1) Arsenal must find a solution to a familiar theme
Arsène Wenger warmed to a familiar theme. “We tried to play and we didn’t win the game. We’ve seen that so many times, now.” Arsenal had 73% possession against a Middlesbrough team that played with three in central midfield and massed men behind the ball. But the home side could not break them down and it was Middlesbrough who emerged with the credit. They created the better chances and they looked the likelier winners. Arsenal were physically below par after their Champions League exertions against Ludogorets, while Middlesbrough were fresh. Perhaps Wenger’s team missed the guile of Santi Cazorla or the Plan B of Olivier Giroud. But, as Burnley also showed at the beginning of the month, it is possible to frustrate Arsenal with a compact and disciplined approach. One of the keys to Arsenal’s title challenge will be finding a solution. David Hytner
• Wenger riled by timing of Arsenal AGM before EFL Cup tie
• Match report: Arsenal 0-0 Middlesbrough
2) Others must step up to make Spurs more clinical
Tottenham Hotspur have received a lot of praise this season. As was the case in the previous campaign, their style of play has been thrilling while defensively they have been excellent. But an area of criticism is developing in regards to their lack of cutting edge. The draw at Bournemouth made it one goal in three matches for Tottenham. Son Heung-min, positioned as a lone centre-forward, was largely anonymous while others in white also failed to threaten. In total Spurs have scored 13 league goals this season. “We show a lot of positive things but the area we need to improve is to be more clinical,” said Mauricio Pochettino. Harry Kane’s return from the ankle injury he sustained against Sunderland last month will help Spurs’ cause but, as Pochettino went on to say, others must step up, in particular Vincent Janssen, who has scored once since his £17m arrival from AZ Alkmaar. Sachin Nakrani
• Match report: Bournemouth 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
• Wilshere feels the pace and return to power after 90 minute-return
3) If Koeman isn’t worried, he should be
Everton are without a win in five games, the optimism surrounding Ronald Koeman’s arrival has evaporated, and if the new manager is not worried then he should be. Maybe it was a mistake to take the League Cup too lightly, for defeat at home against Norwich City was the start of Everton’s woes. Maybe the drop in intensity Koeman complained of at Turf Moor was a result of taking Burnley too lightly. Everton began the game looking as if they could score on almost every attack. Yet when things failed to go their way they ran out of ideas quickly. Everton do not seem capable of being aggressive for a whole 90 minutes, or at least until a match has been won. They have the players but the concentration comes and goes. Even Burnley fans could agree there was no way Everton should have lost this match. Koeman’s priority must be to rediscover his side’s focus. Paul Wilson
• Match report: Burnley 2-1 Everton
• Dyche’s hard work ethic is paying dividends at Fortress Turf Moor
4) Fundamental need for patience is being ignored
It is indicative of the reactionary nature of so much football discourse in a post-Twitter world that some people genuinely think José Mourinho should be sacked as Manchester United manager after their embarrassment at Stamford Bridge. It took Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the greatest manager of all time, almost five years to build a United side capable of challenging for the title, yet the fundamental need for patience – still preached by Ferguson – is ignored by so many who cite every other aspect of Ferguson’s reign in evidence against his successors. Most of this United squad are not Mourinho players or United players. Mourinho’s signings have not yet had the expected impact, and there is a strange weariness about the Portuguese, but the time to judge Mourinho’s team is when it becomes Mourinho’s team – which is next summer at the earliest. Rob Smyth
• Match report: Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United
• Mourinho accuses Conte of humiliating him after Chelsea defeat
• Paul Doyle: United a rabble without a cause
• Like the old days, Mourinho’s presence provokes Chelsea reaction
5) Phelan must be given time, like Hughes has at Stoke
Stoke City’s visit to the Kcom Stadium brought a fifth successive league defeat for Hull, who have shipped 19 goals in the process and plummeted into the bottom three in the space of a few weeks. It is vital Mike Phelan is given time. In that respect, the board could do worse than take a leaf out of Stoke’s book. Stability has been the watchword in the Potteries these past three seasons, with Mark Hughes guiding the club to a ninth‑place finish in each of them. Along the way he has been generously supported by the club chairman, Peter Coates, although the vibrant nature of Stoke’s victory cannot obscure the reality that it was only their second win of the season. Yet Coates has not sacked a manager since returning to Stoke a decade ago. Now the club are climbing the table. Something for Hull’s owners, the Allams, to consider as they contemplate the latest league standings. Les Roopanarine
• Match report: Hull City 0-2 Stoke City
• Hull sale speculation grows with £130m Far East consortium bid
6) Does Ranieri leave out Vardy again?
