Quick Notes from Matchday 10

I usually write (or ramble...) at length about a particular topic after the weekend's BPL matches, but due to time constraints today I'll just have a few short snippets of things that have happened or developed over yet another quite startling week of Premier League action.

Arsenal are beginning to find their stride, but Chelsea need to rethink things

Celebrating their win at Stamford Bridge (where they've had great success in the past, it has to be said) like they've won the Champions League, the much-maligned Gunners came out on top in a thrilling 5-3 encounter. What was more remarkable is that Daniel Sturridge, Ramires and especially Gervinho could have added to the scoreline. Long gone are the days where defensive solidarity was a hallmark of both London clubs' framework. Theo Walcott had a rare storming game, and Gervinho and the in-form RVP looked dangerous. Gunners fans will be very happy to see Thomas Vermaelen return, and that could be even more significant than scoring five against the Blues. I've written before of my liking for AVB and his 4-3-3, but defensively his team are wanting. Attacking fullbacks and a high defensive line aren't suited to overrated wingbacks and an England captain who has never possessed pace to begin with.

A Rooney-Cleverley partnership can contribute immensely to United's success

As I've written on more than one occasion before, I've always believed that Tom Cleverley is a great and underrated talent, even today when the spotlight is shining upon him more than ever. Starting against Aldershot in midweek and at Goodison on Saturday in midfield, the young playmaker bossed possession alongside surprise partner Wayne Rooney. The Roonatic has always preferred to drop deep, but in earlier games with Cleverley in the side he did so much more rarely. Here, it was apparent that he was instructed to sit very deep (as the deepest in a midfield 5, most often) and the Rooney-Cleverley axis enabled United to move the ball around even under constant pressure from Rodwell and Fellaini, creating chances for Welbeck, Park, Hernandez and the marauding Phil Jones. The withdrawal of Cleverley led to a scrappy period for United until Dimitar Berbatov came on, another player with brilliant technique and vision. Rooney the new Scholes? The player himself has distanced himself from the comparison, but it will be interesting to see if United continue with this.

Man City can be beaten

The first half at the Etihad Stadium was quite an intriguing one, with the league leaders hosting Wolves, who had only just barely managed to stop a horrendous losing streak. To add to the mayhem, City had just hammered Wolves 5-2 at Molineux in the Carling Cup a few days before, and everyone was expecting a mauling. What we saw instead was an open game of football in the first 45 minutes, where both sides had chances to score. An inspired performance from Wayne Hennessey kept City out, though only until he himself was caught in possession, his mistake cancelling his earlier heroics. It is interesting to see that Nigel De Jong remains benched, and that Yaya Toure has been converted (back?) to a holding midfielder. Should a side go on the offensive (like Wolves) from the start and open the scoring instead of sitting back (like Everton and Blackburn did), one wonders what the result might be. Fulham's result in September suggests that the City isn't impregnable.

Gareth Bale isn't a one-trick pony

After his performances against Internazionale last season, many hailed Gareth Bale as one of the best wingers of all time. His hattrick and the way he single-handedly dismantled Maicon and co suggested that he was finally living up to the billing of being the next Ryan Giggs. Later in the season though, he began to fade, especially after teams and opposing right-backs (most notably United and Rafael) simply showed him onto his weaker right foot, reducing his effectiveness. Recently though, he's shown that he is more than able to drift infield, mixing things up as a sort of inside forward as well as a traditional winger, with a combination of pace, power and panache. The two goals against QPR were prime examples, the first where he drifts in from wide and later on, starting from a central position.

Wigan and Blackburn are in more trouble than we thought

Roberto Martinez turned down the chance to move to Aston Villa (and coach the likes of Emile Heskey) in the summer, stating his commitment and loyalty to Wigan Athletic. I wonder if he regrets it now, especially after losing Charles N'Zogbia and seeing his side slump to seven straight defeats and hitting the woodwork twice in their latest loss. Steve Kean, similarly, has seen his side take no wins from five games since that incredible result against Arsenal (who tend to have incredible results, one way or another). Could the latest one, at Carrow Road, be his last? Throwing away a two-goal lead isn't something that bodes well for the embattled manager, and the Canaries might just have forced the hand of the poultry giants that own Rovers. Bad luck for both Wigan and Blackburn for sure, but as the saying goes, you make your own luck.

That's all for today (though maybe not this week), and I may or may not expand on one of these topics if work allows me to. I decided against writing about certain topics in particular for one reason or another (lack of objectivity, for example) so let me know what you think, and if you agree or would like to hear more.

Unhappy Birthday, Wayne

Wayne Rooney must be one unhappy boy. Six in the City has surely been repeated more than "Happy Birthday" today.

That's a line being repeated again and again online and on air across the footballing world today (or at least the parts that care a lot about the BPL). And with good reason, perhaps. The Manchester derby last night was quite something, in many aspects. Leaving work on Sunday evening, a certain presenter here at ESPN-Star Sports asked what I expected from the big game, having called the Anfield result the night before. "I don't have a good feeling about it, but hope it's close" was my answer. I was half right, I guess!

