Tag: Michael Owen

The Premier League is just over a quarter of the way through the 2024/25 season, and it’s been a mixed bag so far.

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Arne Slot has his Liverpool outfit firing, and they’re fixed atop the ladder after 11 games, while their rivals Manchester United are rebuilding with a new manager, again.

Elsewhere, Ange Postecoglou’s up and down campaign is continuing, while Manchester City slumpt to a career first under Pep Guardiola.

Read below for the biggest Premier League Talking Points!

ANGE’S SPURS ROLLERCOASTER CONTINUES

It’s been and up and down season for Spurs, seesawing between brilliant victories and horror defeats, with the latest coming against Ipswich Town.

Ange Postecoglou’s men conceded two first half goals and failed to chase down their opponents, despite Rodrigo Bentancur netting in the 69th minute.

The defeat resulted in ugly scenes post-match, with Postecoglou stopping in the tunnel after a fan was said to have yelled at him, however it’s unclear what was said.

Regardless, it’s a sign of a fan base that’s beginning to become frustrated, and in true Ange fashion he put the onus on himself.

“It’s just down to me. I’m not getting consistent performances from the players,” he said to BBC post-match.

“It’s something I need to address. I’m the person in charge so that’s usually the way it goes. I take responsibility when their performances don’t meet the levels that they should.”

He also labelled his team “passive”, an interesting word considering the high line press that’s instilled by the manager, which sees his players constantly on the move.

“There are different reasons (to why we lost). Today was a bit different to other times. We were way too passive.

“If you give the opposition that much of a head start it takes a lot to claw it back.”

What made Spurs’ loss even worse was it marked Ipswich’s first win upon return to the Premier League, their first victory in the top flight in 22 years.

Tottenham have now lost five of their first 11 Premier League games, and went down to Galatasaray in their most recent Europa League tie.

It’s fair to say Tottenham are out of the running for the title, sitting 12 points behind Liverpool despite Postecoglou’s success in second seasons at his past clubs.

Spurs are yet to win two games in-a-row in the Premier League, and their season has been a true rollercoaster.

For former midfielder Jamie O’Hara, there’s potential for the fans to begin to feel sour around Postecoglou’s position at the club, despite the red-hot start they enjoyed last season.

“Spurs are all over the place at the back… defenders crossing over, not tracking runners,” he said on Sky Sports.

“You watch it and go, so easy, so easy. That can’t carry on. Eventually the fans will turn. OK, we like exciting football, but we don’t want to come back from 2-0 down every week.”

Tottenham fans will be desperate to finish in the Champions League placings, but their next run of five games will be a big test.

Postecoglou’s men face Man City, Fulham, Bournemouth and Chelsea in the league before facing off against Roma in Europe.

To stop his runaway train, Postecoglou will be desperate to some strong wins, and City could spark what could be a monumental comeback for his out of sorts outfit.

ARE ARSENAL OUT OF THE TITLE RACE?

Over the past two seasons, it’s largely been a two-horse title race, with Manchester City the frontrunners and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal trailing closely behind.

However, with the emergence of Arne Slot’s Liverpool, and a horror run of results, the Gunners are quickly slipping out of contention.

Arsenal are without a win in their last four Premier League games, dating back to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

They’ve also drawn with Liverpool, which could be considered a decent result, while going down to Newcastle and also sharing the spoils with Chelsea in their most recent fixture.

Arsenal sit in fourth on the ladder, on 19 points equal with Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Brighton — tallying five wins and four draws.

At the same time last season, having played 11 games, Arteta’s side had won seven and drawn three, with only a single loss and five more competition points.

They trailed eventual premiers City by only three points. This season they’re behind current leaders Liverpool by nine, a margin that could be considered a mountain too high.

So where’s it gone wrong for a team that showed so much promise in their development towards a title? They have struggled to score goals without Martin Odegaard, who is clearly their most creative player in midfield.

Injuries, namely to Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber, have also played a part alongside disciplinary issues including red cards to Rice, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard.

Odegaard’s been sidelined since September, and only returned against Chelsea over the weekend, having scored only five goals across their last five Premier League games, whilst also conceding six.

For former Bright boss Graham Potter, Odegaard’s presence is a huge bonus for Arteta’s side.

“Especially with Odegaard missing, problems with centre-backs, build-up not as clean, Odegaard is huge miss from creative aspect,’ he said.

