Liverpool’s brief crisis is over as they equalled a Premier League record with a 9-0 thumping of sorry Bournemouth, but Arsenal fans were feeling just as good at the top of the Premier League.
At the other end of the table, there was another blow to Brendan Rodgers’ increasingly steep battle to survive at Leicester, while West Ham picked up a first win of the new season.
Liverpool aren’t the only side who are back. Manchester United showed last week’s victory over the Reds was not some aberration, as they won a second successive game against Southampton; once that would have sounded like a fairly low bar. Erik ten Hag won’t care one bit.
This weekend’s results
Saturday 27 August
- Southampton 0-1 Manchester United
- Brentford 1-1 Everton
- Brighton 1-0 Leeds
- Chelsea 2-1 Leicester
- Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth
- Manchester City 4-2 Crystal Palace
- Arsenal 2-1 Fulham
Sunday 28 August
- Aston Villa 0-1 West Ham
- Wolves 1-1 Newcastle
- Nottingham Forest 0-2 Tottenham
Arsenal
Celebration policing is one of the most tedious, joyless things you can do. Football is an escape, and God knows we need it right now. Football supporters react to the moments of high involuntarily, those seconds when you are completely consumed by something that ultimately doesn’t matter and somehow therefore means everything. It is a release; releases aren’t supposed to be channelled.
No point celebrating a first-half goal – you might not win the match. No point celebrating a win – you might lose next week. No point falling in love with your team’s best players – they might push for a move next summer. Or: do what you want; react how you want. Performative celebration is one thing; getting carried away in the throes of victory is another entirely.
And there was a good reason for Arsenal’s players and supporters to be so raucous after the win over Fulham. Over the last 18 months, Arsenal have been awful at turning deficits into wins. Since March 2021, only once in the league (Wolves at home in February)- had they fallen behind and won.
Over that period, Arsenal had trailed in 17 different league games and taken only six points from those matches. They had failed to even take a point in the last six, losing every time. More than anything else, their inability to respond to adversity had blocked their return to Champions League football.
And here they did it. They found a way. The goals were not pretty but who cares about the details when you maintain your 100 per cent record? Too much celebrating – not a bit of it. It was merely proof of a new mood and a group of players that believe in each other and their manager.
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Steven Gerrard is getting worryingly close to “vote of confidence” territory, even this early in the season. Every week we seem to be discussing the various ways in which his Villa team are struggling to knit together attacks or protect their defence.
Against a West Ham side who were utterly abject in the first half, Villa still managed not to create clear openings and were eventually punished. They had a total expected goals figure of 0.4 and had four shots in total from the 50th minute onwards. The starting XI didn’t get it done – that can happen. But Villa had a substitute’s bench full of options and barely got a response from them.
These are dark days indeed for a man appointed to instigate a quick improvement and use his first summer to create a team that would reflect his managerial philosophy. Villa have beaten three teams in their last 15 Premier League matches and two of those are now playing Championship football. They likely have the seventh or eighth biggest wage bill in the country and Gerrard needs to offer more persuasive evidence that he is the right man to bring those players together.
Bournemouth
Things like this can happen. This is why there are plenty of supporters who take great joy in the act of achieving promotion from the Championship but very quickly get a little apprehensive about their team playing in the Premier League. Sometimes you run into an elite club that has better players in every position, is particularly motivated to flex their muscles and there is little you can do but hope they take their foot off the gas at some point.
A fortnight ago at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola’s side did that – they slowed the game down to walking pace at 4-0. Jurgen Klopp’s team, for obvious reasons, did not. And at that point, when you concede goals early and quickly and lose all confidence in what the team is trying to do, the only question is “How many?”.
What was more worrying than the result was Scott Parker’s post-game reaction. Let’s go back to the opening weekend, after the win over Aston Villa, when Parker railed against preseason predictions of Bournemouth’s demise and said that he would use those predictions to motivate his team. He seemed like a manager with a deep desire to ignore the problems and push on regardless.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Parker said on Saturday, expressing that he expects this type of result to be repeated this summer. “This is currently where it is at this moment in time. The players need help. We’ve got a decision to make as a club. There will be days like this. Time will tell. It’s a huge disappointment, a real humbling experience.
“There’s loads of work to be done. This is currently where are are. If this is the group we’re going with we’ll react and see where are. We need to make a decision as a football club what we want to do this year – do we want to be competitive? We’re not competitive right now.”
