Seven games gone and time to catch the breath but a pattern is evolving and the lift of intensity and physicality bodes well for the months aheadSo: how’s it been for you? As the Premier League takes a breath, sucks on half an orange, and smears some soothing embrocation across a vivid set of autumnal bruises, this seems like an ideal moment to sit back and review a particularly frantic opening act.For the first time in some time the Premier League feels like a slightly different place this year. With seven games gone and an international break now upon us the season already has a distinct tone and texture. Above all there has been a quickening of the pulse. The...
Spurs beat Manchester City to go second in the Premier League. Plus: Barcelona come unstuck at Celta Vigo and Aston Villa sack Roberto Di MatteoSubscribe and review: iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, AcastIt’s the year 5777, and on today’s Football Weekly, AC Jimbo is joined by fellow jetsetters Barry Glendenning, Iain Macintosh and Jacob Steinberg. Continue reading...
Tottenham went man-for-man in midfield, denying Manchester City passing options from the start, and the visitors never appeared tempted to go longThe concept of pressing has never been so revered in English football and this meeting between the Premier League’s top two teams was largely about compressing space and winning possession quickly. Related: Dele Alli leads vibrant Tottenham to inflict first loss on Manchester City Continue reading...
First meets second as Manchester City visit Spurs, Theo Walcott looks to continue his hot streak and will this be the last we see of Francesco Guidolin?Given that the tactic of trying to absorb pressure had not worked for any of Manchester City’s opponents, it made sense for Swansea to try something different last weekend, as the Welsh side attempted to disrupt the league leaders’ momentum by squeezing their centre-backs when they had the ball. It did not work, of course, because City were still too sharp in attack. Yet Tottenham Hotspur’s feverish high press could yield greater rewards at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Both sides are without key attacking players – Harry Kane for Spurs, Kevin De Bruyne...
Son shines again for Tottenham, Chelsea and Leicester need defensive shake-ups, Palace signings prove their value and Southampton are ticking over againThe moment that summed up the discord in the Chelsea defence came on 64 minutes, when Gary Cahill wanted Thibaut Courtois to come to collect; the goalkeeper stayed on his line and Branislav Ivanovic bludgeoned the ball into touch. Cahill and Courtois argued. But errors had disfigured the performance to leave Chelsea 3-0 down at half-time: it was shocking, for example, to see how easily Mesut Özil accelerated away from the defensive midfielder N’Golo Kanté before he scored Arsenal’s third. Antonio Conte did not cancel his players’ day off on Sunday but they can expect a video inquest when...