Forest and Brighton Unbeaten, Refereeing controversy - 3 Big Talking Points from the Premier League so far
The first 5 weeks of the Premier League have taken place and today, we will take a look at the biggest talking points so far.
Whether its Erling Haaland’s 10 goals in 5 games, Nottingham Forest and Brighton’s unbeaten runs or refereeing controversy, this Premier League season has had plenty to offer. Today, we will dive into a few different big teams, surprise players and good games of the first 5 weeks
Nottingham Forest are still unbeaten after an incredible win against Liverpool. When Nottingham Forest went to Anfield to face Liverpool, it seemed like a near impossible tasks for them to take away 3 points, but with a substitution that brought on Callum Hudson-Odoi, they managed to get the winning goal in the 72nd minute that won them the game. Not only did they win that game, but they got a draw in a tense game against Brighton next to secure their 5 game unbeaten streak. Forest do seem to be coming together much more as a team, and manager Nuno Espírito Santo seems to be finally starting to settle after some rocky runs of games last season. The additions of Elliot Anderson permanently and James Ward-Prowse on a loan deal will certainly help in the midfield department, with Ward-Prowse especially having high expectations in terms of goal involvements this season.
Brighton are another team with a surprise unbeaten streak. The Seagulls are another team with a surprising unbeaten streak so far this season, and the defining moment for them so far was absolutely the game against Arsenal in which they held the Gunners to a draw. Of course, the red card incident was one of the reasons why they were able to hold on, but they did bring the game to Arsenal for a large proportion of the 90 minutes. Last season, their league position was wrecked by an injury-ravaged campaign that left them without key players and a consistent starting 11. This year, they will be looking to put that behind them and continue with their goal of progression for the club. Some thought that losing Roberto De Zerbi would cause Brighton to have huge problems, but the ethos of the club has continued after his departure, and Brighton are back to winning ways.
Man City 2-2 Arsenal was a game of 2 halves (and stoppage time). The first half started off in brilliant style with Haaland slotting home past Raya after being played in by Savio, proving wrong the few people online that still doubt Haaland’s ability against top defences. In the days building up to the game, Haaland’s apparent habit of being “missing in big games” was brought up by most Arsenal fans, as well as the idea that he would have no chance against Gabriel and Saliba. Both of these claims were put to bed when Haaland scored in 10 minutes. (Not that the claim that Haaland is absent in big games stands up anyway) Despite this great City start, a brilliant Calafiori goal and then a Gabriel corner put Arsenal ahead before the half-time whistle. However, there does seem to be some inconsistency when it comes to what is and is not allowed when it comes to blocking goalkeepers for corners. When a goalkeeper goes to ground because of pressure from an opposition player in the box, referees usually have to stop play and give a foul for the defenders, like what we saw last season in Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool when Alisson was blocked by Akanji, but when two Arsenal players blocked Ederson’s movement for this corner, no foul was given. The rules for this need to be made more clear so that it is understandable for players and coaches to know what corner routine is and is not acceptable. The game-changing moment was when Trossard was dismissed after a second yellow for kicking the ball away, something that has been made very clear to players is a yellow card. This is now being compared online to an incident with Jeremy Doku, where he kicks the ball to the position that Gundogan points that a free kick is going to be taken. This is not delaying restart, so it should not be a yellow card. It was a frustratingly slow second half due to 12 incidents of Arsenal players mysteriously having to sit down with “injuries” that all turn out to be nothing after a few minutes of game time wasted, but in the end, City found a way through. In the 98th minute with one of the final moves of the game, Man City took a corner that led to a blocked shot falling to John Stones, who slotted home to take 2 points from Arsenal and give one to Manchester City, putting them top of the table.
I have mentioned some controversial refereeing decisions this week, and if you disagree or want to ask a question, please feel free to leave a comment. As usual, make sure to share this with anyone that you know who may be interested in this newsletter and make sure that they sign up too.