Premier League Week 3: Balance of Power Shifts to Manchester

Premier League Balance of Power Shifts to Manchester

Rooney celebrates his second goal. Photo: Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images.

The headline above is slightly misleading; Manchester United have, of course, been dominating the Premier League ever since it came into existence. What has changed over the last couple of weeks, and what was rammed home in emphatic fashion after today’s dramatic matches, is the way in which Manchester City appear to be the only team capable of stopping them now.

Up until now, United’s main challengers have come from London, first in the form of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, and then from oligarch-funded Chelsea. Liverpool, too, have had an occasional flirtation with the title but have always fallen short (it should not be forgotten that Blackburn Rovers won the title once as well).

Chelsea, despite winning the title two years ago, have not looked quite the same since. Their squad is ageing, and marquee signing Fernando Torres has struggled to find his feet. So far this year, they have laboured to home victories over West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City, after a disappointing goalless draw away to Stoke. The signing of Juan Mata may change things, and Chelsea are certainly a side with more to give than they have shown so far, but they already look someway behind the Manchester clubs.

Arsenal, too, seem to be in decline. Whilst it is a lazy exaggeration to label them a club in “crisis” (they will still almost certainly finish in the top five, after all), there is definitely something not quite right at the Emirates Stadium. Wenger’s men have gone a long time without a trophy, and having now sold two of their most influential players in Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, they suddenly look light on experienced heads.

This was exposed in the cruellest of fashions by a rampant Manchester United side at Old Trafford earlier this afternoon. The Sky Sports pundits immediately feared the worst when a starting back four of Jenkinson, Djourou, Koscielny, and Traore was revealed, with the young defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin making his Premier League debut in front of them. It sounded like a recipe for disaster, and in the end, it was proved to be so.

United’s opening goal summed up everything that is wrong with Arsenal’s defence at the moment. An improvised ball was clipped over the back line by Anderson on the edge of the penalty area in the direction of the advancing Danny Welbeck. Djourou hesitated, letting the ball bounce, allowing Welbeck to nip in behind him to head past a stranded Szczesny in the Arsenal goal. The original clearance that fell to Anderson could also have been much better.

The floodgates did not open immediately, however. Arsenal won a soft penalty at the other end of the field, Jonny Evans wrapping his arms around Theo Walcott. Although the contact seemed minimal, Evans’ actions gave the linesman an opportunity to award a penalty, which he duly did. Robin van Persie stepped up to take, but his tame effort was palmed away by David de Gea. Van Persie’s attempt, like Djourou’s defending, was hesitant, perfectly summing up the Gunners’ lack of confidence in both defence and attack.

Within three minutes, United had scored, Ashley Young curling in a beautiful shot across Szczesny from outside the area. Walcott was able to pull one back on the stroke of half-time after Rooney had increased United’s lead from a free kick, but it was to prove a false dawn.

Twenty minutes after the restart, the floodgates really did open. Rooney added another goal direct from a free kick, before setting up Nani for his team’s fifth. Park Ji-Sung, who replaced Nani immediately after he scored, added another almost straight away.

Van Persie then managed to nick another consolation goal after some good work from Carl Jenkinson on the right-hand side, but Jenkinson more than undermined his efforts by getting himself sent off for a second yellow card three minutes later. Rooney completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, before Young curled in another beauty for his second, and United’s eighth, goal.

Arsenal did have a number of inexperienced players on the pitch, yes, and they were missing a couple of their more established names. Still, most supposedly lesser teams come to Old Trafford and do not concede anywhere near as many as eight goals. Arsenal were shockingly bad, and they met a United team in rampant form. United look to be a very settled side this season, and the emergence of players like Tom Cleverly, Phil Jones, and Danny Welbeck has only made them stronger after winning the title last year. They already look extremely hard to beat, especially at home, and they will be hard to stop this season.

The one team who look to have a realistic chance of doing so, are their “noisy neighbours” Manchester City. City have historically been United’s poor sibling, the team that continually fails to achieve anything. This constant failure has led to them being very popular amongst neutrals in the past, but their enormous spending has begun to put many off.

They announced their title credentials in emphatic fashion this afternoon by battering last season’s Champions League quarter-finalists, Tottenham Hotspur, 5-1. Edin Dzeko seems to have finally found his feet in English football, scoring four goals in a wonderful individual performance, with new signing Sergio Aguero scoring the other. It was a wonderful performance by City, and Spurs look to have very little chance of qualifying for the Champions League again this year.

