10 points worth studying in the 20th round of the English Premier League
The well-deserved defeat to Fulham completed a difficult Christmas period for Arsenal, who suddenly looked lacking in confidence, creativity and attacking power. Perhaps the most important moment in Manchester City’s victory over Sheffield was related to Kevin De Bruyne, who did not participate in the match. When the Belgian midfielder started warming up, the City fans applauded loudly. The truth is that even without De Bruyne, who has been absent since the beginning of the season due to his injury, City is only two points behind leaders Liverpool and is in an ideal position to compete to win the title for the fourth time in a row. The Guardian reviews here 10 points worth studying in the 20th round of the English Premier League:
Arteta has to answer some questions
Fulham entered their match against Arsenal after suffering three consecutive defeats, but they performed excellently in this match, while Arsenal showed the same bad level as they did against West Ham. Even when Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, who were two of the best players in the match, felt angry and wanted to return the result of the match, nothing positive resulted. Perhaps it is time to consider the policy of “rotation” between players! Reports indicate that Arsenal is very interested in signing Ivan Toney from Brentford, and talk about this matter focuses on Toney being the final missing piece in the Gunners’ lineup, but the truth is that the team suffers from many other weaknesses. Mikel Arteta was trying to get back in the game at all costs, so fielding a large number of strikers and leaving Declan Rice fighting alone in midfield against Fulham’s two great stars, Joao Palenha and Tom Cairney, was too big a risk. Arteta looked helpless as he stood on the touchline towards the end of the match, but what is clear is that his team panics when put under a lot of pressure. Arteta made the matter worse when he made strange changes that greatly affected the overall appearance of the team, instead of maintaining his confidence in the players present to return in the result of the match. (Fulham 2 – 1 Arsenal).
Michael Olise shines and scores two goals in the match in which Crystal Palace beat Brentford (Reuters)
Losing the next match would be disastrous for Ten Hag
Manchester United may have succeeded in avoiding the crisis when it overcame a two-goal deficit against Aston Villa to win by three goals to two, but this awakening did not last long, as only three days later it was defeated by Nottingham Forest by two goals to one. The bad news for Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is that Sir Dave Brailsford, who will assume a prominent role on the football board once the Premier League approves Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of 25 per cent of the club’s shares, was present. At the stadium to watch the match. As a result, Manchester United’s FA Cup third-round trip to Wigan, 18th in the Second Division table, next Monday has gained additional importance. Manchester United have won their past four matches against Wigan by an aggregate score of 14-0, but in light of Manchester United’s current form, Ten Hag will be happy to achieve a win with any result. The only time Manchester United lost to Wigan – that was in 2012 – was when Wigan’s current manager, Sean Maloney, scored the winning goal, while Jonny Evans, now surprisingly involved in Manchester United’s disjointed defence, was a regular starter. But for Ten Hag, losing again is unimaginable. (Nottingham Forest 2 – 1 Manchester United).
Jackson may be an eccentric, but he’s not a deal-breaker
It must be emphasized that Nicholas Jackson is a good player, although I know this will cause a lot of controversy among the fans. The young Chelsea striker has a natural talent that needs to be developed, and he wasted a number of easy chances in a comical manner, which made some compare him to Timo Werner. Jackson scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Tottenham, who were playing the match with nine players, after a disappointing performance by the player in the previous match, but there is no doubt that the 22-year-old player has great potential. He makes a great effort on the field and creates many problems for the opposing teams’ defenders. He is also good at linking the team’s lines, and he is good at playing more than one role and playing in more than one position. Jackson performed well on the left side during the match in which Chelsea defeated Luton Town by three goals to two. His extreme speed caused many problems for Luton Town’s defenders during the first half, and he also created the second goal for Cole Palmer. It remains to be seen whether he can become a top-class striker, but he has scored seven goals and provided two more assists in the Premier League since joining the Blues from Villarreal, which means it would be wrong to call him a failure. But the biggest challenge facing Jackson currently is to remain calm and provide consistent levels despite all the pressure surrounding him. (Luton 2 – 3 Chelsea).
Abu Dhabi trip and De Bruyne revive Manchester City’s hope
Perhaps Manchester City can regain its strong form when needed, and perhaps train in warm weather in order to regain its balance during the winter break that follows its next league match, which will be on January 13th. Citizens coach, Pep Guardiola, said: “After the Newcastle match, we will go to Abu Dhabi together again, if that is possible. We went there last season during the World Cup, and it had a huge impact on the coaching staff and on everyone, and the five titles we won prove that. We go there to train in better weather, and to be together for continuous training to be ready for the second part of the season. “This is the plan at the moment, but it may change over time. I don’t know exactly what will happen.” Before that, the FA Cup third round match on Sunday against Huddersfield Town may witness the return of Belgian star Kevin De Bruyne, who was absent from the team due to a hamstring injury in the opening round of the season against Burnley. Guardiola said: “He is very close to returning to participate in matches.” (Manchester City 2 – 0 Sheffield United).
Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez scores against Sheffield United (Reuters)
Postecoglou is happy to have Bentancur back in time
Tottenham was missing the services of a long list of players due to injury this season, but Spurs coach, Ange Postecoglou, was able to overcome this deficiency by making a surprise change in the team’s lineup against Bournemouth. Rodrigo Bentancur has not played in Tottenham’s starting lineup since last February, when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Leicester City. Although he returned to participate as a substitute in some matches during the fall, he again injured his ankle and was expected to miss matches until next February, but the Uruguayan player returned to the starting lineup more than a month before the scheduled date for his return. Postecoglou, whose team was a full nine points behind their north London neighbor Arsenal in early December, but enters the new year only one point behind the Gunners after beating Bournemouth by three goals to one, said: “I think It was great today. “Apart from the win, this was probably the most positive thing about the match, as he played for 60 minutes and can help us from now on.” (Tottenham 3 – 1 Bournemouth).
Fulham players and the joy of winning over Arsenal (Reuters)
Kompany’s human touch pays homage to Foster
Mental health issues are no longer a taboo topic in football and Burnley manager Vincent Kompany is thrilled to see his player Lyle Foster enjoying football again after the striker, who Burnley signed for £11m in January. ) last, on break earlier this season. The South African international, who scored a goal in the match his team lost to Aston Villa, appears in great condition, and seems happy with the great support he received from his club and its technical director after undergoing specialized care during the two months he was away from the field. “We were dealing with a truly human tragedy for this good boy,” Kompany said. I’m really happy to see him back enjoying the matches, being back on the field with his teammates, and smiling after the match. “I am very happy about that, not only as a technical director, but as a human being.” (Aston Villa 3 – 2 Burnley).
Michael Olise gives Crystal Palace a huge boost
Michael Olise shined brightly and scored two goals in the match in which Crystal Palace beat Brentford by three goals to one. Moreover, Olise made six shots on goal and completed seven successful dribbles at Selhurst Park, leading Crystal Palace to achieve its first victory in the last nine matches. Olise returned to participate in matches again in mid-November after recovering from the injury he suffered in the hamstring, but he has left a big mark on the team’s performance since then. Olise has scored four goals in his last four matches, an impressive tally for the 22-year-old striker, who rejected a move to Chelsea last summer. These impressive levels will certainly attract the attention of many other clubs, especially if the player continues to provide the same performance. Crystal Palace coach Roy Hodgson said: “He has been performing at truly excellent levels since his return from injury. The injury kept him out of action for a very long time, as he missed matches for about six months, but he appeared very well since the first match he participated in after returning from the injury. “He pushed us forward.” (Crystal Palace 3 – 1 Brentford).
Connie Quaid New Wolverhampton
Matheus Cunha cost Wolves £44m after initially joining the team on loan a year ago, and has made a disappointing start to his club career, scoring just two goals in 20 appearances. Julen Lopetegui was adamant about signing the Brazilian from Atletico Madrid, but the player failed to live up to expectations. When the Spanish coach resigned from his position a few days before the start of the season, Cunha may have been concerned about how he would adapt to the team under the leadership of Gary O’Neill, but he became the team’s most prominent player under the leadership of the new coach. Cunha played a decisive role in the successes achieved by Wolverhampton, from the opening round of the season when he repeatedly manipulated Manchester United defenders until the Everton match last Saturday, in which he played a decisive role in leading his team to achieve a 3-0 victory. The Brazilian star made two goals and scored another, strengthening Wolverhampton’s position in the middle of the table. There is a very great understanding between the Brazilian player and Hwang Hee Chan, which the Everton players could not deal with. (Wolverhampton 3 – 0 Everton).
Liverpool and Manchester City may bring back memories of the 2018 and 2022 seasons
Suddenly it seems as if we will live what we saw during the period between the 2018 and 2022 seasons again. After Arsenal’s sudden stumble over the Christmas period and the decline in the level of Aston Villa’s performance in recent matches, in addition to Manchester City regaining its balance after the Club World Cup, the possibilities have increased that the race will be limited. For the English Premier League title between Manchester City and Liverpool. Liverpool strengthened its position at the top after winning four goals to two in its last match against Newcastle, which was supposed to be one of the Reds’ most difficult matches at home, had it not been for the clear decline in Newcastle’s level recently. Much has been said about this being the last match for Egyptian star Mohamed Salah before he heads to participate with his country in the African Cup of Nations finals, but the good news for Liverpool is that Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez are performing well at the present time. (Liverpool 4 – 2 Newcastle).
Mikel Arteta and the sorrows of Arsenal’s defeat against Fulham (Reuters)
A strong clash between two competitors for European seats
The current season will witness a fierce battle between clubs seeking to reserve one of the qualifying positions to participate in the European Championships. West Ham’s win over Arsenal showed that the David Moyes era is at its best ever – resilience, strength, ferocity and organisation. Brighton has a good record in its confrontations with West Ham – its only defeat in the English Premier League was against West Ham in 1983 at Upton Park – but the confrontation this time was more difficult and fierce than it was in recent seasons, despite the doubts. It was surrounding the readiness of two of West Ham’s best players at the moment: Lucas Paqueta, who was suffering from knee pain, and Mohamed Kudous, who is preparing to leave to participate with his country in the African Cup of Nations finals. It is certain that everyone was waiting for the match between West Ham and Brighton as an important indicator of the ability of either of these two teams to qualify for European competitions next season, but the match ended in a goalless draw. (West Ham 0 – 0 Brighton).
*The Guardian service
2024-01-03 22:46:00
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