Best player: Diego Costa
- Appearances
- 7
- Goals
- 9
- Shots
- 22
- Shots on target
- 73%
- Offsides
- 7
For Chelsea, the integration of Thibault Courtois, Cesc Fàbregas and Diego Costa into their team has worked to perfection. From day one, this trio imported from La Liga have only increased the power and precision that makes José Mourinho’s team tick. Costa has catapulted himself into the Premier League with the explosive attacking instincts which emphasise exactly what they have been missing since the days of Didier Drogba in his pomp. Nine goals from his first seven domestic appearances give Chelsea a brilliantly sharpened edge. “The guy who comes from the very small village behind the sunset,” as Mourinho sweetly described him, has fire in his game. The stroke of genius was not only that Chelsea bought the bulldozing presence of Costa, they also purchased an assist machine in Fàbregas at the same time. Together, they are making the Premier League look easy. Good luck everyone if those hamstrings clear up.
Zaniest match: Leicester City 5-3 Manchester United
The expression on Louis van Gaal’s face spoke volumes. The manager who arrived with such an overbearing reputation confronted the harshest realities of the Manchester United rebuild. For all the excitement of the millions spent on embellishing the attacking department (and Ángel Di María scored a peach, remember) the defence looked like a scientific experiment lost in chaos theory. A bizarre penalty gave Leicester a leg up when they were trailing 3-1, and from that moment Nigel Pearson’s team borrowed a script straight out of Roy of the Rovers. Jamie Vardy, once of non-league football, scored and assisted in marauding fashion. Esteban Cambiasso, beamed down from Argentinian folklore into the East Midlands, joyfully marked the occasion with a goal. The fact that it was the first time in 853 Premier League matches that United let a two-goal lead lurch into a defeat gave resonance to the sheer craziness of what everyone at the Kingpower Stadium witnessed. For Leicester, it could not have been any more weird and wonderful. “I think it’s a decent result,” said Pearson – a contender for understatement of the season.
Biggest surprise: Southampton
Apparently doomed during the summer exodus, Southampton’s composed start to the season has been a tonic for the Premier League. The Eredivisie flavour at St Mary’s has had a positive effect. Ronald Koeman’s influence has been simultaneously calming and inspiring. The players he handpicked from the Dutch league have made an instant impact, adapting with ease. Graziano Pellè’s physical prowess and eye for goal has made light of the departure of Rickie Lambert, and Dusan Tadic’s eye-catching imagination on the ball means Southampton’s commitment to stylish football is absolutely intact. There has been excellence from a revived Morgan Schneiderlin, Jack Cork, James Ward-Prowse (who was impressing until suffering a fractured foot), et al. Keeping up their early pace may be a challenge. They return from the international break sitting third in the table, behind Chelsea and Manchester City. But their stride looks strong.
Best campaign: Newcastle fans at the Liberty Stadium
The volatile situation at St James’ Park rumbles on. In the bottom three, without a win in the Premier League so far (a distress sign shared with Burnley) the ongoing disconnect between the supporters and the hierarchy is the constant subtext. Away at Swansea, the Newcastle travelling support unfurled a banner which made their point with admirable wit: “LLWELLLWWLWLLLLLL” (etc) Not a Welsh Town. Our form in 2014.” The latest chapter of this battle of wills continues at St James’s Park next weekend, against Leicester.
Path of least resistance: QPR
Recruiting Rio Ferdinand and Steven Caulker over the summer, and welcoming Glenn Hoddle into the coaching cabal, gave the impression that Harry Redknapp thought a back three and wing backs was the platform for Premier League happiness. A hapless start soon put paid to that experiment. The fundamental trouble for QPR is that irrespective of system, they have been conceding with worrying regularity. A negative goal difference of minus 11 does not auger well. At the age of 35, Ferdinand is struggling for form, and the authoritative leadership Redknapp was hoping for has not materialised. With Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City coming up in the next quartet of matches, QPR are already feeling the heat.
