1. Dreadful defending shows Arsenal’s problems at the back remain
It
is strange to think that, an hour before kick-off at Anfield, the issue
was the composition of the Arsenal attack. It remains odd that Arsene
Wenger demoted his record signing Alexandre Lacazette for a match of the
magnitude of a trip to Liverpool, especially when the Frenchman had one
actual goal and one controversially disallowed strike in his first two
games. But by the end of a 4-0 thrashing, Arsenal had fare greater
problems. It was hard to argue a centre-forward, even one who is a much
better finisher than Danny Welbeck, would have made a decisive
difference.
Arsenal
were hammered. They were humiliated. They were shambolic, lacking both
organisation and spirit. It reflected badly on Wenger’s back three that
all of Liverpool’s front three scored. It was a sign his tactics failed
that he swapped to a back four for the second half.
Yet problems abounded elsewhere. The midfield did not shield them. Liverpool overran Arsenal in predictable fashion. And while issues relate to both personnel and structure, it feels weird that the substitute Skhodran Mustafi may be permitted to leave at a time when Arsenal need quality defenders. They conceded 44 league goals last season, the most of the top six. They have already let in eight in the current campaign. Both numbers are far too high and the spring switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation has not certainly not solved their problems.
2. Chelsea expose Everton’s weaknesses again
Ronald Koeman has gone from one extreme to another. On Monday, he extended his unbeaten record against Pep Guardiola. Six days later, the aggregate score in his meetings with Chelsea as Everton manager extended to 10-0, and not in the Merseysiders’ favour. If Chelsea’s 2-0 victory could have been more emphatic, it represented a second successive win against high-quality opposition, providing a fine response to the champions’ opening defeat to Burnley.
Antonio Conte’s Blues produced their first dominant display of the season in a win over Everton at Stamford Bridge
Yet while the scorelines have been one-sided, Everton may feel themselves unfortunate and not just because they were in Europa League action in Croatia three days earlier. When they lost 5-0 at Stamford Bridge last season, they were without the suspended Idrissa Gueye. When they were beaten 3-0 at Goodison Park in April, they missed the injured Morgan Schneiderlin. And for Sunday’s rematch, the Frenchman was banned. Since his January arrival, Everton have possessed one of the best pairs of defensive midfielders in the division. But they have been unable to field both against Chelsea. And those games have illustrated their importance.
3. United stage another late, great show
Manchester United have an indelible association with late goals, and not just because of the 1999 Champions League final. They have been evidence of attacking intent, signs of their relentlessness, proof they have had substitutes desperate to make a late impact. Not in recent years, however. United only scored 12 league goals in the final quarter of an hour of league matches last season, whereas Everton got 22 and Arsenal 23. Go back to Louis van Gaal’s final season in charge and United scored nine goals in the last 15 minutes. To put it another way, that was five fewer than Sunderland.
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