1. Man United’s big players must take more responsibility
Despite an
impressive, committed display from Premier League new boys Burnley, Manchester United will wonder how they left Turf Moor without three points today.
Despite fielding an expensively assembled team, they could find no way past Burnley’s admirable work horses.
Of course, there are several excuses to offer — the team are still
getting used to Louis van Gaal’s 3-5-2 system, many of the squad have
yet to reach full fitness and recover from their World Cup exploits, and
there are still a number of important players to come into the side.
That said, it was still an unacceptable performance by the Red
Devils’ standards, as on paper United are vastly superior to Burnley.
Consequently, it’s surely about time that the persistently ineffectual
likes of Robin van Persie, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney start to accept a
bit more responsibility and take greater risks during games — otherwise,
a repeat of the Moyes era or worse may ensue.
2. Stoke consolidate reputation as Manchester City’s bogey team
Of the incredible 102 goals Man City scored in the Premier League last season, just one came against Stoke.
There was consequently a suspicion that Mark Hughes and his men had
identified a weakness in the City set-up, and such a belief will only be
strengthened on today’s evidence.
Stoke managed to do what just one side (Chelsea) achieved in the league last season –
beat Man City at the Etihad.
This unlikely victory can be attributed to a mixture of resolute
defending, intelligent tactics, lacklustre City attack play and perhaps
most vitally of all, luck — Marc Wilson was fortunate not to concede a
penalty at one point when he stuck a leg out in the vicinity of an
onrushing Yaya Toure, yet the referee chose to give the Irishman the
benefit of the doubt, booking the Ivory Coast international for diving
and compounding the hosts’ misery in the process.
3. Chelsea formidable but not infallible
Chelsea have arguably been the most impressive team in the Premier
League so far this season, and they certainly looked imperious
against Everton at Goodison Park today.
In an attacking sense, Jose Mourinho can have few complaints with his side, who were at their clinical best.
Perhaps the most pleasing aspect for the manager to take from the
game is that it more or less confirmed the speed with which his new
signings are adapting to life in the Premier League — Diego Costa took
his overall tally to four goals in the three games, while Cesc Fabregas
now has five assists in as many appearances as his Spanish teammate.
That said, defensively, there will be cause for concern. Eden
Hazard’s tendency to wander often left full-back Cesar Azpilicueta a
little exposed, with Seamus Coleman and Aiden McGeady posing Chelsea
considerable problems down the right, to the extent that the visitors
could easily have conceded even more than the three they ultimately let
in.
4. Swansea flying high
There are currently just two teams that have won three games in the
Premier League this season and who sit joint top of the table as a
result — Chelsea and Swansea (though Tottenham could join them if they
beat Liverpool tomorrow).
The Welsh side had already defeated Manchester United and Burnley before they continued their perfect start to the season as
they overcame a hapless West Brom outfit 3-0 this afternoon.
The feat is particularly impressive because, in stark contrast with
fellow league leaders Chelsea, Swansea are a team without
stars. However, one ostensibly astute purchase has been Gylfi
Sigurdsson. The Icelandic international, taken from Tottenham in the
summer in what is his second stint at the Liberty Stadium outfit, has
had an excellent start to the season and was influential again today,
with two assists.
Moreover, in Nathan Dyer, they boast a player whose confidence is
currently boundless, with three goals in three appearances including a
brace today.
Though the table at the start of the season can be notoriously
deceptive, the early signs suggest Garry Monk and his men could be set
to enjoy an excellent season, as evidenced especially by the commanding
nature of their display today.
5. Joy at last for Southampton
After a difficult summer in which many key players left, several pundits predicted Southampton would struggle this year.
Yet irrespective of these sweeping changes, they still possess a
number of highly talented players, including Morgan Schneiderlin who
scored a brace as they gained an impressive 3-1 victory over West Ham at
Upton Park this afternoon.
The Saints were ultimately rewarded for an adventurous starting
line-up that featured three recognised strikers, including Ireland’s
Shane Long, who was playing for the first time from the start since
securing a £12million move to the Saints recently.
After a less-than-assured beginning to the season, compared with the
heights of their last campaign, a win at Upton Park against a physically
imposing West Ham side undoubtedly is the type of performance that the
club can derive confidence from and build on from hereon in.
Result: Everton 3-6 Chelsea
"But even then I felt we showed great character and great belief and I felt we were getting back into it, but every time we did we were dealt a sucker punch. Our defending was not as good as it should be. We need to make sure our good play gets a lot more support from having a more solid defensive display.
"We should have protected Tim Howard a lot better. But we take responsibility as a team and in the same way promote all the good things we have. We have the experience and the know how. There were positives, Romelu Lukaku lasting along as he did and Samuel Eto'o arriving and having the impact he did."