1) Inconsistency of VAR marring Anfield sight
In real-time, it appeared that the VAR review for Phil Foden’s disallowed goal was due to Erling Haaland’s challenge on Alisson. The fact that it was for something that occurred earlier, Haaland’s foul on Fabinho, a scornful toss to the ground that seemed completely unrelated by the time Foden scored, highlighted the peculiarity and inconsistency of VAR once more.
This challenge was in the referee’s line of sight at the moment. Was the intention of this video tool to allow officials to re-officiate 50/50 situations? Was there a clear injustice that required immediate redress? The answer likely relies on whose team you favor or how slowly the collision is replayed.
However, it was difficult to conclude if this intervention enhanced the show. This is an unforeseen effect of VAR: over-refereeing and weirdly disproportionate prominence for the enforcement of subjectively necessary laws. Football is fun. Bald men looking at screens are not. Barney Ronald Ronay
2) Ten Hag’s United still recalls Solskjaer-ball
“The performance was excellent, and we kept a clean sheet; we pressed well, controlled the game, and were good on the ball at times, particularly in the second half.” Erik ten Hag made no mention of the fact that Manchester United is not yet a pass-and-move unit that spends significant time in the opponent’s half. In contrast, the Dutch squad plays a form of Solskjr-ball.
As was the case with his predecessor’s United squad, Ten Hag’s early matches have been chaotic, with his team relying on counterattacks and speed while running out of ideas against a low-banked, packed defense. There were hints of the five-a-side moves that make Manchester City so dominant against Newcastle. Ten Hag’s ambition is that his players will gradually transform into a cadre capable of performing this task diligently. If not, more market surgery is required. Jamie Jackson яндекс
3) Conte faces a tricky balancing act
Tottenham appears elongated. Dejan Kulusevski remains sidelined, while Brazil could be without Richarlison at the World Cup due to his injury against Everton. It is a source of stress for Antonio Conte.
The Italian adapted admirably to the absence of two key attackers, his choice to strengthen the midfield by replacing Richarlison with Yves Bissouma propelling Spurs to victory. However, his team’s workload before the season’s conclusion in Qatar is cause for concern. Conte, who may remain with 3-5-2 against Manchester United on Wednesday, has a tiny core of trusted players and rarely makes substitutions.
What will this mean for Eric Dier, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hjbjerg, Son Heung-min, and Harry Kane, considering that Spurs must play eight games before the World Cup, including crucial Champions League contests against Sporting and Marseille? Conte is hesitant to rest them, but he must be careful of fatigue leading to other injuries. Jacob Steinberg
4) Marsch fumes after Leeds misses a shot
Another week has passed, and officials in a Leeds match continue to elicit ire. Jesse Marsch’s players would have cut Arsenal’s wings if Patrick Bamford had not missed a late penalty.
Substituted at halftime, the forward had an equalizer disallowed. The expression on Marsch’s face was priceless as the referee, Chris Kavanagh, approached the VAR screen. After the missed penalty kick, Bamford and Gabriel Magalhaes engaged in a scuffle that resulted in the award of an injury-time penalty and a red card, which were subsequently overturned.
Again, Marsch became agitated when his team was ruled against. After a power outage and lack of VAR communication, all that transpired delayed the contest. The American just returned from a touchline ban and maintained his composure during post-game interviews. He could at least take solace in the second-half performance of Leeds, who gave the leaders a terrifying scare with its chaotic nature. John Brewin
5) Villa has made progress, but fans remain unconvinced
It was surprising to hear audible dissatisfaction from the stands during the first half against Chelsea when Villa Park recycled possession backward. Villa Park is currently a tense environment. In recent weeks, the locals have witnessed a few too many lackluster performances, but on this occasion, their complaints were misguided because Villa was brilliant for extended stretches.