Parker’s message was unsubtly directed at those in charge of Bournemouth’s transfer policy, and he’s clearly asking for more players this week, but imagine you were one of his players who had effectively – and publicly – been told they were no better than losing 9-0 to Liverpool. Is that likely to pick them up off the floor? Or it more likely to reinforce their fears about the forthcoming season? “It doesn’t surprise me,” is not the right response to a record-equalling defeat, whether you think it or not.
Brentford
Thomas Frank will be relieved that his Brentford team at least managed a late equaliser, but after the game he struggled to explain how they had not taken all three points.
“How did we not win?” asked Frank. “That will be an unknown mystery forever. It’s a game we should win nine out of ten times. Wow, what a performance, in many ways, we performed better than the United game.”
He’s right in that Brentford created more clear cut chances than they did against United. They hit the woodwork three times and Yoane Wissa was guilty of blazing one rebound over the bar when he should have scored.
But that is how the cookie crumbles. Brentford had been the best finishers in the Premier League before this weekend. They are still the team to have scored with the highest percentage of their shots (0.17 goals per shot) even after the wastefulness against Everton. Last season they only managed 0.09 goals per shot, suggesting that their chance conversion over their first three matches was unsustainable. On Saturday, we saw a team reverting closer to their usual mean.
Brighton
Last week, we picked out Leandro Trossard’s versatility and consistency as the embodiment of Graham Potter’s Brighton. This week, after another win that takes Brighton to nine league games unbeaten, we can switch focus to Pascal Gross and Joel Veltman.
A lot is made of Brighton’s transfer and recruitment strategy. They tend to buy in mid-range – since 2018, they have signed Enock Mwepu, Pervis Estupinan, Julio Enciso, Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma, Adam Webster, Neal Maupay and Trossard for fees between £10m and £20m. They reason that they won’t all come off, but that the ones who do can be sold for significant fees and raise the funds to further the same recruitment strategy. Bissouma, Cucurella and Maupay have already left this summer for a combined £95m, recouping most of the money they paid for the aforementioned list.
But below that price level, Brighton turned water into wine. Moises Caicedo cost them £4.5m and looks like a tremendous Premier League midfielder. Gross cost 2.7m from Ingolstadt in 2017 (before Potter’s arrival) and is in remarkably good form so far this season with three league goals and an assist in four matches.
Veltman was even cheaper at £900,000 from Ajax in 2020. Last season he started 15 league games as a central defender, 14 as a right-back and four as a right wing-back. Already this season he has played three times at centre-back and on Saturday was moved to right-back to look after the dangerous Jack Harrison on Leeds’ left wing. Harrison, who had been one of the standout players of the opening three weeks, had one off target and created one chance before being substituted for Adam Forshaw.
The manner in which these Brighton players look comfortable in multiple positions is a testament to Potter’s coaching. That they squeezed such incredible value for money out of a player unwanted by Ajax and barely targeted by any other club is proof of their majesty in the transfer market. Nobody is doing it better.
Chelsea
Chelsea’s second goal against Leicester will have thoroughly delighted Thomas Tuchel. Kai Havertz collected the ball and drifted wide rather than heading into the box. Rather than slow down the move, it accelerated it; Reece James was able to overlap and take the ball from Havertz close to the goal-line. His whipped cross, fabulously delivered, found Raheem Sterling two yards from goal.
That isn’t down to luck. Watch it back again and see the movement. Sterling deliberately hangs slightly behind Timothy Castagne before beginning to move into the Belgian’s blind spot – when Castagne glances to look for any runners, he cannot see Sterling, who has darted towards goal. Leicester’s defenders were flat-footed and Sterling had a simple task.
This was the movement – and this was exactly the type of goal – that Sterling made his forte at Manchester City, when these types of crosses were so commonplace. He only had three touches of the ball in Leicester’s penalty area on Saturday, but don’t panic about the quantity when one of the three was a guaranteed goal. That is precisely the movement and supply that would make Sterling a success at Stamford Bridge.
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Sometimes you simply have to reason that you did all you could and weren’t good enough. Crystal Palace executed their game plan perfectly in the first half at the Etihad, looking to counter attack where possible and expose Manchester City’s back two (and it really is a back two at times) where possible and making the most of set-piece opportunities. They were very fortunate to be leading 2-0 at half-time, but they had also seized the advantage in the only way possible.
The second half was bitterly disappointing, but it also felt inevitable once City had scored their first goal. Patrick Vieira admitted that his team had used up so much energy in the first half that they were physically suffering from 60 minutes onwards, and that showed. It’s not just the inability to counter attack with the same force; it’s the decision-making and the desperation that creeps into your defending.
