Liverpool’s pressing game, depressing games and out of form star players.
Here’s seven of the key talking points from the Premier League weekend:
1. An Aston Villa-less Premier League?
Apologies to our resident long-suffering Aston Villa fan, but the club are in serious trouble. ‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ you’re probably saying reading this, but it’s difficult to imagine the top flight of English football without Villa.
There was no Champions League qualification for the team who finished third or fourth in the 1990s, but if there were, Villa would have been consistently pushing for a place in club football’s biggest competition.
Three sixth-place finishes under Martin O’Neill between 2008 and 2010 pointed to a potential return to the big-time, but Villa seemingly hit a glass ceiling. Owner Randy Lerner made a series of poor decisions, from Gerard Houllier replacing O’Neill to spending £24million on Darren Bent and then appointing Alex McLeish.
He probably couldn’t have done a worse job running the club if he had the intention of actually doing a poor job.
New manager Tim Sherwood hasn’t yet brought the hoped upturn in results and the signs are starting to look ominous. Villa couldn’t get anything from Saturday’s scrappy loss to Newcastle and Sherwood has yet to find a way to spark the team’s goal-shy players into life.
The away fans at St. James’ Park, watching their side lose for the the 15th time this season, displayed some gallows humour, chanting: ‘That’s why we’re going down.’ Maybe relegation would act as a sort of cleansing, Villa fans would even get to celebrate a few goals and seemingly have a squad good enough to come straight back up.
Although, considering how poorly the club’s been run in recent years, it’s unlikely.
The next three league games against West Brom and Swansea at home, with a game away to Sunderland wedged in between, are potentially season-defining.
Unless ‘Tactics Tim’ can rediscover the genius behind his second-to-none win ratio at Spurs, next year will be the first Premier League season without Villa.
2. How do you solve a problem like Di Maria?
From Real Madrid, winning the Champions League with a star performance and a run to the World Cup final, to being substituted against Sunderland at half-time. Angel di Maria’s year has had an interesting 12 months.
The winger stunk out Old Trafford with his first-half performance on Saturday. Louis van Gaal defended the player, saying: ‘I want to give him time, it’s also not easy to change a player of his quality, but I have to make these decisions.’
Di Maria’s £60million price tag is brought up with almost every mention of the player. However, those automatically expecting high-quality performances from him because of his transfer fee are guilty of the same short-sightedness as Ed Woodward and the club when they bought the player.
United effectively threw money at the wall and hoped it’d stick.
Di Maria has had the culture shock of moving from Madrid to Manchester, his home has been targeted by burglars and his new team are in flux.
But, having said all that, the Argentine was awful on Saturday. Lacking in quality and confidence, he could maybe do with sitting the next game or two out.
3. We need to talk about Vincent Kompany
While it may seem unfair to make allowances for Di Maria’s poor form and then criticise another player, the circumstances are different. Vincent Kompany hasn’t just arrived at Manchester City, he’s experienced in the Premier League and his team haven’t, like their neighbours, been playing a turgid style of play.
Kompany though has been terrible lately, and, unlike Di Maria, it appears to be more than just a poor run of form.
The City captain gifted Liverpool the ball in the build-up to their opening goal yesterday, and struggled to cope with the pace of Liverpool’s forwards. Kompany’s slight improvement in the second half couldn’t mask another awful day for the defender, just a few days after struggling badly against Barcelona.
It’s clear he’s not as bad as his performance yesterday suggested, and a lack of cover from midfield certainly doesn’t help, but Kompany doesn’t seem to be the same player who led City to the title in 2011/2012.
Vincent Kompany's first-half by numbers:
0 tackles won
0 aerial duels won
0 blocks
1 interception
6 misplaced passesAll over the place.
— Squawka (@Squawka) March 1, 2015
4. Liverpool’s pressing
Liverpool played 120 minutes against Besiktas in Turkey on Thursday, their flight home was reportedly delayed and they kicked off at noon on Sunday, against the Premier League champions who had two extra days rest after a home match. Tired? Absolutely not.
3 – The 3 players to cover the most ground in the Liverpool v Man City game were Lallana (11.9km), Allen (11.6) & Henderson (11.4). Energy.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 1, 2015
After a quiet start, Liverpool blitzed Manchester City, pressing with the intensity of last season and giving Kompany dizzy spells. Joe Allen put in probably his best performance in a red shirt, Jordan Henderson channelled the spirit of a 25-year-old Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho produced another piece of magic.
The team’s intensity dropped off a little in the second half, but Liverpool are the Premier League’s form team and a vast improvement on the side that struggled before Christmas. Are you watching Louis van Gaal?
26 – Liverpool have taken 26 points (8W 2D) from their last 10 Premier League games. Charge.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 1, 2015
5. Big Sam swap deal with Moyesey?
Sam Allardyce once bemoaned that he’s never been in contention for a job with an club competing in the Champions League. ‘The tongue-in-cheek answer is because I’m not called Allardici, just Allardyce,’ the West Ham manager said.
‘I understand what I can do, I understand my ability as a manager and I just do my job to the best of my ability wherever I work.’
West Ham lost 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday. Out of contract in the summer, and with no new deal offered yet, Allardyce’s days with the Hammers seem numbered, despite his considerable confidence and impressive record.
Well, why doesn’t Big Sam not just go manage ‘abroad’, (that big place that isn’t England), and show them continentals what real football is?
West Ham could appoint Real Sociedad’s manager, the exiled David Moyes, and Allardyce can take his place at a club who recently competed in the Champions League. Everyone wins.
He can try to ‘out-tactic’ Barcelona and Real Madrid, show ungrateful fans back home what they’re missing, becoming the Big Sam Allardici he was always meant to be.
6. Boring games, so many boring games
Stoke City v Hull City, West Brom v Southampton, Burnley v Swansea…
None of these fixtures were televised, but it’s just as well, because if you wanted to watch any of them, chances are you’re in the respective stadium. And even then you’d be forgiven for nipping out before the final whistle.
We’re not going to jump on the whole, ‘best league in the world’ backlash bandwagon, but this was, bar the entertaining game at Anfield, a distinctly poor Premier League weekend.
But, thankfully, the league has signed a new multi-billion pound TV deal. That should improve things, right? Right?
7. The campaign against Chelsea continues
How about that campaign against Chelsea, eh? They won the League Cup at Wembley on Sunday, José Mourinho’s first trophy in almost three years, to top off an already happy day.
A few hours earlier, Manchester City lost to Liverpool in the league, meaning Chelsea now have a five-point lead at the top, with a game in hand, as the season enters the home straight.
That dastardly campaign really against Chelsea really is working a treat, isn’t it José?
José?
José??
