Sunday, November 11, 2018

English premier league

Things we learn from the PL weekend: Man Utd not good enough.  


10 things we lean from the 12th week of Premier  
League this season! 

1. Manchester United's run of decent results was only going 
to be valid if they could perform in the derby. They did not.
 Simply put, they are not good enough.

United have lost four of their opening 12 games for the first time 
since 1990-91. This is the first time in the Premier League
 era they have a negative goal difference after 12 games.
 And only Fulham have fewer clean sheets than them.
  
 

David de Gea conceded no more than 29 goals in each of the last 
two seasons. He's already let 20 in. 
Even for a Jose Mourinho United vintage, 
this one has a particularly bad taste


2. There are obvious ways to measure a manager and
 they mainly involve trophies and trinkets.
 But judging Mauricio Pochettino works best 
on different guidelines.

A huge tick in the positive column is his development 
of young players, highlighted on Saturday
 by 20-year-old defender Juan For 
 scoring on his second Premier League appearance.

His first at Wolves was fraught with errors – he gave away two penalties. 
But Pochettino kept faith and backed a player he has brought through.
 Foyth received the 11th Premier League debut he's handed out 
while at Spurs. Pochettino may just be the country's 
best developmental coach.

3. Liverpool were hit by a wave of negativity after their 
loss to Red Star Belgrade. It was an inquest over a side that
 have still not lost in the Premier League.

A supposed issue is the switch to a more possession-based
 style, one that was intended to allow them to control matches rather 
than just bow to the wild cacophony of heavy metal football that Jurgen 
Klopp pioneered.

But they have not lost that lightning ability to break and that is still 
when they are at their best. There were just 14 seconds between
 Aleksandar Mitrovic's offside header and Mohamed Salah's opener.
 Ozzy Osbourne would be proud.

4. Cesar Azpilicueta is a fine full-back and his ability
 on the ball is not in question. Even so, he stayed far
 too deep against Everton on Sunday.

That grew into a problem as the hosts struggled to break 
through their stubborn opponents. 
Marcos Alonso got forward well and came close to scoring.

Azpilicueta seems slightly stunted in an attacking sense — probably 
not helped by years playing at left-back and right centre-half. 
He made no key passes and had no shots.

5. There is plenty to admire about Arsenal's revival under Unai Emery, 
and part of that is their ability to grind out results, 
as they have managed on this 16-game unbeaten run.

But there's a little spark missing, something that 
he should look to bring back to the team over the 
international break. The draw against Wolves, 
earned late on, was their third consecutive one
 at home in all competitions.

A plus is Henrikh Mkhitaryan getting his 
first goal since March. It should,
 Emery will hope, improve his confidence.

6. Salomon Rondon has all of the tools to be a force in the
 Premier League. He is big, strong, has a good touch,
 can hold the ball up well and is more technically gifted than
 his size suggests.

But one thing he has not shown since he moved to these shores 
is consistency. His first goal against Bournemouth was 
number one in a 
Newcastle shirt. He bagged another,
 giving him only his second brace
 in the Premier Leaguemmm.                        

He has talent. What he needs is the mentality and fitness to
 prove it on a regular basis. He should be more than enough to help 
Newcastle stay up.

7. Sometimes upturns in form benefit from contributions from 
the strangest of sources. Cardiff City have now won two of their last four games after no 
previous Premier League victories this season.

That has coincided with Callum Patterson's own purple patch. 
He was key in the early stages of their promotion last season,
 scoring an important 10 goals. But he went through a run of
 just one goal in 14 games.                              


Now he has three in his last four after his tap in against Brighton.
 Having him back up to that level can only help Neil Warnock's 
side battle relegation.

8. This is a uniquely awful time for Southampton, 
who have never endured a worse start at home – failing to 
win any of their first six – in their entire league history as a club.

It is now the middle of November and they have 
only won four Premier League games in the entire 
calendar year. Les Reed, a man key to their rise,
 has gone, and there seems to be no sign of improvement.



Recruitment and the entire football side of their operations 
have been misrun for a few years. We are now seeing the results.

9. Huddersfield's draw with West Ham may be incredibly 
costly come the end of the campaign and it once again highlighted 
the overly negative manner of David Wagner's approach.

They should have pushed for a second while on top – they have the 
pace to play on the counter and press well. It was what their 
promotion was founded on.

But they have now not scored more than one for 22 Premier League games 
straight. It is a ludicrous run and should tell them something – it is
 better to go out of the division with a flicker than a whimper.
 Their mentality has to change.

10. Charlie Taylor did not have the easiest of times last season. 
He made just 11 appearances in the Premier League after 
his summer moving, finding it difficult to break into a
 settled and successful line-up.                       

This season has been very different, and he is now marking
 himself out as a defender of talent. He has played in every game 
and made a superb last ditch tackle on Kelechi Iheanacho at
 Leicester that saved a point.

No defender at Burnley has played more than his 12 games 
this season. He is now a trusted cog in Sean Dyche's team.

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