If Vieira had aimed to continue their attacking forays after half-time, that was made much harder through the absence of Wilfried Zaha. Against Aston Villa and Liverpool, it was Zaha who led the counter attacks by staying high up the pitch and running directly at goal when he got the ball. Without him, they didn’t get the same opportunities.
And when you are half a second late to react, or slightly slower to close down passing lanes because you are half-knackered and have been chasing the ball for an hour, there are few better teams in world football to make you look silly.
Manchester City have fallen two goals behind in four of their last six league matches and haven’t lost any of them. This isn’t a fluke; they wear teams down and can score goals in clusters because your belief in unlikely victory drops as soon as the cracks begin to appear. Vieira, his players and those supporters who travelled to Manchester, should not be disheartened.
Everton
This is why James Tarkowski was such a smart signing for Everton, given their defensive headaches last season and given the loss of Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina to serious injuries. Frank Lampard’s team were under serious pressure for most of the game and were indeed fortunate to take a point. But they also defended their penalty area well, particularly against the 25 open-play crosses that Brentford attempted.
Tarkowski was brilliant, the “proper” defender this Everton team needed. He won 100% of his aerial duels, not easy when Ivan Toney is in the opposition lineup. He made 10 clearances, three more than any other player on the pitch. He blocked two shots. His positioning meant that he only had to make two tackles and won more fouls than he conceded.
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You can understand why Marco Silva would be thoroughly peeved with the manner of Fulham’s defeat to Arsenal. Losing despite taking a lead is something he has only experienced twice as Fulham manager, against Coventry in October 2021 and against Derby in April when they were coasting towards promotion.
But it’s a bit much for Silva to claim that Arsenal were lucky. They trebled Fulham’s expected goals total in the match and, if the goals themselves contained some fortune, those are the breaks you get when you register a high number of shots.
This is not intended as stinging criticism, because Fulham have clearly started the season better than anyone envisaged. But Silva must now look to balance the desire to attack and service Aleksandar Mitrovic – who had another four shots on Saturday – with the need to reduce the number of shots they are facing close to their own goal.
In their first two league games, Fulham allowed their opponents (Liverpool and Wolves) to take 13 shots from inside the penalty area. Against Brentford and Arsenal in their last two matches, Fulham have allowed their opponents to take 27 shots from inside the box. There’s an argument that this chaos theory football – “we’ll have shots and allow shots and bank on Mitrovic getting it done” – is Silva’s best hope of keeping Fulham up, but it’s something to bear in mind if those shot numbers continue.
Leeds
Way to prick the bubble of confidence that had enveloped Leeds after the handsome win over Chelsea. Jesse Marsch’s side were outplayed by Brighton, fortunate to only lose by a single goal. The stars of their first three matches struggled: Jack Harrison to create chances, Tyler Adams and Marc Roca to cope with Brighton’s energy in midfield, Rodrigo to get involved in play at all. The Spaniard had five shots; too few were threatening.
The game also saw Marsch booked by the referee for slamming the ball into the turf, sarcastically applauding the official and basically begging to be punished. That’s an interesting development because it comes immediately after Marsch being incredibly expressive on the touchline against Chelsea and becoming involved in a spat with Bruno Lage on the opening weekend.
We want managers to have personality and to be animated, but after the game Marsch accepted that his behaviour went too far and said he escalated that behaviour to try and get the referee to change subsequent decisions.
Not only is that a slightly snide trick (and it didn’t work, so fair play to referee Michael Salisbury for that), but Marsch also accused his players of allowing emotions to get the better of them, therefore rendering them unable to stick to the match plan and becoming a little too “freestyling” for the manager’s liking.
If that was indeed Leeds’ problem against Brighton, surely they should look to the manager for inspiration and example. And if they see him jumping up and down and getting into arguments with the referee, is that likely to help or hinder?
Leicester City
“We just started the second half too passively, we weren’t aggressive enough. When you go against a side that goes down to 10 men it can be difficult. So to go 2-0 down was a real challenge.” – Brendan Rodgers.
I’m sorry, but that just isn’t a good enough explanation. Leicester losing at Stamford Bridge isn’t unexpected, but it was the manner of it. When you spend an hour playing against 10 men, you should have more initiative and be creating all the chances. Rodgers is right that it can be difficult to play against 10, but it should also be possible to avoid going two goals down and losing the game. Leicester had two shots on target between Conor Gallagher’s red card and Chelsea’s second goal.
