Brighton provide perfect response, Everton are embarrassed, Liverpool have concerns beyond defence and Rafael Benítez sees progress from afarEddie Howe has worked wonders in overseeing Bournemouth’s exhilarating rise but his present task looks rather less attractive. They have yet to win a point and, while a defeat at the Emirates Stadium is not cause for concern on its own, the warning signs are stacking up. On Saturday they lacked initiative, invention, power and presence; it was a non-event of a display and it clearly bothered Howe, whose team have looked flat in all bar the late reverse against Manchester City. “I’m worried by the performance,” he said. “The four performances we’ve had, I’d accept one of them. I won’t accept...
Dutch manager says he is more flexible than he is portrayed, but his club may not have enough patience to wait for his long term project to deliver the goodsAfter agreeing to take charge of Crystal Palace in June, Frank de Boer sought advice from a former manager who has become a friend, Louis van Gaal. The 66-year-old has been a key influence on De Boer, having managed him at Ajax, Barcelona and the Dutch national team. Van Gaal offered his protégé tips for succeeding in England based on his two years at Manchester United, from which he apparently carries a curious disappointment that De Boer is determined to avoid.“The only thing he regretted was that he played 3-4-3 in...
The Premier League returns this weekend but it is a fair bet Slaven Bilic and Frank de Boer have not enjoyed the international break too much and both are in dire need of a positive resultAs international breaks go, the one England have just enjoyed was quite eventful, even if nothing Gareth Southgate’s players could produce on the pitch was likely to steal the headlines from the way in which Wayne Rooney celebrated a rare weekend off.How assiduously Rooney can put the past behind him and resume what was shaping up to be a promising return to his former club will be one of the focal points when Premier League football returns at the weekend, as will the behaviour of...
The director of football role is underrated in England but may have helped the transition to Frank de Boer or forced Arsène Wenger to leave his comfort zoneNow the honeymoon period has well and truly fizzled out, extinguished by so much sideways football that soon Louis van Gaal will be making a pilgrimage to Selhurst Park to see what all the fuss is about, it comes as no surprise to learn Crystal Palace appear to be wondering whether the man who said he would make his new team play like Ajax might not be up to the task of managing in the Premier League.Judging by the grumbling emanating from south London last week, some members of Palace’s squad appear to have made...
West Brom, even without Jonny Evans, give a masterclass in defending again; Newcastle underpowered in attack; Sadio Mané shows his importance to LiverpoolNathaniel Chalobah had an eventful match for Watford on Saturday. By dummying the ball at the suggestion of Bournemouth’s Harry Arter he inadvertently reminded the world of the subclause to Law 12 which states a player should be cautioned if he “verbally distracts an opponent during play”. The England Under-21s midfielder missed two good chances to score; a header and a one-on-one. He gave the ball away several times. But in only his second Premier League start Chalobah also led the match in both tackles and dribbles. It was his breakaway sprint that proved to be the catalyst...