Off-Week Overview in the Premier League

Arsenal and Liverpool are a Surprise

By Chris Battiloro

Photo from Yahoo Sports

It’s only seven weeks in, but some definition has begun to form in the Premier League table, and it doesn’t look much like it has for the past few years. 

While it is still early, nearly nobody would have predicted Arsenal and Liverpool atop the league with Man U, Man City, and Tottenham all residing out of the top four. 

With no games taking place this week we can look at the season thus far, and why the tides may be changing.

Arsenal has found its way so 

far this season. They seem to finally have found a system that works, and a majority of it is due to the play of Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsay. Ozil is the league-leader in assists, while Ramsay currently is tied for third-most goals in the league. 

Their play has been a constant highlight in Arsenal games thus far. They faltered a bit last week, only getting a draw against West Brom. However, I expect Arsenal to keep up the form; this just may be their year!

Liverpool, too, has is playing unlike it has in recent years. Much of the credit is attributed to recent play of striker combo Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, who leads Premier league with six goals. However, I am still not convinced they can keep this form up. They had a good 1-0 win over a struggling Man U, but other than that, I feel they have yet to prove they are the team to beat this season. As of now, I am looking ahead to week 10, where Liverpool plays Arsenal. That game is likely to be a statement game, considering the two currently reside at the top of the league.

I’m not sure what I want to say about Manchester United’s season to this point. Part of me wants to say “well, of course the Red Devils would not be the same without Sir Alex Ferguson behind the wheel.” Yet on the other hand, they have so much talent; it could easily be argued that a coaching change couldn’t possibly hurt them this much. 

Well, it might not be new coach David Moyes’ fault. I mean, Wayne Rooney seems like a whole new player compared to his performance and attitude last year. Robin Van Persie missed some time early, but returned swiftly and made quick contributions.

Offense has been there for the most part; the problem seems to be the failing defense to keep its shape, especially during transition. This could just be an adjustment issue from Ferguson’s system to Moyes’. Moyes knows he doesn’t have a lot of room for error. He has to get the team back to top form, and fast, before his era in Manchester ends with a bus ticket.