Football Weekly: Liverpool’s lead at top of Premier League is proving doubters wrong and more

1 year ago

On our football roundup, a look at the Premier League title race, evaluating Aston Villa’s performance at Spurs, a look at league leaders Liverpool, Gary O’Neil’s situation at Wolves and an update on what star man Jarrad Branthwaite has to do to get back in Everton’s lineup.

Transcript

00:00Coming up on our football round-up, a look at the Premier League title race,

00:05evaluating Aston Villa's performance at Spurs,

00:08a look at the league leaders Liverpool, Gary O'Neill's situation at Wolves,

00:12and an update on what star man Jared Brantway has to do to get back in Everton's line-up.

00:21They're not going to lose many games at all this season, are they?

00:25Because after the next break, OK, they've got Manchester City up pretty quickly,

00:32but Liverpool could raffle up quite a few points from now between the festive periods.

00:37Once it's the halfway stage, I think if Liverpool are banging the mix,

00:42then I think you'd be disappointed if they don't go all the way

00:45and challenge for the title until the end of the season.

00:49One thing Arnie Slott's really shored up is the defence.

00:52Just quickly, on them and that fantastic defensive record,

00:56can that be the difference when it comes down to it in terms of winning the title?

01:02Yeah, it's a little bit more pragmatic, isn't it?

01:05Liverpool, I think it's not just the defence, I think it's the way Liverpool play.

01:08It's a bit more measures, a bit more control.

01:11We know Jadon Klopp, he likes his team to be maybe a little bit fiddled,

01:16a little bit chaotic, but it's different than Arnie Slott.

01:20But just the way Liverpool approach games, it's settled things down a little bit

01:24and not made it as frenetic at times.

01:28And that's definitely having a positive effect on the back four.

01:33But at the weekend, again, a lack of incision, a lack of creativity at times,

01:40and it is a concern.

01:41And ultimately, I don't think they've ever been the most offensive,

01:44attacking, creative team under Arteta, but they've been keeping clean sheets.

01:47So it doesn't matter when you only have to score one goal in to win a game

01:51if you're keeping clean sheets.

01:52They're not keeping clean sheets at the moment.

01:54They're defensively struggling.

01:56I mean, as a quick sidebar, I brought three Arsenal defenders

02:01in my fantasy team a few weeks ago because they had a nice run of games

02:04against Leicester, Stamford and Bournemouth.

02:06They didn't keep a clean sheet in any of them.

02:08And that probably sums up, I think, where they're at a little bit at the moment.

02:11So I think they'll improve.

02:12I think they'll get back to the levels we saw recently,

02:14but at the moment, just not quite playing as well as we knew they can.

02:19Liverpool being at the top of the standings,

02:21I wouldn't have expected that so quickly.

02:23Arna Slott settling in so well after Jürgen Klopp's departure.

02:27Thought it might take six months to a season,

02:29maybe for him to get to that kind of form, but proving everybody wrong.

02:32Had he not been for that Nottingham Forest defeat as well,

02:34they'd be right even further at the top of the standings.

02:37But I thought it'd be Man City and Arsenal running away with it again.

02:41Man City, of course, losing away to Bournemouth,

02:43a massive surprise there and definitely makes things a bit more interesting.

02:47And then Arsenal losing against Bournemouth and losing against Newcastle.

02:51They just haven't quite been at the races so far.

02:54I think the injuries for Odegaard, Saliba, Calafiore,

02:59Raheem Sterling as well has not been able to quite settle in

03:01as well as expected.

03:02Paquio Saka has not been at best fitness.

03:05That is going to hinder them.

03:06And of course now Edu leaving in the director's room,

03:09going away to Nottingham Forest.

03:10That might shake things up even further.

03:12Very disappointing start for Arsenal,

03:14actually to try and keep themselves level-headed

03:17and realise it's a long season ahead.

03:19Yeah, on to Aston Villa, obviously, you know,

03:22you were there at the Spurs ground.

03:24What was the sort of take from that game?

03:26Was there some sort of concern how they, you know,

03:29sort of capitulated completely?

03:31You know, Spurs do have that in them,

03:33obviously with some inconsistency at times,

03:35but they do have that in them to go and really hurt teams

03:38with their fierce attack

03:40and their relentless sort of high pressure

03:42and the way they sit high at the pitch.

