1. Arsenal need another striker pronto
AGAINST LEICESTER TODAY, Arsenal produced 24 shots — more than they managed during any of their Premier League games last season.
Yet despite all these attempts, the Gunners were ultimately left frustrated and had to be content with a 1-1 draw following this afternoon’s game at the King Power Stadium. They conceded when some slack marking from Laurent Koscielny allowed Leonardo Ulloa to head home, after Alexis Sanchez got his first league goal for the club with an opportunistic strike.
Thereafter, the newly promoted side gave an impressive, spirited display that prompted even Arsene Wenger to admit after the game that their point was deserved.
Yet as good as Leicester were, their opponents were clearly lacking in the final third. Yaya Sanogo may still develop into an excellent player, but at 21, he surely cannot be entrusted with the responsibility of serving as Arsenal’s primary out-and-out striker.
With Olivier Giroud recently being ruled out with a long-term injury, Gunners fans will now be praying that the club can bring another forward in before the Transfer Window closes tomorrow.
2. Liverpool ruthlessly expose Tottenham’s flaws
A cynic would describe Mauricio Pochettino’s side’s performance at White Hart Lane today as ‘typical Tottenham’.
Having promised so much in their opening two games, they were all too easily beaten today by a far sharper-looking Liverpool outfit this afternoon, as the visitors’ speedy counter-attack was simply too much to handle for Spurs’ increasingly nervy-looking defence.
Balotelli and Sturridge, despite not scoring, put in impressive shifts, while midfielders such as Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen were continually outrunning counterparts Nabil Bentaleb and Etienne Capoue.
Individual errors at the back consequently compounded Spurs’ woe, as Brendan Rodgers side ultimately ran out comfortable winners.
3. Jack Grealish needs plenty of protection from officials from now on
Generally speaking, football is at its best when it flows and when there are an abundance of creative players on display.
Yet too often, particularly in the Premier League, brute strength is favoured over ingenuity and skilful players are relegated to the periphery of proceedings.
Jack Grealish, the 18-year-old Irish under-21 international, has already impressed in the short game time he’s enjoyed so far at Villa.
Yet against Hull today, the youngster appeared to be targeted by Steve Bruce’s side, as he was continually blatantly fouled in what was just a brief cameo appearance off the bench.
Referees must therefore clamp down on this sort of behaviour sooner rather than later. Otherwise, entertainers such as Grealish will be further ostracised from the game.
4. Remy signing emphasises Chelsea’s power
Chelsea didn’t exactly look short of attacking talent in their 6-3 victory over Everton yesterday, yet they’ve gone ahead and signed French striker Loic Remy from QPR anyway.
Alex Ferguson once famously said that a title-contending team must have two top players in every position, and Chelsea now surely fit the bill in this regard — aside arguably from City, they clearly possess the best and most balanced squad in the league.
That’s not to suggest the 27-year-old attacker will necessarily be spending most of his time on the bench though — with 14 goals in 26 appearances for a struggling Newcastle side last year, his proven goalscoring pedigree is a serious boost to an already imperious team.
5. Liverpool’s penalty correct decision, but Allen’s dive crucial
http://vine.co/v/OB6z6eEEzL3
By most accounts, the crucial moment in today’s Spurs-Liverpool game occurred early in the second half.
Tottenham never looked like recovering after Steven Gerrard’s penalty had put his side 2-0 up, but the incident that led to the goal proved controversial.
Although contact was minimal, Eric Dier did pull Joe Allen back, so by the letter of the law, the referee was correct to award the penalty.
Allen’s reaction was wildly exaggerated, falling to the ground after receiving the faintest of touches from the inexperienced English defender, but would the referee have awarded the penalty had the Liverpool star stayed on his feet? It’s unlikely.
The sad reality is players nowadays are seldom rewarded for honesty, and that exaggerated falls such as Allen’s one today tend to help referees make their mind up for borderline incidents more often than not.
