Two thousand sixteen has been in a hurry to end, and with its slipstream, another quarter of the season has gone by. Before you know it, the Christmas period, Boxing Day, and New Year’s match days will be upon us. This period in football, unique to the English leagues out of all the big boys, can truly claim to separate the grain from the chaff (although the side leading going into the New Year hasn’t had a great time of it by the end of the season in the last few years). The quarter season is a significant enough period, however, as it allows the new managers to finally get settled in a madcap league, and allows the older heads to show their true mettle. It also shows the pretenders up for what they are, and usually the sides left behind even at this early stage can kiss their league aspirations goodbye.
This season, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman, Walter Mazzari, David Moyes, Claude Puel and, more recently, Mike Phelan and Bob Bradley, were the new managers (some just at new clubs) in the widely advertised "best league in the world". Such is the burden of expectation on the role of the manager nowadays, that nine new faces seems par for the course in this league. Each bring with them a new philosophy and a ready-made axe hanging above their heads, should results go south.
For some, the axe is already dangerously close.
Has defence not evolved as much as attack?
If there’s one thing common across the world of football right now, it’s the absence of defenders of any genuine quality. Pint-sized metronomic midfielders and rocket-fuel propelled wingers and forwards abound, their technical proficiency the subject of endless YouTube meals or six-second burps. The typical No. 9, the big lump up front who is plan B for most teams, is slowly being eased out of the frame, or is just a plan C. Even goalkeepers are evolving to more of a ball-playing sweeper keeper role. But defenders? Try as you might to forge a perfect modern defender who can play through the lines, the fact remains that most can’t do the basic role of defending properly. This is a chief complaint that can be made of most of the teams in the Premier League at the moment.
For reasons related to injury, age or general ineptitude, Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Aleksander Kolarov, John Stones and Gael Clichy fail to inspire confidence in a team that has an attack that should be walking the league, for all practical purposes. Similarly, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool look irresistible in attack, but Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, Nathaniel Clyne, and Alberto Moreno each have a massive mistake in them. However, Liverpool’s defence has made rapid strides since their calamitous start to the season.
Manchester United’s defensive duds were shown up rather spectacularly during a four-goal hammering by Chelsea. Chris Smalling is more or less the same caliber of defender he was when he arrived six years ago, while the rest of the back three is chopped and changed so frequently so as to be completely irrelevant when it comes to discussions on stability. Daley Blind is a liability and mainstay in equal measure, an incredibly difficult place to be in for a professional footballer. Marcos Rojo is performing for his next move away, while David De Gea probably still pines for sunny Madrid. Eric Bailly looked to be settling in after a stop-start beginning, but is now ruled out till next year.
In Antonio Conte, Chelsea have a manager who values pragmatism over flair, and resoluteness over adventure. That being said, their start was catastrophic, as they tried a back four in the first few games, only to look like a completely different team when their switched to three at the back after Arsenal handed them a pounding of their own. The three – Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, and David Luiz – have added another dimension to Chelsea’s game, allowing Nemanja Matic, N'Golo Kante and Eden Hazard the freedom to run midfields and defences ragged. Victor Moses has been a revelation at wing-back, full of running and desire. The key for Conte would be to keep this engine purring, as teams will work them out eventually.
Arsenal have been quite un-Arsenal like, save for a freak opening game against Liverpool, which saw them ship four goals. The remaining nine have seen them concede just six, and the new boy Shkodran Mustafi looks to be a key reason for that. Mustafi is brave in the tackle, and importantly, fast, and lets Arsene Wenger play with a higher line than he would if he was playing Per Mertesacker or the error-prone Gabriel. His passing has been excellent as well, with Alexis Sanchez, Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott benefitting from his midfield-piercing passes that leave defences vulnerable to their pace. His partnership with Laurent Koscielny, who is arguably one of the best defenders in Europe right now, will be key to Arsenal’s title hopes this season. Keep them fit, and the Gunners might just be able to go the distance. Till March, of course, when they implode obviously and spectacularly.
Tottenham have been unusually staid at times, possibly missing Harry Kane up front, while the injury to Toby Alderwiereld is a huge blow. They’ve looked the most organised defensively thus far, though. Three points off the pack with 10 games gone, they will be quite happy.
The best attackers in the league in many years
While it may be going through its lowest patch when it comes to quality of defending, the Premier League has arguably not seen such a wide array of attacking talent across teams in many seasons. Cash-rich clubs, even mid- and lower-table ones, have invested heavily in this department, and some have reaped the benefits. While the top-scorers list features some likely suspects in Diego Costa (eight goals), Sergio Aguero, Romelu Lukaku (seven goals), Alexis Sanchez (six goals), there are a few notable surprises such as Michail Antonio (five goals), Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue and a reinvigorated Raheem Sterling (four goals apiece).
Kevin De Bruyne has picked up from where he left off and has five assists for the season already, while Phillipe Coutinho, Dimitri Payet and Christian Eriksen feature prominently in this list as well. Arsenal youngster Alex Iwobi has thrived in a role in the left of a front three, while Matic looks like he’s enjoying his football again, and has made four vital assists.
A look ahead
As we hurtle towards the new year, it appears that an abject Sunderland team might just get relegated by January. They currently have two points out of a possible 30, the lowest return in the history of the league. David Moyes might find himself out of a job very soon, and could well be ruing the day he answered Sir Alex Ferguson’s call three tumultuous seasons ago. Hull and Swansea both appear to be in danger of slipping dangerously behind, and will need their new managers to really shake things up.
Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool face a tricky couple of months ahead, months which could be the difference between a title challenge and a scrap for the top four spots among themselves. Groundhog day for Manchester United as they look well off the pace, but will still hope for a Champions League spot.
In a brilliantly competitive league, the difference could well be the team that manages to defend consistently through the season. That, however, is easier said that done.
