Losers:
Arsenal
O my how the mighty have fallen. This column went as far as possible to calling Arsenal title favorites without endorsing them. Their brittle performance away at the Etihad stadium saw defensive frailties and the return of the ‘impotent possession’ as they failed to play the direct football that has become synonymous with their performances this season.
The major worry for Arsenal was that Manchester City never looked or felt threatened during their visit. After causing the error that led to the goal, Yaya Toure went on an unstoppable run forward and promptly made up for that goal. Just how bad was the performance? Arsenal’s BFG [Per Mertesacker] and Özil had a moment because of the latter’s refusal to praise the away fans. Morale was that low. More bad news came in the form of Laurent Koscielny’s injury in the 2nd half that saw him come off. The most reliable center-back partnership in the league thus far is broken. The positives for Wenger, if any are that his Danish samurai is looking like decent cover for Giroud and Walcott’s re-introduction into the starting 11 is complete as he helped himself to a brace to make the score line as respectable as possible after conceding 6 goals.
With Chelsea visiting next week at the Emirates, the Gunners have the chance to restore their dominance at the top and silence calls of their demise. After such an abject display, this is when the ‘old Arsenal’ lose their nerve and begin to unravel. We have been led to believe this team is something different and have that all important sense of belief in themselves. Next week Monday, we will all have front row seats as Mourinho’s grumpy men test this theory.
Newcastle
Alan Pardew will be ruing losing 3 points as they could easily have beaten Southampton and no disrespect to the Saints but Remy missing 2 golden chances too if not close the game, put Newcastle ahead is what gave them a fighting chance to grab the all-important equalizer and hang in there for a point. With a stubborn Crystal Palace at home for their next game, this team cannot afford to such miss gilt-edges chances.
Southampton
9th with 24 points, they are just a point behind Manchester United. This column’s question from last week remains the same: Has the Saint’s magic* run out? Their next 5 games see them play Spurs [H], Cardiff [A], Everton [A], Chelsea [H] and West Brom [H].
Not to be an alarmist but if Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t recreate the magic that saw the Saints in the top 4, their current 9th placed position will not seem so bad in a month.
*This article understands that there is no room for magic in football and uses ‘magic’ to refer to Southampton’s early season mind-boggling performances. Both in defense and attack.
Tottenham
AVB’s face during his side’s demolition and the terse responses after the game really says it all. There is a lot, not to like about Spurs right now. For the fans who left as the game was still going on, they are left wondering if the players bought to lessen the impact of losing Gareth Bale have proved their worth. The coach has no idea what his starting 11 is and to be honest, based on the performances, neither does this author. Even Hugo Lloris made some questionable decisions this Sunday that will justify any manager’s decision to give Brad Friedel a run as the number one goalie.
Quite simply, there is not a lot to like at Spurs and this performance has many asking if AVB will end this season as manager of the Spurs.
West Brom
After watching Crystal Palace, Fulham and Sunderland sack their managers after falling into the relegation zone, the guys in charge of West Brom decided to fire their manager before the team finds itself there.
Hopefully, the new man in charge benefits from the new manager bounce effect and the team goes on to have a decent run in the league but as Fulham and Sunderland are showing, even with new men in charge, it is hard to stop the rot from spreading in a team and interrupting the season. The good news is that West Brom is 1point away from the relegation zone. Read differently: West Brom is 1point away from the crippling rot that keeps teams locked in a relegation battle all season.
Honorable Mentions:
Benteke— Sophomore slump or just a striker short on confidence? He just isn’t looking the part as he failed to show up for his team who needed him most today.
Sandro— Having only returned from injury, he makes his way back to the physio’s room again. A loss for a side that needs his tenacity and strength in midfield.
Thanks for reading and makes sure to check next week for game week 16th. This column will like to end by giving the premier league thumbs up for their minute applause in honor and celebration of Nelson Mandela. Nice to see football rise to be the positive force it can be.