It has been another week of scintillating soccer in the English Premier League. Here are some talking points from the week gone by –
1. We finally see Luis Suarezs Jekyll avatar After recent criticism from every manager and defender in the EPL regarding his attitude, diving and what not, we finally see why Luis Suarez is so highly rated. His amazing chest control, delicate first touch to side step the goalie and put the ball into the net with relative ease is something Dennis Bergkamp would be proud of. These are skills that only a handful in the world is capable of and boy, can he play! If Liverpool manages to keep him fit for the season, then he may well recapture the form that saw him plunder 50 goals a season for Ajax.
2. Gunners guns gone cold? It is sad that a team that defined modern English league attacking football is now struggling to understand the concept of attacking. A team that is used to scoring for fun could not even muster a single shot on target and needless to say, if you are not going to buy a ticket, you wont win the lottery. The manager must realize that Andre Santos is not a defender and stop playing players in the wrong positions. Square pegs never fit into round holes. Just because Thierry Henry was able to switch from the wing to striker, doesnt mean everyone can change positions. Henry is irreplaceable and Arsene Wenger should find a way to get around that. They should start winning, if not for their sake, at least for footballs sake.
3. Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooneys combination At the end of the game, the strikers called themselves neither a perfect number nine or ten, rather nine and a half. Hard work pays, and these two have can support each other in attack, know how to pick a pass, take set pieces, and have great aerial ability and pretty much can do anything. Their pace and incisive passing can rip up any attack. Arsenal was on the receiving end of some poor finishing, but some team is surely going to see these two rip them apart.
4. Everton are the real deal – Traditionally, Everton have been slow starters and become unplayable once Christmas is over. But Christmas seems to have come early, and Everton suddenly seem to be playing some sumptuous football, beating Manchester United in the season opener. Marouane Fellaini seems to towering over opponent defenders like taking candies from a kid. Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar have been the most efficient left wing combination this season. Kevin Mirallas seems to have brought some trickery with him, something that Everton never had before. Just watch out for them.
5. This is going to be the closest title race ever Although the top 3 seem to be pulling away from the rest, it is still early days in the season. West Brom, Everton, Fulham, Newcastle, Liverpool, West Ham, Swansea are all not far behind the rest. No fixture is easy nowadays. An upset can come from anywhere. As we saw last year, it is only a matter of 5 games in which a ten point lead can be overturned. Just wait for Arsenal and Tottenham to hit some form and then things are going to get interesting in the EPL. Great times lie ahead!