What do I think about Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City?
I think that’s the question.
Because Chelsea and Manchester United are the teams that win trophies. They are stronger in defence.
Arsenal’s style has changed but it’s more coherent, more fully developed than Man City’s style or Liverpool’s style. At the moment stability, harmony and sharpness are paying dividends and the goals are flying in.
January will see some changes in the Big Five teams. The Africans will go off to the African Cup of Nations, Barcelona might buy Robinho from City, and Rafa could spend again. But new players are unlikely to have a big impact on the title race. New players talented enough to have an instant impact are never available in January.
Overall, last weekend was one where one of the Big Five could blow it and it was no big surprise that it turned out to be Liverpool, who lost 3-1 at Fulham. I figured that Roy Hodgson, an experienced tactician, could nullify Liverpool and get at least a draw. Liverpool have now lost six of their last seven games in all competitions.
When the Birmingham-Man City game started it was shelter-skelter, Birmingham had far more energy than skill, so it quickly began to look as if it might be a scrappy, goalless game. City needed a Shay Given penalty save to get a 0-0 and this was their fourth consecutive draw in the league.
A big player in the title race could be Berbatov, an enigma who divides opinion.
Is he a waste of money or a world class striker who is growing into the role as Rooney’s partner? Can he ever be a real Red Devil like Tevez and Cristiano? Or is he a luxury player who will only deliver intermittently?
Berbatov missed chances and then scored a great goal against Blackburn. An Evra shot in 55 was flashing low and wide across the box when Berbatov killed the ball with an exquisite touch of his left foot, swivelled, and volleyed in with his right. A late goal was scored by Rooney, who still had the engine to power forward towards the near post and connect with Anderson’s whipped cross on the half-volley across Paul Robinson for 2-0
French winger Obertan is taking over from Nani, who infuriates Ferguson. Nani plays for himself, not the team, so he is history. Obertan looks willing and able to play the interchanging of positions game that Tevez and Cristiano enjoyed with Rooney.
Manchester United lack the team structure of their great years, so they can’t control games as they once did. But they press and compete and make things happen and keep winning. Next Sunday is a big test for them : Chelsea at the Bridge
Berbatov has big challenges ahead of him against better teams than Blackburn. Is he up to it? The Chelsea game will tell us more.
Carlo Ancelotti’s blue juggernaut is rolling again and they won 4-0 at Bolton.
Without Defoe, Modric and Lennon, the Arsenal game always looked like a 3-1 win to Gooners who are not neurotic.
I thought Spurs might play their own game and let Arsenal play theirs but Harry’s side was too depleted to risk an end-to-end contest. Instead, Spurs grafted and closed Arsenal down very well and made them give the ball away more than usual, so the first 42 minutes were close.
Then Spurs gifted Arsenal two goals in a minute.
The second, straight from the kick off after Van Persie’s first goal, came when Palacios lost the ball to Fabregas, who roared forward, looking a bit like Rooney in his urgency, nicked inside Ledley King, and hit a shot with power and disguise to end the game. A fantastic finish but also a fantastic error.
Strikers live on goals and RVP has scored 8 in 9 games. He’s adapted to 4-3-3 far better than I ever thought he could. At 26, Robin has started playing like a grown-up. Both his goals came from Sagna crosses to the near post. The first he caught on the bounce and his stab beat Gomes.
On the second, Bassong didn’t play to the whistle, Sagna also stopped to invite a whistle than never came, then crossed low between the keeper and poor Ledley King, who was the man beaten for all three goals.
Arshavin was sloppy, patchy and peripheral, and Diaby had one of his worst games ever. But Spurs folded and Arsenal were able to beat them 3-0 with 10 men.
Right now, Arsenal are a high-scoring team at home. The visit of Chelsea, another high-scoring team, should tell us something on Sunday 29th.
At the moment it’s 10 played, 28 to go. Anything could happen.
PS. Sorry about earlier glitches here. Human error + computer malfunctions.