The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 29

Manchester United surrendered their winning run with another lackluster display against West Brom at the Hawthorns. United weren't helped by Juan Mata's early sending off although to be honest there is no guarantee they would have won even with 11 on the field. There was misplaced optimism as a result of United's 4 match winning streak. FC Midtjalland and Shrewsbury were too weak an opposition to warrant any mention. The Arsenal match was a crazy game of football and United were lucky things went their way, Watford on the other hand were very unlucky to lose against United having created the better chances. So in truth, United had been playing poorly for some time now. They just hadn't been found out. United's loss coincided with a few of the senior players returning from injury. Darmian isn't half the player who arrived at Old Trafford in August. He had 2 or 3 good games then but has been on a downward trend ever since. He reminds one of Di Maria's struggles last season. Varela should probably be playing in that position until Valencia is fully fit to return. Varela alongside Rashford, Lingard, Mensah and Love have been among United's better performers in the last few weeks. Rojo at left back also doesn't seem to work. It's hard to recall a worthwhile cross from either Rojo or Darmian in the West Ham game. Smalling was probably the best United defender in the match with his calmness and timed clearances. It would have been interesting to see him start alongside Mensah with Varela on the right fullback position. I have always thought Blind should be a left back, he is too error prone to be a center half, the position LVG likes playing him. Michael Carrick has been a useful and faithful servant for Manchester United for years but it appears it's time for him to move on. He  is too slow and has been getting slower in his tracking back and tackling. He did not help Herrera much. Lingard. Rashford and Martial form a good attacking trio and should be started together more often.
United don't look like making top four especially after this loss. It would take a miracle for them to do so as things stand.

Arsenal got a hard fought draw against Tottenham. Arsene Wenger's approach appeared to suggest Arsenal were more worried of not losing to Spurs than winning. With Coquelin's dismissal, it took tremendous spirit and belief for Arsenal to come back and earn the draw. They would even have won it as Spurs spurned a chance to put clear daylight between them and Arsenal. The big winners were Leicester of course but at least Arsenal didn't fold as many had predicted. Gabriel has been shaky the last few games and he was once again the weak link in defense. Arsene Wenger gambled by starting with Campbell and Welbeck in place of Walcot and Giroud and he was vindicated as Campbell scored the opener while Welbeck put in a good shift too. In deed the gunners fans reacted to Campbell's substitution with a chorus of boos. Mesut Ozil had another anonymous performance as has been the trend lately. Arsenal need for him to raise his game as big games keep coming up.

Liverpool were extremely lucky to get all 3 points against Palace with ten men. Benteke clearly took a dive to win a last gasp penalty and Klopp will have been relieved with the win going into their Europa clash with Man United. Liverpool have been trying to rotate their strikers but none seems to come up with the goods. Benteke doesn't look like a 30M pound striker while Origi doesn't score enough goals. Sturridge spends more time on the treatment table than on the field. Liverpool's bright spot since the turn of the year has been Firminho who has been active either scoring or assisting. The Reds are making a late surge for Europe and it remains to be seen how high up the table they will finish.

Manchester City demolished bottom side Aston Villa in an easy win. City looked best placed to finish in 3rd or 4th place having seemingly given up any hope of winning the title. It does look like there will be changes in personnel when Guardiola takes over and some of the players seem to have switched off already.

Chelsea were held to a draw against Stoke as Hiddink's unbeaten run in the league continued. The Blues probably had one eye on their huge champions league return match against PSG but there's no denying Hiddink has steadied the ship. Chelsea won't qualify for Europe via their league position and their best hope is to win the Champion's league.