Leicester City won the title thanks in significant part to a system that worked – all the best teams have balance, and often do not include the best 11 players in a club’s squad. But once they became champions, Leicester availed of the wealth and status which allowed them to attack the transfer window. So they invested in attacking options, Ahmed Musa and Islam Slimani arriving to share the goalscoring burden with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. This led to the sidelining of Shinji Okazaki and Leandro Ulloa. Though their exclusion is not the sole reason for Leicester’s patchy start to the season, the return of Okazaki against Crystal Palace gave his team‑mates the space to excel. Now Claudio Ranieri has a problem: does he field an unchanged XI at Tottenham, again leaving out Vardy? Or does he omit Okazaki? Sometimes a win poses more questions than answers. Daniel Harris
• Match report: Leicester City 3-1 Crystal Palace
• Leicester in the groove as Shinji Okazaki takes down Palace
7) Swansea still missing a bit of quality
Leon Britton has been around long enough to remember what it was like to survive a relegation battle to stay in the Football League with Swansea. He also knows “you can’t just rely on team spirit” and need “quality” too. Swansea looked more solid against Watford, yet something is still missing further forward, where their lack of confidence and conviction shone through in Bob Bradley’s first home game. Borja Bastón, the club-record signing, has yet to demonstrate he is capable of troubling defences, let alone score. The same could be said for Fernando Llorente, who also has only one goal this season – though Swansea looked more threatening with him on the pitch in the second half. Unless something drastically changes over the next two months, Bradley is going to need a centre-forward in January. What they would do for a Michu in his prime. Stuart James
• Match report: Watford 0-0 Swansea City
• Swansea accused of ignoring supporters trust as relations sour
8) Sturridge might have to be patient
“They’ve spent £200m on those three or four front players, it’s not bad is it?” Tony Pulis used the £200m line several times at Anfield, reinforcing the financial gulf between Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion. That Liverpool and Albion operate in different financial worlds will surprise no one, although the combined cost of Jürgen Klopp’s front three on Saturday was £71.5m. Even with Adam Lallana thrown into the equation Pulis is out by only £103.5m. His other point about Liverpool’s attack brooked no argument. “Their front five is as good as any in the league,” the Albion manager said. Watching Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino, or the intelligence and pace of Sadio Mané, it was difficult to think of a forward line with greater understanding and balance. Daniel Sturridge may have to be patient in his attempts to play himself back into goalscoring form. Andy Hunter
• Match report: Liverpool 2-1 West Brom
• Klopp: Liverpool do not have a problem defending
9) Guardiola keeps his players back after five-game dip
It is strange when a team that sits top of the table comes under such scrutiny, but Manchester City’s run of five without a victory has prompted serious questions about Pep Guardiola’s side. In the aftermath here, Guardiola admitted that “something happened” to cause their dip in form. It is a dip that has coincided with a number of individual errors during matches – notably John Stones’ poor pass yesterday – but Guardiola insisted that the underlying cause runs much deeper. A new goalkeeper, a changing defensive unit, increased emphasis on playing out from the back, a frustrating period for Sergio Agüero. All are potential factors, and Guardiola said he would fight to find the reason. His players were kept in the dressing room for 50 minutes post-match, and with significant games ahead, City face a tough test to immediately rediscover their early-season form. James Riach
• Match report: Manchester City 1-1 Southampton
• Guardiola: I will fight to find out why Manchester City are on bad run
10) Sunderland pay for handing initiative to West Ham
Although Sunderland improved after a hairy opening 20 minutes, they paid for their caution in the end, with David Moyes handing the initiative to West Ham United with a couple of negative substitutions in the final 10 minutes. By bringing on Paddy McNair and Billy Jones, Sunderland invited West Ham forward, an unnecessary approach given that Slaven Bilic’s side had lost their way after a promising start. The visitors were defending from their own six-yard box by the end. It was a missed opportunity. There were plenty of moments in the second half when Sunderland wasted promising breaks with poor choices in the final third, but they might have scored if they had continued to examine West Ham’s defensive uncertainty. Instead they dropped back, decided to settle for a point and left with nothing. You could see Winston Reid’s injury-time goal coming. Jacob Steinberg
• Match report: West Ham United 1-0 Sunderland
• The Dozen: the weekend’s best Premier League photos
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 9 | 11 | 20 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 9 | 10 | 20 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 9 | 9 | 20 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 | 9 | 19 |
| 6 | Everton | 9 | 5 | 15 |
| 7 | Man Utd | 9 | 1 | 14 |
| 8 | Southampton | 9 | 3 | 13 |
| 9 | Watford | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| 10 | AFC Bournemouth | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| 12 | Leicester | 9 | -4 | 11 |
| 13 | West Brom | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| 14 | Burnley | 9 | -5 | 10 |
| 15 | West Ham | 9 | -7 | 10 |
| 16 | Stoke | 9 | -7 | 9 |
| 17 | Middlesbrough | 9 | -4 | 7 |
| 18 | Hull | 9 | -14 | 7 |
| 19 | Swansea | 9 | -7 | 5 |
| 20 | Sunderland | 9 | -10 | 2 |
