PL hits and misses: Defenders beware – Haaland is better than ever

Premier League defenders beware: Haaland is better than ever

Seventy in 69. Erling Haaland is now going at a scoring rate better than a goal per game in the Premier League. It’s just incredible.

He made it back-to-back hat-tricks in the top flight – and his eighth in the competition – with his brilliant treble at West Ham on Saturday Night Football and the consensus among the Sky Sports pundits is the two-time Golden Boot winner is hitting new heights.

“What’s terrifying for every Premier League defender is he looks better than ever,” said Jamie Redknapp.

“Body language is a big thing. Last year he scored loads of goals but it felt like it was more hard work, the goals looked tougher to come by.

“Today it was a full repertoire: he caresses in the first, he bludgeons the second and the third one, he’s full of confidence and dinks it over the ‘keeper.”

Former City defender Micah Richards reckons Haaland is thriving from an extended break this summer due to Norway not qualifying for Euro 2024, saying: “I think the break in the summer did him a world of good. His energy, his body language has been outstanding.”

“He played unbelievable – not just with the ball but also defensively and offensively,” said Pep Guardiola.

“I’m really pleased for him. “He’s playing much better in everything. The details, he stays 20 minutes or half an hour after training sessions.

“Last season not even once was he there because he didn’t feel good – tired, niggles.”

Fit, fresh and on fire. At 24, Haaland could be just coming into his peak years.

“How are we going to stop this guy? I don’t know,” said Redknapp. Premier League defenders will be thinking the same thing.
Peter Smith

Arsenal have midfield crisis ahead of crucial Spurs derby

In letting seven players from last season’s contingent go and bringing just four in, Arsenal’s squad depth was under pressure after Friday’s transfer deadline. Mikel Arteta’s squad is good, but it’s susceptible to vulnerability in the event of a crisis.

Cue crisis.

In the space of 48 hours, Arsenal have lost new signing Mikel Merino for weeks due to a shoulder fracture in his first training session with the club – and now Declan Rice to a suspension, having let Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira leave. Their next game? A north London derby at Tottenham.

Arteta will have to be reliant on Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard as two of his three midfielders. Jorginho is next in line among the midfielders and while moving striker Kai Havertz back to an attacking midfield role is also an option, fellow forward Gabriel Jesus is currently out injured as the back-up to the German.

In any case, Havertz’s early season form shows he is best as a central striker, so would Arteta risk weakening another area of the pitch just to plug a hole?

There is the untested option of trying Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jurrien Timber or Ben White – who all have experience as central midfielders – in that role too. But they are far from ideal.

In fact, the whole situation is far from ideal. Arsenal have already dropped one point and it’s a potentially weakened side at Tottenham next. Then Manchester City.
Sam Blitz

Brighton were good even before Rice’s red card

Brighton had the chances to beat Arsenal, which left Fabian Hurzeler disappointed after the game with only a draw.

But a pleasing point for the young German manager is his style of play can work in multiple settings – even the challenging ones.

Reservations were had over Hurzeler’s Brighton after their first two games. They comfortably beat an Everton side set for a season near the relegation zone, while they only just got past a Manchester United team with serious holes in it.

But Brighton were excellent even before Declan Rice’s red card. They went in at half-time with most of the possession – 52 per cent. They gave the Gunners problems, with Yankuba Minteh’s header going close and Kaoru Mitoma firing wide in the first half.

They ended the afternoon with an xG of nearly two. Not many teams come away from the Emirates Stadium with that, let alone a point. This was another positive step made by Brighton.
Sam Blitz

Everton stoop to a new low

The Everton fans that decided to beat the full-time rush and leave early with their team 2-0 up and strolling to victory were the lucky ones.

They missed one of the most jaw-dropping and remarkable collapses in Premier League history from their weak and feeble side. Those that did witness it will be scarred for life.

Not only did Everton manage to concede three goals in a ramshackle nine-minute period, but they could also have conceded two more goals as Jordan Pickford had to come to their rescue twice.

Bournemouth didn’t do anything out of the ordinary – they just pumped balls into the box and that was enough to frighten the life out of an Everton defence that lacked leadership and especially the bravery to push up the pitch shown by Jarrad Branthwaite, whose absence remains critical.

James Tarkowski looks lost without him – and Everton are just lost in general.
Lewis Jones

Martin insists Saints won’t give up playing style – just like Burnley

Russell Martin is prepared to “die by the sword” rather than change Southampton’s playing style.

Two mistakes at the back while trying to pass out of defence led to their downfall at Brentford – a third defeat of the campaign.

Saints have had over 63 per cent possession in all of their games and, at the Gtech Community Stadium, had 18 shots but conceded 20. They are suffering in both boxes.

Already comparisons are being drawn with Burnley of last season, who tried to replicate their Championship-winning football but were relegated.

“Burnley are very different to us – very, very different,” insisted Martin. “They started out with the same intention and then, after however many bad results, went in a different direction. Actually, they were better when they went back to what they did in the Championship, in my opinion.

“We’re going to stick to what we’re doing. It’s got me this far and I will live and die by the sword.”
David Richardson

Mbeumo and Wissa growing without Toney

Are Brentford better without Ivan Toney? It is a question that will be answered this season.