Team of the week

Ospina
Bellerin
Morgan
Daniels
Lovren
Silva
Antonio
Payet
Mahrez
Kane
King

Player of the week

Mahrez

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 16

Manchester United had a week to forget. The week started with a disappointing draw against high flying Leicester, that was followed up with what was arguably their lowest point of the season when they were dumped out of the Champion's League away to Wolfsburg. Just when things couldn't get any worse United lost to Bournemouth leading to increased pressure on Van Gaal and his players. That teams like Leicester and Bournemouth no longer fear United is a worrying trend for the United faithful. The ease with which they were exposed is even more disturbing considering this is supposed to be the best defense in the league. Although Van Gaal has had to contend with a number of injuries to his squad, you would still expect them to get a result against the so called lesser teams. Van Gaal did not help his case either choosing not to play the experienced Young for reasons best know to him instead choosing to select the inexperienced back line featuring Varela, McNair and Borthwick. Maybe he underestimated Bournemouth but he should have been told the Cherries were fresh from beating defending Champions Chelsea in their previous match. United's display was lethargic and lacking in any pace especially in the second half.  United desperately need their first team players to come back from injury to stop the slide. It's now 5 games without a win with only a handful of goals scored. The dropped levels of performance even seem to be getting to the likes of Martial who had a poor game by his standards. The injury crisis has exposed a lack of depth in this squad and it is still a mystery how Van Gaal did not choose to buy an extra striker in the summer having let a number leave the club. Despite the indignity of having to play in the less fancied Europa cup, United need to start making things happen fast otherwise the gap between them and Arsenal and Manchester City(and Maybe Leicester) will only widen.

Arsenal continued their good run of form with a deserved win over Aston Villa who look set to be relegated. Mesut Ozil, Arsenal's player of the season so far continued his amazing record of providing assists as Giroud once again provided the goals for Arsene Wenger's side. The Gunners had a recent injury crisis of some sort but they look to have ridden the storm and are now in a good position going into the busy holiday schedule. Their morale has also been boosted by their impressive win against Olympiacos which saw them advance to the knock out stage once again having looked dead and buried early on in the group stage. With key players such as Chamberlain and Sanchez returning from injury, these are good times for Arsenal and they need to back it up with a colossal performance against fellow title favorites Manchester City in their next match.

Manchester City were perhaps a tad lucky against Swansea with a Yaya Toure winner in injury time. The Citizens have been inconsistent this season and have only remained in the title hunt due to poor form among their title rivals. City rely a lot on their talisman captain Kompany and they always seem to struggle when he is not playing. Injuries to their other key players, Aguero and Silva have not helped matters and the feeling is that if they can get their key men fit playing, the rest of their rivals would offer little resistance. They next face Arsenal in a key game that might have huge ramifications in deciding the destiny of the title this season.

Chelsea's bad form shows no signs of slowing down as they succumbed to another defeat this time to Leicester. Jose Mourinho this time must fear for his job as the Blues sit only a point above the relegation places after 16 games. The performance was woeful and Leicester were fully deserving of the three points. What is more worrying for the Blues is the manner of their play. None of the players look interested and it's so easy for teams to play against them. The games they have lost have not been due to bad luck but rather their poor play. It leads one to think that Mourinho might have a point when he says some of the players are 'betraying' him. It borders on sabotage. Mourinho has done everything to try and stem the tide of bad results. He has dropped players, criticized them, praised them, talked tough, changed the system but nothing seems to work. Chelsea next face Sunderland in what has now become a key relegation fight and a defeat for them might just be the final straw for Abramovic.

Liverpool inconsistent season continued with another lucky draw against West Brom. Klopp has steadied the ship somewhat but looking at The Reds first 8 games of the season when they were under Rodgers and the next 8 games when they have been under Klopp, there isn't any difference in terms of results. If Klopp is to turn this Liverpool side into a top four team and eventually a title contender then a few things are clear. The size of the task is enormous. Liverpool need to go into the market and acquire genuine quality players all over the pitch. The forward position for instance, there is Sturridge, Benteke, Ings, Origi and Firminho who is not really a number 9. Sturridge when fit has the potential to fit into any top side - but his fitness and injury issues look like they will never end. The other four would struggle to get into any topside. Liverpool have so many average players and that's where the problem lies. From the January window on wards Klopp and Liverpool need to slowly and systematically replace it's squad with quality so as to build a team that can challenge. This current squad is good enough for Europa league places.

