PL hits and misses: Liverpool feel the tension, Everton defensive problems, Man City back to its best? | Football news

Liverpool feels the tension

Liverpool have been relentless for the past three seasons. From reaching the Champions League final in 2018 and then winning it the following year while pushing Manchester City all the way to the Premier League final, to last season’s march to the title, Jurgen Klopp’s team has been consistently sparkly.

But now there are signs that they are starting to feel the tension. Context first: Liverpool rose to the top of the Premier League with their draw at Brighton. Diogo Jota showed once again how the Reds have reinforced their attack with another good goal. But no preseason, a condensed game list and a series of injuries are taking their toll on this team.

Jurgen Klopp described his team’s performance as “very good” in Brighton, but also admitted that “energy issues” had led them to sink deep and put them in a situation where they conceded a penalty draw in injury time. . Early in the game, a makeshift baseline had struggled with its timing when Brighton played it overhead.

These are understandable problems. In addition to the many injuries that have stretched the team and the short recovery time from Wednesday’s Champions League loss to Atalanta, there were three different right-backs against Brighton, a center-back pair who had never played together, and the key men Sadio Mane. and Jordan Henderson only brought in mid-game.

They are finding a way to keep collecting points. This unusual season and its unknown challenges are demanding more from each team and Liverpool’s league position shows that they are doing just as well, if not better, than most. But there is no question that they are operating at a level below the high standards they have set in the past. The key question is whether this current level, and whether it holds, falls further or improves as the season progresses, will be sufficient this time.
Peter smith

Defensive concerns for Everton

Carlo Ancelotti had insisted before Everton’s clash with Leeds that, despite the blow of losing Lucas Digne, Alex Iwobi could step in as a capable substitute on the left-back. It didn’t play out that way at Goodison Park on Saturday, with Marcelo Bielsa’s team repeatedly exploiting that area during the first half.

Iwobi was pulled midway through the second period shortly after moving to right back when Fabian Delph replaced Tom Davies, who also struggled at stuntman in place of skipper Seamus Coleman and Jonjoe Kenny.

Trouble on those flanks reflected some troubling defensive stats for Everton this season, who have one of the division’s most leaky baselines and have not had a clean sheet since the opening day shutout at Tottenham.

Everton won’t be the last team to fight to contain this spirited Leeds, who drew several clever saves from Jordan Pickford, but since goals don’t flow to the other end as freely as they did earlier in the season, Ancelotti’s men must. prop up if they want to get back on track.
Peter smith

Has the true City of Man risen?

On the one hand, Manchester City showed their best level of fluency against Burnley, sidelining their 5-0 opponents at Etihad in the kind of fluid clinical attack football we’ve long associated with Pep’s team. Guardiola and, more recently, I was wondering where he has gone.

On the other hand, Burnley is cannon fodder every time he sets foot on Guardiola’s field. This was, unbelievably, their fourth consecutive 5-0 loss on this ground. They were desperate.

But as the old saying goes, you can only beat what’s in front of you. Riyad Mahrez looked magnificent when he scored a well-deserved hat-trick, Ferran Torres rebounded after some impressive performances on either side of the international break and Kevin De Bruyne’s wands at the end of both legs were as magical as ever.

It’s very difficult to say in isolation how much this can mean for Manchester City. With the season of goodwill approaching, Burnley couldn’t have been much more generous and Sean Dyche rightly admitted that “you can’t start a game like that.” We can tell a lot more about how the game changes things as time goes by. But scoring five without an answer certainly never hurt anyone.
Ron Walker

Raphinha lights up for Leeds

“He’s a stylish player who works like crazy!” That was Graeme Souness’s assessment of Leeds winger Raphinha, and the Brazilian seems like a perfect fit for this Marcelo Bielsa team. The £ 17 million summer contract from Rennes caused problems for Everton from the get-go.

Everton had Alex Iwobi on the left back and Raphinha gave him a torrid time, running that channel and then breaking into the hosts’ center-three before attempting to play on his teammates.

He was looking for a pass again in the second half before eventually putting in an excellent low effort in the bottom corner to win the game. That was his first goal in the Premier League, but if the 23-year-old maintains these levels, he will hit the net many more times this season.
Peter smith

Blades should be sharpened quickly

Chris Wilder was left, in his own words, “scratching his head” after Sheffield United missed five glorious chances to win at least one point at West Brom, but they remain at the bottom of the league after finding themselves on the side. wrong from another close. defeat.

However, after 10 games, it is far from a coincidence that Sheff Utd has scored only four goals, and it is not because they are not creating opportunities.

They should have scored against West Ham last weekend and they should have had a pair, at least, at The Hawthorns. Even Slaven Bilic admitted it after the game.

But unless Oli McBurnie, Lys Mousset and the other club forwards sharpen up, they are headed for the downfall. Only four of the 14 teams have gone winless in their first 10 Premier League games, and while Sheffield United were able to count on their airtight backline to get through last year, without Jack O’Connell for the foreseeable future their defense has been very successful.

At some point on the line, his forwards will have to step up. They have spent enough money on teams like McBurnie and Rhian Brewster, which leaves some irony that free transfer David McGoldrick has scored half of the league’s goals. If you can’t find your shooting boots in the next games, it might already be too late.
Ron Walker

Brighton fighting to make performances count

Brighton’s last gasp VAR-assisted penalty draw against Liverpool brought their tally to 10 points from 10 games in the Premier League this season, leaving them 16th in the table. That’s a place above where they ended up when Chris Hughton was fired, and a place below where they ended last season.

Is that your level? Looking at Brighton, you always feel better than being in the bottom five or six in the Premier League. That would certainly be the case for anyone who saw them against Manchester United, Tottenham or Liverpool.

Graham Potter’s team has evolved into a team that can control the ball well or, as they demonstrated on Saturday, cause problems running behind Liverpool. They can force mistakes into the opposition’s penalty areas and create opportunities from open play.

But the results tell their own story. Just when Manchester United’s last-shot penalty cost them in September, and Gareth Bale’s header undid their good work at Spurs, Neal Maupay’s missed penalty almost led to nothing in their clash with Liverpool.

Pascal Gross’s late penalty ensured that wasn’t the case, and Potter hopes his team will be as clinical as the German penalty was in their next streak of encouraging matches – or once again, they might find themselves without the points to equalize. their performances.
Peter smith