Newly installed Chelsea manager Graham Potter has already set out his plan for rescuing the Blue’s season. Converting Raheem Sterling to a wing-back role has, against all predictions, paid off and instead of the mercurial winger reacting negatively he has embraced his new role.
Potter still wants Raheem to dribble his way along the wing, cut inside and get forward in order to score goals or provide assists. He is less sure of his two new signings Wes Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly who are both taking time to fit in with Potter’s style of play. Potter’s ace card, he says, is Thiago Silva playing in between the two newcomers and he has the skill experience to keep things together. Edouard Mendy has overcome a shaky start to the season and Potter said, “He has worked well in training, improves every day and I have complete confidence in his ability to play at the very highest level.” Not good news for Kepa Arrizabalaga who will keep the sub’s bench warm for the time being.
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Son is shining brightly!
After a dreadful drop in form this season Antonio Conte played a master stroke in dropping Son Heung-Min – a move he had discussed with his assistants and which was a shock to Son. He came on with 30 minutes to go against Leicester and hit that blitz of goals and was voted Man of the Match. Conte considers Kane and Son as his main pairing and now that Son has improved his form he will again be selected in front of Dejan Kulusevski. Richarlison also expects to start but will have to come off the bench unless he proves in training that he can do a better job than Son. Kane is undroppable and he prefers to work with Son so that solves the problem for Conte. The coach says, “Sonny is perfect for us and he always plays with his heart and never lets me down.”
Where do Ronaldo, Maguire and Shaw go now?
Erik Ten Hag has largely ignored Ronaldo this season and the Portugese captain is getting frustrated.
The coach knows he has to play his strongest squad in order to get any points at Manchester City next week. Traditionally United have favoured a counter-attacking strategy but Ten Hag prefers to rely on his strikers to make the difference rather than concentrating on stopping opponents however he also relies on his strikers to help out in defence. An ageing Cristiano Ronaldo no longer tracks back to help his defence and remains upfield. That is not Ten Hag’s way and consequently Cristiano’s recent non-selection. Luke Shaw was poor in early 2020 but he responded to the signing of Alex Telles with world class performances in 2020/21. His form has suffered recently and Ten Hag will rely on his favoured back four, Raphael Verane and Lisandro Martinez alongside Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia who has impressed the manager. It is difficult for Ten Hag to reinstate Harry Maguire back into the team and there has been rumours in Manchester of him possibly leaving in January. Meanwhile, Ten Hag is spending the international break considering transfer targets for January.
Jurgen Klopp trying to “mend” Salah and Nunez
Jurgen Klopp is worried that Mo Salah has underperformed recently and Darwin Nunez is discovering the Premier League difficult after a blistering start. Nunez outperformed Erling Haaland in the Community Shield and changed the game after coming from the bench. However, since being suspended for violent behaviour he has lost his confidence and is finding Jurgen Klopp’s complicated system difficult. His role at Benfica was much simpler and defences were not as strong as the Premier League. Klopp believes Nunez will improve and will give the Uruguayan time to adjust whilst using Luis Diaz and Bobby Firmino as his starters along with Mo Salah. Klopp is still spending time several hours a day with Salah as he tries to restore his goal scoring technique to match last season when he shared the Golden Boot. Many assistants at Anfield believe it was the game against Manchester United, when Mo was tormented by Lisandro Martinez, that robbed him of his confidence but Klopp says his “natural ability” will shine through.
Arsenal respond to Arteta and stay top
Arsenal are at last playing the way coach Mikel Arteta wants them to play. This was the way he was taught by Pep Guardiola when he worked as the maestro’s assistant and everything he has been practicing on the training ground is bearing fruit. Against Brentford Arsenal were lethal in their play. If they lost the ball they pressured their opponents, passed with speed and accuracy and with strikers like Gabriel Jesus they scored with perfect finishing. William Saliba was excellent in defence and ably assisted by Gabriel, White, Tierney and Magalhaes. Brentford’s main man Ivan Toney did not get a chance to shine. Their next game against Tottenham doesn’t get any bigger and will be a test at the Emirates Stadium.
Which one will be sacked first?
Two managers who could be saying goodbye to the Premier League even before this column is published are Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers and Forest’s Steve Cooper. Leicester with one point from their first seven games are in desperate trouble being hammered in their last two games 6-2 and 5-2. Rodgers has also witnessed a serious drop in performance from his talisman striker Jamie Vardy who is without even one goal this season. Rodgers has fallen out with his board of directors following a poor January transfer window. The club are deciding whether to appoint a long term managerial prospect or bring in a “firefighter” such as Sean Dyche or Sam Alladyce to maintain their Premier League status. Forest’s Steve Cooper had an impressive win against West Ham at the start of the season however since then it has all been downhill even after leading against his fellow promoted teams but ended up losing both. Rodgers blames little investment by his club and Cooper has a team that is not bonding and the international break has him in the training centre every day working with his players. A warning note for both managers: Rodgers should not be publicly criticising his board of directors and Cooper’s team is owned but billionaire Evangelos Marinakis who also owns Greek club Olympiacos and sacked his manager after only six weeks in the job.
Kalvin Phillips fights to get fit for Qatar
Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is facing a challenge with his shoulder injury. He has been unable to gain a place in City’s team because of the injury following his £45million transfer from Leeds.
He has managed only 13 minutes playing time for Pep Guardiola’s title holders and now I understand that surgery might be necessary to put the shoulder right. That means he will also not make the Qatar World Cup finals in six weeks time unless he recovers at an extraordinary rate. He was voted England’s Player of the Tournament at the European Championships and this week he expressed his frustration and disappointment with his latest setback.
You can’t win with inexperience
Ralf Hassenhutl certainly has problems at Southampton. His team is inexperienced and that is a recipe for non-survival in the Premier League. New goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and centre back Armel Bella-Kotchap are players for the future but that does not help Southampton now. Even his experienced players like Che Adams and James Ward-Prowse are playing below par because they don’t feel the players around them are good enough. At the beginning of the season I picked Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Southampton as the most likely to be threatened with relegation. I haven’t seen anything to change my mind so far.
Brighton go for Roberto De Zebri as head coach
Having lost the Premier League’s most upcoming coach Graham Potter to Chelsea, Brighton have beaten Juventus in signing Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach. In addressing the media chairman Tony Bloom said this week, “I am absolutely thrilled Roberto has agreed to become our new head coach. His teams play an exciting and courageous brand of football and I am confident his style and tactical approach will suit our existing squad superbly.” Brighton added to his statement by saying that he fitted in with the club’s cultural and technical approach. Zerbi left Shakhtar Donetsk in July after only a year in charge because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Zerbi has coached in Italy and prefers a 4-3-3 system. Brighton are currently in fourth place but Zerbi is jumping straight into the fire with a game at Liverpool next Saturday.
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