Team of the week
Hart, Shawcross. Olsson, Nyom, Baines, Wijnaldum, King, Ramzey, Ozil, Giroud, Vardy

Player of the week
Olsson

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 14

Leicester went into the weekend looking to reaffirm their reputation this season as genuine contenders as they hosted Manchester United in a very unlikely top of the table clash.
Ironically James Vardy was also looking to break former United legend Ruud van Nilseterooy's record of scoring in 10 successive premier league games. It is a measure of how things have changed this season when Leicester, bottom of the premiership just a few months ago can stand up to Manchester United and be considered favorites to beat them. In deed United's line up suggested they had a special plan to stop Leicester and in Particular Vardy from scoring. United started with a 3-5-2 system, a formation Van Gaal hasn't used this season, with Mcnair, Smalling and Blind in-front of De Gea with Darmian and Young as wing-backs. United also started with 2 defensive midfielders in Schweinsteiger and Carrick in a rather defensive formation. The plan didn't take long to back fire as Leicester and Vardy capitalized on some poor defensive play from United, breaking quickly from the visitors corner kick to put their famed counter attacking play to full effect. A quick ball to Vardy from Mahrez was slotted home as Vardy set a new record of scoring in 11 successive games. United did manage to get a barely deserved equalizer just before the break.  In the second half, United were lacking in ideas and in the end a draw was a fair result. Although the table shows United are just a point behind leaders Man City, there is growing frustration among the fans that this United side is one of the most boring United sides in recent memory. It's hard to argue with these views. Van Gaal appears to have brought toughness and defensive discipline to the side at the expense of attacking play. United do not concede a lot of goals but likewise they score very few. Most fans even preferred the performance in last season's 5-3 loss to Leicester as opposed to this dour draw. This season United have been all about possession football, lots of passes(mostly at the middle of the park) and very few scoring chances if any. Even more frustrating are Van Gaal's comments at the end of matches always insisting that United were dominant and unlucky not to score. How do you score when you do not create scoring chances? No disrespect to Leicester but why would United start with 2 deep lying midfielders. Mata should have started alongside Schweinsteiger or Carrick. The back-line should have been a flat 4 with Smalling and Blind with Young and Darmian as fullbacks. Van Gaal's other fault this season is his insistence of playing Rooney in all the games despite his poor form. His decision to loan out Mark Wilson hasn't gone down well with the fans either. In most of the matches, it is bewildering why Wilson hasn't come in for Rooney even just for the last 15 minutes to try and get the goals.Rooney has been a terrific servant and legend for United but no single person should be bigger than the club. He should be rested for a few games to give others a chance. United also need to shop around for a top striker in January if they are to maintain their title hopes. It won't hurt trying to tempt Vardy or Kane in January..or both. At the moment United look to be right in the mix for a title hunt, but it is more because of faltering rivals than their own making. Things might get worse should City and Arsenal get a good run of results.

Arsenal continued their indifferent form with a draw at Norwich. The Gunners were lucky to escape with a point in the end as Norwich pushed them hard especially in the second half. As if that was not enough, Arsenal again suffered injuries with both Kosicelny and Sanchez limping off. Sanchez in particular looks a big blow to Arsenal with the crucial Champions league match against Olympiakos in Greece on the horizon. His likely replacement, Joel Campbell has had a poor season so far. The Arsenal injuries story is not something new. It looks like every season Arsenal goes through this phase when they are seemingly in a good position then the injuries set in and they start to draw and lose points and with it their title hopes. This season in particular with Chelsea struggling at the wrong end of the table, United still trying to understand Van Gaal's philosophy and Manchesater City's inconsistencies, presented Arsenal with the best opportunity to break their decade long wait for the title. The worst thing that could happen to Arsenal right now is for Ozil, to get injured. The German has been on a terrific run of form scoring and creating chances consistently. Arsenal need to toughen up mentally and hang on through this tough period and hope the injured come back to first team action as soon as possible before their title hopes all but disappear.

Chelsea battled to a dull draw against London rivals Spurs in a match whose highlight was Diego Costa tossing his bib towards Mourinho after spending the entire 90 minutes as an unused substitute.
As with the United-Leicester and Arsenal-Norwich matches, this was another show of how the fortunes of the traditional English football powerhouses have been reversed. Chelsea were more the happier with the point as Spurs dominated the match and created enough to win. For the blues, it was further evidence of improvement albeit marginal as they served up their 3rd clean sheet in a row. However from the display, it will take more than this performance if Chelsea still intend to finish in the top four. It is quite remarkable that Eden Hazard, player of the year last season is yet to score a single premier league goal this season, 14 matches on.

