Manchester United and Manchester City both enjoyed fine Saturdays with crushing wins over Fulham and Norwich, respectively, while Arsenal be...
Manchester United and Manchester City both enjoyed fine Saturdays with crushing wins over Fulham and Norwich, respectively, while Arsenal beat Liverpool to extend their lead at the top of the table.
It was a bad day for Chelsea, as they slipped to defeat at Newcastle, while the bottom two sides, Sunderland and Crystal Palace, were both beaten while in Sunday's action kicked off with Everton and Tottenham drawing 0-0 at Goodison Park.
Here are the 5 things we learned from the matches
Brendan Rodgers got his tactics all wrong!
Liverpool have been using a 3-5-2 for the best part of their 12 games this season. Brendan Rodgers' formation proved a good piece of management and the best way to pack the midfield while playing two strikers up front.
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| What the heck was he writing? |
The formation asked questions of almost every opponent the Reds have faced. Against Arsenal, it was the Gunners who posed all the questions.
Jon Flanagan, deputizing for Glen Johnson, had a decent game at right wing-back. The same, however, cannot be said of the far more experienced Aly Cissokho. The French international was picked off at every opportunity by Bacary Sagna and Tomas Rosicky.
Cissokho's poor play and Arsenal's dominance in midfield meant that the left flank was left completely open throughout the first half.
It was little surprise, therefore, that Rodgers introduced Philippe Coutinho and reshuffled his team to a 4-4-2 for the second half.
Needless to say, his 4-4-2 did not work either.
Arsenal have made a habit of destroying four-man midfields, and by the time Rodgers changed things, it was a real case of too little too late.
Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey were the real heroes for Arsenal. Because of their utter dominance of the game in midfield, their back four had very little to do.
The Gunners were brilliant and really taught Liverpool a lesson.
Aaron Ramsey Is Fast Becoming The League’s Most Important Player
His goal, and all around, performance against Liverpool have done nothing to detract from that distinctive possibility of becoming Arsenal's most important player.
Ramsey was brilliant in midfield today and is growing with each and every game. Against Liverpool, he led the midfield charge and took Liverpool's best and most important weapons out of the game.
Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge have claimed plenty of plaudits with some stunning goals this season. However, if their supply lines have been cut off and dominated to the extent that they are non-existent, they are practically useless.
Ramsey has to be the most disciplined member of Arsene Wenger's team as Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla all do their best work in the final third.
He also has one thing that none of the other players, maybe even across the entire league, possess: a phenomenal set of lungs.
Ramsey has the stamina and ability to cover every blade of grass on the pitch, and the way he took his goal speaks volumes of how he is getting better and more confident with each touch of the ball.
Looking at the way he has been playing this term, there is most certainly more to come from him.
Manchester City Incredible Home Form Continues
Manchester City have a scoring gear that few Premier League clubs have. Unfortunately, they only seem to have it at the Etihad.
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| Pellegrini's men need to start winning away from home |
The Citizens rang up four against Newcastle United, four against Manchester United and seven against Norwich City at home. Not surprisingly, they lead the Premier League in goal difference (plus-17).
Conversely, Manuel Pellegrini's charges managed but one at Chelsea, two at talent-starved Cardiff City and none at moribund Stoke City.
And let's just agree never to speak of the blood-letting Bayern Munich committed on Manchester City at the Etihad in Champions League play.
If the Sky Blues have legitimate Premier League title hopes, they will need to start brutalizing teams away from home, too.
Manchester United Have Found The “New Ryan Giggs” In Januzaj
United may well have found a valid successor on the left to Ryan Giggs, and he isn't a Welshman.
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| Adnan Janujaz has been a revelation this season |
Far-fetched rumours of a January move for Bale have begun to pile up across the transfer gossip columns, but in Januzaj, they have a player who not only boasts the skill and agility to dance down the left, but also the tenacity to scratch out chances when required.
His run through Scott Parker that led to United's second may well have been a foul, but it was also a heartening example of the youngster's gritty determination.
Again in the second half, he displayed his ability to give as good as he gets, as he drove the ball up field in a shoulder-to-shoulder sprint against Kieran Richardson from a failed Fulham’s corner. While some spectators may have expected Januzaj to be bullied off the ball by his more experienced opponent, the winger forced the former United youth product to concede a corner at the other end of the field.
Balance, touch and flair may well be remembered as the key qualities that made Giggs United's Welsh wizard on the wing, but it's often forgotten just how battle-ready and robust the wide man was in his heyday too.
Chelsea Were Punished for Complacency
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| Jose Mourinho claims he made 11 mistakes after the match |
Chelsea were overflowing with confidence before this game. Eto’o had spoken of their ambition to win the quadruple and the collective belief that this was an achievable goal. They were on a run of six wins and a nine game unbeaten streak, and even the most ardent Newcastle fans were sure that Chelsea would get a result.
That belief appeared to seep through to the Blues’ players, as they ambled around the pitch for the first 45 minutes. Sloppy passes and blind back-heels characterised a side that lacked any real drive to win, and they paid the price in the second half.
Spurs' Absent Killer Instinct Remains Their Most Glaring Weakness
Tottenham's defense deserve plenty of plaudits for their collective against Everton. Less likely to receive any will be the North London club's attack.
It was not a bad performance. In the first half especially, a goal looked an inevitability at times.
Aaron Lennon picked out Roberto Soldado for a header he glanced wide. Sandro and Andros Townsend tested Tim Howard, while Vertonghen caused Everton a number of problems as he surged forward down the left.
Spurs collectively worked hard to close down the home side's back four and did well in stopping Roberto Martinez's side from passing their way out as designed.
As has often been the case this season, the pressure was not converted into the clear-cut chances it deserved, and the tide of the game turned. Right now, the exact solution to change this is not forthcoming.
Lewis Holtby's eagerness in attacking midfield is welcome. But with the threat of a killer pass only menacing opposition defenses occasionally, it is not enough to necessarily warrant him continuing in the role regularly. Christian Eriksen is capable of being so deadly, but since his first few games, he has rarely been in position to set up the lethal blows.
Lennon does not yet look back to peak condition, but he worked himself enough openings around Coleman to cross that a return to the right wing deserves investigation. Switching Townsend to the left might open aspects of his game that have been a little too hidden behind his preference for cutting inside and shooting.
At the heart of all of this is a lack of service for Soldado—to a certain extent at least.
Besides the aforementioned header, the striker did have a couple of other shooting opportunities he failed to get on target. You have to make the most of them at the highest level, but the fact remains that the penalty-box chances where he excels have been a rarity.
All Villas-Boas can do is keep on trying things. Jermain Defoe, Harry Kane, Erik Lamela and Emmanuel Adebayor would certainly argue their case for more (or in the latter's case, any) involvement.
The quality is there that it should all click at some stage. In the meantime, Spurs' struggle to score remains their most glaring weakness.
