The English and Welsh Premier League is past its second weekend as title co-favourites Manchester City and Chelsea dominate whilst the supposedly revitalised Manchester United continue to falter.
D. Ray Morton, 26th August 2014.
Stevan Jovetic put in arguably his finest Premier league performance thus far last night as he scored twice to help Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-1 at the Etihad
The Good
Last night, Manchester City swept aside a defensively frail Liverpool side thanks to a fine brace from in-form Stevan Jovetic and another from substitute Sergio Agüero in an exciting clash at the Etihad. Liverpool scored one of their own through another sub, Rickie Lambert, but it was not enough to claw back against the defending champions. Jovetic's performance was particularly impressive demonstrating the pace and technique he had shown at his former club Fiorentina but was not seen much last campaign as he struggled with injuries. Edin Džeko is another luxurious forward option and with Álvaro Negredo yet to come back, one imagines goals should not be a problem for Manuel Pellegrini's team as the campaign wears on.
Tottenham are sitting pretty on top of the Premier League table thanks to a storming win against Queens Park Rangers at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino's men strolled to a 4-0 victory against former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp's newly-promoted relegation candidates. The manner of the victory was worth taking note of. Spurs pressed extremely well and managed to keep possession beautifully throughout. This was the brand of football the Tottenham faithful wished for last season but it never materialised under André Villas-Boas or the man who followed him, Tim Sherwood. Érik Lamela impressed again and the club record signing is starting to show signs that he will not continue to be the flop that he was last season. New recruit, Eric Dier looks like an early candidate for signing of the season. Pochettino is developing a collective confidence at Spurs and as long as their players continue to grasp his philosophy, they will push hard for a Champions League spot.
Tottenham celebrate during their 4-0 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers
Speaking of Champions League spots, we move onto...
The Bad
Another disappointing weekend for Manchester United. This was the side that was supposed to pull up its pants this season, attack the top four spots and maybe even make a run for the title. Instead, two weeks in, they look like a shambles. Louis van Gaal's three at the back continues to struggle and their 1-1 away draw to Sunderland was lucky if anything as the Black Cats played the better football. Marcos Rojo and Ángel Di Maria (a reported €80m record signing) are set to come in soon and the other major clubs will get stuck into their European campaigns but big questions are being asked already. Is three at the back the way forward in a league that predominantly features lone striker formations? Will doubts creep in? Will the new players bed in or become expensive failures? Right now it is looking grim. Even if they continue to throw their money around and go after further targets before 1st September, such a rapidly slapped together XI could struggle some more. Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera, Rojo and Di Maria are all fine players but are not the types to run things on their own.
Di Maria in at Manchester United but that is no guarantee of immediate success
We have already mentioned Liverpool but did not mention the signing of Mario Balotelli. At €20m, it represents a potential bargain but the entire deal is somewhat puzzling. AC Milan were very quick to show him the door despite not having that many great strikers at San Siro already. Filippo Inzaghi became disillusioned with his presence and felt he was a poisonous presence in the dressing room. Brendan Rodgers has dealt with some bad boys in the past but "Super Mario" brings that to a whole new level. Even if he behaves himself off the pitch, he can be a right nuisance on the pitch when things do not go his way. Last season at Milan, he tended to sulk and move around very little if he felt the team was not playing well. Such arrogance, laziness, whatever you will call it, could simply not be accepted under the glaring cameras and the loud-mouthed reactions of the Premier League machine. Balotelli brings his best in patches. That is what he has done throughout his whole career. He may score a free-kick or two but do not expect a Luis Suárez replacement.
Adam Lallana, Mario Balotelli and Kenny Dalglish all happy...before Liverpool proceeded to get thumped by Manchester City
Results
Saturday
Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle
Chelsea 2-0 Leicester (D. Costa, E. Hazard)
Crystal Palace 1-3 West Ham (Chamakh; Zaraté, Downing, C. Cole)
Southampton 0-0 West Brom
Swansea 1-0 Burnley (N. Dyer)
Everton 2-2 Arsenal (Coleman, Naismith; Ramsey, Giroud)
Sunday
Hull City 1-1 Stoke City (Jelavic; Shawcross)
Tottenham 4-0 QPR (Chadli 2, Dier, Adebayor)
Sunderland 1-1 Manchester United (Rodwell; Mata)
Monday
Manchester City 3-1 Liverpool (Jovetic 2, Agüero; Lambert)
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