Manchester City were the weekend big winners as they took advantage of their rivals dropping points with a clinical 3-1 win over the Saints to return to the summit of the table. The only negative was Aguero limping off with another injury. Kevin de Bruyne had another wonderful display and there is no doubting his impact has been positive in Manchester. He is the reason we are not noticing Yaya Toure's lack of impact in matches as well as Silva's absence with injuries.City have been inconsistent at times this season but they still look the best bet to claim the EPL title. Once they get their act together and go on a winning run you feel the rest of the premiership title challengers will be reduced to challenging for the top four positions.

Liverpool got a much needed win over struggling Swansea. While Klopp's Liverpool are not dominating and running over teams, the progress has been steady and most Reds fans are satisfied with the direction the club is taking. This game against Swansea is the type that Liverpool of a few months ago would have drawn, but they have done well to put themselves in a good position to challenge for top four. One key positive has been the upturn in Emre Can's form. Often deployed in defense by Brendan Rogders the German has been a revelation in midfield for Jurgen Klopp. His performances have been crucial for Liverpool under Klopp. Tougher challenges and questions await Liverpool but for now it's all looking good for the Reds and Klopp.


Team of the week
Pantillimon Otamendi Smalling Walker Kolarov Stanislas Bolasie Ozil  Barkley De Bruyne Vardy

Player of the week
Vardy

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 13

The EPL is so unpredictable this season, what with Leicester topping the league and defending champions Chelsea languishing in 15th place. The top scorers chart has unfamiliar names like James Vardy and Ighalo while the more established marksmen like Costa and Rooney struggle to score.

And so this weekend the excitement continued. Manchester United kicked off the weekend fixture with an away assignment at promoted Watford. This is the kind of a game that would have been a guaranteed 3 points for United a few years ago but things have since changed. United had to do without Rooney, Martial and Carrick all out wiht injuries and illness. Memphis Depay who has fallen out of favor recently was nanded a rare start and he did not disappoint scoring the games opening goal. Watford rallied to equalize late in the second half courtesy of a penalty only for Schweinsteiger to ensure United came away with all three points forcing Deeney to slide the ball into his own net. Cruel for Watford but for United there was a sense of deja vu with United famed for late goals during Fergie's era. United look in good shape but injuries continue to pile as the games come thick and fast. Valencia joined the list of injured players and the absence of Rooney and Martial highlighted United's lack of alternative forwards, a situation which might come back to bite them against stiffer opposition.

Arsenal came up against West Brom looking to continue their recent run of good form. The Gunners were dealt an early blow with an injury to the influential Coquelin and his replacement couldn't have endured a worse day, he gave the foul that led to West Brom's equalizer, scored an own goal and then went off injured in what turned out to be a frustrating day for Arsenal. The Gunners peppered the Baggies goal in the second half bad a combination of wayward finishing and dogged defending by the hosts ensured West Brom collected maximum points. The Gunners even missed a late penalty with Carzola ballooning his spot kick skywards.
Arsenal's famed injury problems look to be back with Coquelin and Arteta joining an already growing list of injured players. With City losing to Liverpool, Arsenal missed a perfect opportunity to ascend to the summit of the table and they now turn their attentions to the Champion's League where their slim hopes of progression are hanging by the thread. It will be interesting to see how Arswenal manage without Coquelin given his replacement Flamini is often unpredictable blowing hot and cold.

Manchester City against Liverpool was the weekend's big game and it did not disappoint.  Few would have predicted the result. City were thrashed and well beaten by a well organised Liverpool side.
The scoreline was shocking but what was even more surprising was the manner in which City defended. Every Liverpool attack looked like it would result in a goal. The forward duo of Firminho and Coutinho cut to shreds the City back line time and time again. Mangala has never been comfortable at City since his big money transfer and he was left chasing shadows. His partner Demichelis did not fair any better and this display further added weight to the argument that when Kompany misses from the City line up, the struggle. The only City players who left with their reputations in tact were Aguero who was returning from injury as well as Hart whose saves ensured the scoreline was kept low.
City have lost in a similar manner this season, against Spurs and they bounced back brilliantly to the top of the table. A similar response will be expected. Pellegrini will hope Kompany returns to his side sooner and he also needs to reinstate Otamendi to the starting line up as he is a better defender than Demichelis and Mangala. City also need for Silva to return to the side.