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Rodgers’ side did then respond, and could easily have snatched a point. But then that goes back to something we mentioned last week: “Just as alarming is that a fine front six has managed eight shots on target in three matches so far. Leicester should actually be grateful that five of them have been goals.” Here Leicester reverted back to the mean.
More worrying is the manner in which Rodgers is searching for an answer and not finding one. On Saturday, Leicester’s six most defensive players were Danny Ward, Timothy Castagne, Daniel Amartey, Jonny Evans, James Justin and Boubakary Soumare. He is making changes to search for balance – Soumare came out of the blue to start on Saturday.
It points to the upheaval – in terms of rumours – lack of signings and the injuries Leicester suffered last season that they currently feel like a team in transition but with no transition obviously taking place. In January 2021, Leicester beat Chelsea with their six most defensive players being: Kasper Schmeichel, Justin, Castagne, Wesley Fofana, Evans and Ndidi. Leicester supporters will be happy to tell you which list they prefer.
Liverpool
Firstly, this was clearly a majestic afternoon on which everything went right. Roberto Firmino didn’t have to drop deep because Liverpool were dominant from minute one and so he didn’t need to go and search for the ball. The midfield could stay high up the pitch because Fabinho was back (is he now Liverpool’s most important player?) and Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t have to defend, meaning he looked marvellous. Two teenagers scored, which will help their confidence. Mohamed Salah didn’t score, meaning he will be particularly motivated to do so in midweek.
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Belief is also a crucial aspect of this Liverpool team and we should not ignore its role. On Monday, nobody looked as if they wanted to grab the game and drag it in their team’s favour. Suddenly the goals are flowing and it may well persuade Liverpool that they can beat anyone. If you are under pressure to perform, any win will do. Liverpool went and equalled a Premier League record for margin of victory, a Premier League record for goals and equalled their own record for highest margin of league victory. That matters.
Still, if we should not dismiss certain aspects of this win, we must also accept that it came in unique circumstances. Bournemouth were not just bad, they produced arguably the worst defensive performance in Premier League history. They had no fight, no pride and no ability to stop anything that Liverpool tried. The game could legitimately have ended 13-0 and there would have been no cause for complaint. Put simply: Liverpool will never have it this easy again.
That is not to say that the result, and it’s life-breathing impact, is not important. If Klopp and his players believe they have recovered then, in part, they have recovered. Team sport is a pursuit in which confidence facilitates technique as much as the vice versa. Newcastle, Everton and Wolves may now be swept aside and Liverpool push themselves back toward the upper reaches of the Premier League.
But if, three days ago, Klopp had become convinced by the need for a new midfielder, or had become persuaded by the need to get the wide forwards closer to the central striker, or had decided that he needed to give Alexander-Arnold a little more protection, those conclusions may not have been wrong.
Just as failing to beat Crystal Palace didn’t mean Liverpool were inherently broken, thrashing Bournemouth does not mean that all has been magically fixed. That is not an intent to police any celebrations – if you can’t enjoy a 9-0 win then what can you enjoy; more a reminder that no team will lie down to have their tummies tickled quite as readily as Bournemouth.
Manchester City
Manchester City have signed an absolute freak of a centre forward. We suspected that at the time of his signing; we are thoroughly convinced now. Erling Haaland now has 13 career hat-tricks. He has scored hat-tricks in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, Champions League, in international football and now in the Premier League. And yes, he is only twenty-sodding-two.
The full gamut of his talents were on show during a second half during which City blew away Crystal Palace and evaporated any suspicions that the draw with Newcastle had led to them falling into a mini rut. The first goal is all about movement, stealing ahead of his marker to head home from close range. The second was ostensibly down to good fortune, but ask any elite striker and they will tell you that an unerring ability to be in the right place at the right time became a subconscious part of their armoury.
And then the third goal, dear me. Of course Palace’s defenders were tired – that was partly down to him anyway. Of course they left too much space in between the centre-backs for Haaland to demand the ball and point to exactly where he wanted it. But the manner in which he controlled the pass, held off the physical presence of a defender trying to make like difficult, opened up his body and guided the ball into an area where Vicente Guaita could not even bother diving towards was frankly terrifying.
We knew that Haaland would not need to feel dominant in Manchester City’s build-up play to be important. Unlike Sergio Aguero before him, he had proven to be perfectly happy not dropping deep to seek possession During one Dortmund away win against Hertha Berlin last season, Haaland had just 26 touches of the ball and scored four goals.