“It’s a big statement,” said Brentford manager Thomas Frank. “Ivan has been a key player for us. He’s been one of our best players, if not our best player consistently with the amount of goals he scored for us.”

Brentford do not have the option of playing longer into a target man striker. Instead, they must play through the thirds and around the sides, utilising their wing-backs.

Against Southampton, they played with a back four and front three. Kevin Schade and Bryan Mbeumo kept their width while Yoane Wissa roamed freely in the striker position.

“No one is the same,” said Frank. “So it’s tiny different dynamics and constellations and relationships, and then that will create something to the team.”

Mbeumo and Wissa are developing a solid partnership while the likes of Schade, Keane Lewis-Potter and Fabio Carvalho can add further quality to their attack.

Frank added: “We played some fantastic football with Ivan in the team. It’s more credit to the other players that they’re stepping up. When a player goes out that is so dominant in many aspects, others will grow.”
David Richardson

‘Ballistic’ O’Neil risks sounding like broken record

As VAR went through one of its many teething phases last season, no club butted heads with the technology’s continued introduction more than Wolves and their campaign beset by contentious decisions.

For a moment on Saturday, if Gary O’Neil’s behaviour was to be believed, history looked on course to repeat itself just three games into the new Premier League campaign.

With Nottingham Forest and Wolves drawing 1-1 at the City Ground, a ball into the Forest area hit the outstretched arm of Chris Wood, who was oblivious as he tracked the run of Craig Dawson.

The days when such an incident would prompt the immediate awarding of a penalty are long gone but, even before the introduction of this season’s improved handball guidelines, it’s hard to imagine consensus being reached on such a nuanced incident.

Referee Simon Hooper and the VAR officials didn’t think it was a penalty, and neither did Paul Merson in the Soccer Saturday studio.

Yet O’Neil erupted. “He’s gone ballistic!” Merson said as he viewed footage of O’Neil being shown a yellow card.

O’Neil put his protests down to an emotional outburst rather than a calculated assault on Hooper’s integrity, sentiment he shared with the referee, though that contrition failed to secure a reprieve from punishment.

O’Neil’s protests were further undermined by the fact Forest were denied a penalty in similar, if somewhat more convincing circumstances, in the first half when Jorgen Strand Larsen prevented a ball from reaching Wood with his arm.

With the scars of last season’s injustice clearly yet to heal, O’Neil would be best served keeping his cool, otherwise that narrative could take root in this campaign.
Jack Wilkinson

Traore is finally pairing his dynamic dribbling with a clinical edge

Adama Traore was up to his usual tricks against Ipswich, taking every chance he could to run past anyone in a blue shirt. Leif Davis was the chief victim of his feints and forays, joining many a Premier League full-back in puzzling at how to match Traore’s blend of speed, strength, and skill.

Though the winger has long established himself as a tormentor in one-on-one situations, it is often for the wrong reasons when his end product falls under the spotlight.

Not today. The Spaniard reacted well, albeit for a relatively routine finish, to redirect Antonee Robinson’s whipped cross and draw Fulham level in the 32nd minute.

Then, in the second half, another burst down the right flank culminated with a floated ball into the middle, which Alex Iwobi controlled and laid off to Emile Smith Rowe, whose effort was blocked by a well-positioned Jacob Greaves.

Added competition has arrived in the form of Reiss Nelson, who completed a Deadline Day loan move to west London from Arsenal, but Silva will be pleased with Traore’s clinical showing.

After assisting Smith Rowe’s opener last weekend, the 28-year-old has now been directly involved in four goals across his last four games in the Premier League (two goals, two assists) which is as many as in his previous 32 appearances in the competition.

Keeping that form up will cement his place in both Silva’s plans and the nightmares of Premier League defenders.
Jonny Coffey

Delap stunner cloaks chance-creation issues for Ipswich

Liam Delap had made his mind up. As Leif Davis slid the ball across to the 21-year-old deep in Fulham’s half, the forward swivelled and began his charge toward the Fulham goal.

Andreas Pereira’s flailing hand brushed his shoulder as he shaped up to shoot from outside the Fulham box, a reminder of the intervention that may have come had his burst forward not been so brimming with power and purpose.

The strike that followed was charged with a similar energy, making its way into the top left corner via a touch from Bernd Leno. It was the first Premier League goal at Portman Road for 22 years and the first for Delap too.

But in the 80 or so minutes that followed, Ipswich did not establish clearly how they will consistently add to that tally. Ultimately, it was individual inspiration, not orchestration, behind the decisive goal.

Kieran McKenna’s side generated 0.48 xG to Fulham’s 1.03. Their goal came from a chance with an xG value of 0.04, while Fulham’s held 0.15 – a number which, as well as three other Fulham chances, exceeded the highest tallied by Ipswich (0.13).

These figures suggest Ipswich need to produce higher quality chances on a more consistent basis. Thankfully, Saturday’s game dropped hints as to how they might do so.

Ipswich looked most dangerous when breaking at speed after regaining possession. Delap’s goal came from this kind of sequence, but they failed to capitalise on other similar opportunities.

In the 10th minute, they released Omari Hutchinson on the break, but the attacking midfielder ran into traffic rather than finding Chiedozie Ogbene, who was bursting into the box on his right.

Refining their decision making in these scenarios would turn their already potent press into an important attacking weapon.
Jonny Coffey