EPL wrap-up: Combative Chelsea, shape-shifting Liverpool, out of sorts United
The big games continue to come thick and fast in the English Premier League, and as the race at the top heats up, any slip-ups will be doubly expensive, as Manchester United found out.
Heading into another frenetic weekend of fixtures, any one of Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool could have usurped Manchester City's position at the top of the table, but the latter emerged unscathed despite their draw against Southampton.
Both Arsenal and Tottenham drew blanks against bottom-half opposition, while Liverpool edged past West Brom with a 2-1 win at home. Chelsea thrashed United 4-0 in a nightmarish return for Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge to move into fourth spot.
What this means, of course, is that the top five sides are separated by a solitary point heading into a big round of mid-week cup fixtures.
Only two of the top eight managed victories this weekend, and a lot of it came down to how their managers set them up to play. Liverpool, looking to recover from their goalless draw against United needed to avoid suffering from the same fate against Tony Pulis's West Brom. A different animal, yes, but one out to inflict the same wounds on Jürgen Klopp's side.
Something had to give and the German decided that it would be Daniel Sturridge, whose lack of mobility offered little problems to the Manchester United backline. In came Adam Lallana, the poster boy of the Klopp revolution with his tireless running and relentless pressing, and it soon became clear what was missing in the last game.
Slick passing and movement cut through the stubborn Baggies defence, and just like that, the Reds were up by two. The usual suspects - Coutinho, Mane and Firmino - combined to deadly effect once again to affect the goals, and not for the first time this season their interchanging positions had opponents on the ropes.
The freedom in attack granted by Klopp allows them to make runs and create spaces for each other in the final third, with occasional bursts from the likes of Lallana in midfield supplementing the trio's efforts. Liverpool are the League's highest scorers under Klopp, and it's easy to see why.
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| Liverpool are the League's highest scorers under Klopp, and it's easy to see why. (Photo: Reuters) |
The narrative of the week undoubtedly came at Stamford Bridge. It was a return to his old stomping ground for a beleaguered Mourinho and his Manchester United side, desperately in need of inspiration. Mourinho received a warm ovation before the game, but overstayed his welcome within 30 seconds, as Pedro's opener set the Blues on their way to a 4-0 rout.
Outthought and overrun, United and their boss looked desperately bereft of ideas to turn the game around. Worryingly, this isn't the first time the Red Devils have looked toothless in big games. Winless against three of their fiercest rivals in Chelsea, Liverpool and City, it is clear that Mourinho has missed a trick or two as he continues to fast lose his crown as the master of the big game.
The inexplicable inclusions of Fellaini and Lingard, the torrid personal spells for (the hugely expensive) Pogba and Ibrahimovic, the cloud hanging over the futures of Rooney and Mata - the extent and number of United's issues go a long way in showing that so far, at least, Jose has got it all wrong. Unfortunately for him, his Chelsea successor Conte got it all right.
Since his side's early season charge was abruptly halted by defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, Conte quickly went back to the drawing board to rework his side's shape in his quest for recovery.
Shifting from a 4-1-4-1 to his preferred 3-4-3, which he employed to great success in the past with Juventus and Italy, Conte has since enjoyed a turnaround in fortunes, the rout of United a third successive win without conceding for the Londoners.
Of course, shifting to a three-man defence offers no guarantees of success. Pep Guardiola can testify to that. The draw against Southampton was the league leaders' fifth game without a win in all competitions and their bizarre tactics don't seem to be yielding the answers.
Unlike Conte, Guardiola insists on deploying players at positions that they do not necessarily prefer, to mixed results. Youngsters Sané and Sterling, who were earlier relishing the chance to run at defenders, of late seem to be tamed by the burden of defensive duties thrust upon them in their roles as wing-backs.
Having splashed the cash in the summer, the top brass of England are starting to see their campaigns take shape, one way or another. It’s clear that the run to the title is a marathon and not a sprint. With plenty of mind games yet to come, it’s a question of which manager can outfox their counterparts on the road to glory.