Liverpool were \u2018simply unacceptable\u2019 in defeat to Chelsea and not one single player \u2019emerged with any credit\u2019. But Arsenal should face more criticism.<\/p>\n
We also have thoughts on, well, Stewie.<\/p>\n
Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.<\/p>\n
One normal weekend of Barclays<\/strong><\/p>\n What a weekend!<\/p>\n Amorim stans claiming the United win as a win for the system (when we lose, it\u2019s the fault of the players), after a surprising result at home to a promoted side<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Liverpool *lose* to a late goal.<\/p>\n Arsenal get a penalty given even though the foul is outside the box to wrap up a win. (You guys really need to never complain about referees again.)<\/p>\n The German Isak-replacing giant on the Toon pops up with another goal<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Everton show considerable spirit against\u00a0 Glasner\u2019s giant-killing Palace<\/strong><\/a> to maintain one record at the cost of another. (If Glasner comes to United, add Munoz to the list to bring along).<\/p>\n But, some things never change. Good old VAR, either looking at things that don\u2019t need extensive deliberation or failing to identify an obvious throwing of a punch at someone or where fouls take place. Classic.<\/p>\n Insert \u201cthis is what makes the PL so special\u201d statement here. \u00a0<\/p>\n Chelsea dagger<\/strong><\/p>\n Where to begin. We beat the champions 2-1 with a dying minute goal from the Brazilian wunderkind<\/strong><\/a>. What made it even sweeter is that we did it with a back 4 of full backs because every single center back (except Chalobah who was suspended) we have got injured. We\u2019re also missing our best player, Palmer, and striker in Delap. Jo\u00e3o Pedro does an okay job but he needs an actual striker in front of him to play his best.<\/p>\n What surprised me the most with the win is how attacking we were in the last 15 minutes following the subs. I completely expected us to hunker down and protect the draw but Maresca had other plans. After seeing his subs against United and Brighton, this was a very welcome change and I hope it continues. He deserves credit. Liverpool at that point playing a back 4 with 2 midfielders certainly helped.<\/p>\n People constantly talk about this team lacking leaders but that wasn\u2019t the case\u00a0yesterday. Reece James is really blossoming as the leader of this team and he\u2019s doing it without pointing and shouting. Enzo and Caicedo are also leading by example. These 2 guys have had to play every game because of injuries to Lavia, Andrey Santos, Essugo and Palmer but it\u2019s not stopping them. Seeing the upturn in form of\u00a0Caicedo and Cucurella is one of the things that make me happy the most. No one mentions their prices anymore. I\u2019m still waiting for when the rest of the league will start singing Caicedo\u2019s praises as one of the best midfielders in the league now that he\u2019s added goals to his game.<\/p>\n Saving the best for last, Est\u00eav\u00e3o. That kid is the truth. I once read somewhere that one of the easiest ways to know if an \u201cunknown\u201d player is any good is by taking note of how often his teammates give him the ball. In the preseason game against Leverkusen, Palmer kept giving the ball to Est\u00eav\u00e3o almost every chance he could. I was surprised because he never gives the ball that often to Madueke or Neto. If Palmer can trust him that quickly, I have no reason not to. I hope we manage him carefully so he can become the player his potential deserves.<\/p>\n This is still just one win so I\u2019m not getting too carried away. The club world cup win has given people the wrong feeling about this team. Expecting us to challenge for the title was always more based in fantasy than reality. I believe we\u2019re the 4th best team in the league so a\u00a0realistic expectation is a top 4 finish and a closing of the gap to the teams above us.\u00a0I don\u2019t foresee a proper title challenge until at least 2 years, based on how the club is being run at the moment. \u00a0<\/p>\n Liverpool defeat \u2018unacceptable\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Losing at Palace didn\u2019t concern me (excellent side at full strength), and neither did losing at Galatasaray to a nonsense pen given by an egomaniacal ref.<\/p>\n But let\u2019s get it right. Losing to the Cole Palmer team minus Cole Palmer, and who made their way through their 4th to 7th choice CBs during the 90+, was simply unacceptable. I don\u2019t think any player who took part, either from the start or the bench, emerged with any credit. Some were worse than others, but no one escapes criticism. It was simply an awful, disjointed, muddled performance.<\/p>\n The international break couldn\u2019t come at a better time. I think everyone concerned needs two weeks away from it, to clear heads more than anything else.<\/p>\n The good news is, there couldn\u2019t be a better first fixture to come back to. Perhaps for the first time in a long time in that fixture, Liverpool go into it knowing that they simply MUST produce a good performance. That makes them dangerous and frankly I wouldn\u2019t want to be Manchester United going there on that Sunday.<\/p>\n Looking at the wider picture: still 2nd in the league<\/strong><\/a>, despite all the teething troubles. Talk of a crisis is just nonsense.<\/p>\n Indeed, perhaps more should be made of why Arsenal, the biggest net spenders in the league this summer (\u00a3260m outwards but only recouped \u00a310m in sales), who probably have the most well balanced squad and more familiarity in selection, haven\u2019t seen this Liverpool team off already. To only be a point ahead having already lost at Anfield, it feels to me suboptimal, considering how all the cards seemed stacked in their favour. Both Liverpool and City are breathing right down their necks, despite neither side clicking.<\/p>\n
Badwolf<\/strong><\/p>\n
Abdulazeez (I need one of Liverpool and City to wake up. Can\u2019t have Arsenal winning the league) Bristol<\/strong><\/p>\n