Football Fever 2014-2015: November 2014

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Brendan Rodgers’ selection policy under scrutiny, defensive flaws let Arsenal down and half-and-half scarves in the spotlight

Premier League talking points composite — Brendan Rodgers consoles Mario Balotelli while England beckons for Saido Berahino. Photographs: Peter Powell/EPA, Neville Williams/Getty, Paul Ellis/AFP, Richard Heathcote/Getty

Subdued Di María is a worry for United

In the 71st minute of Manchester United’s pedestrian 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, £59.7m of talent was hauled off by Louis van Gaal. For a British record transfer fee one might expect a player to remain on the field until the end, driving the side on. Yet by that juncture the manager had seen enough of Ángel Di María, who hardly influenced a contest against one of the Premier League’s struggling sides.

This was the latest subdued offering from an Argentinian who was man of the match in Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph in May. Van Gaal defended him afterwards. “He has played in a very small space and he is a dribbler,” he said. “But sometimes you cannot dribble, you have to make it a pass game and Di Maria is not a player who wants to give a pass every time he gets the ball. But in this case we needed that and not dribbles. Therefore he lost the ball a lot of times and that was not good for the balance of the team.”

One view of this analysis is that for nearly £60m a footballer should know when to pass and when to dribble every time he receives possession. It could be posited that Di María’s fee was arguably bloated by around £20m.

A counter-argument, however, could run that the 26-year-old shone during his opening games for United, looking about the best of the club’s summer acquisitions so he is merely suffering a loss of form. Time, as usual, will tell. Jamie Jackson

• Match report: Manchester United 1-0 Crystal Palace

Rodgers let down by Balotelli and Lovren

Brendan Rodgers was in no mood for more questions about his team selections after Chelsea had just demonstrated why they and Liverpool have moved in opposite directions since their last Premier League meeting in April. Asked what Dejan Lovren or Mario Balotelli had done to justify a recall to the Liverpool starting line-up on Saturday, he replied sharply: “That was my decision.” Was it a decision based on their performances in training perhaps? “It’s an everyday thing.” And that was that.

Before the Real Madrid 1-0 defeat the Liverpool manager claimed he was resting some players and dropping others following meagre contributions in the previous game at Newcastle United. It does not require a stretch of the imagination to place Lovren and Balotelli in the dropped bracket. After losing at the Bernabéu, Rodgers hailed the performance of his stand-ins (and Saturday’s starting XI confirmed that is exactly what they were in Spain) as “absolutely magnificent”. Yet Glen Johnson, Lovren, Steven Gerrard, Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Balotelli all returned against Chelsea. That is 19 players used in two matches and no points.

No one would claim Kolo Touré is impervious to mistakes or Fabio Borini has the quality worthy of leading a Liverpool attack, although the Italian at least provides the movement the side has cried out for this season, but recalls for Balotelli and Lovren - who was embarrassed at times by Diego Costa – undermines a manager’s time-honoured argument about the shirt having to be earned. Andy Hunter

• Match report: Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea

Ben Arfa is not making a mark at Hull

Hull City's Hatem Ben Arfa is struggling to make an impact at the club. — Hull City’s Hatem Ben Arfa is struggling to make an impact at the club. Photograph: Richard Sellers/PA

Hatem Ben Arfa became a cause célèbre at Newcastle. It was a sign of the fans’ frustrations with Alan Pardew and it seemed a coup when Hull signed him on a season-long loan in the final hours of the transfer window. Two months later he has started only three league games for City and mustered only one shot on target for them. It rather reeks of underachievement. While the Frenchman was sidelined initially by the success of the partnership between Abel Hernández and Nikica Jelavic, now the Croatian is injured and he is still not in the team. And although Hull improved when he came on at Burnley – they could hardly have been worse – it was still an indictment of Ben Arfa that Sone Aluko was preferred in the starting 11. A player of his talent ought to be winning such matches rather than playing bit-part roles in them. Richard Jolly

• Match report: Burnley 1-0 Hull City

Lambert eyes a turning point

Aston Villa dug in to stop the rot with the 0-0 draw at West Ham United on Saturday and, after six straight defeats, Paul Lambert was entitled to paint it as a “great point.” The manager talked up the resilience of the performance and he gave special praise to the goalkeeper, Brad Guzan, and the centre-backs, Ron Vlaar and Nathan Baker. More broadly he said his team had not been over-run all season and pointed out, again, how five of the six consecutive defeats had come against opposition from last season’s top six.

