Victory at the Emirates will have given Mikel Arteta satisfaction as games like this slipped away from Arsenal late last seasonPerhaps the best part of Declan Rice’s day, his first big Emirates Stadium afternoon, was the fact that for the opening 95 minutes of this tight, taught, occasionally turgid game, Arsenal didn’t play that well.Rice didn’t play that well, not really, by his best, most regal, long-striding – sportswriters do love a stride – midfield standards. Instead he was tethered for long periods, ratting in the deep spaces, fighting to cover a position-and-a-half in midfield, where Kai Havertz was again a spectral entity, only partially present in the material world. Continue reading...
Kai Havertz at Arsenal and Mason Mount at Manchester United are yet to fit in – but this is not a simple issue of personnelAfew years ago, the future seemed a world in which football teams would comprise 11 midfielders. Then it became 11 full-backs, at which it became apparent that nobody quite knew the difference any more. Then Pep Guardiola found his inner Tony Pulis and started fielding four centre-backs and it turned out that, while the present may be very much possession-driven, the future may not. The composition of the midfield is suddenly up for debate again.The most common setup among the Premier League’s elite remains 4-3-3 – even the 4-2-3-1 with which Manchester City have started the...
There are crunch showdowns at the Emirates and at Bramall Lane while Manchester City already look imperiousWinning the Conference League did not do much to lift the pressure on David Moyes after an underwhelming domestic season, but the clouds look to be lifting. New signings have joined to bolster the ranks and only two points have been dropped in three matches, to put the Hammers second behind Manchester City. Things could hardly be going better. One problem Moyes will soon face is European football, an activity that hindered West Ham’s league form last season. To limit its impact, picking up points in winnable matches – such as Friday’s trip to Kenilworth Road – will be crucial. At this stage last...
Spurs have found midfield balance, Sean Dyche needs changes and Brighton are still a step ahead of the gameThe last time Luton visited Stamford Bridge for a league fixture, George HW Bush was US president, Bryan Adams was in the middle of his monster 16-week stay at the top of the charts with (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, and Liverpool had just broken the British transfer record by paying £2.9m for Derby’s Dean Saunders. The record has gone up a touch since August 1991 but again the Hatters visit west London in the wake of a new spending benchmark being set, and the player in question could well be in line for a first start for his...
Tonali starts in style, Nketiah shows he should start more often and De Bruyne’s fitness is starting to become a worryBeyond bedding in four debutants at Brentford, a leading task for Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham is to revive a number of players who were all but given up on by Antonio Conte. Richarlison, who scored just one Premier League goal in his first season at the club, has taken on Harry Kane’s role as striker with James Maddison the new playmaker. Few beyond Conte doubt Brazil’s first-choice No 9’s talent but renovation is required. “He’s got a lot of great attributes and he will always work hard for the team and that’s a good starting point for me,” Postecoglou said,...