With the top-flight back in action this weekend, we take a look at the top seven’s strengths, weaknesses, squad depth and key players before asking whether they have got what it takes to win the leagueThe Premier League is back after the international break and, following a breathless start to the season, we assess the top seven sides in the league in search for clues as to which side will lift the trophy come May. Manchester City are the early pacesetters but their defeat at Tottenham Hotspur have given the rest of the clubs hope. It is also worth remembering that seven games into last season, Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United were top, West Ham United third and eventual winners...
Cesc Fàbregas may get his chance for Chelsea, Everton’s attackers can trouble Manchester City and Monday night’s big match at Anfield is too close to callEverything about Arsenal’s performance at Burnley screamed late Wenger era. Manchester City’s defeat at Tottenham gave them the opportunity to make a statement and as such the pressure was on; the game was tricky but hardly impossible. They delivered a performance devoid of intensity, purpose and conviction. Only Alexis Sánchez appeared not to deem the indignity of effort beneath him. Then, in the final seconds, everything changed, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Laurent Koscielny contriving the most glorious finish imaginable. 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...
Tottenham, with the South Korean to the fore, disrupted Manchester City with their relentless pressure to earn a 2-0 victory over Pep Guardiola’s sideSon Heung-min left the pitch just before full-time at White Hart Lane to a huge, concerted ovation. By that stage Tottenham Hotspur’s stand-in No9 was so utterly spent, so drenched in goodwill from a cooing, gurgling home crowd that, as Andre Marriner shooed him off, Son mistook the referee’s gesture for one of congratulation and tried to shake his hand.On the bench there were backslaps and hugs for a performance of prodigious energy and craft, a significant turn not just in this 2-0 defeat of Manchester City but in City’s wider attempts to adapt to new rhythms...
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...