England's Top Division: Ten Crucial Takeaways from the Latest Round of Action
This past round of Premier League action delivered plenty of drama, unexpected scores, and interesting subplots. From clashes between coaches to individual brilliance, here are the major conversations stemming from the games.
The Chelsea Boss Makes a Statement Versus Pep Guardiola
The Chelsea manager's surprise duel with the Manchester City boss evoked thoughts of previous managerial mismatches. In the case of the debutant, taking charge for his first-team coaching bow, the task was overcoming his side's woeful recent record when playing the champions. An injury-time strike from the Chelsea star earned a valuable draw, a feat past incumbents had found it tough to achieve.
The Reds' Failure to Close Games Out
Even with the German playmaker finding the net, the Merseyside club ended up frustrated after letting a advantage slip versus Marco Silva's side. The concern of being unable to manage games when ahead persists, with the team nearly squandering identical margins in recent weeks. Until they learn the knack of seeing out a game, the campaign is likely to stay a challenging process.
The Arsenal Midfielder Shows Faith In Viktor Gyökeres to Start Scoring
Arsenal's striker is going through a notable dry spell from general play, but his midfield colleague the England international has stressed the number nine is still hugely influential. He highlighted Gyökeres' pressing and unselfish efforts as integral to the league leaders form. "The goals are bound to come," was his confident message for his misfiring teammate.
The United Boss Must Get Sesko to Improve
With Ruben Amorim's team lining up in a notably cautious way, the onus rested with the forward pair to make the difference. Whereas Matheus Cunha continued his fine performances, Benjamin Sesko suffered another difficult game. The young striker has found goals hard to come by since his high-profile transfer and spurned a late chance to claim the game. The coming months provides a pressing requirement for Sesko to regain his confidence.
The Sunderland Star Leaves Tottenham in a Spin
Régis Le Bris deployed his creative talent in a unfamiliar role to start, before unleashing him into advanced areas as the contest developed. The move proved a masterstroke, with the playmaker turning into the architect of Sunderland's push for an equaliser. After directing the upright, the midfielder provided a perfect through ball for the crucial finish. Now fully adapted to the demands of the top flight, his influence continues to grow.
The West Ham Manager Misses Opportunity to Introduce Pablo Felipe
Amid an woeful performance for the Hammers, manager Nuno chose against utilize any of his available replacements. This meant recent acquisition Pablo Felipe, who remained unused despite his team's complete ineffectiveness. The manager felt it would have been "unfair" to introduce the new player into the fray. But, with goals at a premium, the urgency to blood the 22-year-old as soon as possible is glaringly obvious.
Lewis Miley Makes Yet Another Big Claim
The 19-year-old turned in another outstanding performance whilst operating out of position. He was excellent in defence, set up the first goal, and lifted the team in a scrappy affair. Now that established full-backs back, the dilemma for manager the Newcastle boss is if to include the astonishingly mature youngster in his best engine room berth. "Coming Toon line-ups will certainly be built with him," seems an a fair assessment.
8. Is the Dyche Effect Running Out at The City Ground?
The former Burnley boss's first influence at Forest was notable, but questions are beginning to arise about the squad's plan B. Forest's counter-attacking threat exists, but seems less potent in the absence of previous attackers. Although disciplined when defending deep, Forest have been exposed when forced to chase a game. Giving the ball away in those situations has been costly, a problem they have to address immediately.
Igor Thiago's Goal Rush Ends The Bees' Away-Day Blues
The West London club put in a performance that belied their dismal travel sickness. Key to their commanding victory was the red-hot form of forward the goal-getter. Thiago's finishing are giving a platform for the team to build on. Winger the German international even floated the ambitious target of a top-seven finish as a possibility, underlining the growing optimism in the team.
