Could Aston Villa join the title race? Is Sunderland the best promoted team in history? – Hits and misses in the PL | Soccer News

Should Villa be taken seriously as title challengers?

Aston Villa began their quest for the title after an impressive come-from-behind win against Brighton. Unai Emery’s side overcame an early two-goal deficit to pick up points and continue to put pressure on their rivals.

Currently in third place, six points behind leaders Arsenal, Arsenal are in good form and are making the most of the uncertainty around them when they return to Villa Park this weekend. Chelsea’s loss to Leeds has paved the way and Villa will be looking to mount an onslaught.

Ollie Watkins is back in goal after enduring his fair share of criticism. And whether he’s first choice or not, Donyell Malen has proven to be a capable goal-getter.

Morgan Rodgers has also improved, taking his tally to three assists this season after Villa failed to find the back of the net.

Emery praised the team’s performance during the winning streak, as well as the execution of the role that formed the basis of the team’s stability.

The season continues to meander into the new year, and any effort to suggest a new challenger alongside leaders Arsenal appears futile. But it would be foolish to ignore Villa’s accusations, especially ahead of their next meeting with the Gunners.
William Bitibili

Who is Merino Arsenal’s best striker?

When did Mikel Merino start being seen as a striker who sometimes plays in midfield rather than a midfielder who sometimes fills in? This was just the latest example of the 29-year-old playing that role as a matter of course.

Merino has scored or assisted in five of the six games he has started up front for Arsenal since being drafted back following an injury to Victor Gokeres. In this match he achieved both, heading home for the first goal and sending off Saka for the second.

He has scored 21 goals for club and country this year, 11 of which have come this season. His total of 14 headers in all competitions since the start of last term is the most of any Premier League player.

Arsenal have Gokeres and Gabriel Jesus available again, with Kai Havertz right behind them, but they will all struggle to displace Merino, whose value to the team is not limited to goals and assists. His intelligence makes his teammates better.

When he’s not taking chances in the box, he drops into midfield, swapping places with teammates and generally confusing the opposition defence. Since moving up to the front a month ago, Arsenal have scored 15 goals in six games.

Something clicked. And that has a lot to do with merino. A makeshift striker might be the best option in this position at the moment.
nick wright

Lack of maturity Chelsea’s Achilles heel

The 3-1 defeat at Leeds may have been unexpected for Chelsea, but the manner of the defeat and the profile of their opponents told an all-too-familiar story.

Coach Enzo Maresca’s team entered the match in their best form this season. They have won five of their last seven games, with impressive performances in their last two games in all competitions against Arsenal and Barcelona, ​​arguably two of the best teams in the world.

But this is when Chelsea are most likely to win. We’ve seen this before. After similarly impressive wins against Benfica, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Ajax earlier this season, Chelsea lost at home to Sunderland.

The result was the same on Wednesday against another promoted team. Without Reece James and Moises Caicedo, perhaps their two most mature players, the Blues lacked composure and composure in the middle of the park and looked lost at sea after conceding an early goal. Andrej Santos was repeatedly bullied off the ball by the impressive Anton Stac, and Enzo Fernandes looked weak when dropped deep in midfield.

Chelsea proved on this day that they can beat anyone. However, the Premier League’s youngest side (average age 24 years, 178 days) have repeatedly shown a lack of maturity against lower-ranked opponents and could have cost them their chance at the title this time around.
Noah Langford

Liverpool’s fight is on the decline

Liverpool’s first draw of the Premier League season could have been much worse for Arne Slott as the pressure mounted on them following a string of defeats. Slott admitted after the match that Anfield may have lost its fear factor. He’s probably right.

“Obviously the team we play thinks they can get a result,” said the club, who narrowly avoided a 10th defeat in 14 games. Sunderland was a good enough game for the reigning champions, whose title defense appears to be weakening from the looks of the game. What is more worrying is their weak performance level.

While many players may drop in the standings over the course of a 38-game season, it’s rare for an entire team to drop this far. This latest setback was due to their inability to match the intensity of Sunderland, who were second best in attack and defense across the pitch.

