Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend's action
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Loading... - Kate Taylor
- 27 Nov 2020
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1) Delph offers straw for rivals to clutch at
Manchester City proved they possess the spirit to match their skills in fighting back from an undeserved half-time deficit to claim this win. Huddersfield Town, who were again impressive, held the lead for 1min54sec – 20% of the total time City have been behind in their seven away games this season. City’s unbeaten record was briefly imperilled by a poor period of play which had Fabian Delph at its heart. The stand-in left-back deserted his berth in an attempt to win a ball that he never got near, allowing Tom Ince a free run into the penalty area, a threatening attack which led to the corner from which the home side took the lead. There is very little that offers hope to City’s opponents at the moment but Delph’s lack of an instinctive sense of where to position himself is the straw to which everyone can – sometimes fruitfully – clutch. Simon Burnton
2) Wilshere’s latest Arsenal and England reminder
Jack Wilshere’s 24-minute cameo as a second-half replacement caught the eye, with one burst down the centre at Burnley indicating he still has a turn of pace his serial injuries might have blunted. Arsène Wenger pointed to this surge after a 1-0 victory over the Clarets, and stated the midfielder gets stronger with each display. Still only 25, this was Wilshere’s 10th appearance of the season as he tries to convince Wenger he has a long-term future with Arsenal. The midfielder faces a similar challenge at international level. Yet Gareth Southgate – who was at Turf Moor – will surely have to reconsider a player the England manager left out of his squad for the recent friendlies with Brazil and Germany should he stay fit and force his way back into the Gunners’ starting XI. Given Granit Xhaka’s sometime ponderous contribution in the Arsenal engine room and the lack of creative options for Southgate, Wilshere could just be timing his comeback perfectly for both club and country. But, of course, the question remains the same: can Wilshere stay fit? Jamie Jackson
3) Moreno justifies Klopp’s faith after wobble
Jürgen Klopp raised eyebrows by making five changes to the Liverpool team that started Saturday’s draw with Chelsea, yet perhaps the biggest surprise was that one of those changes did not involve Alberto Moreno. The full-back was poor in the 3-3 draw with Sevilla, leading to calls for him to be dropped immediately. But Klopp came out in support of the player and kept him in his team for the visit of the Premier League champions – and rightly so. Moreno has improved this season and one bad display does not undo that. As it turned out, Moreno played well against Chelsea, showing his good form is not a flash in the pan and that the 25-year-old has greater mental fortitude than he is given credit for. Sachin Nakrani
4) Silva continues to work wonders with Watford
Anyone who watched Marco Silva very nearly save Hull from relegation last season will appreciate the Portuguese’s extraordinary knack of moulding and improving a group of ostensibly disparate players into a cohesive, exhilaratingly attacking unit. Silva is currently working wonders at Watford who could easily have scored seven goals en route to inflicting a fourth straight defeat on a Newcastle sidecurrently destined for a relegation fight. The only problem is that Everton still covet Silva and, in refusing to kill off the resultant speculation, he is making eyes at them. But maybe Silva should be careful what he wishes for. He’s evidently got something special going on in Hertfordshire; why not let it last a season at least and wait for another “big” club to, almost inevitably, come knocking next summer? Precisely where Newcastle, Rafa Benítez, Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley’s mooted takeover might be by then is anyone’s guess. Louise Taylor
5) Home wins making difference for Manchester United
If this season is about building upon last for Manchester United, it is also about righting the wrongs. While they set a new club record by going 39 home matches unbeaten, the start of that run was pockmarked with draws against inferior – in terms of ability and resources, anyway – opponents. This could have been another. United endured stalemates with promoted clubs, in Burnley and Hull, last season. Brighton were on course to keep a first clean sheet at Old Trafford in their history until Ashley Young’s shot looped up off Lewis Dunk and flew in. “It is the sign of a good team to play poorly and yet still win,” said the full-back. “Last season we could have come away with a draw from this sort of game.” Last season, United drew 10 home league games. This season, they have a 100% winning record on their own turf. It is quite a difference. Richard Jolly
6) Mahrez treading water at Leicester
Riyad Mahrez showed passion and edge at the London Stadium, albeit quite a lot of it was reserved for the moment Claude Puel substituted him, drawing a notably sulky walk from the pitch. Mahrez was “disappointed” Puel said, but the fact is Arthur Masuaku and Cheikhou Kouyaté had chased him down and pushed him to the edge of this game. Mahrez has been a wonderful player for Leicester, and he showed flashes of his brilliance on the ball against West Ham. But eight goals and seven assists in a year and a half since winning player of the year is evidence of a man treading water. Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Internazionale and Barcelona have all, reportedly, shown varying degrees of interest in the Algerian. It would surely be best for everyone now if that precious, slightly fragile talent was cashed in on sooner rather than later and Mahrez asked to stretch himself a little more. Barney Ronay
7) Megson in the right place at the right time?
