The week that was

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 29: Sandro of Tottenham Hotspur and Michael Carrick of Manchester United battle for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on September 29, 2012 in Manchester, England.

The match at Old Trafford typifies everything that United are going to be this season. Exerting relentless pressure on the opponent’s goal, with their “never give up” attitude, Rooney’s importance to their attack and of course that wretched defending. Their back line was repeatedly exposed by Spurs’ direct running and time and again there was no one to back track and support the ageing legs of Ferdinand which exposed his woeful lack of pace.

Fletcher and Valencia’s absence were again noticed as Nani failed to support United’s defenders. Valencia, with his work rate, would have kept check of Spurs’ direct runs.

And then there’s Scholes. Even at the age of 37, after coming out of retirement, he is such a delight to watch. Although he could not turn the tide in favor of United, Scholes’ vision and control of the United’s attack was eye catching at times to say the least. This is such a good thing for United, but is also really worrying for them. To rely on a 37-year-old to dictate your attack and provide direction from midfield highlights the lack of depth in that area. Fergie needs to fast-track someone and groom him (either Cleverley or Powell or a new signing all together) in the Scholes role ASAP.

Tottenham, for all their showing in the first half, just rolled over in the second. A team with serious ambitions about getting in to the top four should do more than just crowd out the opposition, protect their goal against opposition’s relentless attack and protect their narrow lead. It’s one thing for an away team to be pragmatic in their approach after taking a lead at Old Trafford but that does not mean you have to disappear altogether.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 29: Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas Boas celebrates victory in the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on September 29, 2012 in Manchester, England.

AVB’s reaction after the final whistle shows what this victory means to him after the misery suffered with Chelsea and the boos directed towards him by Spurs fans earlier this season. He is indeed getting things done at Spurs but he still has a long way to go to make them genuine top four material.

Liverpool finally got what they deserved with an emphatic victory against Norwich. The best and worst of Suarez was put on show. The trickery, technique and nutmegs, and of course missing the easiest of chances. Yet again, Liverpool’s youngsters were impressive with Suso and Wisdom in particular. Suso’s link up play with Suarez belied his age and offers more reasons to be optimistic about the future. Liverpool’s presence in the final third seems to have improved too.

It was good to see Sahin taking up that position to tap in his goal. This has been lacking since last season when enough chances were created but a lack of presence in the final third cost Liverpool heavily. At the other end, Reina’s jitters continue. His careless throw straight to a Norwich player was the foundation for Norwich’s first goa,l and Reina’s mistake made sure that that goal was scored without any hassle. A lack of competition from a competent understudy is making Reina complacent and it’s something that Rodgers needs to take care of as a matter of high priority.

NORWICH, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 29: Pepe Reina of Liverpool looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Norwich City and Liverpool at Carrow Road on September 29, 2012 in Norwich, England.

And yes, I think its curtains for Downing’s Liverpool career unless something miraculous happens.

Chelsea’s victory against Arsenal makes them the most serious threat to City’s title defence this season. For all of Arsenal’s good form this season they were undone by a lack of clinical finishing upfront and defensive frailty. The Pressure on Olivier Giroud’s shoulders is on the rise and earlier he gets that first league goal, the better it is for Arsenal.

For all those who are trumpeting the return of the Fernando Torres of old, I suggest you watch videos of him in a Liverpool shirt and get back to reality. His confidence is indeed improving, and so is his overall performances, but he is some way off his best. But what’s encouraging is his link up play with Mata. The little one–twos seem to be taking place more often and Mata will be very crucial in getting the best out of Torres.

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 29: Chelsea’s Fernando Torres vies with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, London, England on September 29th.

In other words Torres needs more service of the ball, similar what Gerrard and Kuyt were doing for him during his glory days with Liverpool.

Although Manchester City look unconvincing, they are exhibiting the most important trait of a team defending their title: coming back from losing positions. Mancini needs to get things right with his team and stop his experimentation with formations. It will be interesting to watch how City play under the extra pressure of the “Champions” tag on them along with the added expectation to perform in Europe.

Elsewhere, Everton have had an excellent start to the season. They are notoriously slow starters and hit form only post-Christmas so if they can continue with their performances and stay fortunate with injuries they could be the surprise package among the top six this season.

While Everton are making all the right noises, the surprise package of last season, Newcastle United, are getting to know more about playing under pressure. After last season’s heroics, there are lot of expectations around St. James’ park this season and it does seem to be affecting them.

And a word about Steven Fletcher who has netted five goals in four league games for Sunderland. At just 25 years of age, he could well turn out to be the signing of the season.