03:44But was there sort of concerns

03:46and what was Emre's sort of reaction to that loss?

03:49I think there was a lot of concern from the fan base

03:51and rightfully so, to be honest,

03:53because they did capitulate in that second half.

03:56In the first half, it was very even, Stephens,

03:58not really many chances on either end

04:00and Morgan Rodgers scoring that opening goal

04:02from the only shot on target of the entire half.

04:04You go into the second half thinking,

04:06OK, we just need to hold on to this now.

04:08Sit deep, be patient, just as they were in the first half,

04:11but they looked completely different, Villa.

04:13They didn't have any real concentration.

04:15It only took four minutes for Brennan Johnson to equalise.

04:18And then there was an injury for Matty Cash,

04:20went off with a calf problem.

04:22Diego Carlos came on,

04:23Ezra Combs had moved over to right back

04:25and the whole shape of the back line just went completely.

04:28The offside trap was really effective before that point.

04:31Suddenly that went out the window.

04:33On the overlap with Richarlison coming on

04:35for Jungmin Son,

04:36Son having the first cross as well for the Brennan Johnson goal.

04:40Just so open in behind.

04:42I know Villa like to play a high line and it's risky at times,

04:45but it normally works with that offside trap.

04:47It just didn't in that second half at Spurs.

04:49Carlos out of position for the second and third Spurs goals

04:53and then for the fourth, James Maddison's free kick.

04:56He gave away that free kick in a very dangerous area.

04:59A pretty terrible performance off the bench from Carlos.

05:02He's been very inconsistent,

05:03sometimes brilliant, sometimes terrible.

05:05I think Villa will be a little bit concerned

05:07that someone like Matty Cash,

05:08he's not the best player at the club, is he?

05:10Him coming off, how can it have such an impact?

05:12Well, it did and it cost a defeat at Tottenham.

05:17Looking at Liverpool,

05:18obviously the key headline after almost 10 games

05:21in the Premier League season was that they hadn't really played anyone

05:25to get a real test of what Arnie Schlott's doing at the club.

05:29He said that himself and then a few games later

05:32they've had some real tests and they've been up to them as well.

05:35Are they sort of proving the doubters wrong?

05:38I mean, they're looking like the business.

05:41Obviously Manchester City lose their unbeaten streak as well.

05:45Arsenal are sort of suffering.

05:47Liverpool just seem to be.

05:48Yes, they lost against Nottingham Forest at Anfield,

05:51but other than that,

05:52they've been pretty flawless so far in this Premier League campaign.

05:55Well, that Nottingham Forest defeat isn't actually looking as bad

06:00as you might have thought it would at the time,

06:02because Nottingham Forest, as we speak,

06:03are at the third in the table flying and Arnie Schlott,

06:06I think, is still a little bit hurt by that.

06:08Given how dominant Liverpool were in that game against Forest,

06:13you have to take some positives from that, given what's happened.

06:16But as you say, after the season restarted,

06:20following the international break,

06:22this was a massive run of fixtures when you looked at it.

06:25Likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, RB Leipzig in the Champions League,

06:30and Liverpool haven't lost a game.

06:32They've only dropped points against Arsenal,

06:35which, OK, Liverpool weren't exactly great,

06:39but you're going away to a team that's finished runner-up

06:42in the past two seasons.

06:43It was always going to be difficult for Liverpool,

06:46and they showed the grit and resilience that is required.

06:50Chelsea, they were very good for the most part,

06:54bar the Jackson goal.

06:56I can't really remember Chelsea having an awful lot of chances.

07:00Brighton as well, we know that they're flying,

07:03and Liverpool were pretty poor in the first half,

07:05but you have to give a lot of compliments to Brighton.

07:07But again, Liverpool sorted themselves out at half-time,

07:10and it almost felt like that was the day

07:12it was announced as Liverpool manager.

07:14At the end, there were raucous scenes at Anfield,

07:17and it almost got those fans trying to build up the clock,

07:23fist-pumps, but Arnaus lost, partly declined that.

07:26When you're getting that sort of reaction,

07:31that's when you know that you've been welcomed in,

07:35and all the doubts have maybe been proved wrong.

