1) Liverpool are struggling to rediscover their red hot form of last season
Following the departure of their top goalscorer Luis Suarez to Barcelona in the summer, it was always going to be difficult for Liverpool to reach the heights that they achieved last year. However with 3 defeats from their last 4 league games, life without Suarez is proving to be even harder than previously anticipated. On top of this an injury sustained to striker Daniel Sturridge means that it's tough to see where Liverpool's goals are going to come from. Neither Lucas nor Henderson are prolific goal scorers and Steven Gerrard now plays in a position which sees him rarely go into the opposition's penalty area. Despite doing well on loan to Sunderland last season, there were questions in this weekend's game at West Ham as to whether Fabio Borini is in fact good enough to be a striker for Liverpool football club. And then there's Mario Balotelli who has all the ability in the world but has is restricted by poor attitude and work ethic. The only hope Liverpool currently have in producing the goods is Raheem Sterling who is playing out of his skin at the moment for both club and country. However this is a massive responsibility to carry a team when he is only 19 years of age. In their last few games, they've really struggled to create chances. But in their 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Saturday evening, it was their defensive deficiencies which emerged as their main problem. Their new look defence failed to deal with simple balls played over the top, and within just 7 minutes they were 2-0 down. Throughout the remainder of the match West Ham's front four of Valencia, Downing, Sakho and Kouyate were able to frequently exploit Liverpool's weak and slow defence. If Liverpool are to secure another top 4 finish this season, then they MUST address these issues.
2) Leicester City are showing that they are here to stay
When Nigel Pearson saw his team's fixture list for the upcoming season, his heart must've sank. The opening five games saw his Leicester City side face visits from big boys Everton, Arsenal and Manchester United and a trip to title favourites Chelsea. However it clearly hasn't fazed him, or his team, in the slightest. In all of their opening five games, they've played on the front foot with very little fear, which has led to some really entertaining football and positive results, while fellow promoted sides Burnley and QPR have played in a much more defensive way and are currently both sat in the relegation zone. If taking points off Arsenal and Everton showed that Leicester aren't a side to be underestimated, then their 5-3 thumping of Manchester United showed that they are a real force in this league. Despite being 3-1 down with just less than half an hour of the game to go, the Foxes tore United's inexperienced defence and midfield to pieces. Jamie Vardy never stopped running, and had a key part to play in all 5 goals (4 assists and 1 goal), while in Leonardo Ulloa, Leicester have found a world class goal scorer who is in hot form (scoring 5 goals in his last 5 league games). If they can continue to build on these early signs of promise, then there no reason why they shouldn't set their sights on a top 10 finish.
3) Lampard keeps City in the title race
Now with only 5 games into the new season, it would seem ridiculous to suggest that a team has already won the league. However, Chelsea's blistering start accompanied by the rivals dropping points means that they are certainly in the driving seat at the top of the Premier League table. If they'd have beaten Manchester City on Sunday it would've put them 7 points ahead of their main title rival, so therefore it was vitally important that they didn't lose the game. Down to 10 men and a goal down with just 5 minutes remaining, it was looking like a big win for Jose Mourinho's side. But then up popped Chelsea hero Frank Lampard, who stabbed the ball home to give City a late equaliser and rescue a point for the current champions of England. Not only was it difficult to take in that he had scored AGAINST the club where he had spent 13 happy years at, but it's the goal;'s significance which would've caused Lampard the most discomfort. Managing to salvage a point when you've had a man sent off in a big game like that was huge for Manchester City. Not just in terms of points on the board was it important, but in terms of psychologically too. Chelsea know that they should've seen off the game, but that would've felt like a defeat for them as they were so close to creating a huge gap between themselves and City. While the Manchester City players have proved to themselves that they do have the resilience and mental strength to come back when the chips were down so to speak. If City do end up winning the title, it'll be this game and more importantly Frank Lampard's goal which may well prove to be a key moment in the title race.