This isn't the first "seven-goal thriller" that the fixture has produced, but here the red side left feeling blue, and smiles were reserved for the contenders, challengers and ultimately, conquerors. Talk of paradigm shifts and the balance of power in the city has been rife for the past twelve hours and would probably continue well into the season.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the game (from a United perspective) was the way the team capitulated near the end. Losing 3-1 against a City side that has been rampant and ruthless, a ten-man United decided it was best to go on the offensive. Of course, playing at Old Trafford against your noisy neighbours might mean that was a given, and having pulled a goal back it did seem like a good idea. But then the Red Devils conceded another, and another...

And even after the fourth, it looked like they honestly believed that they could get something from the game, pushing numbers forward. It's one thing to be brave and look for a realistic result (I salute you once more, Mr. Villas-Boas) but another thing altogether to be naive and simply stupid. Leaving only two at the back (one of them a noticeably sub-par and demoralized Rio Ferdinand) and having Danny Welbeck the only one tracking back? That's poor. Very, very poor. Amateurish, even.

Take nothing away from Manchester City, they were very good. But then the players who performed well at Old Trafford have been doing so at that level all season (or longer). No surprises to see David Silva pulling all the strings, getting into and finding pockets of space. James Milner has been a personal favorite of mine since he broke into the Leeds team and broke Wayne Rooney's record of being the youngest Premier League goalscorer. The explosive Mario Balotelli found the scoresheet again, and even that wasn't much of a surprise (the goal and the fire) nowadays.

As mentioned before, United are sorely lacking a midfielder who can link the player between defence and attack. I've said before that their poor play recently can be traced back to Tom Cleverley's injury, and the fact that United dominated the second half of the Community Shield suggests at least some credence to the claim. Missing this sort of link, Wayne Rooney was continually forced to drop deep (even deeper than Darren Fletcher) to claim the ball and start any kind of attacking thrust for his side. Lacking a strike partner, Welbeck was left isolated and was then easy pickings for the ever-impressive Vincent Kompany. One might wonder why Dimitar Berbatov is still denied game-time, and Javier Hernandez has been relegated to the role of Super-Sub (since his very poor showing against Barcelona). The situation was compounded, of course, by the frustratingly useless Nani, who I have never been a fan of.

The second half of the Community Shield also saw the withdrawals of Rio Ferdinand, who was poor then and was poor last night, though not nearly as horrible as Jonny Evans. The Irish defender has always been vulnerable to a striker with the slightest of pace (Liverpool know this very well) and his sending off was the invitation City needed to run riot. And they did. Such a rash, idiotic, and laughable decision from Evans, who should have known better.

But the red card would not have changed anything, from this humble United fan's perspective. Like Liverpool's thumping from Spurs a few weeks ago, the other team would have won, and were already comfortable regardless. Fingers will be pointed at players who let their heads drop, or managers who didn't sign Wesley Sneijder. But in reality, United were beaten - comprehensively - by the far better side on the day, and it remains to be seen if the blue half of Manchester will celebrate come May. Judging from this outing though, they are in with a glorious chance and United will need to hope that that Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool (Newcastle?) can do something to halt the City charge.

Oh right, happy birthday, Wayne Rooney.

Boy Wonder

Robin has always been the subject of ridicule as a certain caped crusader's sidekick, be it for his little tights or overzealous exclamations in the heat of battle. That being said, the Robin roosting at the Emirates is now, more than ever, the only gun firing on all cylinders there.

Another brace over the weekend, relieving some pressure from an embattled manager, the former Feyenoord man is truly the main attraction at Arsenal, and has attracted interest from Man City as well - but then they tend to cast covetous eyes towards the area anyway, as attested to by Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri. Contract speculation aside, "RVP" has been at the club since 2004, and has played alongside such names as Vieira, Henry, and Bergkamp, as well as Fabregas, Nasri and, well, Jenkinson. Such is the situation that he has gone from substitute and sidekick to captain and catalyst. The one true flying Dutchman in the Gunners now (though with Bergkamp's famous fear of flying...), they can ill afford to have him fly off, be it to a rival or the treatment table.

The son of two artists, the artful Van Persie's attributes and contributions are matched by few. Be it a close clinical finish, a swerving freekick, a slaloming run or a Cantona-style chip against Sunderland (they do seem to fall victim to those...), the maverick striker is indeed Arsenal's main striker (much to Chamakh's chagrin). That being said though, he has never finished a season playing more than 30 league games. The closest he has ever come to that came in the 2008-09 season, where he finished with only 11 goals (but was still top-scorer for the club). The tally is not a black mark against the man though, having played as a wide or supporting player for much of his early career, such figures are still respectable, but perhaps unacceptable for the coming season.