City, on the other hand, seem to be gelling as a team for the first time under Roberto Mancini, and represent an incredibly dangerous prospect for any and all opponents, including Manchester United.

Arsenal and Tottenham both qualified for the Champions League two seasons ago, and both finished in the top five last year. Today, both were given a hiding by teams from Manchester. It was an extremely bad day for North London football, but an extremely good one for Manchester football.

The Manchester clubs look almost certain to finish in the top two leagues positions, even at this early stage of the season. Fourth place looks increasingly out of reach for Tottenham, and for the first time, Arsenal as well. The balance of power has shifted to Manchester, and it will take a lot for the London clubs to catch up.

Talking Points:

• Martin Jol doesn’t appear to have found a solution to the age-old puzzle of how to get Fulham to win away from home. The Cottagers have a truly horrendous away record in the Premier League, and this weekend’s defeat to Newcastle did not suggest that it was about to change any time soon.

• Blackburn are already playing like a team who are going to get relegated. After winning two penalties and missing them both, they then conceded a penalty themselves to Everton  in the second minute of injury time. Mikel Arteta scored it to condemn Rovers to their third defeat in three games. Steve Kean needs a win, and fast.

• Chelsea stumbled on, this time overcoming Norwich late on thanks to a Frank Lampard penalty and a debut goal from Juan Mata. A 3-1 scoreline flattered them, however, as Norwich created a host of chances. Their equaliser came after a howler from Hilario in the Chelsea goal – Cech’s absence may yet cost them some points in the weeks to come. Didier Drogba also looks set to miss a few weeks after suffering concussion, and Torres will really have to step up if Chelsea are to keep up.

• Liverpool, on the other hand, looked the part as a top four club against a disappointing Bolton side. Liverpool were at their best, especially in the first half, and could have scored more than the three goals they did put past the Trotters. Charlie Adam scored after setting up Skrtel for Liverpool’s second, and even an injury-time consolation from Ivan Klasnic could not put a dampener on the day for the Anfield club.

• QPR went down to another defeat, this time away to Wigan, and look to be another early contender for relegation. Wigan looked decent at home, and three points against fellow relegation rivals are very valuable indeed. QPR’s signing of Joey Barton may give them the spark they need to distance themselves from the drop, however.

Results in full:

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers; Blackburn Rovers 0 – 1 Everton; Chelsea 3 – 1 Norwich City; Liverpool 3 – 1 Bolton Wanderers; Newcastle United 2 – 1 Fulham; Manchester United 8 – 2 Arsenal; Swansea City 0 – 0 Sunderland; Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 5 Manchester City; West Bromwich Albion 0 – 1 Stoke City; Wigan Athletic 2 – 0 Queens Park Rangers.

Premier League Round-Up

The Passing of the Old Guard at Chelsea and India

Over the past few weeks, we here in England have witnessed the dramatic collapse of the Indian Test cricket team. Going into the recent four-Test series, India were the world’s number one Test nation. Now, a 4-0 series whitewash later, India have been displaced by England and now find themselves in third place in the overall rankings.

Various theories have been posited as to the reasons for India’s malaise this summer, from arguments about the impact of the Indian Premier League to criticisms of the Indians’ intense touring schedule. One inarguable fact about this Indian team, though, is that it is ageing and tired, and that there does not seem to be much fresh young talent waiting to burst onto the scenes to replace them.

India’s two highest-scoring batsmen in this series (and the two highest-scoring Test batsmen of all time), Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, and both approaching 40 years of age. Many column inches have been devoted to discussing how this series will almost certainly be their last on English soil, especially as Tendulkar was pursuing his hundredth international century. Along with VVS Laxman and RP Singh, half of this Test team are approaching the end of their careers, and the team is in a slump as a result. The players look tired and devoid of ideas, and there is no young blood coming in to replace them.

It is possible to draw a parallel with the current Chelsea team, except that the West London club is making a far bigger effort to address the problems of an ageing squad.

In the off-season, a traditional manager in Carlo Ancelotti was replaced with a young, inexperienced boss in Jose Mourinho protege Andre Villas-Boas. Last season, Ancelotti struggled to get the best of a creaking squad, which featured a number of key players who were all the wrong side of 30. Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Nicolas Anelka – six crucial first-team players who have all passed their thirtieth birthdays.

