Will Saturday’s game with Liverpool be Mourinho’s last in charge of Chelsea?
EVERYTHING SEEMS PRECARIOUSLY balanced at Chelsea these days.
It doesn’t really take much to set anyone off. It can be a team doctor, it can be a referee, it can be Arsene Wenger (and usually is). But on Saturday lunchtime, the malaise that has recently engulfed Jose Mourinho and his charges (that’s of the player variety, not the other kind – of which he knows quite a bit) could have fatal consequences.
Of course, as much as Mourinho has been talking quite a lot, the man responsible for whether he stays or goes has been inevitably silent, but for the ‘vote of confidence’ he signed off on.
The main issue is that as ludicrous as it is to sack Mourinho (he has been the undisputed leading man in the club’s transformation from also-rans to winners), at which point does his position become untenable?
Chelsea, it seems, are in free-fall. They’ve won three games from ten. They are languishing in 15th place. Their key players appear to be pale imitations of what went before. To compound things, we’re at the point where decent performances against West Ham and Stoke are spoken of as positive signs of recovery.
This is not Chelsea. And with Mourinho seemingly doing little more than posturing and pouting his way through the chaos, this has an inevitable conclusion. It just remains to be seen when the trigger will be pulled.
Klopp is keeping things tight and that’s alright
There’s a contradiction, of course.
Jurgen Klopp is a bundle of madcap energy – all big smiles and wild gesticulations.
After his appointment, many focused on the high-energy style he implemented so well at Borussia Dortmund and how it would translate to Liverpool.
And there was quite the initial impression as they harassed and harried Tottenham for the opening twenty minutes of the German’s first game in charge.
But it’s a fine line between controlled and scatter-gunned and Klopp has stressed the importance of calmness and composure.
Against Rubin Kazan, they were pulled apart during the opening period, desperately trying to come to terms with the intricacies of the pressing system. Against Southampton, they took the lead with thirteen minutes left, only to concede an equaliser shortly after.
Many may have expected a furious and frenetic Liverpool when Klopp was appointed. Bur right now, it’s tentative and careful. And it has to be that way. With the team still prone to errors, the new style has to be eased into action.
After four games, Liverpool are unbeaten under their new boss. It hasn’t been spectacular but it has been solid. And they’ll gladly take that.
For their own good, Newcastle need to go down again
We’re only ten games into the new season but should the Magpies get beaten by Stoke on Saturday, we’ll probably see at least one Newcastle fan race down to the dugout and throw their season ticket at poor, bewildered Steve McClaren.
It doesn’t look good for him, does it? The club are currently sandwiched between Sunderland and Aston Villa in the bottom three. And the other two sides have already changed manager.
It’s six years since they suffered relegation to the Championship and they could really do with going down again.
The glory of winning a trophy gave them a lift in 2010 and the positivity pushed them to a 5th-place finish under Alan Pardew just two years later.
But since then, it’s been a relentless grind. There is no identity, no philosophy, no positivity.
Ten games in, we’ve already had apologies from a club director and from McClaren himself. Ten games in and it’s already a hopeless case.
Van Gaal counting cost of the summer’s poor recruitment drive
In their last three games, Manchester United have scored once. Their barren attack is causing them huge concerns, especially as their defence has been very impressive. United are not allowing the opposition much but aren’t creating much either.
And the thing is, as van Gaal looks around (as he did during the Capital One Cup loss to Middlesbrough) and surveys his options, he must remind himself of the summer transfer window and shudder.
“I have a lot of options. I have chosen Chicharito [Hernández], because he is another type from Rooney, and Fellaini, who is another type, then I have Wilson and Januzaj, so I don’t think we need a striker”, he said in late-August.
Hernandez was subsequently sold to Bayer Leverkusen, Januzaj sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund while Wilson is seeing little game-time.
Van Gaal also oversaw the departures of Angel di Maria, Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Nani. And many of those sales made sense. But the flippancy with which van Gaal has culled his attack is coming back to bite him.
Anthony Martial has enjoyed an incredible start to his United career but that won’t last. He will struggle with form and pressure and everything else. But right now, the 19-year-old is the team’s main goalscorer and goal-threat. And that’s a preposterous situation to be in.
Against Palace, the French youngster will carry the burden again, as unfair as that is.
Arsenal will understandably head to Swansea with trepidation
There’s a pretty solid narrative to any Arsenal season.
There will be early optimism. There will be an early reminder that the earlier optimism was ill-advised. There will be a recovery. There will be a tetchy Arsene Wenger. There will be a reminder that the earlier recovery wasn’t one. There will be a glorious display of brilliant attacking football. There will be injuries. There will be a reminder that the earlier brilliant attacking football can only get you so far. There will be a recovery. There will be inevitable Champions League qualification.
So, we’re well on track this term.
The League Cup defeat was bad enough but the injuries to Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were worse.
And heading to Swansea, a side they lost to home and away last season, you’d forgive the Gunners for approaching with caution.
They’re due a backwards step. It wouldn’t be Arsenal otherwise.
