Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n
Chelsea are creating plenty of chances, but they lack any sort of clinical streak up front.<\/p>\n
Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink told Sky Sports: \u201cSomeone needs to take the responsibility to say, \u2018I\u2019m going to go by myself and I\u2019m going to finish with a shot\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t see enough of that. We saw passes that put their teammate in, but the passes weren\u2019t great.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you have to be more selfish and go direct and finish the action. It was not enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are creating chances, they\u2019re playing well and they\u2019re passing the ball up to that final third. The issue here is the final pass and scoring goals, it\u2019s that final bit that they have to figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nunku is one of a massive 12 players currently out injured, with a lack of squad stability badly hurting the Blues.<\/p>\n
The Chelsea bench included six players who had never made a Premier League appearance before the weekend, as well as two goalkeepers.<\/p>\n
Pochettino said: \u201cWe know what we need to do, we are strong in our belief. We have 12 injured and [on Sunday] we had three or four young guys and two \u2018keepers on the bench.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to cry? I\u2019m going to complain? To who? I need to accept this, the challenge and keep being positive.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Manchester United are in dire straits.<\/span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMISERABLE MAN UTD<\/b><\/p>\n
Just like Chelsea, Manchester United have struggled early this season. Their 3-1 loss to Brighton means the Red Devils have just six points from five games to leave them 13th on the table. Their three losses in five games is a new club low in the Premier League era.<\/p>\n
Coach Erik ten Hag insists the club is not in crisis \u2013 but they\u2019re not far off.<\/p>\n
Jadon Sancho is in exile over a row with the coach, last year\u2019s captain Harry Maguire was stripped of the armband and has fallen down the pecking order, Antony is on leave as he deals with domestic violence allegations, and Mason Greenwood was shipped to Spain after sexual assault and abuse allegations of his own.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the ultra-unpopular owners, the Glazer family, who put the club up for sale months ago \u2013 only to apparently backflip on that after offers came in well below their sky-high asking price.<\/p>\n
Brighton tore United apart despite a monumental disparity in the fees paid for the two teams\u2019 starting line-ups \u2013 United\u2019s starting XI cost \u00a3347m, while Brighton\u2019s was just \u00a317m.<\/p>\n
Erik ten Hag defended that, saying: \u201cThey also spend money, as everyone is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former United star Gary Neville said on his podcast for Sky Sports: \u201cI always used to think at Old Trafford, \u2018Don\u2019t give the opposition an easy out\u2019. They had an easy out yesterday and they dismantled Manchester United and made them look quite ordinary at times.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a worrying, concerning day in that Brighton were better than Manchester United. They were fantastic with a group of players that on paper aren\u2019t as sexy, as valuable but they were the better team.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\nMan City perfection, Man Utd pain | 03:28<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nUnited\u2019s recruitment this transfer window has come under plenty of criticism.<\/p>\n
Ten Hag\u2019s side spent a reported \u00a3183.5m on signings, bringing in Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana, Mason Mount, Sofyan Amrabat, Sergio Reguilon, Jonny Evans and Altay Bayindir.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was worried at the start of the season,\u201d said Neville.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was this feeling Manchester United had got their business done early in the transfer window and that was good, but I was concerned the players they had brought in wouldn\u2019t improve them from last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought for one second they would challenge Manchester City and Arsenal from the players that they brought in.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would have needed a Harry Kane-type signing or Declan Rice, as an example. They didn\u2019t have the money to do those types of signings.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cBut the amount of money Manchester United have spent on that squad, it should have been a lot better. They\u2019ve signed Onana, Hojlund and Mount.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes that make them better than what they were?\u201d<\/p>\n
So far, the answer is no. Ten Hag needs time to turn things around. But like Pochettino, he\u2019ll be feeling plenty of pressure as the poor performances mount up.<\/p>\n
<\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\n100th-minute miracle does it for Spurs | 00:48<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nANGE\u2019S EPIC MILESTONE<\/b><\/p>\n
50 home games, zero losses. It\u2019s the remarkable run that Ange Postecoglou has been on across three different clubs \u2013 first Yokohama F. Marinos, then Celtic, and now Tottenham. The streak runs almost three years, but came under great danger when Sheffield United led in the 98th minute, only for substitute Richarlison to score then assist Dejan Kulusevski for the 100th-minute winner. It was the latest-ever comeback in Premier League history and took Spurs to second on the table with four wins and a draw from their first five games \u2013 their best start to a top-flight season since 1965.<\/p>\n
It also took Postecoglou\u2019s record to 42 wins from his most recent 50 home games. <\/p>\n
