Liverpool look unstoppable while Fabian Hurzeler shows inexperience – Premier League hits and misses | Football News

Processional feel to Liverpool’s title charge now

We are now beyond the point where the most pertinent question concerning Liverpool is whether or not Arne Slot’s dad thinks they have played well.

The question of whether his side will win the Premier League in his first season in charge can surely no longer be up for debate. They still haven’t played anyone? Surely even the most scarred and pessimistic Liverpudlian must now accept that it is a foregone conclusion.

The waning degree of media attention on the serenity of Slot will not concern those who crave the column inches. Even the chatter of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract has fallen silent. Of greater concern immediately will be the severity of the muscle injury he sustained on the south coast.

Competition, and the chase, is what neutrals want but it is time to gloss over Liverpool until the inevitable trophy parade.

The best team in the league, with the most complete squad, the fewest injuries that matter and crucially the respect now of all their counterparts.

Iraola – like Thomas Frank a couple of weeks ago – decreed they are the best in class, indeed the best in Europe. His team were beaten for the first time since November 23. It was always likely to take a special outfit to end that impressive sequence.

Champions League top dogs and now nine points clear at their domestic summit. They are still to face Everton twice but they can now afford to lose both games and not be caught, such is their superior goal difference to Arsenal.

A stumble would make good copy but you cannot pick at vulnerabilities that don’t stack up compared to the issues among rivals. The gap, in truth, is only likely to get wider.
Ben Grounds

It’s confirmed: Semenyo belongs at Liverpool

This was a game won by Mohamed Salah – but on another day, Antoine Semenyo would be walking away as the star of the show.

Only the woodwork and Alisson Becker’s heroics denied him the two-goal hero status that Salah walked away from the Vitality Stadium with. The winger was a constant thorn to Liverpool down Bournemouth’s left flank, his six take-ons and 15 touches in the opposition box more than any other game.

Incredibly, Semenyo still leads the Premier League charts for most shots this season with 91, one more than Salah at 90. Yet one player has 21 goals and the other has seven.

Semenyo and Salah are so similar in style and with the Bournemouth-player known to be on Liverpool’s shortlist, do not be surprised if that performance confirmed that he should be at Anfield next season. He may just be the player that replaces Salah.
Sam Blitz

Everton had this in their locker all along

Evertonians took some criticism, including from within their own ranks, for demanding more of Sean Dyche before the eventual acceptance all round – including from the man himself – that his time had run its course.

The manager lamented minimal funds and a squad lacking attacking talent for the dour football which struggled to produce enough goals to bring in more than the occasional victory – remember him defending his record “if you add wins in”?

But all of that looks questionable now after David Moyes’ return, bringing with it not only three wins from four games but seven goals.

Four of those came from open play against Leicester. Prior to Saturday’s victory, they had managed only nine all season away from set-pieces at Goodison Park.

They played high-tempo, attractive football for much of the game with Vitaliiy Mykolneko bombing down one flank, James Garner pulling the strings in midfield and Abdoulaye Doucoure finally back in the goals.

There is no great mourning of the loss of regular first-choice striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, even if little was expected of his replacement, Beto, given he managed only four goals in 44 previous Premier League appearances.

But two goals before half-time, both clinical, composed finishes, only further serve the idea that this team has far more potential than it showed, than even some Evertonians realised.

Things will not always be this rosy, and things at Goodison Park can still be rough around the edges. But once the bounce of David Moyes’ return wears off, there are foundations to build upon deeper than previously thought.
Ron Walker

Forest are the clean sheet kings

Nottingham Forest are everything Brighton are not. Dangerous, aggressive and clinical.

It’s a style of football that isn’t very sexy in the possession mad modern day world of the Premier League but Forest are so good in both boxes. They defend deep and in numbers but they do it brilliantly, led by Nikola Milenkovic. Brighton found that out as Forest kept a 10th clean sheet of the season – the most of any team in the Premier League.

Then up the other end, they have players brimming with confidence. Chris Wood and Anthony Elanga were running hot, flanked by a special performance by Morgan Gibbs-White. When he plays like this, floating around the pitch creating so much havoc, there are fewer better in the Premier League.

