Premier League Week 13: Chelsea Show Grit, Spurs Implode & City Survive Scare
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Chelsea’s 10 men earned a season-shaping point in a weekend where United’s forgotten men starred and City made hard work of an easy win, writes Manik Sharma.
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SELF-SABOTAGING SPURS STRUGGLE TO FIND WAY OUT OF RUT THOMAS FRANK could hear a chorus of boos at the end of a humbling defeat at home to Fulham. The greater tragedy, however, is that the scoreline flattered Spurs. Fulham could have scored more and seldom looked in danger of dropping three precious away points. Harry Wilson’s instinctively taken long-range shot — at an empty goal — is symptomatic of where Spurs are: mid-way between brittle and slick but nowhere close to solid and definitive. For the second week in a row, they were casually rolled over despite scoring the best goal of the game. And that’s a reflection of what the team has become — a collection of fragments that despite its individual brilliance can’t seem to summon a collective. Their defensive desperation — that gave the impression of some sort of bond — has faded and given way to a disjointed mess of wavelengths that simply can’t seem to find each other. For a club their size and ambition, Spurs fans are owed their outrage. |
MAN CITY MAKE HARD WORK OF EASY WIN The good news for Pep Guardiola is that Phil Foden has rediscovered his touch and goalscoring form. The bad news is that even in games where they seem to be dominant, City’s fragility at the back exposes them to more drama than is merited. Against a half-decent Leeds United, who no longer play the expansive football of Marcelo Bielsa’s days, City led within the first minute. Then followed it up with a first half of authoritative control, without the penetration of old. From two goals up at home, to relinquishing not just momentum but also, almost, the game City produced the kind of tepid second half display that bodes concern for a team trying to keep pace with faultless Arsenal. Foden might have scored an excellent winner at the death, but on another day, a potential banana peel could have turned into a costly slip. Watch the highlights. |
MAN UTD RIDE LUCK BEFORE MANUFACTURING SOME OF THEIR OWN Crystal Palace are no one’s favourite opponents. They are the right mix of seasoned pros and young talent, and can mix it up with the big boys. Against United, Palace were scintillating in a first half in which they could have easily scored three or four. That they didn’t ultimately became their undoing. United didn’t exactly roar back, but seemed to regroup for a more focussed second half. Moreover, Ruben Amorim can revel in the fact that previously under-fire players like Mason Mount and the ungainly Zirkzee, both found the net. That the victory says more about Palace’s inability to finish United off when on top, is however, testament to the flip-flop nature of Amorim’s squad and its unpredictable rhythms. They will continue to oscillate between good and bad, to the point that trusting them is probably as risky for their manager, as it is for their doting fans. Premier League matches come to you live and exclusive with an OTTplay Premium subscription for only Rs 149 per month. Don’t miss a minute! |
LIVERPOOL FIND A WAY TO WIN AGAINST AWFUL WEST HAM Liverpool finally have a win. It’s no streak yet, but it’s at least a moment of relief for beleaguered Arne Slot. Alexander Isak scored, but looked well off the pace for the rest of the game. Florian Wirtz started but was taken off after yet another anonymous performance. And Kerkez at left-back continues to resemble a teenager trying to figure which one of his two feet is he actually better with. But the headline was written well before the match even began. Slot finally took the tough call to drop club legend Mo Salah. Did Liverpool look better without the left winger on the field? Not really. Salah gives Liverpool a left sided focal point to thread counter attacks through. Against a slow and sluggish West Ham, Liverpool seemed to lack pace and bite. Their second came after their opponents had gone down to 10 men. The eternal question of square pegs and round holes, therefore, continues to hang over a squad that looks like it was assembled just yesterday. The coming games sound easy on paper, but Liverpool have made an art form of making everything look effortful. Watch the highlights. |
10-MAN CHELSEA PROVE PEDIGREE AGAINST TEPID ARSENAL For the first 30 minutes of the weekend’s crunch top-table clash between London rivals, Chelsea were, surprisingly, the better team. There wasn’t a great amount of cutting edge on display, but the blues seemed to shock Arsenal through sheer perseverance. Unfortunately, that fire in the belly got the better of Moises Caicedo, urging him into a desperate lunge and reducing Chelsea to 10 men. No one would have blamed Chelsea’s youngsters had they then proceeded to fold against the league’s best side. Instead, though, the blues roared, took the lead and continued to threaten Mikel Arteta’s team until the very end. No team - across Europe - has made Arsenal look like they’ve been winded, but the fact that Chelsea did so with 10 men, is a marked achievement that manager Enzo Maresca can now build on. Only, he’ll have to do it without the now-suspended Caicedo. Watch the highlights. |
POSTCRIPT: IS AGGRESSION ARSENAL’S ACHILLES HEEL? The marquee clash of the weekend turned on its head with an unfortunate red card, but for the best part of this game, Arsenal looked a bit weathered and shaken by just how determined Chelsea’s youngsters were to turn them over. This is the most frazzled the gunners have looked this season, and though Chelsea lack the quality and depth of their arch rivals, they made up for it with pure aggression and work rate. To the point that Arsenal’s famed midfield bullies found it hard to hold onto the ball. Hard work is no guarantee of success but packaging it as aggression can unsettle the best of teams. Sometimes it's just that basic: desire. |
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