Chelsea returned to winning ways with a narrow 1 nil win over Norwich. In truth the scoreline flattered Norwich as Chelsea missed several opportunities to make the scoreline comfortable.
Eden Hazard was back to his best as he bossed the left wing with a number of intelligent runs. All round this was a much improved performance by the Blues as they showed much more desire and hunger for the 3 points. Similar displays will surely ensure they earn more points and improve their league position. They next face an on form Spurs side in a match likely to show exactly where Chelsea are.

Team of the Week
De Gea, Walker, Terry, Skrtel, Rose, Coutinho, Dembele, Kane, Firminho, Barkley, Lukaku

Player of the week
Coutinho

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 3

Manchester United's 100% recorded was ended in what was arguably their best attacking display of the season which ironically ended in a stalemate.  Newcastle put together a resolute defensive display that led by Collocini. United's final ball and finishing on numerous occasions left a lot to be desired. Depay failed to follow up his brilliant showing against Brugge in midweek more often than not failing to trouble Tim Krul in goal. Rooney fared even worse struggling to impose himself in the lone striker position. Louis Van Gaal insists he doesn't need to buy a striker but on the evidence of this game, United are laboring to finish off chances created. Rooney needs to play off a main target man. Depay at times seems to be trying too much. He needs to relax and enjoy his game. United also need to decide who will be taking their free kicks. They had more than one tasty looking freekicks that were wasted. The routine looks like when they get a free kick, either one of Rooney, Depay or Mata will take it, then they rotate the role through out the game. They need to settle on one person who will be under no pressure and will know how to correct the mistakes of a previous free kick. As poor as United were offensively, the opposite was true for the defence. United's defence has been rock solid so far this season under the stewardship of Smalling and Blind. The two seem to have discovered some sort of chemistry and are enjoying playing alongside each other. Darmian has been the stand out performer among the new signings and he continued with his good for. Luke Shaw looks a completely new plyer having shaken off his injury woes and he had a solid game. United are still trying to find the right mix for their mid field. Morgan Schneiderlin has slotted in well but it still a guess as to who will partner him their long term. So far Carrick and Schweinstiger have been used inter-changeably. Herrera has seen little playing time and Fellaini continues to serve a suspension. Juan Mata has consistently been in the starting line up this season and his perfoamnces have justified his selection. Perhaps the one player who will feel hard done by is Ashley Young. The winger has put in impressive perfomances whenever he has been selected to play this season but still finds himself unable to force himself into the starting line up. If i was Van Gaal Young would always be in my starting line up. His speed and skill means he is always a source of threat either when bringing in crosses ot finishing chances himself. I feel he has been a victim of circumstances in that United having signed big names, they have to start and Young has been one of the sacrificial lambs. United next play high flying Swansea in the league with Montero and Gomis sure to provide a stiffer challenge to the United defence. Montero was the architect of last season's win by Swansea in the same fixture last season.

Chelsea finally got a win in an action packed game against West Brom. New signing Pedro was man of the match scoring on his debut as well as providing an assist. That rubbed wounds into United wounds having failed to capture the player and struggling to score themselves. Chelsea looked comfortable uptothe Terry sending off which saw them withstand a second half onslaught by West Brom. In the end Chelsea were barely hanging on. Chelsea's defence has been the subject of scrutiny so far this season and that was the case again this weekend. They have already shipped in 7 goals in only 3 games. Chelsea will no doubt keep on trying to bring in a defender before the transfer window closes.

Arsenal and Liverpool battled to an entertaining draw in the last match of the weekend. This was as good a goalless draw as you can get. Both goalkeepers were well on top of their game with Petr Cech brilliantly making vital saves against Benteke and Courtois while fine reflexes saw Mignolet deny Giroud. Both sides also hit the wood work in a game littered with goal scoring opportunities. Both defences were shaky and Arsenal might feel hard done by with Ramsey's goal ruled out due to a controversial offside decision. Both managers will however be pleased with a draw.

Manchester City continued their impressive start to the season with a 2 nil win over Everton. City are yet to concede a goal this season. They have dominated games and it will take something special for them to be beaten. David Silva completely dominated midfield orchestrating play and providing the outlet for most of City's attack. The defence marshaled by Kompany totally nullified the threat presented by Lukaku and in the end it was a very comfortable win. At this rate ,it will take something really special to stop this City side from reclaiming their title from Chelsea.


