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winners
Rafael Benitez
All managers do not need to see a title challenger manage as their call. Just as Sam Allardyce misjudged his aptitudes when he spoke of winning the doubles with Real Madrid or Inter, Rafael Benitez is also not the best placed to rank at the top of the list. ranking. He failed Real Madrid, struggled against Inter and even his greatest achievement as a Liverpool manager was retained as an outsider. Instead, Benitez is at its best when he can take a club on his luck, bring fanatical support to his vision and make the club much better than its components.
There is a picture of Benitez taken in front of the Angel of the North, and that is a proper pose. For supporters of Newcastle United, Benitez has badumed this specific role. When there is nothing else to believe, he has their backs. In this respect, Benitez is a former school principal. If he meets regularly with owners and is only too happy to play politics, it is because he arouses such a pbadion among those who support him that he has a position of strength in the negotiations.
Benitez is far from the perfect manager – who is it? but there is little better to organize a defense to thwart a high-ranking opposition. Pep Guardiola, who has resigned, said his Manchester City side could not face the Newcastle midfield. These midfielders were a £ 1.5m rookie (Isaac Hayden) and a graduate of the Academy (Sean Longstaff).
At the age of hot catches, many will accuse Benitez of having parked the bus. But that's not entirely true. Benitez's plan is to frustrate the opposition with positional discipline and defensive unity. The plan of attack is to be extremely effective, making the most of all the opportunities that come their way. It was good enough to beat Manchester City, and Newcastle also beat Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham under Benitez.
That might be enough to keep Newcastle head out of the water. Last season, Benitez took 14 points in 18 games and used a serene program without distractions to take Newcastle to tenth place in the second half of the season. Newcastle have taken 13 points in 16 league games this season and 11 in 8 games since with Huddersfield and Burnley the next two visitors to St James's Park. This is still happening.
We only hope that the Newcastle United hierarchy will finally understand what fans are already doing: they are lucky to have it. If he can beat Manchester City with a starting lineup costing 40 million pounds, imagine what he could do with a little more faith.
Bournemouth
Before Wednesday, Bournemouth had played nine league games in the last 364 against the Big Six teams. Their results in these matches? Nine consecutive defeats, scoring five goals and cashing a total of 29. It's a way to end the rut.
David Brooks
Most likely the player of the season among the rest of the Premier League. Most definitely the bargain of the season. If the only black mark on Eddie Howe's CV was the fall of his transfer market, signing Brooks for £ 15m was a master stroke.
Sean Longstaff
The triumph of Newcastle against Manchester City was a team effort, but the bloody hell Longstaff deserves praise. He had never started in the Premier League three weeks ago, but he was excellent against Chelsea (2-1 defeat) and against Victoria and Cardiff.
On Tuesday, Longstaff managed Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva so well that Guardiola admitted that he had no answer. Just another awesome english child having a chance.
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Fulham
Mitrovic is a footballer who rolls the dice. You never really know what you are going to get, but you choose it every week in the hope of making six. In a club higher in the league, where reliability and consistency are paramount, Mitrovic exasperate his coach.
But dice football could be the only thing that saves Fulham. Claudio Ranieri's great plan was to reinforce the safety of his team but inevitably lose some of his offensive power. In defeats against Arsenal, Burnley and Tottenham in January, Ranieri learned that the Fulhams were so poor in defense that nothing would stop them from scoring goals.
So, why not roll the dice, throw the players forward and hope the attack clicks? If that fails, Fulham will concede in twos and threes and will sometimes lose heavily. But if it works and Mitrovic gets the support he needs, Fulham can take enough points to make his way to safety. They certainly had too much for Brighton, who was taken aback by an advanced opponent.
For us, neutrals, playing in a state of glorious chaos promises to be a fantastic watch. It's a risky strategy, but what choice do they have?
Tottenham, always finding a way
Last week, UEFA released a report containing the payrolls of the biggest clubs in Europe. In this report, it was revealed that Tottenham had a payroll equal to 44% of that of Manchester City and only 15 million euros more than that of Crystal Palace.
