We delve into three critical talking points from the Premier League weekend.
Liverpool have surged five points clear at the top of the Premier League following an unprecedented collapse for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at Brighton.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s winless streak extended to four league matches after a 1-1 draw at Chelsea, leaving them nine points adrift of the leading team. Capitalising on the situation, Liverpool secured a crucial 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, taking a massive step towards their second league title in 35 years. Here, we delve into three critical talking points from the Premier League weekend.
City run out of gas
For the first time in his managerial career, Guardiola has now experienced the frustration of losing four consecutive matches, a disheartening feat for the usually formidable City. Although Erling Haaland gave the visitors a half-time lead, the team faded significantly in the second half at the Amex Stadium, ultimately succumbing to substitutes Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley’s attacks in the closing moments.
“The level we are playing is really good in certain moments but we are not able to continue for a long time,” Guardiola lamented following the match.
“We were not consistent in maintaining our game, our intensity and press, and being aggressive for 90 minutes.”
Looking ahead, the City manager is hopeful that the return of injured key players after the international break will help to shift the tide. However, he conceded that after an impressive run of four consecutive titles, it may now be time for a different team to step into the limelight.
City’s upcoming fixtures includes a home match against Spurs before their much-anticipated visit to Liverpool at the start of next month. A defeat at Anfield could potentially leave the champions in a position that even they might struggle to recover from, particularly against a ruthless Liverpool under head coach Arne Slot.
‘Dark and difficult’ days for Arsenal
At the beginning of the season, many predicted that if City were to be dethroned, Arsenal would be the team to do it.
After finishing as runners-up to Guardiola’s men in the previous two campaigns, Mikel Arteta’s squad looked promising with several reinforcements aimed at claiming their first league title since 2004. However, the current form has shown a stark contrast, with Arsenal managing a mere three wins from their last nine matches in the league.
“When it gets nasty, show your teeth and show how much you want it,” Arteta urged his players after Chelsea fought back to share the spoils at Stamford Bridge.
“When you are in Disneyland, everything is beautiful and everyone is nice to you. When it gets dark and difficult, that is the time to show your courage.”
Despite the setback, there remains a glimmer of hope for the Gunners; the influential captain Martin Odegaard returned from an ankle injury to provide a sublime pass for Gabriel Martinelli’s opener, signalling that brighter days may be ahead.
Slow starts puzzle Postecoglou
Tottenham had a chance to move into the coveted top four; however, they fell to 10th place after losing 2-0 at home to Ipswich, who celebrated their first Premier League victory in 22 years. Spurs paid the price for their now familiar slow start, marking the 13th time in 15 home league games this year that they fell behind early.
Though they battled back successfully in eight of the previous 12 matches, this time they found themselves with too much to do after first-half goals from Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap put Ipswich firmly in control.
“From my perspective, unacceptable, because we started the game nowhere near the levels we needed to be,” said head coach Ange Postecoglou.
He grappled with the persistent inconsistency that has dogged Spurs for decades, acknowledging that the responsibility lies with him to help his players overcome such challenges.
“We’ve been inconsistent this year, fair to say; we shouldn’t be that inconsistent,” he added. “When you are, that responsibility lies with me to try to help the players overcome that.”
AFP