Here was proof that he can do precisely the same in England: 16 touches of the ball, six completed passes, no chances created, three goals. You do not need to be an everyman in this attack when everyone else is set up to service you and you look like you have been designed in a laboratory to feed off that service.
Manchester United
A mighty important result, for three obvious reasons: 1) Erik ten Hag needed to demonstrate that beating Liverpool, at a raucous Old Trafford, was not a one off; 2) Manchester United have been rotten away from home over the last six months – this ended a run of seven straight away league defeats during which United scored two goals; 3) They needed to prove that they could cope with adversity.
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That last point is the most important one, because that’s where Manchester United’s first three summer signings will make a difference. Tyrell Malacia must show that he can cope with Premier League wingers. Lisandro Martinez must cope with crosses into the box. Casemiro is excellent at many things, but he might just be the best player in the world at breaking up play when his team is under pressure.
United did that at Southampton, but the next stage is to avoid inviting that pressure in the first place. After Bruno Fernandes’ goal, United did not attempt another shot. Southampton had 10 and Ten Hag’s side completed less than 60 per cent of their passes. They were panicked and they looked flustered and, ultimately, they came through it unscathed. But against better, older and more ruthless attacks they will struggle to do so. They will rely upon the new signings, particularly Casemiro. But they must try and have more control with their lead to help him.
Newcastle
You can talk about Newcastle’s resilience, turning a sluggish 0-1 deficit into one point and then creating enough chances in added time to win the match. You can discuss the new raft of injuries – Callum Wilson, Bruno Guimaraes, Emil Krafth – that Eddie Howe believes may make further transfer activity necessary. You can pass comment on Newcastle playing in a kit with some unsubtle links to the homeland of their owners.
Feel free to do all that amongst yourselves. I’m just going to watch Allan Saint-Maximin’s controlled volley on loop and marvel at the technique of elite footballers. You know where to find me.
Nottingham Forest
If there is pride and hope to be taken from making life difficult for better teams (without being patronised), Nottingham Forest can be happy with their afternoon’s work. They were caught out on an early counter attack and then more than matched a Champions league team until the final 15 minutes, when they got a little ragged and Spurs began to pick them off.
Tottenham were hardly at their best, but Steve Cooper’s side really did create enough chances to justify being level before they were beaten. They almost doubled Tottenham’s expected goals total in the first half. Play like this against the teams who will likely finish between 11th and 17th and you will pick up enough points to stay up, or so the theory goes.
But there are things that will annoy Cooper. Firstly, Forest are snatching at their chances in the box. The link-up play between Jesse Lingard, Brennan Johnson and Morgan Gibbs-White was actually very effective given the short amount of time they have had together. Where Forest’s move fell down was either in slightly overplaying the penalty area or swiping at chances. They had seventeen shots against Spurs and only one of them was on target.
Ryan Yates headed wide from 10 yards. Gibbs-White curled a shot over. Neco Williams dragged a shot beyond the far post when the Trent End was ready to rise and roar. Joe Worral scooped a late shot over the bar because he leant back. Forest are creating a large number of half chances and few high-percentage chances and are not finishing efficiently enough for the half chances to matter.
That will come. As players settle they will work on the fluidity of attacks that create better openings. You learn to know instinctively where your teammate will run, when to play the pass, when to shoot and to look for someone in a better position.
Slightly more concerning for Cooper will be the number of shots that Forest are facing. Dean Henderson – and not just because of the two penalty saves – has probably been their best player so far this season. On initial viewing, the issue appears to be the speed of their three central defenders. You can accommodate one or two of three centre-backs lacking a little speed, so long as you have pace in wing-back areas.
But none of Steve Cook, Joe Worrall or Scott McKenna are quick. They will head crosses away and dive in front of shots all day, but they won’t catch Son Heung-Min or Dejan Kulusevski when they are breaking forward – that explains them all being booked against Spurs. The loss of Moussa Niakhate to injury could not have come at a worse time.
Southampton
A performance that showcased the very best and frustrating worst of this new-look Southampton. Some of the best players on the pitch on Saturday lunchtime were those in red and white and all of them were new signings. Romeo Lavia is extraordinarily mature for an 18-year-old central midfielder. Armel Bella-Kotchap is only two years his senior and coped effortlessly with Marcus Rashford. Gavin Bazunu was part of the six-second It’s A Knockout style defensive effort in the first half when Southampton stopped four Manchester United attempts on goal through flying bodies and diving sprawls.