Joe Gomez was praised for his solidity in the win over West Ham at the weekend, but lost eight of his nine games. Mo Salah lost all four points after being brought on in the second half. Even Dominik Szoboszlai, widely regarded as Liverpool’s most athletic and physical midfielder, won only one out of five duels on the ground.

Overall, Sunderland made more tackles, intercepted more and made more blocks, while also creating more shots on target at the other end. How could this have happened?
laura hunter

Falke’s new formulation offers hope for Leeds

Daniel Farke appears to have narrowly found the perfect formation for Leeds United in their new 3-5-2 formation, giving the club hope in their fight for survival.

The Leeds manager said he was keeping his cards close to his chest heading into the match but intended to stick to the form that produced a frenetic second half in the defeat to Man City.

This is only the fifth time Farke has not been included in a back four in the Premier League, but despite not being used to a 3-5-2, Chelsea were left puzzled by Leeds’ change in approach and could not find an answer.

Asked if this would be his new set formation, Falke replied: “Yes, of course it is possible. I always say that my football has never been linked to base formations and I am obsessed with principles.”

“For me, it was always clear that we have to be flexible this season. We have to be much more flexible than last season. Of course, this formation could be suitable for that.”

“I think it’s important for us to be flexible and a little unpredictable.”

Leeds can now keep their opponents guessing, but there is little doubt as to which formation will bring out the best players in Farke’s side. This is certainly the way forward.
Ginny Boswell

Is Sunderland the GOAT of the promoted team?

Sunderland have 23 points from 13 games, defeating Chelsea and drawing with Arsenal and Liverpool. The points tally was the highest by a promoted team since Wigan’s 25 points in the 2005/06 season. It’s not just a good thing. It’s a great, era-defining thing.

At Anfield, they showed that this is not a team that relies on luck to win close games or rely on last-minute heroics. Sunderland’s quality of chances, ground dominance and defensive structure are maturing at an alarming pace for a team expected to underpin the division. His composure in possession and aggression from it was a devastating combo, and his commanding performance at a venue like Anfield was quite remarkable.

He has already banked 23 points and his trajectory is approaching unprecedented. If they keep up this pace, Sunderland will not only surpass Wigan’s record but also join the shortlist of the best promoted teams in Premier League history.
lewis jones

It doesn’t have to be the same old for Burnley, it doesn’t have to be the same old.

Scott Parker has set the benchmark for Burnley and despite failing to find the back of the net against Crystal Palace, fans will be hoping for more from him.

After an all-too-familiar lackluster first half filled with possession and decent build-up but no final product, he changed things up at the break and immediately looked at a different team.

Substitute Jacob Bruun-Larsen improved from the restart, but it was the introduction of Hannibal Mebrizi and Marcus Edwards that took the game to Palace.

With half an hour left, Burnley finally bit, producing more xG in the first half than they had in the whole game, six.

Although he didn’t score yet, he hit the crossbar and came close to leveling the score with Chris Richards on the goal line. And, without breaking their defensive shape, Palace managed just three shots throughout the match.

Parker’s reluctance to attack has been a theme of concern for fans all season, but this shows that another way is possible, and it looks more fruitful.

Fans will be expecting more from him. But will it?
Ron Walker

Even the derby record looks like a test for Wolves

Rob Edwards looked encouraged by his improved performance after his first full week of training with his new players, despite the loss to Aston Villa. But Wolves’ performance in the home defeat to Nottingham Forest showed why they are doomed.

With this, the team has lost eight consecutive games in all competitions, leaving them at the bottom of the Premier League with just 12 points. They haven’t even allowed a goal in their last five games (three under Edwards). Against Forest we found it difficult to even get the ball close.

The Wolves manager admitted he asked his players at half-time if they had been very cautious in their work and reluctant to attempt forward passes, runs or dribbles. Jorgen Strand Larsen once again found himself alone at the front.

Wolves find their squad sorely lacking in quality and while their additions are very disappointing, that is not Edwards’ immediate concern. He has 24 Premier League games left and even Derby’s infamous 11-point record feels a long way off.
Adam Bate