His form and fitness notwithstanding, the difference and challenge he faces today is that of the supporting cast. For so long one of them himself, the burden of goalscoring (and creating, it seems) has now fallen on his shoulders alone. Mikel Arteta and Gervinho, quality players in their own right, are not like-for-like replacements for Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri - a point hammered home by everyone it seems - and one look at Fabregas' and Nasri's stats and achievements since their moves might suggest the same. And even before that, the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Jose Antonio Reyes, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg and of course Thierry Henry could pick up the slack. Not any more.

Many Arsenal (and opposing) fans believe that Arsenal's success in tied directly to Van Persie's performance. From what we have seen so far this season, that isn't too far from the truth. More than a century of goals from the man who has stepped out of the shadows of those before him, it's time for Robin to go from sidekick to superhero. The Gunners will hope that it happens, and that they can hang on to him after.

Men in the Middle Part I

Over the past few weeks, we've seen one striker reach a hundred goals for his side, two hit the headlines for reacting angrily after being substituted, another refusing to come on, one score and get sent off, one failing to score after promising he would, and another miss a game through an injury revealed via his wife's Twitter account.

This week, Frank Lampard scored a hattrick.

Not too long ago, I was examining the case of the (soon-to-be-former?) England international and how his days may be numbered at Stamford Bridge. It seemed he had lost his verve, his energy, and his ability to command a place in Andre Villas-Boas' interesting 4-3-3 gameplan. At the Reebok a few days ago though, Harry Redknapp's nephew reminded us all of what he still had to offer.

Or did he?

Lampard scored 3 of Chelsea's 5 against a hapless and helpless Bolton side that had not won since an opening day trouncing of QPR (who just conceded six against Fulham). They've been hammered by Liverpool, Manchester United, and - perhaps most tellingly - Arsenal since then, and have even managed to engineer a loss to Norwich City (no disrespect to Paul Lambert's side). One can't read too much into scoring a bunch of goals against a side that looks as poor as any I've seen in a long time. Darron Gibson starred against Schalke in the Champions League last season, but he was never touted as the future of United's midfield.

And it's United's midfield, rather than a single Chelsea midfielder, that I'd like to turn my attentions to today.

It seems an awful long time ago now that Manchester United were playing fluent, fluid football and people were already pencilling them to face Barcelona in the Champions League final once again (Real Madrid and Bayern Munich might have something to say about that). With the likes of Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and Nani ruthlessly leading the line, United had looked dangerous since the second half of the Community Shield. Then on September 10th, one reckless tackle sent a spanner in the works.

A certain Kevin Davies slid in late and hard on a Man Utd midfielder, forcing him off the pitch with a foot/ankle injury. United still scored five that day, but then again, we've already looked at how incompetant Bolton seem to be this season, especially without Stu Holden.

With a last name like that, Tom Cleverley might be a football writer's dream subject (second only to Eden Hazard?), especially looking at his intelligent use of the ball and space. Analyzing his stats and passes in the league games he played fit (West Brom, Spurs, Arsenal), a quite fascinating conclusion can be drawn.

Manchester United play that much better with Tom Cleverley in their side.

In those three games, his passing rate did not drop below 88%. That's even more impressive when you consider that the majority of his passes are positive, forward ones, Long diagonals searching for a winger (Young was his main beneficiary) or intricate threaded balls to the forwards. He also made a tremendous amount of passes (and challenges) in the middle third of the pitch, which might sound strange to point out, but when a similar analytic gaze is placed

on Darren Fletcher or (oh no) Michael Carrick, the differences are glaringly obvious.

Fletcher has bundles of energy, but tends to only stay on the right side of the pitch. He started his United career as a right-sided midfielder (opposite Kieran Richardson on the left) and so he does that naturally, and to good effect of course. Michael Carrick, on the other hand, plays a disturbingly large number of passes very short to his own defenders, or long to his keeper David De Gea. It frustrates me as a fan, and recently it has come to my attention that it frustrates his own team-mates as well! If you can, take a look at Michael Carrick's backpass in the 71st minute against Chelsea.

Tom Cleverley's work-rate and passing also lead to another indirect, but hugely significant, benefit for United. His attributes contribute to the early-season performance of Wayne Rooney as well. With Fletcher's hesitance to drift to the left side of the pitch and Carrick's lack of confidence to look for the forward pass, the "Roonatic" often drifts very deep and United lack another attacking body up front. While dropping deep has been a hallmark of Rooney's career thus far, it can be observed that without Cleverley, he is forced to do that to such an extent that United sacrifice potency in attack. You wouldn't expect Carrick of Fletcher to roam ahead when Rooney invariably drops deep anyway, but Cleverley starred in such a capacity in his loan spells at Leicester, Watford, and Wigan, being named Watford's Player of the Year.

Much was made about Paul Scholes retirement in the summer, with eager eyes looking towards the San Siro as Wesley Sneijder's move to United was said to be the way to fill the void. Indeed, fans and pundits have been saying for ages, it seems, that United lack creativity in midfield. I've always felt they were right, and right now, more than at any point in this fledgling season, that charge seems poignant and prudent. It remains to be seen if Ferguson can find a quick solution for the games against Liverpool and City to come, and he will do it as he has always done.

Cleverly.