Category: English Premier League

Set pieces, long throws and generally getting it launched are back with a vengeance amid a notable tactical shift

To see a world in a grain of Wayne Rooney, an eternity in a robot‑voiced YouTube tactics clip. To find yourself submerged in a vast rolling wave of information in the course of only seven rounds of Premier League games.

As English football enters its latest international break it is a little startling to think we have had only 70 Premier League matches to this point, with 310 more still to go through the slog of autumn into spring. Seven rounds of games? Really? Is that all?

Continue reading...

Three straight defeats laid bare the issues with Arne Slot’s offseason makeover, with one departure looming particularly large

• Sign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here

It’s not a crisis, not yet, but Liverpool’s run of three defeats in a row is reason to take stock. It’s true that the two league games in that run were both lost via last-minute winners, and that in isolation these three games could be explained away relatively easily. But context matters, and the truth is that while Liverpool won their first five league games of the season, they did not play well in them.

New players are struggling to settle and Arne Slot’s rejig of the formation has not really worked, while a number of regulars look out of sorts. Last season Liverpool won the league playing extremely controlled soccer, making 2-0 almost a trademark scoreline, establishing their lead and then running the clock down. This season there has been none of that, no sense of playing within themselves. They’ve been extremely open through midfield and most of their wins have come through late goals. There’s been an unexpected wildness to them, almost as though Slot is going through his transition a season late.

This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.

Continue reading...

Mason Mount shows his worth, Oliver Glasner makes no excuses and Chelsea find a new defensive duo

Elliot Anderson spent much of Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat on Tyneside reminding Eddie Howe how much he lost when Premier League spending rules demanded that the midfielder be sold to fend off the threat of a points deduction. That was back in the summer of 2024 and Anderson, now an England international, has rarely looked back since joining Forest. For much of the first half he eclipsed even Sandro Tonali and, overall, was comfortably Ange Postecoglou’s best player. Yet Anderson is human and when his loose pass offered Bruno Guimarães an opening, his subsequent attempt at a recovery tackle was mistimed and sent Guimarães crashing in the area. The Brazilian had already shot Newcastle ahead from 25 yards and from the spot Nick Woltemade scored his fourth goal in five starts. Tellingly, at the final whistle both Postecoglou and Howe made concerted efforts to console Anderson. If Forest’s manager is to survive and then thrive at Forest he will inevitably be heavily dependent on Anderson’s talent. Howe, meanwhile, would love to buy the Newcastle academy graduate back. Should Forest, with or without Postecoglou, continue to founder Newcastle may yet be in with a chance. Louise Taylor

Continue reading...

Jack Grealish’s injury-time goal ended Palace’s unbeaten run while Nottm Forest were beaten at St James’ Park

Newcastle v Nottm Forest

“Just quietly, mate, I don’t think Forest have been bad under Ange,” writes Chris Paraskevas. “The results are a little misleading: having watched a few of their games, they’ve either been genuinely unlucky, finished poorly or had every outfield player (including their goalkeeper), along with substitutes, all the backroom staff, the team bus driver, the mascot and the tea lady all pushed up for a (short) corner in the dying embers of a match.

Continue reading...

Ange Postecoglou strode towards the tunnel scratching his head and with eyes trained downwards. After seven games as Nottingham Forest’s manager and no wins, his immediate future seems as opaque as a fog on the Tyne.

Although Newcastle were far from their ferocious best, second-half goals from Bruno Guimarães and Nick Woltemade, the latter a penalty, ultimately offered them a restorative second Premier League victory of a season they are gradually growing into.

Continue reading...

Jørgen Strand Larsen, denied a £55m move to Newcastle at the end of the transfer window, remonstrated angrily with Wolves’ coaching staff on the full-time whistle after he had been substituted late on, just after shooting against a post with Wolves leading through Bart Verbruggen’s own goal, as Brighton pushed for a late equaliser which finally arrived from Jan Paul van Hecke.

For the second successive week, Wolves’ attempt to get their season up and running was stymied by a late equaliser. Vítor Pereira, the Wolves manager, had been sent off just before the Premier League’s bottom side went ahead, through Marshall Munetsi’s volley rebounding off the bar and in off the Brighton goalkeeper.

Continue reading...

As Aston Villa cantered towards a fourth successive victory in all competitions, it was hard not to wonder: what was all the fuss about? Donyell Malen was the match-winner for Villa in Unai Emery’s 150th game in charge of the club, the Dutchman applying a pair of expert finishes after seizing a rare start, this just his fourth in the Premier League since signing from Borussia Dortmund in January. Out of nowhere Burnley halved the deficit through the substitute Lesley Ugochukwu, who headed in on 78 minutes, but a first away point this season proved beyond them.

Before Ugochukwu headed in Quilindschy Hartman’s cross it was apparent Villa’s biggest danger was probably themselves – and so it proved, some slack marking allowing the former Chelsea midfielder to send the ball through the legs of the returning Emiliano Martínez. Unsurprisingly, Burnley roused from there but they could not prevent a fifth defeat in six matches in all competitions and they have conceded 15 Premier League goals, one shy of the 16 they let in across the entire Championship season en route to promotion as runners-up.