Some effort was made to address this problem with the big-money signing of Fernando Torres, but the Spaniard struggled to settle in and has so far only scored one goal in a Chelsea shirt. Torres hasn’t looked right for some time now, but he has started this season reasonably brightly, albeit still without goals.

Last week, Chelsea drew 0-0 at Stoke City, and this week, only just managed to get past an organised West Bromwich Albion side at Stamford Bridge. Torres started both games, and was replaced by Drogba in the West Brom game when the scores were level. Once the Ivorian striker came on, Chelsea essentially reverted to their gameplan of the past three seasons, a 4-3-3 with Drogba as the spearhead. A winning goal was eventually found, courtesy of Florent Malouda, another of the old guard.

Villas-Boas is already encountering similar difficulties to those Ancelotti struggled with last term. He is finding it difficult to incorporate Torres into this team, and his team appear most effective when he resorts to bringing on Drogba and relying on his older players.

The signing of Juan Mata from Valencia this week may prove the key to moving on from the old guard. Torres thrives on short balls in and around the box, something which Mata can provide. He is a different kind of player to Malouda, less inclined to run to the byline and cross, and more disposed to cutting inside and looking for a through-ball. He may provide the service Torres needs to rediscover the form we know he is capable of producing.

If another sprightly playmaker like Luka Modric is signed, then this Chelsea team will begin to look much fresher. The transition away from the old guard will have begun in earnest, and a title push will probably be on the cards. Without this signing, they may find themselves left behind the youth and the millions of the two Manchester clubs. This would place them third in the rankings – just like the Indian Test side who are so struggling to win with their older players, yet cannot imagine a way to do it without them.

 

Talking Points

• Arsenal’s crisis has deepened this week following a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal were somewhat unlucky to lose after a calamitous own goal, but it’s possible to argue that the side’s almost complete lack of any experienced Premier League players cost them dear (albeit due to an unfortunate injury/suspension combination). The confirmed departures of Fabregas and Nasri will not help matters, and the Gunners season could be ruined for good if they lose to Udinese on Wednesday night.

• Sir Alex Ferguson seems to have found yet another crop of talented youngsters fit to grace the Old Trafford stage – although it must be noted that he has paid large sums of money for many of them. For all the eulogising over Ferguson’s skill at blooding youngsters, David de Gea, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling cost, in total, over £40 million. If only other Premier League teams were able to carry out such a youth policy.

• Roberto Mancini seems to be ready to pursue a more attacking style of football with Manchester City this season, but he should be careful it does not come at the expense of defensive stability. Bolton were able to get back into their match far too easily, and this frailty could cost them against better teams if they are not careful.

• Alex McLeish is making a good start to his Aston Villa career, crucial for his popularity with the club’s supporters. Steve Kean, on the other hand, will be in serious trouble if he does not pick up a victory soon.

Results in full:

Arsenal 0 – 2 Liverpool; Aston Villa 3 – 1 Blackburn Rovers; Bolton Wanderers 2 – 3 Manchester City; Chelsea 2 – 1 West Bromwich Albion; Everton 0 – 1 Queens Park Rangers; Manchester United 3 – 0 Tottenham Hotspur; Norwich City 1 – 1 Stoke City; Sunderland 0 – 1 Newcastle United; Swansea City 0 – 0 Wigan Athletic; Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 – 0 Fulham.

Premier League Round-Up

Gervinho is sent off. Photograph Lee Smith/Action Images.

The game that generated the most discussion this weekend was probably Arsenal’s goalless draw with Newcastle United at St. James’ Park. The Gunners were returning to the site of their biggest humiliation last season, the infamous game in which they squandered a four-goal half-time lead to end up drawing 4-4.

Arsene Wenger will probably not have relished kicking off his new campaign in the north-east, especially in the light of the past week’s events which have seen the departures of Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri become almost inevitable. Both players’ absences were sorely felt in an Arsenal side lacking any kind of real cutting edge.

In truth, the game was a rather drab affair until Arsenal’s biggest summer signing, Gervinho, attempted to win a penalty by making the most of a slight challenge from Cheik Tiote. He then got involved in an incident with Newcastle’s infamous hardman, Joey Barton.

