The Premier League action returned after the international break and with the transfer window closed, the clubs have found the right balance in their squads. The league table has also begun to take shape with four matchdays done and dusted, we are getting a sense of how the competition is shaping up.
Let us take a look at three things we learned from the Premier League weekend.
1. Arsenal have the steel to challenge Manchester City
Despite the absence of key players like Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, Arsenal managed to beat their city-rivals Tottenham by 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Gunners showed grit with a resolute performance, capitalizing on Tottenham’s wasteful finishing before Gabriel netted the winning goal in the second half.
Arsenal are now 2 points behind defending champions Manchester City ahead of their high-profile meeting next weekend. The derby win indicated that Arsenal will again go neck and neck with City this season and Pep Guardiola’s men will have their work cut out if they want to lift fifth consecutive league title in a row.
2. Russell Martin and Sean Dyche Hanging By a Thread
Everton and Southampton have got off to a dismal start in the new season and have yet to get on board. Southampton lost to Manchester United 3-0 on matchday 4 while Everton blew a 2-0 lead and lost to Aston Villa 3-2.
Despite Dyche’s reputation for constructing solid, defensively strong teams, Everton has struggled to earn points losing to Brighton, Tottenham, Bournemouth, and now Aston Villa, leaving them rock bottom of the table early on in the season while Southampton has looked far from a Premier League since gaining promotion last season losing to Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Manchester United.
This has put Russell Martin and Sean Dyche’s jobs under scrutiny early on in the season and they will be desperate to earn some points to get some confidence in their squads.
3. Newcastle Poised for a Strong Season Ahead
Newcastle United rallied from a halftime deficit with two long-range goals in five minutes to secure a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, climbing to third place in the Premier League. This was their 3rd win of the season having already beaten Southampton 1-0 and Tottenham 2-1.
With no European football for the Magpies this season, they can focus on the league and look to build on the impressive work that Eddie Howe has done at the club.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