Postecoglou said after the match: \u201cI do put a big emphasis on that wherever I\u2019ve been because ultimately for your supporters, as much as you enjoy the away wins because you\u2019ve got to earn every one of them, it\u2019s when they come to their home ground that you want to really reward them.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Aussie Ange has a stunning home record.<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cI\u2019ve been very fortunate that at the last three clubs I\u2019ve had, even in Japan we had 30,000 to 40,000 fans and at Celtic they\u2019re always sold out and it creates an atmosphere which you can see helps the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat helps you as a club if you\u2019re really strong at home, so, yeah it\u2019s something I\u2019m proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Postecoglou\u2019s great strengths is getting his players to buy into his distinct attacking identity \u2013 but another is getting the fans on board. <\/p>\n
The proof is in the pudding \u2013 50 times over.<\/p>\n
<\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\nPostecoglou wins Manager of the Month | 00:33<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nREDS FINALLY END HOODOO \u2013 THE HARD WAY<\/b><\/p>\n
Last year, Liverpool played at 12.30pm local time \u2013 the early kick-off \u2013 six times. They didn\u2019t win a single match, losing three and drawing the other three. In those six games, they scored just three times from 83 shots.<\/p>\n
They finally managed to end that dire streak with a comeback win over Wolves, but it was far from pretty. The Reds were utterly atrocious in the first 45 minutes, looking sluggish and sloppy on and off the ball. After an international break, many of his stars returned to the club just a day or two before the match \u2013 and it showed, with many of them not looking up for the fight.<\/p>\n
Coach Jurgen Klopp has often spoken out against the intense fixture schedule his players face, and he was at it again before this weekend. Klopp blasted a journalist in his pre-match press conference who asked whether it was the time of day \u2013 and not the lack of preparation time \u2013 causing his team problems.<\/p>\n
The German replied: \u201cAre you serious with that question? What do you think is the difference when you play 30 hours away? <\/p>\n
\u201c12:30 is not a problem if you have a week to prepare. The only problem is the lack of recovery time.<\/p>\n
<\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\nCooney Cross & Hunt sign with big teams | 00:45<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\u201cWe have four international breaks until March. Two of them we have the early kick-off. If I say more about it the whole world goes again and says \u2018he\u2019s moaning again\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a joke. We have players in South America I haven\u2019t seen yet. In 24 hours we play.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this is like it is, we cannot change that, they will never change that, whoever we talk to. Now the TV channel has a different name but that doesn\u2019t change anything at all. They just don\u2019t give a \u2018bleep\u2019 about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the last eight years, Liverpool have played 12 early kick-offs \u2013 double the number of any other team.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a significant disadvantage. Luckily, Klopp nailed his substitutions to change the game and inspire another comeback win \u2013 Liverpool\u2019s third of the season after doing so against Bournemouth, Newcastle, and now Wolves. It shows the team has great resilience, but Klopp will be desperate for his side to start matches better.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Jurgen Klopp isn\u2019t happy with the scheduling \u2013 but does he have a point?<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two Premier League heavyweights are in dire straits after disastrous starts to their seasons. Meanwhile comeback kings Liverpool did it again for the third time in five games, but Jurgen Klopp isn\u2019t happy despite ending a dry run from last season. And Ange Postecoglou hit a major milestone \u2013 and it showed off one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[28114,16476,1641,30718,30763,30740,30755,4589,30750,30761,30767,30756,30752,30766,30757,1567,30760,1429,30768,12859,405,528,434,6105,1440,30754,5035,9364,17655,30770,3833,1415,2232,7145,606,30722,30716,27103,20833,30758,30762,30764,3062,854,10003,27024,10520,30753,6921,30769,2312,2457,2902,26322,30759,3166,30765,1820,30751,30698,19943,11511],"class_list":{"0":"post-62659","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-abuse-allegations","9":"tag-andre-onana","10":"tag-asia","11":"tag-back-to-back-goals","12":"tag-big-money-arrival","13":"tag-claim-latest-ever","14":"tag-coach-jurgen-klopp","15":"tag-comeback-win","16":"tag-cooney-cross-hunt","17":"tag-damning-stat","18":"tag-dire-straits","19":"tag-disappointing-draw","20":"tag-disastrous-starts","21":"tag-dismal-scoring-record","22":"tag-domestic-violence-allegations","23":"tag-eastern-asia","24":"tag-equal-second-worst-points","25":"tag-europe","26":"tag-final-bit","27":"tag-final-pass","28":"tag-gary-neville","29":"tag-harry-kane","30":"tag-harry-maguire","31":"tag-home-games","32":"tag-horror-start","33":"tag-international-powerhouses","34":"tag-japan","35":"tag-jimmy-floyd-hasselbaink","36":"tag-jonny-evans","37":"tag-latest-ever-comeback","38":"tag-liverpool-football-club","39":"tag-manchester-city-football-club","40":"tag-manchester-united-football-club","41":"tag-mason-greenwood","42":"tag-mauricio-pochettino","43":"tag-miracle-finish","44":"tag-miracle-goals","45":"tag-needs-time","46":"tag-nicolas-jackson","47":"tag-park-droughtfootball","48":"tag-performances-mount","49":"tag-players-face","50":"tag-pre-match-press-conference","51":"tag-premier-league","52":"tag-preparation-time","53":"tag-recovery-time","54":"tag-scoring-goals","55":"tag-scoring-problem","56":"tag-sheffield-united-football-club","57":"tag-sixth-most-shots","58":"tag-sky-sports","59":"tag-southern-europe","60":"tag-spain","61":"tag-squad-stability","62":"tag-stunning-home-record","63":"tag-talking-points","64":"tag-team-problems","65":"tag-transfer-window","66":"tag-ultra-unpopular-owners","67":"tag-worst-ever-start","68":"tag-yokohama-f-marinos","69":"tag-young-guys"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}