Busiest injury ward: Arsenal
A World Cup winner in the sphere of performance culture arrived at Arsenal in pre-season, with Shad Forsythe joining up after a decade working with the German national team. But the scale of Arsenal’s vulnerabilities in the fitness stakes shows no immediate sign of letting up. Whatever bad habits or witches curses are in the air at London Colney, the problems run deep. Here’s an XI who are/have been injured so far this season: Ospina; Debuchy, Koscielny, Monreal, Gibbs; Arteta, Ramsey; Özil, Wilshere, Walcott; Giroud. They are by no means the only team nursing a significant number of players back to health at the moment, but with Arsène Wenger having ordered an inquiry into the repeated muscular problems last season, the lack of improvement puts such pressure on the squad.
Most ruthless slight: Mr Pellegrino?
Roy Keane’s death stare as José Mourinho attempted an early handshake when Aston Villa were the visitors to Stamford Bridge was a textbook snub. It took a little more imagination for Mourinho to express his disdain for an old foe in Manuel Pellegrini. It is not possible that a man as forensically detailed in his preparation, and a former professional translator, would make a mistake on the pronunciation of a fellow manager’s name. In referencing the Manchester City manager as “Mr Pellegrino” the verbal jab was difficult to miss. Of course, the real significance in the jousting between Mourinho and Pellegrini boils down to the fact that both of them are dealing with their most dangerous rival for this season’s title.
Riskiest man management strategy: the Mario Balotelli conundrum
- Appearances
- 5
- Goals
- 0
- Shots
- 23
- Shots on target
- 30%
- Offsides
- 2
There is something curious about the verbiage chosen by Brendan Rodgers recently when he outlined his reasons for buying a known maverick to be a part of Liverpool’s post-Luis Suárez world. “There were very few who are top class who were available and Mario Balotelli was a calculated gamble that we had to try to work with,” said Rodgers, giving the impression that he was not beside himself with excitement about this particular signing. It may well be that he was trying to send a message out via the press and public to try to press a point home to Balotelli, but it did seem like a strange form of motivation. Balotelli was not selected by Italy to play in the recent Euro 2016 qualification games. This should be food for thought for the striker. With Daniel Sturridge soon to return to fitness, the search for a new attacking chemistry is on.
Top Hollywood script: Frank Lampard scoring against Chelsea
Not only was it too schmaltzy, it was also unrealistic to expect even that king of the ghosting run from midfield to stop Chelsea from executing another tactical triumph at the Etihad. When Lampard came off the substitute’s bench, to the adulation of the visiting supporters, the odds were in Chelsea’s favour to protect their lead against 10 men. When Lampard equalised it was a classic moment for this season. It was also – more pertinently – the only points Chelsea have dropped thus far.
Some questions for the next couple of months
Will anyone beat Chelsea? Can Newcastle beat anyone? Are Manchester City going to keep up with the relentless pace-setters? Might Louis van Gaal find some balance? Will Harry Redknapp survive? Can Southampton and Swansea continue to thrive? What is in store for lowly Everton? Are Liverpool able to relaunch themselves? Will Alan Irvine establish his credentials at West Bromwich? Can West Ham stay bubbly? Can Tottenham be bubbly? How many defensive injuries are Arsenal away from recalling Steve Bould? Will Hull City find consistency? Will Villa get back in the groove? Can Leicester keep up their positive momentum? Might one of Sunderland, Crystal Palace or Stoke City get sucked into trouble? Can Burnley find a foothold? If we are lucky some answers may be revealed.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 7 | 14 | 19 |
| 2 | Man City | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| 3 | Southampton | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 7 | 3 | 11 |
| 5 | Swansea | 7 | 2 | 11 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 | 2 | 11 |
| 7 | West Ham | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 7 | -5 | 10 |
| 11 | Hull | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| 12 | Leicester | 7 | -1 | 9 |
| 13 | Sunderland | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| 14 | West Brom | 7 | -1 | 8 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 7 | -2 | 8 |
| 16 | Stoke | 7 | -2 | 8 |
| 17 | Everton | 7 | -3 | 6 |
| 18 | Newcastle | 7 | -7 | 4 |
| 19 | Burnley | 7 | -7 | 4 |
| 20 | QPR | 7 | -11 | 4 |