But even Lambert acknowledged that it had to be a turning point. Villa face Southampton at home after the international break and thereafter the fixtures are kinder to them, with trips to Burnley and Crystal Palace, a home game against Leicester City and a visit to West Bromwich Albion. It would be lovely to see Lambert talking and acting in a more proactive manner. No professional team in England has scored fewer goals than Villa this season – their haul of five is a principal reason for the gloom among their supporters.

“No disrespect to any other team at all and they will be really tough games,” Lambert said. “But after playing Chelsea and Arsenal and them sort of teams, it’s tough mentally and physically – it takes it out of you. November and December gives us a chance to get points.” David Hytner

• Match report: West Ham 0-0 Aston Villa

Half-and-half scarves need to be binned

There are some serious ills in football right now, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, soaring ticket prices and Sepp Blatter. But occasionally it is worth focusing on the smaller annoyances and for this contributor there are few things which agitate more than half-and-half scarves.

There were a notable number of people displaying them at Loftus Road on Saturday, among them two men sitting directly in front of the press box. Queens Park Rangers’ colours down one side, Manchester City’s down the other, and once again I had to ask myself why anyone buys these wretched items of merchandise.

They appear to be aimed at one-off visitors looking to mark their visit to a Premier League match but that does not excuse someone showing backing for one team while sitting with supporters from the other. Quite frankly, it was a surprise none of the QPR fans sitting by those two men on Saturday did not tell them what to do with their latest piece of tat.

But this was by no means the worst half-and-half atrocities witnessed in English football. There have, after all, been sightings of spectators walking into Anfield with Liverpool-Chelsea scarves and into Old Trafford with Manchester United-Manchester City scarves. These people need to be banned. Now. Sachin Nakrani

• Match report: QPR 2-2 Manchester City

England should not rush Berahino

Saido Berahino takes on Newcastle's Fabricio Coloccini. — Saido Berahino takes on Newcastle’s Fabricio Coloccini. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images

Do not expect too much of Saido Berahino if and when he gets thrown in for England over the next week. His goals record for England Under-21s and West Bromwich Albion fully warrants his elevation and he is a talent but he remains far from the finished article when it comes to all-round forward play.

Playing with the assistance of a target man, Victor Anichebe, on Sunday, he mustered one fine shot but his general link-up play still needs far more work. Playing as a lone striker, he shows technique, touch and pace that are attributes. But his hold-up play and game understanding are in the early stages, in terms of top-level Premier League clubs or the international stage.

Playing for Gareth Southgate’s Under-21s during their recent games with Croatia, he was back on the flank, assisting Harry Kane, who looks far more equipped as a sole target man and looks a reluctant wide man. Yet this was where he was utilised more for West Brom last season when he sustained good enough form to keep progressing.

But do not expect him to bail Manchester United or Arsenal out of trouble just yet. What he does have is a goalscorer’s instinct and in a front two he could prosper in time at the highest level. He would be best off sticking with West Brom and the Under-21s for a while yet. Pete Lansley

• Match report: West Brom 0-2 Newcastle

Chelsea loom on the horizon for Southampton

Southampton have a dicey run of fixtures starting at the end of this month, when they take on Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United in successive weeks. Ronald Koeman’s team are more coherent and solid than all of those sides so should fancy their chances of reaching Boxing Day ahead of them all, and that would make their duel with Chelsea a clash between the Premier League’s top two. And then the focus will come on to Chelsea’s loan policy again: because Southampton’s excellent defence will be deprived of Ryan Bertrand. The left-back is enjoying an excellent season both defensively and going forward and the confidence that he is gaining on the south coast and, perhaps, the tuition of Koeman, is helping him improve from week to week. Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman are a fine full-back duet, as are Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta, but Bertrand and Nathaniel Clyne now belong in that company too. It is unacceptable that Bertrand will not be allowed to play against Chelsea. Paul Doyle

