Chelsea’s expensively-assembled unit lacked intensity and were vulnerable to Pep Guardiola’s exhilarating sideWith 43 minutes gone at Stamford Bridge Phil Foden could be seen gliding through the debris, the ruined city walls of Chelsea’s right flank.There were two sky blue shirts waiting inside him for an invitation to score. Foden skimmed the ball inside to Ilkay Gündogan, who chose that moment to perform a reverse‑pirouette, mid-air heel-dink that pinged just past the post. Related: Phil Foden excels in Manchester City's emphatic win over lacklustre Chelsea Related: Frank Lampard plays down pressure after Chelsea slip to meek defeat Continue reading...
Manchester United’s eerily featureless 0-0 draw with City will at least have eased the pressure on their manager“Football without fans is nothing,” read the banner draped across the Old Trafford seats on a lukewarm night in Manchester.Not quite nothing, perhaps. But in these Covid-19 ghost games there is a tendency, now and then, for the occasion to collapse like a deflated meringue if the start is too slow, the mood too muted. Football without fans isn’t nothing. But on nights like these it can look like 22 men running around while people in padded jackets shout at them. Related: David de Gea ensures Manchester United take point in draw with Manchester City Related: Everton v Chelsea: Premier League – live!...
Another resurgent Frenchman for Chelsea, Mourinho has Kane purring and there was a Zaha masterclass to savourThere were long years when it seemed José Mourinho had lost his touch as a man motivator of star players. At Real Madrid, relations broke down with the club’s galácticos; his alliance with Cristiano Ronaldo was lukewarm at best. Second time around at Chelsea, there was frostiness with Eden Hazard, while Paul Pogba and Mourinho cold-shouldered each other at Manchester United. At Tottenham, Mourinho made it his business to get close to Harry Kane, and the results have been scintillating. In the same style that Mourinho made Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba into Premier League greats, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic flourished at Internazionale, Kane brims...
Mikel Arteta does not seem to have a plan of attack, Everton’s defence must improve and Jürgen Klopp should pick his battlesMikel Arteta has been the Arsenal manager for just under a year, and though some things have improved under him – attitude, intensity, FA Cup tally – it’s still not clear what the plan is, especially going forward. And while it’s important to emphasise how much Thomas Partey is being missed, the feeling persists that it really doesn’t have to be like this. When Arteta was appointed, he was gifted half a season of minimal expectations, meaning he could experiment in order to find the personnel and formation best able to execute his ideals. But though he did brilliantly...
Tottenham can challenge for the title, Arsenal’s search for goals goes on and Timo Werner hits his stride for ChelseaPerhaps we ought to ask the question differently. How are Tottenham going to mess this up? A tear in Harry Kane’s ankle? A dodgy lasagne? A global pandemic halting the league? Because in the heat of this moment, in which the world is upside down and anything can happen, the biggest reason why Spurs cannot win the title is that they are Spurs. Apart from the loss to Everton on the opening weekend, they have been better than everybody they have faced – and that has included both Manchester clubs, most recently City on Saturday. After an excellent transfer window, they...