City Tamed, but not defeated, by VAR
Just when you think football rules controversies could be settled once and for all, the Premier League’s newest and most provocative member assures there’s no escaping what’s already in football’s DNA.
Week 2 finally introduced us viewers to VAR’s stinging grip on drama and tension in the Premier League. But how much influence should VAR hold over matchday performances? Especially when considering the lopsided performances in the weekend’s most hotly anticipated matchup?
With that teaser in mind, let’s get to the hottest debate points from Gameweek 2 of the Premier League season.
Storyline of the Weekend
It was the match everyone was licking their lips at coming into the weekend. Guardiola’s City and Pochettino’s Spurs. A true test of squads comprised of smart tactics, heart, and flare.
The final score-line mirrored the pre-match hype. 2-2.
Despite City outshooting Spurs 30-3 (yeah, I had to double check before I wrote that), it was a mere matter of inches separating the two. Or to be more precise, a matter of a grazing handball.
In the 92nd minute, Gabriel Jesus whipped in a determined strike off a corner kick to break Spurs’ hearts. It looked like the winner in added time. But while City were celebrating, a VAR review spotted the ball brushing the arm of City defender Aymeric Laporte before the Brazilian struck home. Under the newly governing handball law, any touch of the ball to an offender’s arm in the build up to a goal automatically negates said goal. Even accidental contact with the hand is enough to rule it out. Thus the goal was ruled off, and the match ended all square.
In sum, Spurs were lucky to escape the melee with a point. VAR may have concluded the correct call, but there’s no arguing that City were surely robbed of two points.
It’s quite a result in the grand scheme of the title race as well. The result halts City a smidge prior to their next 9 games all against non-Big 6 opponents (Liverpool meanwhile have 3 in that same span).
And yet, despite the hiccup, City are the ones carrying all the momentum away from this weekend’s tussle.
It may have been overshadowed by the late disallowed goal, but Manchester City’s performance against Tottenham was about as comprehensive a drubbing as you’ll see between two top-six clubs.
Kevin De Bruyne displayed an attacking masterclass on two assists that sprung open the Tottenham defense. The first of which threw back to his form from 2017-18; a pin-point one time curling cross that Sterling streaked onto the backend of.
Speaking of Sterling, the Englishman is proving his stats from season are no fluke. He has sprinted out of the gates with a 5 goal start to the campaign.
The points of the former players, combined with the likes of David and Bernardo Silva displaying their breathless quickness, Sergio Aguero’s knack for exploiting tight spaces in between the opposing defenders, and new arrival Rodri’s machine like ability to dictate the flow of the game, shows just how far this team can go.
Yes – a controversial VAR decision (and even more controversial handball law) kept two points off the board for City. But with City already playing in mid-season form, those 2 points might not mean all to much in the end.
Manchester City are scary. Especially when they choose to play at their highest form. And given their manager’s willingness to unsettle his team via rotation, it might be time to think whether anyone can keep up, or even prevent, the Blue team from Manchester from becoming a decades-long dominant club.
Player of the Weekend
The aforementioned De Bruyne was high up in consideration for this title. But given the rapid rise to glory of this week’s chosen winner, it’s difficult to choose against the Finnish legend that is Teemu Pukki.
The name alone has cult hero written all over it.
Pukki scored 29 league goals for Norwich in the Championship last season, yet never bagged a hat-trick. Now in his second week in England’s top flight, Pukki already has one. Which not only suggests the Finn is cut out for top- flight football, but also shows that Norwich are a team with the possibility to prosper too.
Pukki scored a powerful volley in the first half and followed it with a precise finish off either foot in the second to fend of Newcastle in Norwich’s home opener.
“Of course this is one of the best games I’ve had in English football,” Pukki said after the match. “A hat-trick in the Premier League I wouldn’t even have dreamt about a couple of years ago.”
In this case, dreams have turned into reality for the Canaries. Manager Daniel Farke’s aggressive style of play combined with Pukki’s prowess in front of net have Norwich City humming along in the early stages. 21-year-old youngster Todd Cantwell also looked bright for Norwich in attack, picking apart Newcastle’s flimsy back line with arrowing runs in behind.
Obviously, it’s still early goings for the second division champions, but signs look high as they gear up for their first top-6 matchup of the year in Chelsea in Week 3.
Overreaction of the Weekend
While you could envision this moniker placed upon a number of candidates, I give the nod to Arsenal and their two wins out of two games.
It’s quite incredible to think that Arsenal’s victories on the road at Newcastle and at home against Burnley are the first time since 2009 the Gunners grabbed all six points out of the gates. Points which Arsenal surely expected to begin the season, yet hardly a stat worth celebrating.
Arsenal’s familiar goal scorers in Lacazette and Aubameyang kept Arsenal treading in secure waters after their home opener. But it was the performance of new loanee Dani Ceballos which brought people to their feet when he came off with seven minutes to play.
The Real Madrid owned man provided the creative link between the midfield and two-pronged attack so desperately needed in North London. His vision and pace on the ball unlocked Burnley’s backline, who traditionally protected their castle around the box.
Despite their toothy movement going forward, it’s the center of the park where the Gunner’s current structure could fall apart faster than a Jenga tower.