07:38As we speak, they've got Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League,

07:41a massive game, these are German champions.

07:43Then Aspen Villa.

07:44If Liverpool don't lose those two games,

07:47then they're not going to lose many games at all this season, are they?

07:52Because after the next break, OK,

07:56they've got Manchester City up pretty quickly,

07:58but Liverpool could raffle quite a few points

08:01from now between the festive periods.

08:04Once it hits the halfway stage,

08:06I think if Liverpool are banging the mix,

08:08then I think you'd be disappointed if they don't go all the way

08:11and challenge for a title until the end of the season.

08:17Wolves are still winless in the Premier League

08:19after drawing against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

08:22It finished 2-2 at Molineux,

08:24with the home side dropping points once again

08:26from a winning position,

08:28having initially showed good character to come from one goal down

08:31to lead the game.

08:33Gary O'Neill was defiant after the game,

08:35but the Wolves manager now finds himself under big pressure.

08:39Quite possibly, he may now just have one game to save his job.

08:43Onus Fosun could sack him if Wolves don't beat Southampton.

08:48It's crucial that Onus listen to the fans,

08:51and it's clear at this point that many have now turned on O'Neill.

08:55There are some options out there at the moment.

08:57Some have called for the club to bring in David Moyes,

09:00a man with huge Premier League experience

09:02and someone who did a fantastic job at West Ham

09:05to turn their fortunes around.

09:07It's currently one win in 20 Premier League games

09:10and none since April.

09:14On to Everton.

09:17In terms of the line-up issues at the top,

09:21one week it's Beto, one week it's Calvert-Lewin at the moment.

09:25Beto then equalises against Fulham in a real lay

09:29at Goodison Park,

09:31and then he goes with Calvert-Lewin away at Southampton.

09:34What's the situation?

09:36What are the fans wanting?

09:38What's the reaction to this chopping and changing between the two?

09:42How do you get the best out of both of them?

09:44It's quite a bit of a headache at the moment for Sean Dycher, it seems.

09:48Yes, it's been Calvert-Lewin starting for the most part,

09:51but as you say, in the last two games,

09:53Beto has come on and made an impact.

09:56But when Beto started games in the past,

09:59has he made that same impact as when he's come off the bench

10:03and legs are tired?

10:05It's a bit of an enigma, to be honest with you, Beto.

10:10He causes problems, but he's not exactly polished,

10:14whereas Calvert-Lewin gives you that focal point up front.

10:20He's got a lot more now, obviously,

10:22he knows the Premier League,

10:24but he's not scoring goals in the minutes,

10:26he's not getting too many chances,

10:28he's missed a couple straight offsides against Fulham.

10:31But it comes back to Evan playing to his strengths as well.

10:35Obviously, when you think of Calvert-Lewin,

10:37you think of that season under Carlo Ancelotti.

10:40And Jarrod Brantway,

10:41obviously we mentioned him in the summer,

10:43a massive name for them.

10:45Looking at his stats last season, 41 games played,

10:49obviously only three so far, one start, 96 minutes.

10:54What does he have to do to get into this side?

10:57And is it as simple as just casting him straight back in

11:00because he has that quality?

11:02Yes, it's been a surprise that he hasn't come back in,

11:05if truth be told,

11:07because he's Evan's best player.

11:09Let's be frank, maybe bar Jordan Pickford,

11:13he's Evan's best player,

11:15and we've seen how good he was last season,

11:18broken to the England set-up,

11:19was targeted by Manchester United,

11:21obviously had his injury issues.

11:26I can understand to an extent why Sean's like that,

11:29and pulling back in,

11:30because the defensive partnership,

11:33we're doing quite well.

11:34But, A, Evan have been beaten now,

11:38so you maybe do change your team,

11:40and B, you should always,

11:42as an agent, you should always play your best team.

11:44And I know that Sean Dyche might have thought

11:47it may be harsh on Michael Keane to drop him,

11:49but Jarrod Brantway gives you a lot more.

11:53First of all, he's a left footer,

11:54so he gives you more balance on the ball.

11:56He's more comfortable on the ball than Michael Keane.

Football Weekly: Liverpool’s lead at top of Premier League is proving doubters wrong and more

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended