Nowhere to hide for Nuno, Solskjaer stays put and Other talking points from the weekend in England
Solskjaer stay of execution
The narrative in the aftermath of Manchester United’s 3-0 victory over Tottenham on Saturday surrounded how well the team played. As ever with post-mortems such as the one which accompanied United’s win, there was exuberant praise for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who had earlier been staring down the barrel of a gun after a run of form which had brought just one win in five Premier League matches. But was this tangible evidence of a turnaround or merely a reflection of the paucity of opponent in front of United?
It was the first time Spurs had not had a shot on target since December 2013. One could argue that this was a result of a tactical masterstroke by the Norwegian but it wasn’t. Tottenham haven’t been creating chances all season under Nuno Espirito Santo and are 18th for shots on target from open play – and so any conclusions that this was a rebirth for United have to be viewed in that context. At a point in the game, United were there for the taking. Spurs just weren’t capable of doing it. There will be more difficult days to come for Solskjaer.
Levy losing leeway
Nuno Espirito Santo looked like a dead man walking on Saturday evening in the aftermath of the defeat by Manchester United. But the Portuguese is paying the price for seasons of mismanagement at the top echelons of the London club. The finger of blame has tended to escape the man devising most of the strategies: Daniel Levy.
The list of poor decisions is long: not backing Mauricio Pochettino adequately after two title challenging seasons leading to squad imbalance, replacing him with a coach whose style was the antithesis of the Argentine’s, inviting opprobrium for furloughing nonplaying staff during the pandemic and charging supporters
– already paying the highest ticket prices in England – £60 for their first match back in the ground after it, following that faux pas up with the decision to join the European Super League, then making a statement about the club’s DNA right before hiring two employees – football director Fabio Paratici and Nuno himself – renowned for defensive football.
It smacks of an owner utterly out of touch with the sentiment of their supporters.
For the first time in the 20 years of Levy’s tenure at Tottenham the dissent among supporters towards his reign – which has brought one trophy – feels as if it is more vocal and united than it has ever been.
The chants of “Levy out” can only mean one thing for Nuno.
Vieira invigorates Palace
The scale of improvement that a manager can bring could be seen at the Etihad Stadium where Crystal Palace continued their impressive start to the season with victory over Manchester City. The results have not always reflected the manner in which their new manager Patrick Vieira has got them playing. The 2-0 win was just their second of the season but they have looked a team transformed from that which ground out results under Roy Hodgson.
Their uptick in fortunes comes from the style implemented under Vieira but also the players that the club have brought in. Marc Guehi, Odsonne Edouard, Joachim Andersen, Will Hughes, Michael Olise and Conor Gallagher arrived during the summer for a combined spend of £64 million. The latter was outstanding against City, leading the press and chipping in with a goal and an assist, proving that it is not always a case of chucking money at a problem that solves it.
Potter still magic
It’s a managerial special this week because the same could be said of Brighton manager Graham Potter, who has effected something of a miracle at his club. Crystal Palace are actually reminiscent of last season’s version of Brighton who had similarly vibrant performances but missed too many chances – on average they were missing a certain “goal” every three games.
The transformation can be seen in the quality of their finishing which has jumped from 17th in the Premier League for big chance conversion to third for the same metric. That kind of exponential improvement is the hallmark of Potter’s career and is reflected in their seventh-place position, which they moved into as a result of their 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield.
A quick word, too, for Billy Reid, Potter’s trusted lieutenant. The Springburn man made a brave decision at the age of 50 to join up with Potter as his assistant at Ostersunds in 2013 after leaving Hamilton – but he has reaped the benefits ever since.
Ramsdale rethink
The argument for sticking by your manager is being made more loudly each week by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. Their second half in the 2-0 win at Leicester was characterised by an onslaught by Brendan Rodgers’ side – the kind of performance that might have brought an Arsenal capitulation in the past – but they stood firm and held on for the three points that took them up to sixth.
Arteta was helped by a superb contribution from his goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, a player whom Arsenal were ridiculed by all – including their own fans – for signing. It just shows that, sometimes, maybe the professionals really do know what they are doing.