After 3 weeks of exhilarating football action from the Premier League, the international break will not be welcomed by clubs in form, as it breaks the momentum that they are in. The footballing action from this month has perfectly set the stage for the rest of the season in what has been dubbed as the ‘Battle of Managers’ in the Premier League.
With big name managers like Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp, Antonio Conte and Arsene Wenger managing some of the top teams in the world, this is one of the most exciting seasons in recent times.
The last gameweek was another exciting one and here are 10 of the talking points from last week.
#1 Berahino’s time at West Bromwich Albion is all but over!
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Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of talk about Saido Berahino’s possible move to Stoke City from West Brom. When the striker came on this week against Middlesbrough, the 23-year old was booed by the West Brom supporters in his 19-minute cameo.
The striker, who was once the darling of the crowd at the Hawthorns, has now left the fans fed up with his performance, as the striker has only netted once in his last 27 Premier League appearances.
A move away from West Brom now looks imminent for the striker.
#2 Nemanja Matic’s future at Chelsea looks bright under Conte
Nemanja Matic’s signing from Benfica led to a number of pundits raising doubts over the player’s quality. However, the defensive midfielder went on to prove his critics wrong by emerging as on the best players in Mourinho’s title-winning Chelsea F.C team.
After a disappointing first half with Mourinho last season, the midfielder found himself in and out of the team under interim manager Guus Hiddink. However, new manager Antonio Conte has fought off interest from both Juventus and Real Madrid, to keep the midfielder who has started all the games for Chelsea this season.
His composure is back and Matic looks like he is back to his best under Conte.
#3 Players working harder under Pep Guardiola
When Pep Guardiola took over at Manchester City, it was clear that he was going to bring in a massive change at the Etihad.
With three weeks of the Premier League done and dusted, it is clear to see that his Manchester City team has a much higher work rate under Pep than they did under Manuel Pellegrini.
David Silva, in particular, has been extremely impressive, as the midfielder topped the running charts for Manchester City this weekend against West Ham. The Spaniard created five chances besides providing an assist on Sunday.
It looks like Silva’s presence in the midfield is going to be Vital for Pep.
#4 Mata has a good start but future still uncertain
Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Manchester United earlier this year would've sparked fear in Juan Mata’s heart. The Spanish midfielder was dropped by Mourinho at Chelsea, despite being one of the best players at the club and was later shipped off the Manchester United.
Despite being linked with a move away, Mata has stayed at Old Trafford and started in all the games in the Premier League so far. However, the midfielder has been substituted off in all the games as well.
With Henrikh Mkhitaryan slowly making his way into the team, it looks like Juan Mata’s role at Manchester United might be reduced to cameos in the future.
#5 Ronald Koeman has impressed with the Toffees
After a poor season last year, Everton sacked manager Roberto Martinez and replaced him with Southampton’s Ronald Koeman. The move has so far proved to be a brilliant one with Everton sitting pretty at fourth position, well above the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham and most importantly Liverpool.
Ashley Williams and Phil Jagielka have combined well for Everton at the back this season and provide solidity and experience to the team.
Stoke City only managed to get one shot on target against Everton’s defence and it looks like the manager has rejuvenated the Everton defence.
#6 Has Leicester found Kante’s successor?
Leicester City signed Daniel Amartey from FC Copenhagen in January for a fee of just €6 million. The signing looks to be another fantastic one, as the 21-year old Ghanian midfielder has settled in brilliantly, despite appearing in only two of Leicester City’s games.
The youngster was fantastic against Swansea City on Saturday as he was at the center of every Leicester City attack, and won the ball on many occasions.
He also started the move that led to Jamie Vardy’s goal and his performance could give the Foxes hope of finding a suitable successor for N’Golo Kante.
#7 Klopp has improved Liverpool’s fitness
Jurgen Klopp has always been known to emphasise on the fitness of his players, which was imperative to his success at Dortmund.
After taking over as the coach of Liverpool last season, there was a slight improvement in the work rate of his players but reduced as the season progressed.
However, it doesn’t look like that will be the case this season as Liverpool have already hit the 70-mile mark in each of their three games in the Premier League so far. Jurgen Klopp sets the 70-mile mark as the work rate target for his team and the players have not disappointed him so far.
#8 Mike Phelan is the right man for Hull
While a takeover by Chinese investors is imminent at Hull, the new owners may not be able to sign enough reinforcements with just two days remaining before the transfer window closes. Despite signing a few players before the window shuts, the squad would still lack depth.
With six points from three games and only losing out narrowly against Manchester United, after a fantastic defensive performance, Mike Phelan boss is undoubtedly the best choice at Hull City.
His performance with limited resources also makes him a top candidate for the Manager of the Month award.
#9 Middlesbrough lacking imagination
After conceding just 31 goals last season on their way to the Premier League, Middlesbrough was not the most attractive team in the Championship. However, Aitor Karanka has signed a number of big names this season, in an attempt to impress in the top flight.
Despite a number of big names coming in, Middlesbrough and West Brom played out one of the most boring games that we will see this season in a 0-0 draw.
Although Tony Pulis was at the receiving end of criticism, Middlesbrough were equally defensive, unimaginative and, to be blunt - boring.
#10 Pep could make Sterling a star and impact English football
Pep Guardiola has over the years picked up a reputation of being able to bring the most out of certain players. In Spain, his Barcelona players were major contributors to Spain’s World Cup win, while a majority of Germany’s best performers at the World Cup were from his Bayern Munich squad.
While it may only be a dream to see England lifting the 2018 World Cup, Pep Guardiola could turn Raheem Sterling into one of the world’s best players come 2018, after seeing what he has done to the youngster in just three weeks.
Fabian Delph and John Stones could be the other English players who could have an upturn in their performances for England in the 2018 World Cup.
