5 talking points from the Premier League weekend
It was the 9th time United came from behind to win a game this season and it doesn’t look entertaining or surprising any more. As a fan, one would expect the Reds to control the proceedings right from the kick-off against a side enduring the poorest league start in their history. Instead, United looked purposeless with their majority of possession, again waiting for the inevitable substitutions to make the difference. With Scholes not enjoying the early season form and clear evidences of the midfield failing to provide the defensive cover, Sir Alex has a lot to ponder over conjuring the right combination. He introduced Anderson at QPR to devise a link for his forwards and many would say that the Brazilian should’ve started for the home side. With games against the Hammers, Cluj and Reading before the crucial tie against the cross-town rivals, Sir Alex has enough time to test and decide on his best central midfield pair in the next few days.
“F*** off Benitez, you’re not wanted here”, roared the Chelsea fans from Mathew Harding Stand as the game kicked-off and the protests continued even as the players paid tribute to former Chelsea boss Dave Sexton who died this weekend. But then, after whatever Benitez said about the Chelsea fans and the club and the sheer timing of him replacing a manager who’d hardly put a foot wrong, the backlash on his appointment was rather an expected one. With Benitez’s new club being in headlines for all the wrong reasons for most of this season, his early damage-control attempts were enough to earn his side a point against the defending champions. Although it was a decent start for the manager, with all his promises to win over the fans with the right results in the post match interactions, one could still see the Blues losing their footballing battles in tackling several unwanted issues off the field.
Defoe’s stunning display against the Hammers gives AVB another win to build upon, as the striker enjoyed his time in the absence of his Togolese competitor. One of the most underrated strikers in the league, Defoe harried the West Ham defence for most of the game as he left with a deserved standing ovation from his admirers at White Hart Lane. The Portuguese manager would certainly expect more of the same from his key striker, if he wants his side to put up a decent run of league form in the upcoming festive period.
It surely goes down to the amount of trust shown by Roberto Martinez on his attacking midfielder that resulted in a gem of a performance at D.W. Stadium. Jordi Gomez, another Barcelona B product that was surplus to the Spanish league’s requirement is finally finding his name in the headlines for his on field prowess with the Lactics. Gomez scored a perfect hattrick – a goal with each foot and a header – to cover a howler from Al-Habsi in the Wigan goal to seal a much needed win for his side.
When Leighton Baines decided to voice his concerns to Jelavic on the field, few could have denied the fact that it was an act more out of desperation that has been hindering the Toffees that drew for the fourth time in their past six league games. Moyes’ side somehow hasn’t been taking their chances in front of the goal as it was another case of squandered opportunities against Norwich this past weekend. Although, the club’s lone Croatian striker has scored 5 goals this season, which could be enough for any other typical Everton season, Moyes’ understands that his forward needs to cash-in more consistently before their top four challenge fade for another season.