Gameweek six of the Premier League saw big wins for Manchester City and Arsenal, with Manchester United and Chelsea losing ground.
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The sixth Gameweek of the 2021-22 Premier League season is finished, and things remain as tight as ever. It’s still early days but it is amazing to see the top 6 seperated by a point only. In fact, the teams currently placed 2-5 are all on 13 points, with goal difference being the metric separating them. Another week of intense action in England’s top flight has not been able to see the top half of the table get much distance between the teams. And the exact same thing can be said about the teams at the bottom half of the table.
However, some results clearly spoke louder than others. And, with that in mind, let us look at the big talking points at the end of the PL’s gameweek.
The first of the two big fixtures this week kicked off the Gameweek, and the result would have gone down well in the blue half of Manchester. A sole Gabriel Jesus goal was enough to give City all the three points. Finally, Pep Guardiola has a win over Thomas Tuchel in the Premier League. And, more importantly, City are showing they can’t be counted out.
A lot of talk has focused on City’s lack of a true goal-scorer up front. The failure to land either Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo was seen as a reason why City might fall behind the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and even Manchester United. However, their ability to play good football and win games remains even without a world-class number 9.
For Chelsea it is a disappointing result, but hardly the worst of losses early on. However, Tuchel might have to re-analyse some of their tactics. The ultra-defensive attitude didn’t work, just as the shift to a 3-5-2 from their patented 3-4-3 formation didn’t. There were definitely some lessons to be learnt from the game.
Manchester United’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa will undoubtedly sting, not least due to the penalty drama towards the end of the game. However, the Red Devils remain in the top 4 for now and are level on points with both City and Chelsea. That, however, is not the main concern as things stand.
No, the main issue right now is that United’s bright start to the season seems to have fizzled out. They have now lost three of their last four games, with all of them being matches of fine margins. United lost 2-1 to Young Boys in the Champions League, beat West Ham 2-1 in the Premier League, lost to the Hammers 1-0 in the League Cup and now lost 1-0 to Villa in the league.
Again, it remains early days and United’s newer buys will take time to adjust into the side. But it is a worrying run of form for Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s men and he will want them to turn things around soon. Of course, their upcoming run of fixtures – Villareal in the Champions League, Everton in the league, Atalanta in the CL and then Leicester in the PL – means that is easier said than done.
What a difference a month can make. At the end of August, Nuno Espirito Santo was named Premier League manager of the month after Tottenham Hotspur won three games 1-0. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s men, however, were winless and goalless. Now Arsenal have won three on the trot whereas Spurs have lost three on the trot. The latest loss for Spurs was a crushing 3-1 loss to their North London rivals.
It is exactly the kind of turnaround Arteta was hoping for. To Arsenal’s credit, they have taken advantage of the recent easier fixtures and begun imposing themselves more. As for Spurs, they looked shockingly at sea for the first half. Was it down to tactics or the manager? It’s easy to blame one, but it seemed to be a bit of both.
However, both sides remain a work in progress. Arsenal under Arteta are far too prone to lapsing back into the bad habits of old. Conversely, Spurs are able to grind out wins against opposition you would expect them to blow away. It is an ideal result for the Gunners, and a less-than-ideal one for their neighbours. But it says precious little about either side’s progress under new management.
Enough has been said about Brighton making a mockery of their xG stats last season – and that is just in this very column alone! But the Seagulls continued their excellent start to the season with a hard-earned point away to Crystal Palace on Monday night thanks to a Neal Maupay injury time equaliser.
Palace are something of an inconsistent side right now, but were on course for an unlikely win at home. However, few can argue that Brighton did not deserve the point, and they currently remain level on points with the likes of City, United and Chelsea.
How long can Graham Potter’s men stay there? Who knows, but it is solid progress from a side with a fraction of the top teams’ budget. And, given the kind of football they play, seems highly deserved too.
That newly-promoted Brentford are giving teams a tough fight is little surprise. What is surprising, however, is how many points they are taking off top sides in their debut season in the top flight. Most teams would wilt after giving up a lead to 2019-20 champions Liverpool on three occasions.
Brentford, however, are not most teams. And they hit back thrice against their more established opponents to end the game with a truly well deserved point. They currently sit ninth in the league and don’t seem to be candidates for the drop, at least early on.
The goal for this season will always be staying up. At this rate, Brentford look well set to accomplish that goal and that is praiseworthy in of itself.
That’s all for this week, folks. See you in a few days!