If it made a refreshing change to see a West Brom manager take a post-match press conference sitting down, in contrast to the disdain evinced whenever Tony Pulis used to breeze through on foot, there was equal novelty in seeing Gary Megson occupy the chair. It would not be unfair to state that Megson, 58, is perceived to fall within the “pale, stale male” generation that – with some high-profile exceptions – are out of vogue and it was interesting to hear him talk of how, having made a number of unsuccessful job applications after leaving Sheffield Wednesday in 2012, he had resigned himself to early retirement. For the majority of managers, football tends not to look back when a career’s trajectory has stalled. So Megson relished his return to the spotlight at Wembley, where his temporary charges deserved their draw with Tottenham. He was quick to say it had whetted his appetite for a longer-term return to action and perhaps a few Championship chairmen with fingers on the trigger were paying attention to West Brom’s performance. For a short-term fix they could do worse, and so much about football management owes to cropping up in the right place at the right time. Nick Ames
8) Bony emboldens Swansea with display as skipper
Re-signing Wilfried Bony was a huge gamble on Swansea’s part and it will
take much more than one encouraging display against Bournemouth to vindicate that decision, yet the Ivorian’s first 90 minutes at club level for 14 months at least offered some positive signs. Wearing the captain’s armband and perhaps a little
unfortunate to have a goal disallowed, Bony delivered what Paul Clement described as “a proper man’s performance”. Strong with his back to goal, Bony gave Swansea a different outlet by holding the ball up and it was a shame from Clement’s point of view that the pacey Tammy Abraham was not fit enough to start alongside him. Bony still has his own fitness issues, but there is no shortage of motivation. “It is Swansea who gave me everything that I am now,” he said. “So I just need to do my best for them to see the Bony they bought for the first time.” Stuart James
9) Hope at last for Palace before derby collision
Roy Hodgson was correct in pointing out Crystal Palace have played far more convincingly over recent weeks and found wins elusive, and stressed post-match that he does “not believe in turning points”. Yet the late victory over Stoke, however fortuitous, could yet prove to be a springboard. Confidence needed pepping, and the manager’s surprise decision to drop Julian Speroni and Scott Dann did not backfire. Most significantly, Palace had a Plan B to which they could turn at the interval and will now go into their derby against Brighton with Christian Benteke firmly back in the fold. The Belgian may not have scored since May, but he is winning headers and unnerving defenders again, a focal point at the tip of this team. His relationship with Wilfried Zaha may be key in the survival bid, ensuring Palace are not reliant upon one single player for inspiration. Their hope is the recovery is under way. Dominic Fifield
10) Austin states his case in rout of Everton
He was made to wait for almost four months but given his first league start of the season, Charlie Austin grabbed his chance with both hands. Mauricio Pellegrino was inevitably quizzed as to why it has taken so long for him to harness his striking instincts from the off. As torrid as Everton were, credit should also go to Southampton who looked like scoring every time they poured forward. For the impressive full-backs, Ryan Bertrand and Cédric Soares, utilising the ruthlessness of Austin was simply too good to pass up. Asked whether he had a point to prove, Austin said: “You could say so. But for me it was all about biding my time on the training pitch. I have got my reward, and more importantly we got the three points. It’s the first 80 minutes I’ve played since Stoke in the first game of last season and I was blowing the cobwebs off my legs.” Ben Fisher