“It’s not as simple as him being fit and playing 90 minutes but he gives confidence to everyone else.”

Arsenal have also had the most red cards by a considerable margin since Boxing Day 2019, with 18 players being sent off.

The next most being Wolves and Everton who have received 13 red cards each.

But outside of those issues, after a horror run of results, former Premier League striker turned pundit Troy Deeney believes one more loss and the Gunners can kiss the title goodbye.

“Lose one more time and I think Arsenal are out of it. They are going to have to beat Liverpool home and away and beat City as well,” he said.

HOW ARNE’S ‘SLOT’TED RIGHT IN

It’s a tale as old as time itself. A new manager joins a Premier League club, struggle in their first season before the game plan embeds itself into the squad and they see the fruits of their labour.

But not for Arne Slot, who has begun life at Liverpool with a bang and the Dutch manager is priming his side for a title charge in his first season in Merseyside.

Liverpool are sitting five points clear of title favourites Manchester City after 11 games, winning nine and only losing once so far.

In fact you have to go back to September 15th to find their last loss, going down to Nottingham Forest, who are having quite the season themselves.

That result is the only time they’ve tasted defeat since the Premier League began, also enjoying a faultless Champions League campaign, having only conceded a single goals in ties with Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzeg, Bologna and AC Milan.

So what’s the secret? Because Manchester United will be desperate for their new manager to have even half the success Slot’s had at Anfield so early in his tenure.

For Slot, he believes his tactical approach wasn’t too far removed from Jurgen Klopp, the man who led Liverpool for a decade.

“My expectations were not about the amount of wins or those kinds of things. When you come into a new club you want the team to play, as soon as they can, to the standards you want them to play, getting across your ideas as soon as possible,” Slot said on TNT Sports.

“I inherited a team that did really well last season and for so many seasons before, so there was not a reason to change lots of things, just keep the things they do really well.

“In general, I think the things Jurgen likes his team to do, and I like my team to do, is press really high. Sometimes in different formations, but the idea is the same – and we both like to score goals.”

Liverpool were clearly a tasty outfit to take over, and the former Feyenoord boss has a staggering amount of talent at his disposal.

Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are world class, while the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahim Konate, Luis Diaz, Alexis MacAllister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Diogo Jota are top tier Premier League players.

However, each and every one of those were players signed by Klopp, and it’s often the case a manager wants to stamp his mark on his new club with signings.

But instead, Slot’s used what he had at his disposal and Erik Ten Hag could potentially take some notes.

No manager has won more points than Slot after their first 11 games, and Liverpool have only equalled their current total once. That year, the 2019/20 season, they won the title.

Is that a sign of things to come? It sure looks that way.

CITY’S WOES CONTINUE… BUT CAN THEY BOUNCE BACK?

Manchester City are one of the most dangerous teams in world football, and in recent years have been the most dominant force in England.

But now Pep Guardiola’s men have lost fair games in-a-row. It’s the first time this has happened since 2006.

That was two years before the club’s financial takeover and 10 years before Guardiola stepped foot in England as manager of the blue portion of Manchester.

But what’s more is it’s the first time in the history of Guardiola’s career he’s lost four games on the trot. That’s quite staggering.

Their most recent loss came against Brighton, while the remaining three saw the City powerhouse go down to Sporting Lisbon, Spurs and Bournemouth.

All four teams are solid in their own right, but should have been light work for a team of City’s quality.

Following the loss to Sporting, Bernardo Silva said his side were in a “dark place” and now

Guardiola has been asked if the dynasty has came to an end.

“It’s what the people want, right?” he said. “That’s normal — we won a lot. I would just like to have all the squad (available).”

But City’s problems could simply come down to injuries, and the sheer amount of football they’ve played so far this year.

Ballon d’Or winner Rodri is sidelined with an ACL injury, and he’s pivotal in the defensive midfield role.

Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake were all also unavailable against Brighton, while Jeremy Doku, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Oscar Bobb and Kevin De Bruyne have also spent time sidelined.

With that amount of key players injured, any team in almost any sport would hit a rough patch.

“We cannot do it every three days, three days, four days, three days with the (injury) situation we have,” Guardiola said, before adding: “I would love to have the players (back).”

Dias, Stones, Walker, Doku and Grealish are all due to return in the coming weeks, while De Bruyne’s fitness will only build after the Brighton tie.

