top of page

Tight at Top and Bottom

  • Jordan Tavener
  • Feb 6, 2017
  • 8 min read

This is the first of a new series of Premier League reviews where we look at the top 5 games from the weekend and who has done well and who has not and what it means in the league table. With the weekend having some interesting results, it has shaken up the top and bottom of the Premier League. Arsenal faltered again and Liverpool continue to spiral out of the title race, whilst Hull, and Sunderland got impressive wins to try and find a way to safety. There is a 5 point gap from second to sixth and just 2 points separating 6 teams at the bottom. It is so hard to call who is going down and who will qualify for the Champions League, but I will look at the best and worst performances of gameweek 24.

Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal

This game was always going to be in the top 5 no matter what the score was because it has such a huge effect on the title race and the race for the top four. Chelsea are under no pressure and they just keep winning to cement their spot at the top of the league and they look bound to go on to win the title unless something major happens. Diego Costa didn't get enough credit from this game as he worked so hard for his team, harassing that Arsenal back line. Hazard got all the plaudits and rightfully so, he was excellent in this game and his goal really showed the strength of Chelsea over Arsenal, not just literally but on his way to his solo strike he did also put Coquelin to the floor without doing much. That Chelsea back line was clumsy at times in this game when they let Arsenal have a couple of opportunities and that hasn't happened too much to them this season, they usually look so comfortable but Arsenal did test them, but Chelsea just look so clinical.

Arsenal are under extreme pressure now though as their defeat against Watford made this game even bigger for them. They're 12 points off top and look as if they're out of the title race, three points behind Spurs and now only 2 points above United. Them and Liverpool are now in a real spot of bother and who knows, could they both finish outside of the top four this season? I think some of the players in the Arsenal squad are just slightly overrated. I think Cech is losing his ability a little, I think Mustafi is good but shows he still isn't very experienced and I think people forget he is only 24. Ozil and Sanchez went missing in this game and Ozil hasn't been at his best this season. Sanchez has been good in a lot of games for the gunners, but Chelsea managed to keep him very quiet in this one. They need to beat Hull at the weekend or they are in real trouble.

Crystal Palace 0-4 Sunderland

I cannot believe this finished 4-0. How can you concede 4 goals to Sunderland in a half whilst you're at home? Sam Allardyce is so good at making teams compact and hard to beat but he just hasn't figured it out yet. I think the signing of Van Aanholt is a good one because he will play wing back and he is good at getting forward and they have made another good signing in Mamadou Sakho, but they need to realise what their best eleven is. Benteke should be doing better, I know it is his first season but he did so well at Aston Villa and Allardyce's system should suit him well. They have good wingers and a very good midfielder in Cabaye, it is about time they started playing to their potential.

This is an unbelievable result for Sunderland though, and I don't think David Moyes will quite realise how they did it. They are so lucky to have Jermaine Defoe, he is a great goal-scorer and would easily get into the England team if I was picking it. He has been a consistent finisher for so many years and Sunderland would be absolutely doomed if they didn't have him. Sunderland do remain bottom but their last two results will give them more confidence after the goalless draw against Spurs as well. It is so hard to call who will go down but it could easily be one of these two that do, maybe even both. This could be one of the most intriguing relegation battles we have seen.

Everton 6-3 Bournemouth

This was a big game for me and a big result too and I will explain why. Bournemouth have been in really bad form recently and look like they could drop down into a relegation battle if they keep going how they are. They lost a big game at home to Palace in the week and they need to recover to get themselves some confidence and steer away from the bottom clubs. They have some good players and I really like Eddie Howe, they did amazing to stay up last year but they need to make sure the loss of Ake going back to Chelsea doesn't effect them as much as it seems so far.

