Yet another month of Premier League football action and yet again we have seen a number of surprises this month. At the end of September, it seemed like Manchester City were in a fantastic position to run away with the title, while Tottenham looked favourites to challenge them for the top spot, and Arsenal and Liverpool were not very far behind.
However, Chelsea, Manchester United and Leicester City were out of the top four and needed a fantastic month to get back on track.
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Of the three teams mentioned, one team, in particular, had a fantastic month in the Premier League and that is Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, who climb to the fourth spot, just a point behind leaders Manchester City. A string of draws saw Tottenham drop to fifth while a stunning month for Arsenal and Liverpool sees them level with Manchester City with 23 points each.
This weekend was no different to the rest of October and here are ten things we learned from game week 10 of the Premier League.
#1 Gaston Ramirez finally shows his class
While Boro were off to a mediocre start to the season, their biggest worry was the lack of wins at home and a proper talisman. This weekend, Aitor Karanka found both after a fantastic win over Bournemouth at home. Gaston Ramirez stepped up for Boro and reassured the fans that they have a top class player in the Uruguayan.
After a poor start to the season, Ramirez showed Boro that he is good enough to trouble Premier League teams.
The midfielder picked up the ball deep inside his half and ran forward towards the Cherries goal, cut past a defender with a quick turn followed by a sharp finish past Boruc to give Boro the lead. Ramirez is showing the potential that led to a move to Southampton way back in 2012 and is repaying the faith of Boro’s manager.
#2 Victor Moses making a stunning revival under Conte
After signing for Chelsea from Wigan Athletic in 2012, Moses spent three seasons away on loan under Jose Mourinho. His career looked to be on a downward spiral, but Antonio Conte has transformed the Nigerian winger.
Victor Moses has had a brilliant start to the season, and an even better October after fitting well into the 3-4-3 formation as a defensively minded winger/wing back.
Apart from Diego Costa, who is proving to be a lethal weapon up front and Eden Hazard’s return to prime form, Moses’ revival is probably the best thing that has happened to Chelsea’s fortunes. His biggest weapon is his stamina as he endlessly tracks back to help out in defence after contributing to the attack.
His inexperience in defence is not very noticeable and his skill to dribble out of defence to start an attack is another positive for Chelsea.
#3 Alberto Moreno shows he is still Liverpool quality
Alberto Moreno has a decent first season for Liverpool after signing from Sevilla but was never able to live up to the hype surrounding him. Under Jurgen Klopp this season, James Milner replaced Moreno as the first choice left-back and things went from bad to worse for the Spaniard.
However, after two fantastic games for Liverpool in the EFL Cup and in the League this weekend, he has proven that he can still fit into this Liverpool side.
This weekend, it was the Spanish left-back who set up the first goal after starting the attack from the left flank and timing his run into the box with perfection. He then crossed it to Can perfectly who had it easy thanks to Moreno’s good ball.
The Spanish left-back was solid in defence and a constant threat going forward and received praise from pundits, his manager and teammates after this performance.
#4 Ross Barkley reminds us what he is capable of
Despite a stunning start to the season under Ronald Koeman, the Merseysiders have not had an ideal October, dropping to sixth in the league table. However, the biggest positive for Ronald Koeman is Ross Barkley’s performance after Koeman called out Barkley to do more for his team.
The England international scored one goal to announce his return to form and the midfielder had an excellent game on Sunday displaying fantastic work rate throughout the game. He started the attack which led to his goal and continued his run to finish Romelu Lukaku’s pass.
Barkley must now perform consistently for Everton to live up to the expectations and regain his place in the England national team.
#5 Zlatan’s woes in front of goal continue
Yet another game and yet another draw for Manchester United. The Red Devils were winless in October in the league and scored just one goal in their four games in the month.
The prime reason behind this goal drought is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. After a great start to the season, the Swede has faded and has been at the receiving end of negative press in the last two weeks.
While Jose Mourinho slowly seems to be finding the right combinations in midfield, his main striker’s goal drought is a major concern. Ibrahimovic has missed at least 5 clear cut chances in his last four games for United in the league and was extremely poor against Burnley. There are calls for Mourinho to drop Zlatan and replace him with Marcus Rashford as striker.
#6 Alexis Sanchez is the star Arsenal were looking for
Arsenal have had great players in the past but there have always been certain players who have stood out for the Gunners. Thierry Henry in the past and Robin Van Persie more recently have been stars that have shone for Arsenal. While Mesut Ozil is a world class players, it is Alexis Sanchez that stands out in this Arsenal team.
The Chilean has proved his versatility this season in the number 9 role.
Not only has Sanchez’s partnership with Ozil gotten better with time, the Chilean has managed to perform week after week consistently, something that he lacked last season partly due to injuries.
Sanchez has created chances and scored goals this season but his work rate is what stands out. His tireless work ethic is Arsenal’s biggest weapon and the forward is an early favourite for the PFA player of the season.
#7 Eden Hazard is back to his best
After a woeful season last year, both Chelsea and Eden Hazard look to be back to their best. The Belgian has been in fantastic form this season and has now proven that he can be consistent as well. His partnership with Diego Costa has been fruitful, and his quick feet has been weaving magic for Chelsea this season.
Eden Hazard has been given the liberty by his coach to attack freely and has been switching sides to contribute to the attack as much as possible. Pedro’s work rate and Costa’s lethal ability to score goals out of half chances make Chelsea’s attack look as threatening as ever.
This weekend, Hazard continued his great form, scoring a fantastic goal also while assisting Costa for one.
#8) Joe Allen scores while Bony is finally back on the scoring sheet
Stoke City have had a good start to their season and this comes down to two players – Xherdan Shaqiri and Joe Allen. Joe Allen has been incredible in midfield and after being given the freedom to play in a more advanced role, he has created chances aplenty and scored four goals for Stoke City.
Against Swansea on Monday night, he assisted two of Wilfried Bony’s goals.
Another positive for the Potters will be Bony’s return to goal scoring form and more so against his old club – Swansea. Bony’s partnership with Joe Allen tore the Swansea defence apart.
Mark Hughes will be delighted to see Bony scoring and the trio of Shaqiri, Allen and Bony will be vital in attack this season.
#9 Sunderland and David Moyes look doomed
2 points in 10 games. David Moyes’ return to the Premier League has been a massive disaster as the Black Cats seem like they will certainly be relegated this time. Some pundits have also labelled this Sunderland side as the worst Premier League team in history.
Derby County holds the record for least points in a season with 11 in 2006 and this team has had a worse start than that team. While Derby had 5 points in their first 10 games, Sunderland are winless this season and Arsenal made a mockery of their defence netting four goals past them.
A long list of injuries has not helped the Moyes-led side. Lamine Kone, who was supposed to be one of their best players, has been slammed by pundits for his attitude and it looks like nothing can go right for Moyes this season.
#10 Sergio Aguero is back and so is Manchester City
Manchester City went into their game on the weekend winless in six games and Aguero with no goals in October. City’s game against West Brom was more important than Guardiola would have imagined, but his players made things look easy after they won 4-0, getting their second clean sheet this season.
Sergio Aguero scored two goals, was a constant threat and created Gundogan’s first.
With all the focus on Manchester City’s return to form, did City ever really drop their standard? Except for two games, where Barcelona and Tottenham outclassed City, the other four games were dominated by Manchester City.
A combination of bad luck, poor final passes and weak finishing lead to the poor winless period. Aguero’s return to form will make Manchester City’s mid-week clash against Barcelona an interesting one.
