Advertisement

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Clockwise from top left: Aaron Ramsey, James Maddison, Harry Kane, Pep Guardiola and Adama Traoré were in the spotlight this weekend.

1) Arsenal need more from Ramsey

Arsène Wenger never quite found the bottom of Aaron Ramsey’s talents. The best football of the Welshman’s career so far came in the red colours of his country at Euro 2016 rather than those of Arsenal. Unai Emery has also struggled to galvanise the midfielder but, playing behind the front men, Ramsey broke his season’s drought of goals and assists by supplying Alexandre Lacazette the chance to boom in Arsenal’s opener against Everton. He inadvertently doubled his total with a stumble over the ball that gave Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the chance to score Arsenal’s second from an obviously offside position. It betrayed a continuing lack of confidence in front of goal when a player of Ramsey’s finishing ability – he scored 10 times in the Premier League in 2013-14 – and energy ought to be Arsenal’s equivalent of Frank Lampard. John Brewin

2) Kane shows signs of recovery

If Anthony Knockaert had doubled his stoppage-time haul on Saturday, rather than seeing Paulo Gazzaniga cling to his last-gasp shot, thoughts would have turned to the moment a few minutes earlier when – with Tottenham 2-0 up – Harry Kane ran clear only to be thwarted by Mat Ryan. The miss did not prove costly and it is fairer on Kane that he was not rounded upon as a result. He probably still needs a rest but this was a sharper display from the centre-forward. “Of course I could have done better in most games this season,” he said afterwards. “Today was probably the first game I was truly happy with my all-round performance.” Kane said he and his teammates “feel fit and sharp” despite their World Cup exertions and that it was important to prove the point. His first-half penalty, lashed past Ryan, was certainly not the finish of a player lacking confidence and he will hope the dust has settled on what – by his and Tottenham’s high standards – has been a turbulent spell. Nick Ames

READ MORE: Gossip - Price for Man City target Neves revealed

READ MORE: Chelsea flop needs regular games at Stamford Bridge

3) Lennon repays Dyche’s faith

League tables may never lie but they can certainly lead to false conclusions. This was not the result anyone would have expected after the start each club made though, with Burnley experience of his own, Eddie Howe probably had a shrewd idea the club who were bottom at kick-off would be anxious to stage a revival. Sean Dyche’s side did just that and, though the manager deserves credit for promoting Matej Vydra to score the all-important first goal – Burnley had not previously taken the lead in the league all season – he was also rewarded for his continued faith in Aaron Lennon. End product has not always been the winger’s strong point and his recent form must have put him among the candidates to be rested or dropped, yet with a well-taken goal and two assists the 31-year-old fully justified his continued selection. Paul Wilson

Aaron Lennon slides in Burnley’s second goal against Bournemouth
Aaron Lennon slides in Burnley’s second goal against Bournemouth.Photograph: Rich Linley/CameraSport via Getty Images

4) Manchester City regain feet after stumble

Pep Guardiola witnessed his Manchester City return to their ruthless selves and, while thrashing relegation favourites Cardiff is unlikely to hold the key to their hopes of retaining the title, it was another baby step on their mission. On Tuesday, they travel to Oxford United in the Carabao Cup as they continue to fight for silverware on four fronts, that blip in the Champions League seemingly been and gone. “The first priority is the Premier League, that is the nicest one,” Guardiola said. “When I see three teams like Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus, and in 10 years, they have won seven leagues, they show me they are the best teams. We want to be consistent and solid in that competition, and after in the knockout games to improve from the mistakes we have had in the past. We are going to try.” Ben Fisher

5) No home comfort for Hodgson

He may not like to admit it but Roy Hodgson has a problem. The failure to see off a limited Newcastle side meant Crystal Palace have won just four times at Selhurst Park in the Premier League this year, having failed to find the net at home in any of their three fixtures there this campaign. The lack of goalscoring alternatives to Wilfried Zaha was all too evident against Newcastle, with Jordan Ayew doing his best to impersonate the injured Christian Benteke with an ineffective performance. A reported agreement to end the dispute between the club and supporters’ group the Holmesdale Fanatics could help restore the vibrant atmosphere the club has become known for in time for their next home match against Wolves, although Hodgson must also address his side’s obvious lack of creativity. Ed Aarons

READ MORE: Revealed - Arsenal star was set to be subbed before goal
READ MORE: Pogba blasts Man Utd approach - We are here to attack