However, their precarious position at the table provides a telling reason, and Steven Gerrard’s performance will not sway opinions about his ability to turn things around. It must be backed up fast, and Gerrard, who established an offensive combination that combines speed and strength, should employ the same strategy against Fulham on Thursday. Villa was more optimistic, vertical, and direct than they have in a while, despite occasional sluggishness. To retain his position, Gerrard requires an abundance of the same. John Ames
(6) O’Neil showing to be the right man for Cherries
In September 1989, newly promoted Crystal Palace was routed 9-0 at Anfield; they then won three and drew one of their following six games, a streak that helped them remain in the first division. In August 2022, newly promoted Bournemouth was routed 9-0 at Anfield; since that defeat and the following dismissal of Scott Parker, they remain unbeaten (winning two and drawing four).
The key to staying in the Premier League will not be a terrible defeat at the hands of Liverpool, but rather Gary O’Neil leading the Cherries to an extremely spectacular comeback as caretaker manager. After another commendable effort in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Fulham, it is becoming increasingly difficult to comprehend why he has not been assigned to a permanent position. If there were other qualified applicants for the position, the board’s caution would be understood; nevertheless, only O’Neil has demonstrated his suitability for the position. Daniel Harris
7) Costa makes a racket for the Wolves
Diego Costa, at 34 years old, may not be the world-class striker he was when he played for Chelsea, but his ability to get in opponents’ faces, lead the line, direct teammates, and energize the Molineux crowd has already made Wolves more dangerous. After nine months out of play, the striker’s match fitness is predictably well below Premier League standards, but his intelligence cannot be overlooked in a Wolves team that lacked a focal point without Ral Jiménez, Sasa Kalajdzic, and Fábio Silva (both injured or on loan at Anderlecht).
Adama Traoré’s signature misses from the penalty spot enlivened a two-penalty game, but Costa’s efforts to pin Forest back allowed the Wolves’ other attacking threats to become more involved. The Wolves interim head coach, Steve Davis, has confessed that he cannot rely on Costa for Tuesday’s trip to Crystal Palace. Davis stated, “Knowing Diego, he’ll want to play in every game.” However, we will need to evaluate him. Peter Lansley
8) The Seagulls must convert their possessions into goals
Roberto De Zerbi would do anything to have a finisher like Ivan Toney on his team. On Friday, the Brighton boss was angry after witnessing his team lose to Brentford despite dominating the statistics. However, despite the visitors’ 21 shots, David Raya was only seriously challenged on several occasions.
De Zerbi will face struggling Nottingham Forest in his fourth attempt to secure his first victory since replacing Graham Potter, but he acknowledged that his players must be more clinical in front of goal. The Italian stated, “I cannot say that [Danny] Welbeck performed poorly; he tried extremely hard for his team, and other players had opportunities in the second half, but we were unable to score.” “Football is similar. Perhaps on Tuesday we will take ten shots and score two or three goals. Doug Aarons
9) Hammer attacks can pose a significant risk
In recent weeks, West Ham’s revival has been largely due to their improved offensive chemistry. They scored three goals in their first seven league matches, but have scored six in their past three. While they were extremely wasteful against Southampton, registering 25 shots with only four on target, they showed enough to suggest that their summer purchases are beginning to produce results.
Lucas Paquetá was a ball of energy on the flanks, while Gianluca Scamacca excelled at dropping deep to orchestrate play and was inches from scoring on multiple occasions. If they can improve their finishing, David Moyes’s new offensive squad has the potential to be quite dangerous. Will Magee
10) Foxes’ toil conceals Eagles’ difficulty.
On Saturday, the pessimism surrounding Leicester City and Brendan Rodgers may have benefited Patrick Vieira and Crystal Palace. Rodgers is in a vulnerable position after winning only one of his last 10 games, while Vieira has only won two of his last nine despite the euphoria around a revitalized Palace squad.
The Frenchman deserves a great deal of credit for altering the style and profile of the Crystal Palace squad, but it was concerning that a team brimming with energy barely threatened the weakest defense in the league during a terrible game.
Odsonne Édouard and Eberechi Eze had their moments, while Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew, and Michael Olise, who came on as a replacement, were inactive. Ebs is one of the forward players with talent whom I would like to see contribute more, as stated by Vieira. “We intend to continue working with him to develop his finishing and goal-scoring abilities.” Ben Fisher