Forest a joy.
Lewis Jones

Hurzeler shows his inexperience

Fabian Hurzeler got this so wrong.

Top-level management is all about finding solutions to problems and Hurzeler did not solve the puzzle presented to him with central midfielders Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari being unavailable.

He threw Jack Hinshelwood into an impossible situation of trying to play central midfield on his own against Gibbs-White, who was in the mood to cause carnage. Forest completely ran riot in that space.

They were in their element, setting their counter-attacks to perfection as the Brighton defence couldn’t cope – as shown by some horrific and out-of-character mistakes from some of their key players.

At a club that isn’t used to losing games in this fashion, the manager will now be under big scrutiny.
Lewis Jones

Newcastle enter crunch February out of sorts after Fulham loss

The 2-1 home defeat to Fulham was not the performance and result Newcastle boss Eddie Howe would have envisaged heading into a crunch run of games in February.

Fulham spoiled his 700th game as a manager with a comeback win which will give Arsenal real hope heading into Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at St James’ Park, where the Magpies have suffered back-to-back defeats.

Their second-half performance was alarmingly poor as Fulham dominated the play with the home side creating just one big chance.

Newcastle will need to be significantly better in midweek if they are to protect their 2-0 first-leg lead and reach the Carabao Cup final.

Beyond that, Howe’s side have an awkward FA Cup fourth-round tie at League One leaders Birmingham followed by some daunting Premier League fixtures.

Newcastle face three of the top six as they go to Manchester City, host Nottingham Forest before heading to leaders Liverpool.

With Howe not expecting the club to conduct any further transfer business in the winter window, he will have to look internally to fix their problems.

If he can do so, then come the end of his 705th match he could well have steered Newcastle to a cup final, the FA Cup fifth round and reignited their top-four hopes.

A huge month lies ahead.

Southampton couldn’t, could they?

“We are fighting, we don’t want to give up,” said Southampton boss Ivan Juric after their 2-1 win at Ipswich. They have been written off by plenty – and with good reason.

Going into this game they had just six points, the fewest ever recorded by a Premier League team at that stage. They’d not won in 13 matches and just once all season. Yet Juric – after losing his first six in charge – sees signs of hope that Southampton could in fact avoid the drop.

They still have plenty to do. Their win at Ipswich – helped by two mistakes by Aro Muric – puts them on nine points, 10 adrift of safety after Wolves’ win over Aston Villa on Saturday Night Football with 14 games to play.

But new signings Welington and Albert Gronbaek added energy and thrust, Joe Aribo showed his quality, even when dropping into defence, Mateus Fernandes looks a talent, while the return to fitness of Kamaldeen Sulemana and Tyler Dibling lift the levels of this team.

Injuries to Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jack Stephens are a worry but finally Southampton have something to build from. Next up in the league are south coast clashes at home to Bournemouth and Brighton. Can they back it up?

“Today was important for me, for everybody to win and get more confidence,” added Juric. Just how important it could be come the end of the season remains to be seen. Will this be their turning point?
Peter Smith

Morrison: Muric is not good enough

Clinton Morrison gave a damning assessment of Aro Muric after the Ipswich goalkeeper’s mistakes against Southampton proved costly.

The keeper was beaten by Joe Aribo for Saints’ opener and then parried a shot into the path of Paul Onuachu for the Premier League’s bottom club to snatch a late winner.

No player has made more errors leading to a goal in the Premier League this season than Muric and, speaking on Soccer Saturday, Morrison said the ‘keeper’s mistakes could prove costly for Ipswich’s survival hopes come the end of the season.

“The problem with Ipswich is the goalkeeper is not good enough,” he said.

“He made two big mistakes. The first one, a shot from Joe Aribo, it’s not that powerful, just goes through him. Poor goalkeeping.

“Then the second one, instead of parrying it away, which you’re taught as young goalkeepers, he parries it straight back into danger.

“He has cost them quite a few points and come the end of the season that could cost Ipswich. It’s not just down to him but today there were two big moments. When you’re playing against teams at the bottom you have to do better.”