6) Fulham both bold and brittle

Fulham came up with a deserved reputation as the best footballing side in the Championship and have surrendered nothing of their aesthetic quality in the Premier League. Slavisa Jokanovic is unapologetically cavalier in his approach, something which probably counted against him when Watford decided not to renew his contract in the summer of 2015 despite winning promotion. With Ryan Sessegnon bombing on from left-back, Jean-Michaël Seri pulling strings in midfield and Luciano Vietto and André Schürrle supporting Aleksandar Mitrovic, they had Watford reeling for the last 30 minutes. Fulham’s continuing problem is defending that would be unacceptable in the second tier. Jokanovic’s reshuffle of his back four resulted in an error-strewn first half – Watford should have taken far greater advantage. JB

7) Maddison’s expressions make an impression

Few Leicester fans pine for Riyad Mahrez, mainly because James Maddison has brought such joy since his arrival from Norwich in the summer. The 21-year-old plays with inventiveness and audacity that make people smile. “You can see his confidence from when the ball came across and he did that Neymar thing with his leg behind the back of his other leg – I just started laughing because I think that’s great,” Jonny Evans said after this Maddison-inspired win against Huddersfield. “I’ve played at Manchester United and Sir Alex at the time always encouraged young players to express themselves and entertain the crowd and it’s great that he can do that.” Claude Puel deserves praise, too, for helping the 21-year-old flourish while giving him more responsibility. “When I saw him in the Championship he played a lot as No 8,” Puel said. “I decided to prepare him to be a No 10 behind the striker because he has the quality.” Paul Doyle

8) Shaqiri can handle raw deal

Jürgen Klopp’s tactical change at half-time against Southampton was understandable. Despite the ease with which Liverpool cruised to a seventh successive win, a club record from the start of the season, the visitors frequently broke behind Klopp’s full-backs in the first half. Reverting to a trusted three-man midfield put an end to that after the break. Still, it was a little harsh that Xherdan Shaqiri was the man to make way for James Milner. The Switzerland international was instrumental in breaking down Mark Hughes’s team on his first Liverpool start and could have moved from a floating role into the forward line in the second half. Klopp explained the thinking behind the substitution to Shaqiri. “I explained it was not because of his performance,” he said. “I’m not worried it will cost his confidence. He is a naturally confident boy, and he will play again. It’s all good.” Andy Hunter

9) Traoré’s cameo steals the show

Club-record signings do not always appear to be specialist substitutes, but then Adama Traoré is an inimitable presence. The statistics highlighted the improbable nature of his contribution at Old Trafford: he had more shots than, and as many dribbles as, passes. No one had more attempts on goal than the player who entered proceedings in the 75th minute; no one averages as many dribbles per 90 minutes in the division, though the Spaniard’s time on the pitch amounts to just 131 minutes. If his role as the impact substitute owes something to Helder Costa and Diogo Jota’s effectiveness as starters, it seems a bespoke tactic designed to target tiring left-backs. Traoré accelerated beyond the luckless Luke Shaw at will. But for David de Gea, he would have conjured a winner, just as he scored a late decider at West Ham in another explosive cameo. Richard Jolly

10) Hammers find some purpose

Almost as much as the four points they very much needed after a fruitless opening month, perhaps the most encouraging thing for West Ham from their last two fixtures is they looked like they had a plan. Against Everton they played with some attacking purpose, striking at just the right times to efficiently bag three points, while on Sunday they were rather more circumspect but no less organised, creating a defensive block that Chelsea could not find a way through – no small feat given their perfect record until that point. All of which is especially welcome, as it was a lack of direction that was nearly as concerning as the defeats. Manuel Pellegrini’s team is still most certainly a work in progress, and a lack of attacking penetration without Marko Arnautovic is a worry, but there are at least some promising signs. Nick Miller

Pos

Team

P

GD

Pts

1

Liverpool

6

12

18

2

Man City

6

16

16

3

Chelsea

6

10

16

4

Watford

6

5

13

5

Tottenham Hotspur

6

5

12

6

Arsenal

6

3

12

7

Man Utd

6

0

10

8

AFC Bournemouth

6

-1

10

9

Leicester

6

1

9

10

Wolverhampton

6

0

9

11

Crystal Palace

6

-2

7

12

Everton

6

-3

6

13

Brighton

6

-3

5

14

Southampton

6

-3

5

15

Fulham

6

-5

5

16

Burnley

6

-3

4

17

West Ham

6

-6

4

18

Newcastle

6

-4

2

19

Cardiff

6

-11

2

20

Huddersfield

6

-11

2