So with a host of big names nearing a return, City should be able to turn their current mess around. However, they’ve now got a five-point buffer to claw back on current ladder leaders Liverpool.

HAVE CHELSEA FOUND THEIR SWEET SPOT?

Chelsea have been a peculiar outfit for a number of years now, purchasing a host of players for big money whilst not being able to deliver.

But now, under new manager Enzo Maresca, the Blues finally looked to have found a clear path and direction.

Chelsea have lost only one of their last 10 games and sit in third on 19 points, and Maresca has done what his predecessors have been unable to do.

He’s locked down a group of players he believes are his best, using them strictly in the Premier League and important games while youngsters and fringe players have been injected into their remaining Caraboa Cup and Conference League games.

Instead of chopping and changing, and attempting to keep everyone happy, he’s stuck to his guns and players like Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill, Nicolas Jackson and Wesley Fofana.

Throw in the mix Cole Palmer, who is arguably the most in-form player in all of world football, and there’s finally some stability at Stamford Bridge after a long period of uncertainty.

“When you look at that squad, you’re thinking how are they going to get any continuity?” Former Liverpool gun Michael Owen said on Optus Sport.

“But he really has stuck to his guns, stuck to a group of players and he’s been pretty consistent with who’s been playing.

“That’s exactly what the doctor ordered for Chelsea at this moment of time so it’s been impressive so far, the stability he’s brought, it’s exactly what Chelsea needed.”

Meanwhile, club legend and former legend Frank Lampard also weighed in on Maresca’s tough stance, sticking with his group of preferred players.

“I worked with that squad for a short time when I went back and they had 30 players which you would call frontline players, internationals, and it’s harder when you try and juggle it,” Lampard said.

“You’re trying to keep everyone happy. Sometimes you do have to be a bit brutal and I think they got to a tipping point in the summer of, ‘this is the direction’.

“Now the players that are the strong core of this team, I think now are going to develop without that problem.”

UNITED’S SHOPPING LIST IN AMORIM REVOLUTION

Ruben Amorim is the man tasked with turning around Manchester United’s fortunes, and he is set to arrive at Old Trafford this week amid problems with his working visa.

During his tenure at Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese manager has implemented a 3-4-3 formation, but players are given a chance to roam.

While his striker is the main man, the wingers outside of him are given a pass to slot in behind and fill gaps, becoming makeshift attacking midfielders.

For goalkeeper Andre Onana, he believes his squad have what it takes to adapt to Amorim’s high intensity style of play.

“It’s a different system but my teammates are all pragmatic. I think everyone here is capable of playing in each system so I don’t think this will be an issue for us,” he said to the BBC.

“We have big players, they will step up.”

Amorim himself also said: I know how I am going to play in the beginning, because you have to start with a structure that you know.

“Then you will adapt with the players that you have, some injuries, or no injuries, what kind of players have the abilities to defend, attack, I will discover that in the next few weeks.

“We don’t have a lot of time to train, so I have to show something that I know very well. You can take whatever you want from that.”

So it’s fair to say Amorim will be implementing his tried and tested game plan, with Bruno Fernandes a perfect man to find gaps as his key No.10.

Another position that Amorim will desperately need to strengthen is the right wing slot, considering how important his wingers are in his formation.

Erik Ten Hang signed Brazilian Antony to fill that slot, however he’s endured a tough time at Old Trafford.

According to Teamtalk, United are keen on the services of Lisbon’s rising star Geovany Quenda who has been a revelation under Amorim.

Multiple clubs are also keen on his services, however the link to his former coach could be a crucial factor in any potential move for the 17-year-old.

However, the incoming coach has poured cold water on any moves in January for Sporting players, despite also hinting Pedro Goncalves could be another target.

The midfield gun has been a crucial figure under Amorim, and played a major role in the club’s pair of titles in recent years.

United have also been linked with Swedish marksman Viktor Gyokeres, however he’s also a target of a whole host of worldwide big hitters.

On the defensive end, reports emerging from Italy have claimed Amorim wants to recruit current Juventus captain Danilo, whose contract expires at the season’s end.

He’s on the lookout for a new club, and the Italian giants could be enticed to sell him to get a return before his time ends.

However, with Lenny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt being big money defensive signings this season, it remains to be seen whether more centre backs will be recruited.