• Match report: Southampton 2-0 Leicester City

Krkic is showing his Camp Nou class for Stoke

History does not throw up a long catalogue of connections between Barcelona and Stoke City. Mark Hughes, formerly of the Camp Nou, had reason to be chuffed by the contribution of a player raised in Catalonia who put in an eye-catching display as Stoke City picked up a welcome win at White Hart Lane. Bojan Krkic played more than 100 times for Barcelona in his youth but after a series of moves – via Roma, Milan and Ajax – it was reasonable to wonder about his career trajectory when he turned up in the Potteries last summer for a shade over £1m. Hughes explained how Krkic needed some adaptation time. The inference was that he needed a little toughening up but he demonstrated a pleasing blend of clever running, cute movement and creativity tucked behind a more powerful front three of Jon Walters, Mame Diouf and Victor Moses. “We are really pleased that he is finally coming to the fore,” said Hughes. “He started off like a house on fire when he first joined us in pre-season and people got a little bit carried away too early because I think we all felt it was going to take time to adjust. I played him in the first two games and he found it difficult to have an impact but he has bided his time and I have just started to reintroduce him now. He has had the benefit of three-to-four months training at the intensity he needs and he looks a very accomplished player again. We are going to benefit from his ability and his goal-scoring. He will score goals for us this year.” Amy Lawrence

• Match report: Tottenham 1-2 Stoke

Arsenal’s defensive failings horribly exposed yet again

At the risk of sounding repetitive, and going back over old ground, what on earth was Arsène Wenger thinking of in the summer when he overlooked the importance of bringing in a top-class central defender and an accomplished holding midfielder? True, a long list of injuries is not helping at the moment. But it is also true that the cover for those players is nowhere near good enough. Wenger admitted as much when he acknowledged the problems that Arsenal were having on their right flank against Swansea, for whom Jefferson Montero, the Ecuador international, ran riot against Calum Chambers. “We were a bit struggling on the right side, but I have no experienced players on the bench,” Wenger said. The feeling is that Chambers would be more comfortable in the middle of the defence, but Mathieu Debuchy’s injury means Wenger is also short at right-back, so the Arsenal manager has to keep playing square pegs in round holes, such as Nacho Monreal at centre-half.

Further forward things are not much better, with neither Mathieu Flamini nor Aaron Ramsey doing enough to dominate midfield against Swansea or provide the defensive protection that a fragile back four needs. All in all, it is a bit of a mess and it was not at all surprising that Wenger sounded so forlorn about the prospect of catching Chelsea. In fact, compare the two teams and, realistically, how many Arsenal players would get into the Chelsea starting XI? Alexis Sánchez. Anyone else?Stuart James

• Swansea City 2-1 Arsenal

Lacklustre Lukaku shows why Mourinho let him go

Romelu Lukaku was unimpressive against Sunderland. Photograph: Richard Lee/BPI/REX/Richard Lee/BPI/REX

There are reasons why Didier Drogba has enjoyed such an unexpectedly extended shelf life at Chelsea. Some are down to Drogba himself but one big explanatory factor is to be found in the shape of Romelu Lukaku, the Belgium striker, perhaps surprisingly sold to Everton by Mourinho for £28m during the summer. On his day the 21-year-old “new Drogba” can petrify the best defences but Lukaku has too many off days. The latest came in the 1-1 draw at Sunderland on Sunday. Yes, John O’Shea excelled in Gus Poyet’s defence but Lukaku hardly fully extended that backline. While Sunderland’s Steven Fletcher proved industry personified as a lone striker, Everton’s centre-forward all too often looked to be going through the motions. That tremendous physique and those technical gifts went to waste as Lukaku showed off a poor first touch, frequently failed to hold the ball up properly and played a generally big part in costing Everton two points in a game they really should have won. He is still very young; he is said to be highly intelligent and, when he is good, he is very good, so there is still abundant hope but “the new Drogba” – don’t hold your breath….

Mourinho is not in the habit of offloading star quality – even for £28m – to managers as gifted as Roberto Martínez at clubs as big as Everton so he evidently failed to trust Lukaku to play the right part in Chelsea’s current twin Premier League/Champions League assault. Anyone in the near 44,000 crowd at the Stadium of Light will have understood precisely why. Louise Taylor

• Match report: Sunderland 1-1 Everton

Football Fever 2014-2015

Monday, November 10, 2014

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