PREMIER LEAGUE DEBRIEF SIGNS ARE BAD
MATTHEW NASH
AFTER ASTON VILLA’S 7-2 WIN OVER LIVERPOOL AND SPURS’ 6-1 MAULING OF MANCHESTER UNITED, LOOKS AT JUST HOW THESE EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS CAME ABOUT
DEFENCE CUTS
THE sight of a stunned smile on the lips of Jurgen Klopp as goals rained into the Liverpool net will live long in the memory. You can’t blame Klopp for not believing what he was seeing: Villa finished 17th last season and were not exactly prolific. The wider picture is one of players, and teams, being woefully unable to defend so far this term. We have had 144 goals in 38 Premier League matches – the highest goals-per-game ratio (3.95) in the top flight since 1930-31. Still, you would not have expected seven of those to go in the champions’ net in just one evening. It certainly makes for great entertainment, though Alan Hansen would be tearing his hair out if he was still on pundit duty. A packed schedule and demands on fitness due to the ever-changing world of the pandemic must play a part. Suddenly, great players are being made to look very average indeed.
MANCHESTER United, lacking in new signings and resilience, were simply swept aside by a revived Tottenham team who have found a way to play away under Jose Mourinho. The Spurs manager has presided over 5-2, 7-2 and 6-1 wins in three of his side’s last six games – quite the change. United have more of a defence (ironically) than Liverpool as they were down to ten men for more than an hour but the truth is that when it was 11-aside, Spurs (above) were the better team – even after eight matches in 22 days. Harry Maguire’s current malaise is indicative of United’s on-field woes but it may be off the pitch where they are really failing.
BACK FLAW
THE absence of Sadio Mane made a huge difference to Liverpool on Sunday but what is happening to their top defenders? Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez were rotten at the heart of the defence, while Adrian is no replacement for Alisson. What it shows is the champions are fallible. Suddenly no one is quoting incredible stats about Van Dijk (left). He was run ragged by a player in Ollie Watkins who was in the Championship last season, so other forwards will be fancying their chances.