Everton are now also showing they are the best chance of any team breaking up the top 6. They were inconsistent at the start of the season but Koeman is slowly building the side he wants and next season they could really challenge those clubs after the large investment they got last year. The purchase of Schneiderlin was a good one and him and Gueye could really build a great partnership now the latter is back from the African Cup of Nations. Romelu Lukaku is a fantastic player and so is Barkley on his day and Koeman is one of those managers who can get the best out of players like that. Lukaku scored four in this game and is now the leagues top scorer and he could go on to get the golden boot if Everton finish this season strongly. I think a lot of their results are based on the Belgian scoring but Koeman should sort out the defence by the start of next season as that is what he is usually so good at doing. I don't know who Everton are most likely to catch but if they focus on themselves for now, they should at least win the league of 7th to 20th place.

Hull 2-0 Liverpool

I don't know what is going on at Liverpool, but something is not right. They have stopped scoring as many goals, started leaking more and the same problems from the last few years are just becoming evident once again. They have needed better centre backs for some time and they just don't do it. They signed Matip and Klavan, Matip was a good signing, but probably more because he was free, but Klavan is not good enough for Liverpool, simple. The fact they are playing Lucas at the back, who has been bad there before, and they still trust him is just strange. I just don't know why they haven't signed a new centre back and a new left back, it has almost guaranteed that they won't win the title this season. They look like they may even miss out on the top four now. They need something big against Spurs this weekend, because if they lose, they could be sixth and only 3 points above Merseyside rivals, Everton.

Hull have been very good under Marco Silva though and he deserves huge amounts of credit. They looked a lost cause at the start of the season and even when he took over, but he has made some good signings and made them a lot tighter at the back. The appointment of Silva was criticised by many last month but he seems to be shutting up those critics with their improving play and results. They are starting to concede less goals and getting two clean sheets against United and Liverpool shouldn't go unnoticed. They may have sold Snodgrass and Livermore but he must have had a reason for it and now the Hull fans should probably trust him because they actually have a real chance of staying up this season. The fact the two goals they scored in this game were by players Silva brought in shows he does have some knowledge and knows what he is doing. They really could surprise us now.

Leicester 0-3 Manchester United

It is so sad to see Leicester so far down the table and to be honest it really wouldn't surprise me if they went down. When you compare them to Hull and Swansea, they are so low on confidence that whenever they go a goal down, you just can't see them coming back. Not that much has changed to the squad from last season, but the squad was never great, it really was just a miracle. Vardy looks like he can't buy a goal, I have barely seen Mahrez all season, and without Kante in the middle they just don't have that person who can break-up the attacks and let the front men do their thing. If I was Ranieri I would take a leaf out of other teams tactics and see what they can do to frustrate the opposition. They need to close the gaps and make the pitch as compact as possible and grind out results rather than trying to win every game. They have been found out from last season but now they need to adjust and find a new way.

Manchester United are so hard to call. They have some fantastic talent in their ranks, but then draw at home to Hull and can't score. Then in this game then go and put three past the champions. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a fantastic player, in this game he ran the show with his runs, nutmegs, speed, and vision. His goal was brilliant, just running onto a flick on and no one could stop him. But the best bit for me was when he played a one, two with Juan Mata for the third goal. He could have looked to shoot but produced an inch perfect pass back to the Spaniard for him to finish. They have a good squad on the red side of Manchester and it is weird to see them score so little on occasions because they do have great players. I don't know how long Zlatan will be there but he is a huge talent and will need to be on form to try and get this side into the top four, but I do think they will finish in the top four. I feel they may just beat Arsenal and Liverpool to it, but that could be very wrong if they draw again at home to Watford on Saturday.

Best and Worst

Overall, I would have to say Crystal Palace had the worst week because they lost a relegation six pointer against Sunderland and got battered as well. That would have taken a hit to their confidence and now they need to work out just how they are going to stay up, they seemed okay when they made their signings and won at Bournemouth but Hull and Swansea are much better than them at the moment. The team who had the best week has to be Sunderland as they made sure Crystal Palace dropped points and got some well needed points to stay in sight of safety. They may need to do a lot more than win just one game, but it is a start.


Comentarios


All the Football Talk - Established in 2015

bottom of page