Chelsea ride their luck
Patrick Vieria recently claimed that this Chelsea side have all the qualities to match the feat achieved by ‘The Invincibles’ ten years ago but he also stressed you need more than an element of fortune to safely negotiate a full season unscathed.
With nearly a third of the campaign gone, Jose Mourinho’s side remain unbeaten and, in truth, have rarely been in danger of surrendering that record.
Nine wins and two draws has opened up a four point lead at the summit of the Premier League but many argue they should have only come away from Anfield this afternoon with just a point.
With the clock ticking down, Gary Cahill – who, it would be fair to say, had an eventful game – appeared to lean into Steven Gerrard’s shot and block it with his left arm. Referee Anthony Taylor ignored the ferocious appeals from the Kop and Brendan Rodgers was understandably aggrieved afterwards.
It was a let-off for the visitors but that’s not to say they didn’t deserve the three points. There is a purposeful swagger in the Blues’ means once again as Mourinho has instilled the virtues of his bygone Chelsea sides into this cohort.
Conversely, Liverpool’s malaise continues. For the opening exchanges, Rodgers’ decision to rest several of his senior players midweek seemed to have been justified. The hosts played with energy and cohesion as they came out of the blocks quickly.
Indeed, they caught Chelsea cold but just five minutes after Emre Can’s opener, the complexion of the game changed and so did the atmosphere inside Anfield. The Reds’ season is hanging by a thread.
They face an uphill task to progress from their Champions League group and now, on the back of three games without a win, lie in eight place. Chelsea, however, have no such problems even if luck was on their side today. You create your own luck, after all.
Lousy is the right word alright, Louis
Don’t let the result kid you, Manchester United are a team in complete disarray. During the week, Louis van Gaal insisted he would need three years in the Old Trafford hot seat in order to turn the club’s fortunes around restore former glories.
It’s hard to argue with the Dutchman and on recent evidence, it’s even difficult to envisage United returning to the lofty heights they managed under Sir Alex Ferguson any time soon.
An influx of big-money signings had temporarily papered over the cracks as their results, and indeed performances, seemed to be on an upward curve. United managed to grind out a narrow 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace but it’s nothing to write home about.
A few weeks ago, it was their defensive deficiencies that were causing the problems but now the uncertainty and tentativeness has creeped into every aspect of their play. Angel di Maria’s honeymoon period is over (although he did provide the assist for Mata’a goal), Robin van Persie is firing blanks and Wayne Rooney’s desire to pull the strings and lead from the front is inhibiting his intrinsic qualities of scoring goals and providing for others.
It’s too easy to blame their form on injuries and a leaky defence. At present, it’s difficult to see where a quick-fix can come from. Is there even one? United have been floundering in a mess since Ferguson’s retirement.
They are in no better health then they were this time twelve months ago. Last year, David Moyes was the problem and while some will argue the demons of last season’s failures remain, there are clearly far more underlying issues.
Teams don’t fear going to Old Trafford any more, and why should they? Palace, who haven’t won in six league outings, could leave feeling hard done by. They spurned a couple of glorious opportunities, particularly in the first-half, and Neil Warnock will be ruing the fact his side weren’t able to take advantage of the discernible air of tension inside the Theatre of Dreams.
Next-up for United is a trip to the Emirates Stadium in two weeks time. Victory could kick-start their season but we’ve heard that one before.
Long on the mark and off the mark
Hefty price tags can often weigh heavy on a player’s shoulders but after a barren start to life on the south-coast, Shane Long is now up and running at Southampton.
A couple of Saints fans may have been questioning the club’s decision to splash £12 million on the Irish international during the summer, especially given the impact made by fellow recruits Graziano Pellè and Dusan Tadic.
But, now that’s he has managed to score his first Premier League goal(s) for the club, Long can only kick-on from here. Since leaving Reading, the striker has never been a prolific goal scorer but his worth extends past being able to stick the ball in the net.
When he does get an opportunity, however, he knows how to put it away. He had been firing blanks in recent weeks but a match-winning cameo today proved his true worth to the St. Mary’s faithful and Ronald Koeman.
With the hosts struggling to break down a resistant Leicester rearguard, Long came off the bench to score twice in quick succession and ensure the Saints remain in second place.
With an international double-header next on the agenda, Long needs to find his form in a green shirt as well. His last goal for Ireland came at the start of the year in the friendly defeat to Serbia but now that he’s off the mark for Southampton, he needs to transfer that confidence on front of goal onto the Ireland stage.
Not only will Martin O’Neill benefit but it will add weight to his case for a starting berth on a weekly basis at club level. Let’s hope he can replicate today’s instinctive finishes at Celtic Park on Friday.
Austin can fire QPR to safety but he needs support
Being a Queens Park Rangers fan must result in fitful mood swings. One week, Harry Redknapp’s side look like their ill-equipped to compete in the top-flight and the next they’re giving the league’s protagonists a run for their money.
Yet, despite encouraging performances against Liverpool and Manchester City in recent week, the Rs have just a point to show for their endeavors from those two games and remain in the drop-zone.
Saturday’s draw with City cannot be sniffed at but they should have won all three points. Going forward, they appear to have found a fruitful formula with Charlie Austin adopting to the Premier League like a duck to water. The striker has now scored five goals this term and showed all his proficiency on front of goal at Loftus Road, although two were ruled out.
The problems lie at the back, however. Rio Ferdinand failed to inspire confidence during the early weeks of the season and with the former United defender now banned, Richard Dunne has come in to fill the void and he’s being exposed.
QPR’s naivety is costing them. Against Liverpool they squandered at least a point and while they showed greater discipline and organisation against the champions, Austin needs the rest of the team to pull up their socks.
Man-for-man, QPR are by no means one of the worst teams in the division but as we saw two years ago, that means little if there is no cohesion or collective tenacity. Redknapp will be aware of the task facing his side but with players like Austin and Eduardo Vargas at his disposal, they have enough firepower to stay afloat.
Relief for Burnley and Villa as unwanted runs are ended
It only took them eleven attempts but finally Burnley have picked up their first victory on their return to the top-flight. They can’t get carried away, however.
A point against Manchester United apart, Sean Dyche’s men have struggled among the big boys and despite today’s win over Hull, remain rooted to the foot of the table.
The Clarets had been leaking goals at one end and firing blanks at the other but Ashley Barnes’ first Premier League goal could prove priceless. Now that they’ve got that win under their belt, Dyche must use it to infuse a renewed sense of confidence in his charges.
The international break comes at the wrong time. When domestic matters return in a fortnights time, Burnley have a favorable set of fixtures. There are no easy games but should they harbour any hopes of keeping themselves a fighting chance of staying afloat, they need to pick up as many points as possible this side of the Christmas period.
For now, it’s only three points.
Aston Villa’s draw at West Ham, a result that halted a run of six consecutive defeats, could be the spark their season was in desperate need of.
A promising start to the campaign fell to the wayside but Paul Lambert’s side need to start looking up or else they’ll face another relegation dogfight.
Today’s Results
- Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea
- Burnley 1-0 Hull City
- Manchester United 1-0 Crystal Palace
- QPR 2-2 Manchester City
- West Ham United 0-0 Aston Villa
