Jose Mourinho. Having lost to Manchester City in the derby, he needed a win against Feyenoord. A win would have meant that fringe players made a case for their future inclusion, and showed the clowns and bozos in the first eleven that they were on notice. Instead, the loss to Feyenoord demonstrated that the money spent under Louis van Gaal and David Moyes was not spent well enough to cancel out all the money thatwasn’t spent under Alex Ferguson in his last few years. That meant that he had to turn up to Watford and win with the same bozos and clowns, and hope that they were inspired to improve from his words alone.
They weren’t. Against Watford, they were criminally brainless and disorganised, much of which has to be attributed to Mourinho. Wayne Rooney, well, we know just how bad he is, and it seems that the majority of those who even have a casual interest in football are starting to work it out too. But he stayed on the pitch for the full 90 minutes. Marouane Fellaini holds back Paul Pogba, and Pogba has yet to settle into his new side. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is constipating the side, Anthony Martial was playing like that even before the blow to the head, and only Marcus Rashford is a bright spot.
Nonetheless, it is early yet. Mourinho might not be the manager he was, or he could be on the slow road back to redemption. It is not worth guessing which, if either, of those it is. The damage done by Ferguson, Moyes, Van Gaal, Rooney and the Glazers is extensive. It will take time, and Mourinho still seems as good a candidate as any. It is an indictment not of him or Pogba but they are getting pelters, but of the need to react instantly to any bad news.
Goal of the weekend
Jordan Henderson. He has had a fair share of fair criticism. He is a shuttling presence in the midfield, largely unable to influence the game, and better suited to aiding those around him with more direct influence. That’s not a bad thing, merely how it is with his approach to football. But his slightly underwhelming, opaque contribution means that he isn’t a conspicuously qualified presence as a captain.
Jurgen Klopp, however, is not like David Moyes. He knows more about football than I or you do. He has Henderson as his captain and has a Liverpool side that is frantically active and often terrifyingly energetic in attack. It was enough to dismantle Chelsea’s defence in the first half (even if they put in an improved performance in the second). But apart from those forwards we now expect to run themselves into the ground, was Henderson. He doesn’t score a great deal, and it doesn’t need the context of comparing him to Steven Gerrard. It was an absolutely brilliant goal, and it won his side the match. Little else needs to be said.
Player in the kind of form that will earn him a dream, megabucks move to Real Madrid
Alex Iwobi. He might not have done a great deal against Hull City, but his backheel for a one-two for Theo Walcott means that it won’t be long before he sees that he is surrounded by amateurs, and will demand to be allowed to join the team that he has dreamt of all his life.
Most important goal of the weekend
Islam Slimani. Neither of them were anywhere near the quality of Henderson’s goal for Liverpol, but that doesn’t matter. Leicester had struggled to match their previous season’s form, and they were in the midst of getting used to expectations, Champions League football, and their new signings. Those are the kind of factors that can undo sides, and they still might take Leicester down this season.
The game against Club Brugge was a handy fixture. Brugge were, to use a technical term, complete guff. It allowed some of the new signings to get their eye in with the old guard, to batter another side and to celebrate a landmark victory. To then play Burnley was a gift. Burnley, to use a technical term, are not complete guff but they are one of the worst sides in the Premier League. Slimani’s two goals, and Riyad Mahrez’s goal after a midweek free-kick, should lift Leicester and give them confidence ahead of tougher matches to come.
Surprise of the weekend
When it goes for Alan Pardew, it tends to go quickly. At West Ham and Newcastle, his sides sparkled and then collapsed, as the bottom to their acheivements fell out, and Pardew was unable to restore the sides’ respective confidence. It’s not unreasonable to suggest the only reason that he managed to turn things around at Newcastle was because Mike Ashley had little alternative to stick with a manager who was willing to stay in the job - it’s not as if Rafa Benitez was ready to take a step down at that point.
When he left for Crystal Palace, it seemed a relief to all sides. Palace had a manager who would attack, Newcastle’s fans and players were relieved to have someone new to aim their frustration at. And for a time at Palace, he impressed. As usual, though, Palace underwent a Pardew-trademarked tumble down the league, and looked both bereft and miserable. Because of the regard he’s held in by many at Palace, he was again afforded more time than other managers might be, and he spent plenty of the new television money to overhaul his squad.
The signs of improvement might be slight. A win in the league cup over Blackpool, a draw against Bournemouth, and another victory over Middlesbrough aren’t anything special. And a 4-0 win over Stoke came at a time when Leslie Hughes’ club have got fed up with his constant carping, and disollved into diffidence. Pardew and Palace won’t care. Like Leicester, mentioned above, this has been a chance to settle down and improve. The surprise is that they took it.
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