This Weekend’s Premier League Talking Points – Part Two
After my part one to this article, we move on to Sunday’s fixtures. Prior to kick off, it looked like it would be a glut of goals and amazing periods of football, but I couldn’t of been more wrong.
It started off as a “rather drab” Sunday, instead of the premeditated “Super” prefix when Crystal Palace hosted Tottenham on their return to top-flight football. But Palace, at times, looked like they might be okay this season. I don’t think anyone expects them to survive this year, let alone do alright against Spurs, but they did.
Mile Jedinak was an absolute wrecking crew in midfield and broke down numerous plays that Tottenham forged, while Dean Moxey was coping with Aaron Lennon exceptionally well until he gave away the penalty for a handball. A blemish on a fine performance for him. Joel Ward at right-back probably impressed me the most, though. I do not remember a point in the game where Danny Rose or Nacer Chadli got him into a two-on-one or were in behind him and as well as this. Ward was providing support with overlaps and crosses into the opposition box as well. Chamakh even looked lively when he came on despite not having kicked a ball all off-season, or scored in the Premier League in TWO YEARS.
On to Tottenham. I didn’t think they looked all that good to be fair, and that’s not because I am a Gooner. I’ll be the first to admit when Arsenal have been outclassed, but they didn’t seem to have that drive about them like last year. Obviously, Bale was excluded from the starting line-up with injury, but they had more than enough talent with their new signings to make up for him. I thought Chadli was notably poor for Tottenham and Paulinho was anonymous at times, then you get Soldado who can drift out of games for ages and still score.
I think Tottenham will be in the same battle for fourth again this year.
The final game I watched yesterday afternoon was the Chelsea vs Hull game, and I was left frightened at what Chelsea could do this year – especially when they didn’t even get out of first gear and managed to outplay Hull in every single aspect of football for ninety minutes. With a penalty against them after only a few minutes into their new season, after MacGregor seemed to punch Torres in the temple as he was going away from goal, Steve “The Thumb” Bruce must have thought that he was in for a long afternoon. But with Frank Lampard seeing his penalty saved, it was all good for Hull…until Chelsea tore them apart inside their penalty area and Oscar coolly slotted the ball under the keeper.
A fine free-kick from Frank Lampard that went goalkeeper-side finished the afternoon off for the Blues, but they controlled the entire game and could have easily had five or six goals of they had fancied it, which is terrifying.
The only notable thing I had from Hull’s performance, is that Robbie Brady is a good little player and got the bettering of his man on more than one occasion. That said, I can’t see them surviving this campaign and will probably be cannon fodder for majority of teams playing them.
At least Hull have got that fixture out the way,though, right Tigers?
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