The Sun (Malaysia)

We learnt in the EPL last weekend

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Under Eddie Howe’s astute eye, the player has started to impress with the sort of quality and intelligen­ce that marked his emergence onto the football scene eight years ago. With his vision and tireless commitment to the chase, Wilshere proved vital to the Cherries’ first away victory in seven months against Stoke.

But his rehabilita­tion and resurgence has been a steady process, as Howe admitted. “We worked very hard with him when he first came, in training not to overload him with work and on game-time to ease him into 90 minutes,” the manager said. Foxes stuck in a rut While Leicester’s Champions League run continues to keep fans appeased, their woeful domestic form took another turn for the worse as the side were beaten 2-1 by Watford on Sunday.

Two early goals, conceded within the opening 30 seconds and then 11 minutes later, highlighte­d the growing cracks that are beginning to

appear in the Leicester defence. Robert Huth looked particular­ly hesitant and uneasy at times, spending too much time on the ball and inviting unnecessar­y pressure. Kasper Schmeichel’s dominant presence between the sticks, and the discipline he adds to Leicester’s backline, also remains sorely missed as the ‘keeper recovers from a fractured hand. Reds defence offers Klopp something to smile about Billed as one of the games of the weekend, Liverpool’s clash with Southampto­n at St Mary’s ended in a disappoint­ing draw as both sides failed to break the deadlock.

For all the possession they enjoyed – around the 65% mark

– Jurgen Klopp’s men lacked the fluency that has defined their previous perform-ances. Nonethel-ess, the game marked a notable success for the side’s defence who earned their second clean sheet of the season. United’s failure to convert chances will be their undoing In their last three matches at Old Trafford, against Stoke, Burnley and now Arsenal, Jose Mourinho’s side have enjoyed the lion’s share of chances. But once again, Manchester United failed to convert this dominance into three points.

United registered 12 shots, five of which were on goal, and enjoyed 10 corners to Arsenal’s four. If the club are to stand any chance of competing with this year’s frontrunne­rs, the side desperatel­y needs to overcome this shortcomin­g.

While they may have flashed with potential at times this season, United’s search for rhythm and fluency plods on. Chelsea continue to thrive Despite his best efforts, Antonio Conte isn’t fooling anyone with his insistence that Chelsea aren’t title contenders. The Blues coach talked down his side’s credential­s after their 1-0 victory at the Riverside Stadium on Sunday, but it’s clear to see that Chelsea are in unstoppabl­e form.

The visitors may have only won by one goal against Middlesbro­ugh, but it is 17-0 over the past six league matches. With their 3-4-3 formation coming to fruition, Chelsea have tightened up at the back while unleashing the full potential of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa up front.

Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso have thrived in their adopted wing-back roles, while Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicuet­a have looked impregnabl­e as a back three. After unsure beginnings, Chelsea are now stamping their authority on the league. – The Independen­t

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