City look slicker, Arsenal’s new German driver is flying and Black Cat boss runs out of lives.
Over the Blue Moon
The Manchester derby has become one of the most important games of the Premier League season. While it was always important to the city and the fans of both teams, for most neutrals it was an interesting skirmish, and nothing more.
But the advent of new owners, and vast pots of wealth, turned Manchester City into a powerhouse to rival their neighbours and games between both have become if not title deciders, at least title shapers.
The most famous result in recent times was City’s 6-1 win at Old Trafford in October, 2011, setting them up for a first Premier League crown and some are already drawing parallels to that result from yesterday’s 4-1 win for the Blues.
The scoreline may have been less one-sided, but the game itself wasn’t. Manuel Pellegrini’s side dominated from start to almost finish. City were 4-0 up after 50 minutes, and they eased back on the throttle from that point. If they hadn’t, who knows what the final tally would have been. A late Wayne Rooney free-kick goal meant nothing.
Shorn of Robin van Persie before kick off, United lacked any sort of cutting edge and in midfield they were outmuscled, outfought and outmanned. Nemanja Vidic suffered at the hands of Alvaro Negredo in a way not seen since another Spaniard, Fernando Torres, used to torment him in his Liverpool pomp.
Against Chelsea, Liverpool and City this season, United have collected just one point and scored just one goal. It was, as David Moyes pointedly remarked afterwards, a very tough schedule to start his life in the Old Trafford hot seat, but the mood will be bleak around Carrington today.
The defeat doesn’t end United’s title hopes, as this may well be the most open Premier League in history, but it certainly bolsters City’s claims.
German efficiency
While the Manchester derby was the game of the weekend, it is the two north London cubs, Arsenal and Spurs, who sit at the top of the table. The Gunners are just ahead on goal difference, courtesy of the three they stuck past Stoke at the Emirates on Saturday.
All three were engineered by new boy Mesut Özil, who now has four assists in two games, a sign that he was worth every last one of the £40million pounds it took to get him away from Real Madrid. The quality of his delivery, from dead balls and open play, is superb and it bamboozled a solid Stoke defence on three occasions.
Özil delivers...
More importantly for Arsenal, they scored three without Olivier Giroud getting on the mark, as the fear is they become overly reliant on the Frenchman. Instead, it was Aaron Ramsey (continuing his sensational start to the season), Laurent Koscielny and Bacary Sagna who netted. After a turbulent August defined by fan fury, defeat to Aston Villa and accusations of mismanagement, September is proving to be very rosy indeed for Arsene Wenger.
Paolo di Canned-io
Even Mystic Meg saw this coming. When Sunderland appointed Paolo di Canio to save them from relegation last season, the feeling was that it would eventually end in tears. He did keep them up, though the failings of others may have been more relevant to that 'success' than any improvements the Italian made.
A raft of new signings, and sales, didn’t bode well and after losing 3-0 to fellow strugglers West Brom on Saturday, Sunderland parted ways with Di Canio on Sunday evening.
That defeat to the Baggies, leaving the Black Cats on just one point after five games, summed up all that was wrong with Di Canio’s reign. A team of strangers never looked like gelling, never managed a shot on target and allowed a fairly average West Brom side dominate them from the off.
Sunderland’s best player last year, Stephane Sessegnon, a victim of Di Canio’s dressing room overhaul, scored on his West Brom debut and at the end, Di Canio’s bizarre ‘mime’ chat with the angry travelling fans only further emphasised that the Italian’s relationship with the supporters was already shattered.
The end came quickly enough so that Sunderland can be saved, but whoever comes in will have to work with a dispirited assembly of players who can’t be added to until January. It’s a big task.
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