeat of Aston Villa. Bryan Mbeumo has four goals for Brentford to help compensate for the absence of suspended striker Ivan Toney.

Striker Taiwo Awoniyi, meanwhile, has either scored or assisted in each of his last eight Premier League matches for Nottingham Forest and the Tricky Trees are in the top half of the table after winning two of their matches this season. Forest will be trying to win a fifth consecutive match at home when Burnley visits the City Ground on Monday. Burnley are yet to win and have conceded a league high 11 goals despite having played only three matches so far. The Clarets on Monday could become only the second Premier League side to concede at least three goals in each of their first four matches of a season.

Fulham have been leaking goals at almost the same pace as Burnley, allowing 10 goals in its four matches. The Cottagers host Luton Town on Saturday. The Hatters have conceded nine goals in three matches and are the only club beside Burnley not to earn a point this season. Fulham midfielder Palhinha signed a new contract with the Cottagers this week after his deadline day transfer to Bayern Munich collapsed. Raul Jiminez hasn’t scored in his last 27 Premier League appearances but perhaps there is hope after the Fulham striker scored three goals for Mexico during the international break.

Chelsea will be trying to win for just the third time in 17 Premier League matches when the Blues travel to Bournemouth on Sunday. That could prove possible against a Cherries side which has taken only two points from its last eight league matches. 

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Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Bedeviling Times At Manchester United

The leave of absence by Manchester United winger Antony adds to the questions surrounding Erik ten Hag’s project at Manchester United. Last year, Ten Hag overcame early controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and a bumpy start in the league to deliver a successful Premier League debut for the former Ajax manager. Manchester United not only secured Champions League football with a third-place finish in the league but also added more silverware to the club’s trophy case with an FA Cup win. Ten Hag gained in stature with his tough stance on Cristiano, who would depart the club, and for his benching of club captain Harry Maguire.

Ten Hag’s influence was reflected in the purchase of some of his former players from Ajax. Center back Lisandro Martinez was acquired to take Maguire’s place in the lineup. Brazilian winger Antony was expected to add energy to the club’s attack. Unfortunately, Antony will be taking a leave of absence from the team amid accusations of abuse against women in both Brazil and Manchester. The Antony situation follows the recent loan of Mason Greenwood to Getafe after also being the subject of abuse allegations. Greenwood was suspended by the club in 2022 before ten Hag’s arrival. The Dutch manager, however, was subject to the recent criticism of the club’s clumsy handling of the Greenwood situation. Reportedly, ten Hag and others at the club were prepared to restore the talented youngster to the roster after criminal charges were dropped. Uproar from supporters, however, forced the club to change its stance and ship Greenwood to the Spanish league. Ten Hag is liable for more direct criticism if the allegations against Antony prove true as the manager would have been expected to be familiar with the character of his former player.

The Antony situation comes just as another off-field controversy envelops the manager. Failed winger Jaden Sancho has openly questioned ten Hag’s honesty on social media and talks between player and manager are expected this week regarding the player’s future. Ten Hag is surely to feel additional betrayal as he has shown patience with Sancho in the past, allowing the former Borussia Dortmund star to train away from the club in the Netherlands last season until fitness problems were addressed. Sancho scored only 12 goals over his first two Premier League seasons after scoring 36 in his last two years at Dortmund.

The off-field challenges come amidst another difficult start in the league. Manchester United has already lost matches to Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur and the club is sitting outside the top half of the table after four matches. The club’s acquisition of Mason Mount is not looking good. Ten Hag was playing Mount in an unfamiliar deep lying position and the experiment was failing badly before injury sidelined the former Chelsea player. Moroccan international Sofyan Amrabat was acquired in a deadline day loan deal to help address the midfield problem. Hopefully, Amrabat can align alongside Casemiro to provide adequate cover for the Manchester United back line. Scott McTominay, meanwhile, has been starring for Scotland but strangely is not viewed by Ten Hag as a solution to his defensive midfield problems.

Ten Hag’s line up concerns do not stop with the midfield, however. The backline in front of new goalkeeper Andre Onana has been ravaged by injury. Both Luke Shaw and backup left back Tyrell Malacia are hurt, leading to an emergency loan deal at the deadline for Sergio Reguilon, a below average performer for Spurs. Injuries to center backs Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez have seen Maguire return to the mix with both he and former center back partner Victor Lindelof getting minutes in recent matches. The club has also employed 35-year-old defender Jonny Evans at times as an emergency stop gap.

Problems in attack have also contributed to a negative goal differential this season for a Manchester United side which has scored five goals against seven conceded. All top six clubs in the table have scored at least three more goals than Manchester United. Marcus Rashford is the only Red Devil forward to score this season. With the questions now surrounding wingers Antony and Sancho, perhaps ten Hag can rethink his deployment of Mason Mount and put him where he is more comfortable in a more forward position. The jury is understandably out on young striker Rasmus Hojlund whose debut with the Red Devils was delayed by a back injury. Questions need to be asked, however. The striker position was a clear need for the club this offseason. Rather than acquiring a proven performer, the club bet on the potential of a 20-year-old who scored nine goals in Serie A for Atalanta last year.

As ten Hag works to find solutions on the pitch, and player controversies make off the field news, there is yet another issue adding to consternation for Manchester United supporters. The Glazer family, hugely unpopular with the faithful, continue to tease with the potential sale of the club. Plans to explore that option were first disclosed last November. In the meantime, however, bedeviled Manchester United supporters must put their trust in Eric ten Hag if the club’s problems are to be solved in the short term. Not all supporters might be comfortable with that prospect.

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