From Jose Mourinho on the warpath, boring, boring Manchester United to our favourite Premier League player who isn’t Paul McShane.
Here’s seven of the key talking points from the Premier League weekend:
1. Jose Mourinho v everyone
The Special One: The secret world of Jose Mourinho, by Diego Torres, tells the story of Jose Mourinho’s time as Real Madrid coach, and it’s a brilliant read. Torres paints Mourinho as a Machiavellian character, paranoid, combustible and obsessed with controlling the media narrative.
There’s definitely an opening for someone to write The Special One: The secret world of Jose Mourinho II – Chelsea, Campaigns and Costa Crimes, based on this season and it could potentially top the original.
Mourinho dismissed Torres’ book as a work of fiction, but, with each passing week, aspects of it seem more and more accurate. Building a siege mentality around his team, ranting against referees and pundits, and grinding out results. It’s all been there this season.
The Chelsea manager’s engrossing appearance on Sky Sports yesterday offered a further glimpse into the mind of Mourinho.
Everyone and everything is against Chelsea, and anything that happens is taken as proof of such. While correct in saying Ashley Barnes tackle on Nemanja Matic was reckless, Mourinho’s attack on Sky, referees and Burnley is a smokescreen.
Chelsea’s performance in their disappointing draw was already forgotten when a entertaining vine of Mourinho swept through social media. Which was forgotten after Mourinho’s performance on TV yesterday.
The spark from Chelsea’s early season performances has gone as key players, such as Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, look jaded or rusty. So, seemingly, Mourinho tries to shift the focus elsewhere. Anywhere will do.
Mourinho is one of the most successful football managers ever, and looks likely to add at least one title this season to his already considerable record. However, his public disposition would make you wonder how much longer he can keep it up before the players and fans become fully exhausted.
As they did, according to Torres, in Madrid.
2. David Silva: classy operatorÂ
David Silva may be, other than Paul McShane, our favourite Premier League footballer. When the Spaniard is on form, there are few better players to watch and he was fantastic on Saturday.
Newcastle didn’t exactly put up much of a challenge, but Silva was flawless, scoring twice and setting up Edin Dzeko with this magnificent pass.
City also look a markedly better team with Yaya Toure as the Ivorian effortlessly controlled the midfield on Saturday. The Premier League champions are now only five points behind Chelsea but, with the quality of players such as Silva and Toure, it really should be less. Despite what Mourinho thinks.
3. Manchester United’s performance… again
Manchester United were painfully dull this weekend… again. Losing 2-1 away to Swansea City, after taking the lead, Louis van Gaal’s side not being very good is getting boring now. At least last season there was the endless David Moyes memes, vines and pictures of despair. United being awful had a certain novelty factor. Now though, it’s as interesting as their football.
Unless of course you’re a diehard Liverpool or Arsenal or Manchester City or, well probably any football fan other than one of Manchester United. Then long may it continue.
4. Arsenal dead certs for Champions League… again
Surprised? Of course not. Arsenal always qualify for the Champions League and this season looks to follow the same pattern. The only difference this year appears to be there’s, so far, no early spring meltdown.
Arsenal still have to play Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool in the league, but just one of those games, United, is away from home, while the rest of their fixtures look favourable.
With Monaco in the Champions League and a stuttering Manchester United in the FA Cup this could be Arsenal’s best season since, well, last year, when they they won the cup and qualified for the Champions League.
It may be predictable, but the struggles of United are a clear sign that change isn’t always a good thing.
5. Spurs could cause a Wembley upset
Tottenham Hotspur were trailing West Ham 2-0 at White Hart Lane, but managed to peg them back in the final ten minutes, keeping their fight for a Champions League spot alive and now the official comeback kings of the Premier League.
Spurs have now gained 16 points from losing positions this season and while it’s obviously not ideal to be going behind in so many games, that’s still an impressive statistic and has positive implications for Spurs immediate future.
It shows the players are at least committed and motivated, with manager Mauricio Pochettino has them operating at high fitness levels.
 No one should be too surprised if Spurs beat Chelsea in Sunday’s League Cup final. Pochettino’s side hammered Chelsea at White Hart Lane earlier this year, and their high energy style looks ideal to exploit a seemingly jaded team, who will be without their midfield anchor Nemanja Matic.
When Mourinho’s side score first, more times than not, it means game over, but it won’t worry Spurs on Sunday.
6. Terrible Tim Howard
Tim Howard was hailed as America’s ‘Secretary of Defence’ after his heroic displays in the World Cup. However, this season, he should be impeached for letting too many military secrets slip.
Howard put in an awful performance yesterday. The Everton goalkeeper dropped two clangers, directly leading to both of Leicester’s goals and contributing to more drop points for the Toffees.
This has been a common feature of Howard’s season. In Everton’s game against Hull, for example, Â a 1-1 draw, the goalkeeper allowed the first shot he faced to slip by his near post, he was at fault for numerous goals against Chelsea at the beginning of the season and Howard has just three clean sheets in twenty games. Joel Robles, the team’s back-up ‘keeper, has kept the same amount of clean sheets as Howard, despite playing just seven games.
It’s probably time for Everton to permanently replace their ‘Secretary of Defence’.
7. Liverpool’s top four push
Liverpool’s season this year is vaguely similar to Brendan Rodgers first in charge. In 2012/2013 Liverpool had a slow start, winter mid-table mediocrity, before being boosted by the arrival of Daniel Sturridge and Phillipe Couthinho in January and finishing the season strongly. Rodgers also loosened his demand for ‘death by football’ and deployed more flexible, reactionary football and the team played at a greater pace.
Something similar seems to happening now. The tactical switch to three defenders has worked, Sturridge is back, Coutinho has regained his spark and the team’s playing with, as Rodgers would say, ‘intensity’.
Liverpool look almost unrecognisable from the side who limped out of the Champions League and lost away to a Neil Warnock team.
Rodgers’ side have won five of their last six games and are now only two points behind Manchester United in fourth. Ironically, since losing 3-0 at Old Trafford, Liverpool have gotten stronger, while United seem to get worse each week. The race between the two for the final Champions League spot could go right to the final day.
