Liverpool v Manchester United
A lot of people are of the opinion that Manchester United lost probably their best chance of defeating bitter rivals Liverpool in their own backyard last Saturday. With the way Liverpool have been struggling for form lately, it would have been a great opportunity for high-flying Manchester United to do one on them and get the vital three points. But Jose Mourinho had other ideas. He chose to play safe. He went to Anfield with a defensive formation ready to settle for a draw while hoping to catch Liverpool on the break and land an unlikely victory. Liverpool needed the win but observers do not believe they did enough to earn it. Pundits believe Jurgen Klopp should have taken more risks by throwing in more strikers in the second half when it appeared United were content with a goalless draw. As it turned out, Klopp was lucky he kept his head and didn’t go gung-ho because that was exactly what Mourinho was waiting for. He was waiting for a space in the Liverpool midfield that would have opened up if Klopp decided to bring in an extra striker. On second thoughts, maybe Klopp should have gambled. Maybe we would have had a goal fest, instead of the boring nil nil we witnessed on Saturday.
Mourinho may have been okay with the draw away at a title rivals home, but the way Manchester City are going, defeating everyone who dares to meet them, not losing to your close rivals in their homes may not be enough to win the title. You may actually have to beat them home and away to be crowned champions. Pep Guardiola and his boys appear to have raised the barriers, it is now up to the rest to try and keep up with them.
Watford v Arsenal
Arsene Wenger complained that his team lost to Watford due to a dodgy penalty awarded to the home team but Troy Deeney has other ideas. The Watford captain said Arsenal lost because the players lacked cojones. He said there was no fight in the Arsenal players and that when the going got tough the Gunners were no where to be found. Unfortunately, Deeney was not saying anything that has not been obvious to everyone else, except perhaps Arsene Wenger. It is a general belief that one major reason Arsenal have not won the league since 2004 is the fact that the team have been lacking fighters with great mental strength who can lift up the team when things are not going as expected. Observers believe Arsenal can match the best of them when it is all about silky movements but when steel is needed Arsenal seem to bottle it. That’s why they always seem to have problems hard tackling clubs like Stoke City and West Brom. It is no coincidence that Arsenal stopped winning titles when strong men like Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Lauren left the club. Arsenal need strong leaders in the team but the manager doesn’t seem to think so. He appears comfortable coming up with lame excuses to explain away losses just like the one at Watford where they threw away a goal advantage and ended losing to an injury time goal.
Crystal Palace v Chelsea
We have always said we will know more about Antonio Conte this season when he has to combine playing in the Champions League with playing in the premier league. Last season he had it easy and he trotted to the title. If results in the last three games are anything to go by, Conte doesn’t seem to be coping well. He lost to Man City at home and away to Crystal Palace following weekend. On Wednesday, he was lucky to have escaped with a draw at home to Roma in the Champions League having first led with two goals. While struggling to cope on the pitch, Conte doesn’t appear to be faring better off it. He seems to be under pressure and frustrated. He appears to be falling for Mourinho’s mind games and that’s not always a good sign. Mourinho ranted about some managers crying over injuries to players but that he, Jose Mourinho. does no crying that he ignores the players and works with the fit ones. Despite Mourinho never mentioning any manager’s name, Conte took the bait and started calling Mourinho out, telling him to leave Chelsea alone and concentrate on Manchester United. This is a sign of a manager not at peace with himself. A manager under pressure. A manager about to crack under pressure. Let’s hope Conte has enough in his tank to see him and his players through these trying times. It will be a shame if he just gave up at the first hint of
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