Following the departure of their top goalscorer Luis Suarez to Barcelona in the summer, it was always going to be difficult for Liverpool to reach the heights that they achieved last year. However with 3 defeats from their last 4 league games, life without Suarez is proving to be even harder than previously anticipated. On top of this an injury sustained to striker Daniel Sturridge means that it's tough to see where Liverpool's goals are going to come from. Neither Lucas nor Henderson are prolific goal scorers and Steven Gerrard now plays in a position which sees him rarely go into the opposition's penalty area. Despite doing well on loan to Sunderland last season, there were questions in this weekend's game at West Ham as to whether Fabio Borini is in fact good enough to be a striker for Liverpool football club. And then there's Mario Balotelli who has all the ability in the world but has is restricted by poor attitude and work ethic. The only hope Liverpool currently have in producing the goods is Raheem Sterling who is playing out of his skin at the moment for both club and country. However this is a massive responsibility to carry a team when he is only 19 years of age. In their last few games, they've really struggled to create chances. But in their 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Saturday evening, it was their defensive deficiencies which emerged as their main problem. Their new look defence failed to deal with simple balls played over the top, and within just 7 minutes they were 2-0 down. Throughout the remainder of the match West Ham's front four of Valencia, Downing, Sakho and Kouyate were able to frequently exploit Liverpool's weak and slow defence. If Liverpool are to secure another top 4 finish this season, then they MUST address these issues.
2) Leicester City are showing that they are here to stay
When Nigel Pearson saw his team's fixture list for the upcoming season, his heart must've sank. The opening five games saw his Leicester City side face visits from big boys Everton, Arsenal and Manchester United and a trip to title favourites Chelsea. However it clearly hasn't fazed him, or his team, in the slightest. In all of their opening five games, they've played on the front foot with very little fear, which has led to some really entertaining football and positive results, while fellow promoted sides Burnley and QPR have played in a much more defensive way and are currently both sat in the relegation zone. If taking points off Arsenal and Everton showed that Leicester aren't a side to be underestimated, then their 5-3 thumping of Manchester United showed that they are a real force in this league. Despite being 3-1 down with just less than half an hour of the game to go, the Foxes tore United's inexperienced defence and midfield to pieces. Jamie Vardy never stopped running, and had a key part to play in all 5 goals (4 assists and 1 goal), while in Leonardo Ulloa, Leicester have found a world class goal scorer who is in hot form (scoring 5 goals in his last 5 league games). If they can continue to build on these early signs of promise, then there no reason why they shouldn't set their sights on a top 10 finish.
3) Lampard keeps City in the title race
Now with only 5 games into the new season, it would seem ridiculous to suggest that a team has already won the league. However, Chelsea's blistering start accompanied by the rivals dropping points means that they are certainly in the driving seat at the top of the Premier League table. If they'd have beaten Manchester City on Sunday it would've put them 7 points ahead of their main title rival, so therefore it was vitally important that they didn't lose the game. Down to 10 men and a goal down with just 5 minutes remaining, it was looking like a big win for Jose Mourinho's side. But then up popped Chelsea hero Frank Lampard, who stabbed the ball home to give City a late equaliser and rescue a point for the current champions of England. Not only was it difficult to take in that he had scored AGAINST the club where he had spent 13 happy years at, but it's the goal;'s significance which would've caused Lampard the most discomfort. Managing to salvage a point when you've had a man sent off in a big game like that was huge for Manchester City. Not just in terms of points on the board was it important, but in terms of psychologically too. Chelsea know that they should've seen off the game, but that would've felt like a defeat for them as they were so close to creating a huge gap between themselves and City. While the Manchester City players have proved to themselves that they do have the resilience and mental strength to come back when the chips were down so to speak. If City do end up winning the title, it'll be this game and more importantly Frank Lampard's goal which may well prove to be a key moment in the title race.
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