But then those players needed the forwards to help them out. Only six Premier League teams had taken more shots than Southampton after Saturday’s matches but only two had managed fewer shots on target. It’s the same old problem from last season, a failure to convert created chances during the spells when Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team are on top. What Hasenhuttl would give for 2019-20 Danny Ings in this team.
Tottenham
It feels mightily unfair to criticise Antonio Conte or his players after another victory took them to 10 points from a possible 12. We must also conclude that this current strategy – sit back, play on the counter, look very sluggish in central midfield – is deliberate given that we have seen it in all four of their matches. Perhaps this is Conte teaching his side that if they are to sustain a title challenge then they will have to learn to win the hard way, his sufferball preseason sessions brought to life on the pitch.
But at some point, it will surely stop working. In the first half at the City Ground, Conte’s side had 41 per cent of the ball and were repeatedly put under pressure. If Tottenham’s manager will be delighted by a second clean sheet in succession, he cannot have enjoyed the manner in which his players ceded possession so readily in midfield. The match was effectively decided by Harry Kane’s clinical finishes, although he got a black mark for a weak penalty.
If Tottenham do indeed have another gear, we should not worry. Perhaps they will learn to control the midfield and thus control the flow of the match; bringing Yves Bissouma into midfield in place of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg may help there. Then, when Spurs are put into difficult positions in late season, Conte will use these early experiences as proof that his side can win with brawn and brains as well as beauty.
The difference between this season and last is that the increased depth of the squad allows them a second chance to get the job done. Last season, Tottenham’s five most regular substitute appearance makers in the league were Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura, Bryan Gil, Harry Winks and Giovani Lo Celso. More often than not, they were introduced because they were there rather than because Conte honestly believed that they could change the game.
Moura is still one of the five most-used substitutes this season, but he has played 12 minutes in total. Look at the others in the top five: Bissouma, Richarlison, Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon. That depth allows for a freshness of energy without the general quality of the team dipping. Cue Richarlison producing an outrageous cross for Kane for Tottenham’s second goal on Sunday.
West Ham
Firstly, that will be one of the worst Premier League games of the season and I feel sorry for anyone who watched it all, let alone extended highlights. Secondly, West Ham won’t care because they won it. David Moyes’ side had one shot (off target) in the first 55 minutes, leading to groans and general displeasure in the away end.
But for the first time in far too long, West Ham were able to dominate the final period of a match because they had options on the bench. Michail Antonio came on for the ineffective Gianluca Scamacca and turned it into a physical battle. Said Benrahma was unfortunate not to start but offers something completely different as an impact sub. With Aaron Cresswell playing as a central defender, he could switch to left-back when Emerson was taken off and Moyes’ side suddenly had a new shape as well as new energy.
And you see the difference. Before Sunday, West Ham had only turned draw or defeat into victory once in the final 20 minutes of a league game in 2022 – that was also against Aston Villa in March. While Villa continued to labour, West Ham seized the initiative. That was the only difference between the two teams.
Wolves
Last week, someone on social media posted a compilation video of Rory Delap’s throw-ins for Stoke City that led to goals. At some point the conversation turned to which other players in Premier League history have had such a specific skill as Delap’s.
Now Ruben Neves does not quite belong in that conversation because he is a multi-faceted footballer. There was a pass early in the Newcastle game, in a move that created a chance for Pedro Neto, where Neves played a pass on the half-volley with the outside of his boot that went 50 yards to the feet of its target. He’s also tigrish in the tackle, covering the distance that allows Joao Moutinho to sit.
But it is Neves’ shooting from outside the box that is his – possibly more than any other player in the league – signature move. Sixteen of his 25 goals for Wolves have come from outside the area, all the more remarkable when you consider he’s been a regular penalty taker.
There are two things that stand out with Neves’ goals. The first is, quite obviously, just how well he strikes a football even when his body shape isn’t in the perfect position. Premier League goalkeepers are really very good at stopping shots from outside the box – it has to be something very special to beat them. Yet time and again Neves hits the ball with the requisite power and accuracy despite being off balance or having to stretch.
The other thing (and it’s obviously related) is just how good Neves’ first touches are to set up those shots. Watch how often he adjusts that touch depending on how quickly the ball is arriving and the angle it is arriving from. He’s a magician, and it is unfathomable that no elite club made a serious offer for him this summer.
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