Team of the week
Butland
Kompany
Kolarov
Smalling
Collocini
Pedro
Silva
Mata
Bolasie
Costa
Aguero

Player of the week
David Silva

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 10

Arsenal continued their recent run of good form with a rather straight forward 2-1 victory over Everton with the scoreline flattering the Toffees somewhat  The gunners are the form team in the Premiership with 4 wins on the trot,13 goals scored and only 3 conceded in their last 4 games. In between they have also beaten Bayern Munuch in the Champion's league. Indeed Arsenal briefly led the table before City returned to the summit with their goalless draw with United in the Manchester derby. One reason for Arsenal's run of impressive results has been the good form of right back Hector Bellerin. The youngster has been very consistent in that position and his incredible pace has seen him provide a number of useful assists for the Arsenal forwards. He has made the position his and Chambers and Debuchy have been reduced to bench-warmers this season. Petr Cech's contribution cannot be ignored either and with each day his acquisition in the summer looks an incredible piece of business by Arsene Wenger. Especially when you consider Chelsea's struggle in that position with Courtois injured.

Chelsea's bad run of form shows no signs of slowing down. This time round they fell to a West Ham side that had already claimed the scalps of Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool.
Remarkably, Chelsea have already lost 5 times this season in the league after only 10 games. What's even more puzzling is the fact that this same group of players are the same ones that completely dominated the league last season. There were no notable exits in the summer and if anything, the arrivals of Pedro, Falcao and Rahman were meant to strengthen an already strong-looking squad. One major exit that Mourinho must surely be ruing is that of Petr Cech who has been a source of calmness and assurance in the Gunners defence.
Mourinho and Chelsea are running out of time and a loss to Liverpool in their next match might just be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

City and United played out a rather dull goalless draw at Old Trafford. The game had very few chances as defences came out on top in a a game that neither team appeared willing to take risks. City must have been the happier of the two as the point took them back to the top of the pile and considering their two best players Aguero and Silva were missing. United dominated possession especially in the 2nd half but there was an obvious lack of bite with their forward play. Only Martial looked like he could beat a City player when he had the ball. Van Gaal needs to start playing Martial as a center forward and look for a different role for Rooney. At times Martial looked wasted on the left wing. Rooney might be United's captain but his form has been poor for a long time and the boss needs to do something about that. It would have been interesting to see Depay or Young coming in as a sub for Rooney to play on the left side and push Martial to the middle. All in all despite the lack of goal-mouth action, this was a resolute defensive display by both defences. My two outstanding performers were Rojo and Kolarov. Rojo had De Buyne in his pocket and never gave the Belgian a sniff. Kolarov completely nullified United's attack down the right side. Valencia never beat him even once despite numerous attempts.

Liverpool recorded their 3rd successive draw of the Klopp era concedeing a late equalizer from Mane.It's going to take a while before Klopp's influence starts to show in this team. The best the Reds can do is keep being competitive and grinding results before the January transfer window opens and then Klopp can start to exert his influence and build his team.Liverpool's target this season is top four so as long as they are within touching distance of top four they should be no panic. As it is right now Klopp has got to make do with the players he has. Liverpool also need for Sturridge to regain full fitness. Without him they look very short going forward. Divorck Origi despite being given plenty of opportunity has just failed to live up to the player who lit last years world cup with Belgium.

Team of the week

Cech, Koscielny, Walker, Tomkins, Rojo, Ozil, Payet, Dembele, Cazorla, Kane, Vardy

