1. The Villa Heist: Rogers & Emery's Masterclass
Do the final scores tell the whole story? One must ask. The Villans' triumphant run continued against Manchester United, accompanied by the persistent questions. On paper, they were second best by multiple metrics – a lower shot count (12-15), less possession (43-57), a scarcity of clear opportunities (2-3). Once again, the victory was by a narrow margin. Consistently, expected goals (xG) sided with the opposition: according to data United were narrowly ahead 1.31-1.02. Yet the reality is games are decided on the pitch, not on spreadsheets. They are won by solid teamwork, astute coaching and moments of magic – and Villa have all three. Morgan Rogers may be their only star, but he is performing like Father Christmas. The Spanish tactician is wily, experienced, streets ahead of Ruben Amorim. If Rogers profited from Leny Yoro’s naivety, this was almost certainly because Emery had spotted that Yoro is not a right-back, and told Rogers to take up a wide position, drive inside and torment him. Skill and strategy, in perfect harmony.
2. Amorim Continues to Fall Short
Back in October after defeating Brighton 4-2 on 25 October, their fans felt optimism return. They had won three league games on the bounce for the maiden instance under their manager. They had risen to fourth. And the wins were all good ones – over Brighton (a side they often struggle against), Liverpool (away!) and Sunderland (at home, facing a team fresh from the Championship, but still – an untroubled victory). Senne Lammens looked solid, Bryan Mbeumo offered threat and optimism was growing. But then United returned to poor form. In a run of eight matches, a mere pair of successes, six games without a win. At Villa Park they were the better team without ever appearing likely to triumph. Yes, the Brazilian scored a fine effort, but he also missed a sitter. Yes, United were hit by fitness issues (to influential figures), but they gave away cheap scores. Following over a year in England, Amorim still hasn’t worked out how to secure victories.
3. Below-Par Gunners Get on Their Grind
It was an 8pm kick-off on the holiday period but a noticeable shortage of fluency in the final third made for a forgettable match. For Everton, the issue was expected with key attackers absent, and Jack Grealish struggling to lift an entire team by himself. In many respects it is remarkable that Everton occupied a European spot in the table not long ago given they have played the whole campaign without a decent striker. For Arsenal and the Spanish coach, while he savoured a deserved win and reclaiming first place of the table, the deficiency should be equally concerning given their designs on the Premier League. He stated that victories will inevitably be more emphatic with hard work and perseverance. But it is somewhat premature in the season for a team that can start with elite players, while leaving talented players on the bench, to be relying on grinding out wins.
4. Guardiola’s Festive City Investigations
During the holidays Pep Guardiola will monitor the scales to ensure his Manchester City players have not enjoyed excessive celebrations. He explained the team wanted to have a rest day after their recent victory but he refused because the performance was insufficient. So it's recovery, work for those who didn't feature, and after three days off, then brief training for the upcoming match. Guardiola detailed how the side can improve. “My strength is deciphering what happens in the game, identifying weaknesses – if the players were in these positions, we could be more potent.” Guardiola will also enjoy a rest: “I have holidays with the family for celebrations. I'm going to Barcelona – it's highly recommended, the food is superb.”
5. A Costly Goal: Isak's Injury Mars Liverpool Win
Alexander Isak’s goal at Tottenham felt, for a glorious few seconds, as a turning point. This was the very purpose Liverpool paid all that money for him to do, to decide close contests with his movement and range of finishing, and the confidence with which he converted from a neat pass was highly promising. So the image of him leaving immediately, following a rash challenge, was a significant blow for the Liverpool manager and disappointing for the spectator who would like to see such a gifted player reach his peak again. There are fears Isak has picked up a serious leg injury and he could be in for a long time on the sidelines. It would be a huge loss with Liverpool having steadily climbed towards the upper echelons, putting together a six-game unbeaten run featuring Isak’s initial goals in their colours. Their prospects appear heavily dependent on those of their £125m investment.
6. Did Chelsea Get Away with One?
Managers often moan about controversial calls as a means of shifting the focus from matters they would prefer were not talked about. The 13 points Newcastle have failed to secure from leading situations this season seems a case in point. The Newcastle boss certainly did not seem too willing to mention that costly trend following his side’s collapse from a 2-0 lead against Chelsea in a game they ended up drawing. Yet Newcastle’s manager was surely justified in criticising a decision made by the referee not to award his team a penalty following a blatant body check on their winger. With the score then 2-1, a 12-yard award could have altered the outcome. Was the decision to offer the Chelsea defender the doubt informed by past incidents for being expert at drawing contact and sometimes going down too easily? The take of a respected pundit was revealing. “He sees the challenge coming,” he said. “He expects the tackle and he's ready. I think he intends to hit the deck. But the strength of the challenge there … that’s not shielding the ball.”
7. Wolves' Grim Relegation Reality
Brentford’s initial success on their travels this season spelled joy for Keith Andrews. Rather than celebrate, Andrews spoke kindly about Wolves, the club he came through at. “I spent nine years here,” he said. Wolves’ situation is truly alarming; data analysts state – maybe optimistically – their probability of going down at 99.17%, leaving little tangible to fight for beyond professionalism. A experienced defender brutally spelled out|bluntly outlined|frankly
