We’ve been treated to a rare dose of full midweek Premier League action, with all 10 teams locking horns over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday night.
There were plenty of goals, some superlative performances and a fair few shocks; here, Discount Football Kits dissects the football on show and offers up some critical conclusions.
Possession? Pah!
Some pretty alarming statistics emerged following Southampton’s bout with Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
Paul Lambert’s men completed just 96 passes—the lowest of any team in a single game in the Premier League this season—and accumulated just 23 percent of the total possession.
Saints midfielder Steve Davis completed more passes (109) than the entire Villa XI did, while the home side managed nine shots on target to the away side’s three.
The result? Southampton 2-3 Aston Villa.
The lesson? Only one statistic counts: the score.
Rough Night for Rooney
Wayne Rooney has been directly involved in 59 percent of Manchester United’s goals this season, a figure higher than any other player in the Premier League.
To say he’s integral is an understatement, as he’s been outright carrying David Moyes’ side while they find their feet under the new regime of management.
It comes as no surprise, then, to see United draw a blank at home to Everton when Rooney has an off-night and fails to get himself on the scoresheet.
There are other issues too—Shinji Kagawa is still being played out of position at times, Marouane Fellaini continues to underwhelm—but the over-reliance on the England international was laid out before our very eyes on Wednesday.
Pardew’s Big Blunder
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Perhaps it’s possible to forgive Alan Pardew for feeling overconfident give his side’s recent form.
Four wins on the bounce came to a screeching halt at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday, as Newcastle United ran into the brick wall that is Swansea City Football Club.
Michael Laudrup’s charges have been poor at home so far this season but righted the ship here, slapping the Magpies about to the tune of a 3-0 scoreline.
For Pardew to rock up in South Wales and use a relatively rigid 4-4-2 with a designated strike partnership was a mistake, and although it’s been working wonders in recent weeks, you have to plan appropriately for each game.
A possession-hungry, dominant Swansea ate them alive.
Hazard’s Inconsistencies
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If there’s a description that aptly sums Eden Hazard up, it’s “maddeningly inconsistent.”
He absolutely destroyed Sunderland from the left flank on Wednesday night, but the fans were simply left wondering why he can’t do that on a more regular basis.
OK, Chelsea don’t play bottom-of-the-league Sunderland every week, but Gus Poyet’s side’s position is a little false—a product of the crazy Paolo Di Canio era that they’re steadily recovering from still.
Hazard needs to find that extra gear every week, because if he does, he’ll be moving closer and closer to a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque career every week.
Believe in Everton
When Roberto Martinez joined Everton this summer, there were a fair few people who felt it was a bad choice.
“The floodgates will open” and “he’s just been relegated” were frequent moans from unconvinced fans, but with 14 games in the bag and the Toffees sitting in fifth—three points off second!—you need to start believing in this side.
They’ve the second-best defensive record in the Premier League (13 conceded) and have scored the fifth-most. Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley, Kevin Mirallas and Leighton Baines make them an exciting watch, and they’re technically extremely adept.
If they can carry this form into the other two thirds of the season, they’ll be challenging for the UEFA Champions League. Don’t doubt it.