Player of the week

Harry Kane

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 2

Manchester United as was the case last week got the weekend rolling with their Friday night away trip to Aston Villa. United once again ran out 1-nil winners after an unconvincing showing against a Villa side with a poor record in this fixture. United are yet to really get going especially in terms of attacking football. Chances are few a far between and a return of only three attempts on target over 180 minutes of football is not what you would expect from a side boasting the likes of Depay, Rooney, Mata, Young, Januzaj et al. In deed Rooney has been a pale shadow of his former self in the opening two fixtures often struggling to adjust to his lone striker role. His contribution and especially as the club captain has been lacking and if ever Van Gaal needed proof that he needs to buy another striker, all the evidence is there. Rooney's place in the team would have come under scrutiny had he not been captain but Van Gaal needs to have the courage to substitute him when things are not working. The common feeling is that Rooney seems to flourish when he plays off a main striker.
Januzaj on the other hand was handed a rare start and took advantage of the opportunity to score the game's only goal with a neat finish from a clever Juan Mata pass. The Belgian needs game time and Van Gaal will need to find a way of playing him regularly as he looks a good prospect.
The one side of United's game that has been impressive is the defence. Talk of a marquee defender coming to old trafford have been cooled off largely thanks to Chris Smalling's performances. Together with Blind they did a good job snuffing out any potential danger caused by Villa. For the time being the Ramos, Hummels, Otamendi rumors will be forgotten. United next shift their focus to Europe and a home game against Club Brugge is up next.  For the time being, the fans will be reasonably pleased with the teams progress and more-so the statistics, 6 points, 2 clean sheets.

Manchester City were totally flawless against Chelsea in the weekend's big game. Few would have expected the Blues to capitulate in such a manner against a City side that finished 8 points behind them last season. That Chelsea's best player was their stand in keeper Begovic points towards a totally one sided affair. Mourinho's assertion that the result was "fake" and that Chelsea were the better side in the second half borders on absolute madness. In what had already been a bad week for Chelsea and Mourinho in the never ending saga involving the teams medics, the nightmare unfolded in a manner that shocked all of us. Chelsea were outclassed in all departments. Aguero would have scored 5 goals had it not been for Begovic who thwarted Aguero at least 3 times before the Argentine finally gave City a fully deserved lead. Mourinho's withdrawal of Terry at half-time for Zouma provided another talking point with the Portuguese confirming the substitution was tactical and not due to injury. Could this be the beginning of the end for Terry.
City were totally efficient. Mangala for once is starting to justify his hefty price tag and his solid partnership with Kompany provided the foundation for a successful afternoon for City. Fernandinho had one of his best performances in a City shirt protecting the back four and providing Yaya Toure with a licence to foray into Chelsea's box time and again. David Silva was once again totally dominant in midfield and he together with Toure totally dominated Fabregas and Matic. Chelsea's defence duo of Terry and Cahill were exposed in the first half with little help coming from midfield. Diego Costa lacked service and the few times he go onto the ball, he was more concerned with causing infringements rather than finding the back of the net. 1 point out of a possible 6 means Chelsea already trail City and United by 5 points and although it's early days, they cannot afford for the gap to widen. Chelsea's transfer business looked done but now it seems they may have to go back and bring reinforcements. Chelsea have already acquired a left back in Rahman and the need for a striker cannot be overstated. I have always said that this City side has the solutions from within. Last season the only reason they lost the title was that key players such as Toure, Silva and Kompany did not perform to their standards. If they can do that, and there is plenty of evidence so far to suggest that they are up to the task, then City will be very difficult to beat.

Arsenal got back to winning ways in a tough away game at Palace. The game could actually have gone either way had Palace been a bit more clinical towards the end when chances presented themselves. Overall though Arsenal dominated and should have put the game to rest early on. Ozil in particular was back to his best and created a lot of goal scoring chances for the Gunners. Monreal had a good game at left back and him together with Bellerin nullified the threat posed by the pacy Palace wingers, Zaha and Bolasie. This was a potential banana skin and although not Arsenal's best display by their standards, the 3 points gained were very valuable.

Liverpool scraped to another fortuitous 1 nil win against a Bornemouth side that deserved more from this game. Christian Benteke's controversial goal should have been ruled out as offside since Coutinho a few meters off Benteke was clearly offside. To add salt to injury Bournemouth themselves had a goal ruled out wrongly. Liverpool won't care much as like Man Utd they have 6 points on the board and are yet to concede. Their next match however presents a sterner test as they face a resurgent Arsenal side this coming weekend. This will provide a clearer picture of Brendan Rogers' teams ability to seriously challenge for honors this season. One bright spot for Liverpool was Jordan Henderson who continues to thrive since taking over from Steven Gerard as club captain.
Have a sporty week!


Team of the week
Begovic
Kompany
Smalling
Monreal
Whittaker
Barkley
Toure
Ozil
Montero
Ireland
Lukaku

Player of the week
Lukaku