Continue reading...

Estevao’s injury-time goal gave injury-hit Chelsea a memorable win over the champions, who lost their third game in a row

Arsenal beat West Ham 2-0 at the Emirates to move above Liverpool, at least for a couple of hours. This is how the Premier League table looks right here, right now.

And Enzo Maresca’s

It’s nice [to play Liverpool]. It’s a chance to learn and we’ve prepared as best we can.

[On Chelsea’s injuries] Nine players are unfortunately out, plus we have two or three players [who are carrying injuries*] We will try to find solutions and hopefully we can have a good day – for us and for the fans.

Continue reading...

Mohammed Kudus scored the winner and won player of the match as Spurs won their fifth game against Leeds in a row

3 min: A cracking atmosphere at Elland Road, by the way. Like that’s breaking news. One of the great old-school theatres.

2 min: Bogle sends a long pass down the right for Calvert-Lewin, who is skittled to the ground by Van de Ven. You’ve seen free kicks given for much less, but the referee waves play on and the ball sails out for a goal kick. It’s a contact sport, I guess.

Continue reading...

Chelsea play host to Liverpool on Saturday while Manchester City travel to Brentford on Sunday

Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Elland Road

Continue reading...

Sunderland eye an upset at Old Trafford, Arsenal hope to settle old scores with West Ham and Everton look blunt

Unbeaten in the league since their Friday night opener at Anfield, Bournemouth’s early momentum has been stalled by consecutive draws: at home to Newcastle and at Leeds last week. Fulham visit the Vitality on Friday, offering Andoni Iraola’s side a presentable chance of recapturing winning ways and going second in the table. After a turbulent summer, Iraola has sought consistency in his team selection. Trailing 2-1 at Leeds, the Bournemouth manager made a triple change to restore three usual starters – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his XI and was rewarded with a late leveller. Bournemouth have also maintained defensive stability, conceding just once in four games between the trips to Liverpool and Leeds. Marcos Senesi, often playing in an otherwise brand-new back five, has been key to the team’s continuity. The centre-back earned praise from Iraola for his defensive work and threat at attacking set-pieces – as evidenced by his headed assist for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at Elland Road. Niall McVeigh

Bournemouth v Fulham, Friday 8pm (all times BST)

Leeds v Tottenham, Saturday 12.30pm

Manchester United v Sunderland, Saturday 3pm

Arsenal v West Ham, Saturday 3pm

Chelsea v Liverpool, Saturday 5.30pm

Everton v Crystal Palace, Sunday 2pm

Continue reading...

• Nuno learning club culture after taking over as manager

• ‘It’s not about understanding. We have to really feel it’

Nuno Espírito Santo believes it will take time for him to build an ­identity and philosophy at West Ham. The former Nottingham Forest manager is adjusting to his latest role after a whirlwind start and is looking to ­connect with his new club’s culture on an emotional level.

Nuno, who was appointed ­following the brutal sacking of ­Graham Potter last weekend, said that longstanding members of staff have spent the week filling him in on life at West Ham. He smiled when asked for his interpretation of the West Ham way, a concept that means “gung-ho football” to some fans but passion and resilience to others.

Continue reading...

The world of soccer throws up no shortage of questions on a regular basis. In today’s column, Graham Ruthven endeavors to answer three of them

It’s no wonder Ruben Amorim spent the closing moments of Manchester United’s defeat to Brentford staring at the floor. That’s the only place he can escape the reality of his team’s continued slide. United’s latest defeat means the Portuguese manager has now lost nearly twice as many matches (17) as he has won (nine).

Continue reading...

Plus: teams on epic draw streaks, early season pitch invasions and long-throw world records

• Mail us with your questions and answers

“Manchester City had 32.8% possession in their 1-1 draw at Arsenal last month, the lowest of Pep Guardiola’s career,” begins Graham Murphy. “Do any managers have a higher lowest-possession figure in the English top flight?”

That figure of 32.8% was the lowest for Guardiola in a league game, as mentioned in last week’s column. We can’t compare him to every Premier League manager, mainly because possession stats were only recorded from the 2003-04 season onwards. Instead, we asked our friends at Opta to deliver the statistical goods on selected managers, past and present.

Continue reading...

Michael Keane put Everton ahead, but Jarrod Bowen’s equaliser, West Ham’s first goal under Nuno Espírito Santo, earned them his first point

Seeing as Michael Keane is playing, here’s one of my favourite goals of recent times.

West Ham, meanwhile, will look to play off Fullkrug, with Bowen coming off the flank in support while, down the left, Summerville keeps the width and behind, Paquetá prompts. I don’t think they’re anywhere near as bad as their league position suggests, but i do worry about the centre of their defence – which is why is makes sense to bring Magassa in for Ward-Prowse.

Continue reading...