THT analyses the five situations after Gameweek 5, including Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City, as well as potential managerial changes at the foot of the table.
The Premier League continued to pick up pace and shape up many things across the table. Sunday’s three games saw no winner, but Saturday was filled with entertaining games, which has painted a new picture this weekend about different teams and their credentials.
Liverpool continued to maintain their winning formula and extended their lead by five points following an entertaining draw between Arsenal and Manchester City. Chelsea faltered, while Manchester United made a statement, as these are some of the stories that shaped the weekend.
Other stories are developing, such as Manchester United proving they can get into a battle, while Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are showing impressive composure at the start of their season. There are many such situations, but we picked the best five and have gone with a top-heavy review of sorts.
Is Liverpool’s form sustainable?
There are two key arguments when it comes to analysing Liverpool: Is their form sustainable, and whether they have been lucky at the start of the season? There is a third scenario that has taken shape in the watching world, which tends to point towards a factor that the Reds could get even better and weed out their defensive frailties.
On the Premier League table, Liverpool are at the front of the pack and have opened up a five-point lead after as many games, owing to the draw between Arsenal and Manchester City. However, four of their five wins have been late dramas, home and away, which begs the question about their form and its sustainability.
The general look might suggest they cannot continue the season with such late winners, although they have not been toothless in attack. It is also a factor in how teams set up against them, such as Burnley, who started and finished the game angling for a draw. Others like Bournemouth and Newcastle United took advantage of their defensive weaknesses to make the contest entertaining.
Arne Slot will want to take a look at their defensive setup first and foremost, as that is an area where teams can exploit. However, having weapons like Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak up front will almost always guarantee them goals on the other end, which does make their current form sustainable even if it may not be suitable for a title race.
Is Pep Guardiola adopting a pragmatic approach?
Manchester City made 60 clearances in the game against Arsenal and ended the contest with seven defenders on the pitch. That sounds more like what Mikel Arteta is revered for in the media, with commonly used tags like negative football, dark arts, and defensive tactics.
Pep Guardiola surprised a few with a pragmatic approach at the Emirates, and this could be a formula he might continue when facing big teams this season. He adapted a similar style against Manchester United a week earlier, but that was not relevant as they were finishing their chances.
Given Manchester City have the players for this type of tactics, Guardiola could give in to Arteta’s general approach to not lose big games rather than going all out for wins. Incidentally, this mentality is what Manchester City lacked during their lacklustre Premier League campaign last time out, and this approach could be here to stay.
The Arsenal game was probably a sample, as Guardiola could put in similar shifts against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham in the time ahead. The one thing he will feel disappointed about is that Arteta found a way to break the nasty low block deployed by Guardiola, something the Catalan boss will work to polish in the weeks ahead.
Arsenal are Liverpool’s main contenders for the Premier League title
While some Arsenal fans will see the five-point gap between their team and leaders Liverpool, and cast doubts about a possible title challenge. Well, it is only five games into the season, and there are plenty of factors that could swing either way as the campaign progresses.
In hindsight, Arsenal have gone away to Old Trafford and Anfield while facing only one newly promoted side, as well as playing Manchester City. Arteta would have aimed for three points against Guardiola’s side, particularly at the Emirates, but this game being played this early in the season may not have as much of an effect on their title race.
The tie with Leeds United aside, Arsenal took eight points off the other four opponents in the corresponding Premier League fixtures last season, and this time they are on seven. Hence, the difference is not alarming, although Arteta will view the first difficult patch of their season over, and he will want to go big in the games after the Newcastle United clash.
After the trip to St. James’ Park, Arsenal do have games Arteta will want to win at all costs, and see more as a moderate run compared to the opening six games. Likewise, Liverpool have a difficult period upcoming, and their performances against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City, while keeping pace in the UEFA Champions League, will determine Slot’s credentials in the title race.
As for Arsenal, they are well within range of Liverpool heading into the second phase of their Premier League campaign. Arteta must change some of his tactics to suit the attacking talents he has in his squad, which will bring plenty of success in front of goal, as he already has a set defence to keep the gates locked at the back.
Chelsea have not had a good start to their Premier League campaign
Chelsea had another busy summer transfer window, where they got in a few quality attackers while letting go of some of their settled stars like Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson. Whether their signings were on the mark remains the question, but those players should have been enough to see through an easy period in their opening five games.
Barring the trip to Old Trafford, where they have not won in over a decade, there is an argument to be had about whether they had the easiest run compared to their top-end rivals. Enzo Maresca is widely expected to get his team challenging for the title, even if they do not end up winning it, and given their performances so far, the Blues look more like a team only there to challenge for a top-four place.
Given the cluster of big games played by Arsenal and Manchester City, as well as Liverpool to an extent, Chelsea should have achieved at least 12-13 points in their opening five games. However, draws against Crystal Palace and Brentford, home and away respectively, have cost them, while the loss at Old Trafford ensured they only have eight points from their opening five fixtures.
Luckily for Chelsea, they do not have clusters of big games in the upcoming months, as it is the final stretch of the season when they will have daunting fixtures coming thick and fast. However, Maresca failed to take the opportunity head-on in the opening patch, and this might end up costing them a shot at the Premier League title.
Unai Emery and Graham Potter are in trouble
Getting the Graham Potter discussions out of the way, another defeat for West Ham United at the weekend, especially on home soil, may have marked the beginning of the end for the Hammers boss. The Hammers are already exploring the market for suitable replacements, with Gary O’Neil among those being considered alongside Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna.
Nuno Espirito Santo is also a contender for the job, and the Portuguese tactician will be the ideal fit compared to other names on their shortlist. The decision to look for replacements is the right one, as Potter has failed to get a tune out of the squad, and getting him removed at this stage of the season will serve the club well, given the season is still fresh and there’s plenty of time to climb back out of the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, the big managerial talking point could commence at Villa Park, where Unai Emery has had an underwhelming start to the new campaign. Having failed to win and even score in their opening four games, there seemed to be some hope away at Sunderland on Sunday, when the hosts went down to ten men. Matty Cash’s second-half opener was cancelled out before the final whistle, which will cast fresh doubts about Emery.
Despite having a competitive squad, Emery is not visibly able to coach the team to score goals. Moreover, they exited the EFL Cup against Brentford last week, which adds to the pressure on the manager. Should results continue to evade Aston Villa, the club’s board could begin scrutinising Emery’s position at the helm, which at the moment seems only like a matter of time.
The upcoming games will be crucial, especially in the Europa League, as Aston Villa have ambitions to challenge for a Champions League place via a top-four or five Premier League finish. Alternatively, they could decide on Emery if he has an underwhelming start in the Europa League, given his nous in he competition, which also marks a direct entry into the Champions League if they win it.