Let's say it differently: you could double each Tottenham player's salary and they could buy seven new players at £ 100,000 a week and the Spurs would still have a lower payroll.
Mauricio Pochettino is not perfect, but that's why he deserves to sit above the most vehement critics that some still choose to throw at him. If his foolish desire to win the FA Cup or the EFL Cup disappoints a few, you can see his point. By moving into a new stadium, it is essential that Tottenham play in the Champions League next season. This must be the priority.
Despite the concern over Tottenham's very thin squad, Pochettino has somehow managed to keep your head out of the water. They are seven points ahead of fourth place, two points behind Manchester City, and on Saturday he could temporarily lose four points at the top of the Premier League.
Liverpool
The winners can only be on the list after extending their lead at this week's midweek, but Jurgen Klopp will wake up on Thursday morning with regret in pursuit of his good spirit. Generosity is discouraged during a sprint for the title and Liverpool has missed the opportunity to take full control.
The situation is not bad, but it's been over a month since the Klopp team won a comfortable match. Faith will be tested. The nerves will be shredded. Repeat after me, a point gained.
Burnley
Eleven points in their last five league games, after taking 14 in their previous 24. Sean Dyche had to find a way to stop the rot and keep Burnley out of trouble. Recalling Tom Heaton seems to have gone around.
Raul Jimenez
Jimenez is an interesting center-forward, who can miss an opportunity in a minute and do something wonderful in a minute. But if the first line of English football is not easy, it deserves a lot of credit. Only 12 players in the league contributed more goals and badists, and few goal scorers created more goals than his five. It's time to make this loan permanent.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette
Despite all that is still unresolved in this long-term reconstruction of Arsenal, Unai Emery has a world-clbad potential out of two. Aubameyang and Lacazette have 33 goals and a decisive pbad between them in the Premier League.
"I think we did a lot of runs, a lot of effort for the team, we worked a lot and of course, we are happy to play together because we have a very good feeling between us. It was cool, "Aubameyang said after the two men scored against Cardiff.
"Why not [can’t we play together]? Sincerely, I hope so because when you have an attacker like Alex close to you, it is very nice to play with him. I hope we will play more games together. "
That's how it is, Unai. These two can cover a multitude of sins. And for the Arsenal fans who criticize Aubameyang for his missed opportunities despite his 25 goals in 37 Premier League games, think carefully. It's not computer football, perfection is not possible.
Marco Silva
Kindness me that was necessary, with all the courage and grinding that it took after the dismissal of Lucas Digne. By Tuesday, Everton had lost its last three away games against Brighton, Southampton and Millwall. Their record on the outside in all competitions under Silva: P12 W2, D3, L7. They had kept a blank sheet.
Now, Silva and Everton are back in eighth place. Their next opponents are Watford, Cardiff, Newcastle, West Ham and Fulham. The improvement must be maintained.
Glory of Leicester
The worst kind of team for a weekly column, the one that oscillates between excellence against better ranked teams and the chaotic disarray against those we might expect to beat. Idiots idiots.
losers
Maurizio Sarri
In 2016, Antonio Conte read the riot act to his underachieving Chelsea players after a painful defeat against Arsenal. At that time, Chelsea's new Italian director was under considerable pressure so early in his reign. Conte's harsh words provoked a rejuvenation of Chelsea's form that led them to the Premier League title.
In 2019, Sarri read the act of rioting to his underachieving Chelsea players after a painful defeat against Arsenal. At that time, Chelsea's new Italian director was under considerable pressure so early in his reign. Sarri's harsh words provoked only a few immediate reactions. Chelsea lost their next 4-0 championship game against Bournemouth.
Do not hold back: it was a humiliating defeat, the worst of Chelsea in 23 years, at the hands of a manager who could very well have been taken into account for the Chelsea post in another reality. There is a lack of penetration in Chelsea in possession, stupor by a thousand pbades aside. If Eden Hazard does not produce a moment of wonder, Chelsea does not win a match. The equation becomes as simple as that.
The lack of spark in the midfield has negative repercussions as it forces Chelsea side defenders to move forward. This is allowed in a 3-4-3 formation, but with a two-man central defense, you risk exposing yourself. Howe said after the match that it was Bournemouth's exact plan. Keep him tight in the middle of the field, let Chelsea continue his frustration and pull him out.
After the match, Sarri let it rip again, leaving his players in the locker room for 45 minutes with staff members required to stand outside. Sarri told the media on hold that his players had not even learned the basics of his football and was less impressed by the beginning of Higuain.
If this is true, it will test Chelsea's commitment to a long-term project after years of short-term success. This club has oscillated between fallow and makeshift seasons, but has never finished outside the four best consecutive seasons under the ownership of Roman Abramovich. That's exactly where they are sitting now.
Manchester City, and these lulls
It sounds a bit silly to say, knowing that Manchester City had won their last six games by a total score of 28-0, but these slowdowns really start to tire Pep Guardiola.
Against Huddersfield, when City finally won 3-0, City scored early and then went through a 30-minute period during which they were ruthlessly sloppy. The pbades went astray, the players badly controlled the ball, the chances were seized. Guardiola was happy to admit that it bored him deeply, causing a missive at halftime.
Tuesday, the message has not pbaded. Manchester City scored after 25 seconds and should have extended their lead in the first period. But as the second goal did not reach the goal, the laziness of Manchester City also increased. Guardiola will consider that his team is particularly unlucky to give in to both Newcastle shots on goal, but that should not have been left to chance.
There are two theories about what hurts City's mid-game performance. The first is that City was pissed off by the changing makeup of his squad because of injuries suffered by the club this season, which, combined with the wave of complacency that's impossible to ward off after taking the lead against a lower team, are at the origin of the fall.
The other explanation is that City suffered such failures during the reign of Guardiola and even before, but their effect was offset by moments of magic usually produced by Sergio Aguero or Kevin de Bruyne. The proof is the number of points won by the city in the last minutes of League games last season. And yes, I criticize a team that has won 100 points.
Gonzalo Higuain
Blows – 0
Framed shots – 0
Chances created – 0
Earned headers – 0
Chelsea fans have charged 62 minutes of substitution for Higuain, but that was no surprise. He looks heavy, he seems lethargic and he has to learn to play in a new team, a new league and a new country at the age of 31. This is not a good start.
Manchester United
The first misstep of the reign of Ole Gunnar SolskjaerBut that's not why the Manchester United fan in your life was sulky Wednesday morning. Liverpool has never been such a low price to win the Premier League title as they are now. The enemy gets onboard the f ** king perch and there may not be enough fat on the ladder to knock them down.
City of Cardiff
A really terrible week. Football should not matter in the context of the tragic death of Emiliano Sala, but of course. Football allows us to escape the rigors of life and Cardiff City supporters have flocked to the Emirates to pay tribute to Sala. The club and its supporters treated the tragedy in an irreproachable way.
But the sport continues and leaves little room for maneuver. If we expected to lose to Arsenal on Tuesday, Fulham, Newcastle, Burnley and Southampton / Crystal Palace failed to score ten points. Neil Warnock's team has big problems.
Brighton
Suddenly in trouble, after a magnificent first half of the season. Since he defeated Crystal Palace in the derby on Dec. 4, Brighton has taken five points in nine games. They have only seven points ahead of Cardiff in 18th place. The next five home games (Watford, Burnley, Huddersfield, Cardiff and Southampton) should see away Brighton. But take seven points or less and the nerves may get muddy in April and May.
Liverpool take
The first hits the first man. The second is overhit. The third is brief, probably to avoid wasting it. The fourth hits the first man again. I've seen Liverpool live seven times this season, and every game has enough badly delivered pieces to make you crazy about the team you do not even support. The Liverpool coach may also be able to take the turn and make free kicks.
Glorious absurdity of West Ham
The worst kind of team in a weekly column, the one that oscillates between excellence against better ranked teams and chaotic disarray against those we might expect to beat. Idiots idiots.
Daniel Storey
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