Barton, of course, has been the subject of intense media speculation himself over the last week or so thanks to some refreshingly honest tweets he made alluding to some dressing-room dissatisfaction with manager Alan Pardew. Barton only has one year remaining on his current contract, and after refusing to agree to a long-standing contract offer, the Newcastle board decided that enough was enough: Barton was placed on the transfer list and was told that his services were no longer required.

This seemed like a bold move from the Newcastle hierarchy; despite his documented off-field problems, Barton was a hugely influential player for the Magpies last season, and his loss would be a blow. In the end, Barton seems to have patched up his differences with the club (temporarily, at least), and his importance to the team was proven by the fact that he was still named in the starting line-up.

After drawing a stamp from Alex Song earlier in the match, Barton hauled Gervinho back to his feet after the Arsenal midfielder had gone down over slight contact inside the penalty area. A scramble ensued involving a number of players, before Gervinho raised his hands to Barton’s face. Again, the contact was minimal, but the referee saw it and had no option but to dismiss the Arsenal player.

Much has been made of the fact that Barton made a meal of the supposed “slap” from Gervinho. Barton has even admitted since (via Twitter) that he was “merely highlighting [that] he struck me.”

Barton was booked for his part in the incident, which was probably about right. Gervinho was sent off, which was perhaps a little harsh, but when you raise your hands to another player’s face, it usually only ever ends one way.

Gervinho’s departure did not help the Gunners’ cause in the slightest. Already lacking the creative spark usually provided by Fábregas and Nasri, Wenger’s men could not provide Robin van Persie with any meaningful service for the rest of the match.

Earlier in the summer, Wenger was quoted as saying that if Arsenal sold Fábregas and Nasri that they could not be considered a “big club.” With both players soon to leave, where does this leave Arsenal? Wenger this morning expressed concern that his team could become a feeder club for the other big teams in the division; a worrying prospect indeed for all Arsenal fans.

Although Arsenal have not won a trophy since 2005, they have not been failures in that period. However, the definition of success at a club like Arsenal is very different from that of other, smaller clubs. The pressure to win trophies is huge, and will only increase now that ticket prices at the Emirates Stadium have been increased by 6% for the upcoming season. If spectators pay a premium price, they expect to see a premium product. The sale of two of the Premier League’s best players does not constitute a premium product.

Arsenal will struggle this year, and could well finish outside the top four. This would be disastrous, and the pressure on Wenger could become too much to bear. It’s now make or break time for Wenger and his policy of youth – expect it to break.

Talking Points:

• Blackburn and QPR are many pundits’ tips to get relegated this season, and their performances on the opening day will have done nothing to change this. Despite going ahead, Blackburn looked very fragile at home to Wolves, and QPR also started well before being demolished by a Bolton side lacking options up front. Both teams need to strengthen, and both will struggle this year.
• Unlike fellow promoted club QPR, Norwich look set for a better season, despite arriving in the Premier League on the back of two successive promotions. Paul Lambert is a very capable manager, and a decent performance was rewarded with a 1-1 draw away at Wigan. Sterner tests await, but the early signs are good.
• Liverpool looked very dangerous in the first half against Sunderland, with Luis Suarez in particular looking as though he will cause many teams problems this season. They didn’t turn up for the second half, though, and Kenny Dalglish will have to achieve a bit more consistency if they are to finish in the top four.
• Fernando Torres played well against Stoke City, with a number of lively runs and touches. If he continues to play like this, his goal return will be far better than last season and Didier Drogba might find himself on the bench more often. At one point, Chelsea had Torres, Drogba and Nicolas Anelka on the pitch at the same time, suggesting that Andre Villas-Boas still hasn’t quite worked out his best striking line-up.
• Manchester United score late to win a game? Some things never change. Still, after looking irresistible for twenty minutes, United had to put in a dogged performance to overcome a well-organised West Brom side. West Brom should comfortably avoid relegation this year under Hodgson’s guidance. For United, question marks remain over David de Gea in goal, and Ashley Young, although playing well, could do with improving his crossing accuracy.

Results in full:

Blackburn Rovers 1 – 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers; Fulham 0 – 0 Aston Villa; Liverpool 1 – 1 Sunderland; Newcastle United 0 – 0 Arsenal; Queens Park Rangers 0 – 4 Bolton Wanderers; Stoke City 0 – 0 Chelsea; West Bromwich Albion 1 – 2 Manchester United; Wigan Athletic 1 – 1 Norwich City; Manchester City v. Swansea City (Monday).