Throughout the afternoon, Burnley exploited Arsenal on the counter-attack. Specifically targeting shaky central defensive gap between David Luiz and Papastothopolous. Ashley Barnes worked all-too-easily off the back shoulders of the experienced defenseman, a move that worked to perfection in the Bee’s only goal.
Combine the error prone defense with a central midfield headlined by a very green joe Willock and Reiss Nelson, and there’s a recipe for failure that could be brewing.
Two important wins may have the settled the nerves for Arsenal fans, but we’ll have to wait and see how the North London side fare against better competition. Next up, the European Champions – on their turf.
Moment of the Weekend
I suppose Sheffield keeps pulling on my heartstrings. As this weekend’s best moment comes from John Lundstram’s 47th minute winner in the Blades’ first top flight match at Bramall Lane in 12 years.
It was a moment in which you almost felt as though the workers’ stone and fortified steel making up the cavernous stands might finally give way to the sense of relief from Blade supporters. But the grounds stayed true to the hands that formed it, much like their squad that afternoon.
Chris Wilder crafted the perfect 1-0 performance from his men. Keen on preventing Palace’s Zaha from making too much noise, they stifled him in attack and exploited the space left behind in stylistic fashion. Lundstram’s rebound finish brought euphoria to Bramall Lane, and might have even proved that United are here to stay longer than most initially thought.
Rapid Fire
Time is precious. So like Lukaku’s training regimen since joining Inter, let’s ramp up the pace a bit. I present to you the main takeaways from the rest of the weekend’s matchups.
Chelsea – 1, Leicester – 1
It was supposed to be Frank’s day. Frank Lampard, in his homecoming to Stamford Bridge, once again had his team firing on all cylinders out of the gate. Yet defensive frailties in the second half unraveled their high hopes once again. And on the evidence after Sunday’s 1-1 draw, their squad is going to be a work in progress for some time to come.
Lampard has yet to figure out the balance in the central midfield. Squad selection mimic that of a 4-2-3-1, with Jorginho and Kante playing double pivot. As Chelsea press the opposing third however, Kante has seemingly been blessed with freedom to go higher up the pitch, akin to his role under Sarri. While this tactic works in some aspects, the gaping holes left behind for Jorginho to cover are not optimal against teams like Leicester which exploit those areas on counters.
Leicester on the other hand weathered the early pressure with minimal damage, and slowly worked their way back into the match just past the half hour mark. Leicester’s creators, Maddison, Ayoze Pérez and Tielemans, ran rampant through the center of the park in the second half. Eventually the barriers broke for Chelsea when Maddison found Ndidi’s head off a corner for the equalizer.
Were Leicester tidier in the final third, the result would have played out differently for Frank’s men. Look for the Foxes to push for a viable top slot come seasons end with the pace and skill on the top end of their lineup.
Wolves – 1, Manchester United – 1
45 minutes in and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were flying. They had effectively stunned the Wolves into submission at the Molineux after Martial stung home a deft passing display between McTominay, Lingard, Rashford and he. United were well on their way to six points to start the season, and more importantly, shedding doubters.
Ruben Neves would singlehandedly shut those hopes down in the second half. His sweet strike on the back end of short corner designed and executed from the training ground turned the match on its head. As a consequence United got in their own heads similar to the backend of last year.
No form of this was more egregious than Paul Pogba’s missed penalty attempt to secure a win for the Red Devils after hashing it out between he and Rashford as to who would take it. Solskjaer caught heat after the match for not having a designated player in the penalty taking role. His defense was that he trusts his players to sort it out on the pitch.
Surely however it’s high time someone take control of the mentality f the dressing room and give it a good wake up. With a flurry of reports that Pogba still desires a move away from Old Trafford, United are in desperate need for a leader to step into the foray and provide some mental clarity. Otherwise a true slip could be lying just around the bend.
Brighton – 1, West Ham – 1
I’ll be the first to admit. I thought Brighton were in the driver’s seat for relegation. But Graham Potter’s men have zipped out of the gates in fine form thanks to his willingness to revolutionize the offense going forward.
Potter’s overhauling of the team’s style offers greater freedom and involvement for forward players. The signs from Leandro Trossard – the debutant playing off the left of a tree pronged attack against West Ham – were more than promising. Before his volleyed equalizer, he had a goal chalked off when VAR ruled Dan Burn offside. Look for Trossard to lead the attack in the season to come.
Everton – 1, Watford – 0
One question mark left hovering over Everton’s head entering the season was their defense, here they spent $0 in reinforcing this summer. After two straight clean sheets, that transfer strategy is leaving Marco Silva with no cause for concern at the moment. That is, until you look at their offensive efficiency.
Bernard’s goal came from a surging movement from Digne on the left hand side when Watford were exposed. A moment of precision mixed with flare, it’s the staple of attack Silva has engrained in his squad. Yet when forging ahead after their goal, their offensive creativity puttered, and Watford were unluck to find the equalizer.
With 10 clean sheets out of their last 13 – bested only by Manchester City – Everton have been solidified at one end of the park. It’s just not the end they were probably hoping for, and the end they need to fix in a hurry to be considered best of the rest.
Zeke Ouellette Media 