The Spanish No9’s instant integration into Chelsea’s forward line only adds to the sense that Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal are a club locked in perpetual transitionIn football, there are perhaps two types of crisis. There is the Arsenal type that festers for years until after a decade of stagnation and low-level grumbling you suddenly find all your best players are out of contract and you are battling Everton for sixth place. And there is the Chelsea type that bubbles up from nowhere, threatens to derail everything, and then blows itself out just as suddenly as it arrived.Whatever was going on at Stamford Bridge in August essentially ceased to affect performances on the pitch as soon as Antonio Conte put on a...
Pep Guardiola has spent £158m on his rearguard but not bought a centre-back and a shortage in that position could be exposed by Liverpool, which would augur badly for the seasonDespite a £226m summer transfer splurge, Manchester City are still vulnerable in central defence as Pep Guardiola’s team welcome Liverpool for the early kick‑off on Saturday. Premier League hostilities resume at the Etihad Stadium after the international break against a Jürgen Klopp swarm‑and‑attack unit that should offer a gauge of how City’s failure to strengthen at centre-back may affect their season.Vincent Kompany, John Stones and Nicolás Otamendi are the manager’s leading players in the position. With Guardiola now preferring to utilise a three‑man defence and wing-backs, injury or loss of form...
This season we’ve seen full-backs at centre-half or attacking midfielders as wing-backs but it is hard to perform when you’re not comfortable carrying out the duties asked of youAfter a hectic start to this Premier League season, the first international break is upon us and managers are sweating over the fitness of their players on international duty, training grounds are much quieter than normal with only eight or nine players working in the week and clubs are analysing their opening three games in terms of their own performances but also the trends of other clubs that they are competing with.Last year Chelsea won the title based on Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 system which allowed players such as Eden Hazard, Pedro and...
Absence of the injured Eden Hazard was apparent as a substantially weakened team from Stamford Bridge again came up short in a Wembley showpieceIt was only a friendly. That’s a fact that means Pedro will be available for Saturday’s league game against Burnley despite his red card – and it’s also a useful excuse for a largely indifferent display from the Premier League champions. Arsenal may have needed a penalty shootout to win the Community Shield but Chelsea never seemed quite in the game. Quite how troubling that should be depends largely on what stage they are supposed to be at in their preparations, but there are definite causes for concern.Chelsea’s strength last season was the 3‑4‑2‑1 formation that provided...
Gareth Southgate found natural width replacing Marcus Rashford with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but substitute Chris Martin nearly won Scotland the gameAfter a Premier League season in which three-man defences have experienced a sudden resurgence, Gordon Strachan surprised England by using that system in an attempt to provide extra defensive security – and succeeded in frustrating Gareth Southgate’s side for long periods. Related: Scotland 2-2 England: five talking points from Hampden Park | Andy Hunter Related: Harry Kane denies Scotland win over England after Griffiths sparks frantic finish Continue reading...