1. Rogers and Emery Combine for Heist
Do the final scores be misleading? One must ask. Aston Villa's winning streak persisted with a win over Manchester United, but so did the persistent questions. They were the lesser team by multiple metrics – a lower shot count (12-15), a smaller share of the ball (43-57), not as many golden opportunities (2-3). As usual, the victory was tightly contested. In keeping with form, statistical models painted a different picture: reports suggest United were narrowly ahead 1.31-1.02. However, supporters understand games are not won by xG. They are won by solid teamwork, astute coaching and moments of magic – and Villa boast the complete package. Villa's emerging star might just be their primary talisman, but he is performing with festive regularity. The Spanish tactician is crafty, seasoned, significantly more advanced of the United boss. Should Rogers have benefited from Leny Yoro’s naivety, that was probably because the manager identified that Yoro is not a right-back, and instructed his winger to begin on the flank, drive inside and cause him problems. Skill and strategy, working together.
2. The Amorim Conundrum: Still Searching for Answers
Following United's victory over Brighton 4-2 on 25 October, their fans began to believe again. They managed three league games consecutively for the first time under the Portuguese coach. They ascended to fourth. And the wins were all good ones – over Brighton (one of their many bogey teams), Liverpool (on the road!) and Sunderland (at Old Trafford, versus a newly-promoted side, but still – an untroubled victory). Their keeper provided stability, the attack was exciting and morale was high. But then United went back to black. In a run of eight matches, a mere pair of successes, six games without a win. Against Aston Villa they were the better team without ever looking like winning. Yes, Matheus Cunha scored a good goal, but he also missed a sitter. Yes, United were cursed by absentees (to important midfielders), but they conceded soft goals. Following over a year in England, the coach continues to struggle with how to secure victories.
3. Arsenal Grind Out a Vital Victory
It was an evening fixture on the Saturday before Christmas but a noticeable shortage of fluency in the attacking areas made for a sobering evening. For Everton, the issue was predictable with creative forces absent, and the experienced winger struggling to lift an entire team single-handedly. In many respects it is remarkable that David Moyes’s side sat fifth in the table two weeks earlier given they have played the entire season without a proven goalscorer. For Arsenal and their manager, while he relished a hard-fought three points and ascending to the summit of the table, the problem should be just as worrying given their title aspirations in the Premier League. The manager claimed that winning margins will inevitably grow more comfortable with dedication and persistence. But it is a little early in the season for a team that can start with world-class talents, while leaving exciting options on the bench, to be dependent on scrappy victories.
4. Pep's Christmas Weight Watch at City
On Christmas Day the City manager will check the weights to ensure his Manchester City players have not overdone the festive fare. He revealed the players asked to enjoy a break after their latest win but he declined because they didn’t play good enough. So the schedule involves rehabilitation, training for the squad players, and post-holiday, then 48 hours of preparation for the upcoming match. He explained how improvements can be made. “I excel at analyzing what happens in the game, locating the gaps – if the players were in these positions, we could be more potent.” Pep also intends to enjoy a rest: “I will be on vacation with the family for celebrations. I'm going to Barcelona – it's highly recommended, the food is top.”
5. A Costly Goal: Isak's Injury Mars Liverpool Win
Isak's clinical effort at Tottenham felt, for a fleeting moment, as a turning point. This was the very purpose Liverpool splashed the cash for him to do, to break tight games with his movement and range of finishing, and the assurance with which he clipped in from an incisive ball was highly promising. So the sight of him departing immediately, following a reckless attempt, was a significant blow for Arne Slot and a shame for any neutral who would like to see a top-class forward hit full tilt again. Reports suggest Isak has picked up a serious leg injury and he could be in for a long time on the sidelines. It would be a significant setback with Slot’s team having quietly moved into the top four, putting together a solid undefeated streak highlighted by Isak’s initial goals in their colours. Their campaign trajectory appear inextricably linked to those of their prize asset.
6. Did Chelsea Get Away with One?
Managers often complain about contentious refereeing decisions as a means of diverting the narrative from matters they want to keep private. The significant tally Newcastle have dropped from winning positions this season seems a case in point. Their manager certainly did not seem too willing to mention that unfortunate habit following his side’s failure to protect a 2-0 lead against Chelsea in a game they ended up drawing. Yet the Magpies' boss was surely right to question a decision made by the referee not to award his team a penalty following a obvious foul on the England international. With the score then 2-1, a spot-kick could have changed the narrative. Was the decision to offer the Chelsea defender the doubt informed by the player's history for being very clever at drawing contact and sometimes simulating? Comments by a respected pundit was revealing. “He sees the challenge coming,” he said. “He expects the tackle and he's ready. I think he's looking for the foul. But the strength of the challenge there … it constitutes a foul.”
7. A 99.17% Certainty
Brentford’s first away win this season spelled joy for Keith Andrews. Rather than celebrate, Andrews sympathised with Wolves, the club he started his career with. “A large chunk of my life was here,” he said. Wolves’ situation is beyond dire; statistical models state – possibly kindly – their chances of relegation at virtually certain, leaving little tangible to fight for beyond honour. A senior professional brutally spelled out|bluntly outlined|frankly
