Barkley flatters to deceive again, Bravo gives City the wobbles, Swansea’s failings in front of goal could condemn them and Chelsea’s switch to a back three pays off
1) Bravo spreads unease through City’s defensive ranks
A good goalkeeper spreads calm. Claudio Bravo may end up doing this atManchester City. Right now he can look the opposite of calm, a flailing, frazzled, unsettling presence. Bravo spent this match semaphoring about affecting a frantic pose of nonchalance under constant targeted pressure. He made some good saves. Otherwise the preoccupation with playing cute, back-spun passes to his defenders was a source of unease, like a party guest who keeps insisting everyone get up and play charades every five minutes. Nicolás Otamendi has many qualities, but he doesn’t look like a man who likes being asked to Cruyff-turn away from Spurs’ white-shirted wraiths six or seven times a half. Bravo may in time help transform City into the desired passing machine. Right now he feels like a pressure point for opponents, gamely following the Pep schematic when it might be more sensible to play the game and the team-mates in front of you.Barney Ronay
2) Officials hand Wenger an anniversary gift
There was only one talking point at Turf Moor – the legitimacy of the 93rd-minute goal that gave Arsenal a fifth successive Premier League win and denied Burnley the point their organised, assured performance clearly deserved. The match officials may have been correct to deem Laurent Koscielny onside as he connected with Theo Walcott’s header across the face of Tom Heaton’s goal but they receive no credit for failing to spot the France international applying the final touch with his hands. Even in real time, from high in the press box at the back of the James Hargreaves Stand, the handball was clear. Arsenal’s winner may reactivate the calls for video technology to be extended beyond goal-line technology but it should not have been necessary on this occasion. There was little excuse for several professional match officials failing to spot the offence. Arsène Wenger’s finest gift to mark his 20th anniversary as Arsenal manager was delivered by the referee Craig Pawson and his assistant. Andy Hunter
3) Barkley no closer to fulfilling all his potential
Midfielder
Ross Barkley
- Appearances
- 7
- Goals
- 1
- Shots
- 19
- Shots on target
- 32%
- Offsides
- 3
Ross Barkley, who has already had a public dressing down from Ronald Koeman this season, has managed to reinstate himself in the Everton team and made attempts to stop giving the ball away so much, yet the road to full redemption still seems long and hard. Barkley had one of his less convincing games against Crystal Palace, judged by the high standards everyone has set for him he was actually quite poor, and there were signs of the Goodison crowd getting on his back again. The player will have to cope with that added pressure, as Koeman said on setting him an ultimatum that if a player cannot handle pressure he has no place in the Premier League. But another thing Koeman said was that Barkley is not a kid any longer; a player with England caps who turns 23 in December ought to be producing now, not being talked of in terms of potential. That is not happening, for club or for country, at least not on a regular enough basis. Though admired for his toughness and honesty in trying to rehabilitate Barkley, Koeman appears no closer to a solution than all the other managers who have found the player’s inconsistency frustrating. Koeman sent on Kevin Mirallas for Barkley, which was fair enough, but apparently did not have enough confidence in the new signing Enner Valencia to bring him on at the end when a goal could have won the game. Paul Wilson
4) Will Conte stick to a three-man defence?
Antonio Conte changed tack against Hull City and opted for three at the back. Branislav Ivanovic was dropped, and perhaps it was no coincidence that Chelsea gave one of their most assured defensive performances for weeks. Granted, Hull were poor and faded badly, but Chelsea responded well from their recent defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool by changing formation. With John Terry still injured, David Luiz played in the heart of a back three flanked by César Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill, with Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso playing as the wing-backs. Conte has utilised such a system successfully in the past with Juventus and Italy, and he spoke of wanting to make his team more compact after recent leaky displays. His defence was certainly learning as it went, though a shaky start gradually became a confident performance. Whether Terry can fit into such a system and if it will stand up to more potent attacking teams remains to be seen. James Riach
5) Southampton’s Romeu channels Kanté to frustrate Leicester fans
While not enjoying the way their team were outnumbered and outmuscled in central midfield by Southampton here,Leicester City fans must have found themselves reminiscing fondly about N’Golo Kanté as they watched Oriol Romeu in particular. The Spaniard was not quite as dynamic as Kanté – he is not battery-charged, after all – but he patrolled midfield with tremendous power and precision, as he has been doing for Southampton since the start of the season. The triple block he made to deny Jamie Vardy and Islam Slimani after a mistake by the normally imperious Virgil van Dijk was one of the highlights of the weekend. A knee injury hindered Romeu’s career at Stamford Bridge but now, as the 25-year-old emerges as a real force in the Premier League, Chelsea may be regretting selling him to Southampton for £5m last year. Claude Puel is not complaining. The Frenchman said: “Since the beginning of the season he has been very good in front of the defence. He is a technical player and he also can block a lot of balls. He’s very important for us. He gives a good structure to the team. He’s very interesting with the ball and without it. I like this player.” Paul Doyle
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