What did Saturday’s round of Premier League fixtures teach us?
Saturday has proven to be another thrilling day of Premier League action, with the 5-0 battering that leaders Chelsea handed out to a usually impressive Swansea City side proving to be the biggest story from the day’s action.
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There were plenty of talking points from the other games as well, however – here are five things that we learned from the day’s action:
Talk of Leicester’s revival may have been premature
Bottom club Leicester have been one of the most impressive sides in the league in early 2015, but they came crashing back down to earth at home to Stoke City despite handing a debut to new record signing Andrej Kramaric from the bench. The Croatian had little time to shine, however, as Stoke controlled the game, with the lack of creativity on show from the Foxes a real concern for manager Nigel Pearson, having spent so much on a new striker.
Louis van Gaal can change his system
The first half of Manchester United’s 2-0 win at Queens Park Rangers ended with catcalls from the away end, as United fans demanded that their manager reverted to a 4-4-2 formation after a tepid first half display playing 3-4-1-2. Van Gaal listened and the second half was an entertaining, end-to-end affair that United would end up coming out on top of.
Southampton are genuine contenders
With a whole host of players missing through injury, a tough trip to a Newcastle United side who have picked up some positive results at St. James’ Park this season looked like a tall order for Southampton. Ronald Koeman’s side continue to prove their top four credentials when questioned, however, and had a new hero to thank for the three points in the North East as new signing Eljero Elia came to the fore with two goals.
Liverpool are starting to find their lost identity
As indicated by manager Brendan Rodgers after the win at Aston Villa, Liverpool seemed to be finding some real form and, more importantly, have a defined way of playing once again. The Reds were in total control from start to finish against a woeful Villa side, with the likes of Fabio Borini getting on the scoresheet being indicative of a new found confidence flowing through Rodgers’ squad.
Chelsea’s blip is very much over
Chelsea have been lukewarm of late, particularly away from Stamford Bridge, which made the emphatic nature of their performance and result away at the usually solid Swansea City so eye-catching. Mourinho’s men played with the same tempo and intensity that they had at the start of the season and seem to be well over their mini blip – and still lead the Premier League table.