EPL weekend round up: A Halloween style review

Jurgen Klopp as Jose Mourinho circa 2003-004

A manager who loves his players and is not afraid to show it? A manager who wears his heart on his sleeve and who’s goal celebrations are as famous as those of the players? Well, believe it or not, that used to Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and Porto (who can forget his crazy sprint after Porto had scored against Manchester United) about a decade ago. Klopp seems to have brought the same attitude to Liverpool, and ironically, it really came to the fore against Mourinho’s Chelsea, as Liverpool pulled off a stunning 3-1 win. Yes, the football was very different as compared to the cautious, water tight Chelsea that defined Mourinho’s first reign, but as at that time, people spent as much time watching the manager as his team.

Jose Mourinho as Alex Ferguson

Oh, the irony. Tetchy, complaining that the world (and the referees in particular) are against his team, giving weird press conferences…if you though that all those went out with the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, rejoice! For, Jose Mourinho seems to be stepping into that role, at least for the moment. The Chelsea manager once again was less than pleased about the referee, complaining that he should have sent off Liverpool’s Lucas for a second foul (conveniently forgetting of course, that Chelsea’s own Diego Costa could have been shown red much before that for a thuggish kick at Martin Skrtel) and also accused the media of not watching the match properly (offering to get them spectacles). No, he has not yet said “Your’e are all f***ing b******s” but the similarity to Sir Alex at times, accent and results apart (oh Chelsea, would be SO wishing for a win now, as the week ended with them just above the drop zone!), is there to see!

Olivier Giroud as Alan Shearer

He scores them with his feet, he scores them with his head. He taps them in, he thumps them in and sometimes scrambles them barely over the line. He might have been overshadowed by Theo Walcott’s emergence as a striker in the early part of the season but the past few weeks have seen Olivier Giroud come right back into the spotlight with goals a classic English centre forward would be proud of – and his header that opened the scoring (as well as marked 2000 goals for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger) in a 3-0 win against Swansea could be one of Arsenal’s defining moments of the season. The Gunners had been put on the ropes by an efficient Swansea side for most of the first half, before Giroud popped up in the penalty area to score. Just like Shearer would have. And the game changed!

Manchester United as Bolton Wanderers 2001-005

Some might consider it too brutal a comparison, but the truth is that Louis van Gaal’s Red Devils looked more like Sam Allardyce’s Bolton in the early part of the millennium, playing deep and relying heavily on defence and a very good goalkeeper, and hoping to score through quick, spectacular breakaways rather than sustained attack. The Manchester Reds drew a blank for a third time last week when they failed to score against a spirited Crystal Palace. And indeed were very much on the back foot for the most time as Alan Pardew’s team sensed a famous win. In the end, both teams split points, but the enduring memory of the match was a slightly bemused Van Gaal sitting on the bench even as the Man U faithful erupted into chants of “We are United, We Like to Attack”!

Leicester City as Newcastle circa 1995-97

“You score five, we will score six” used to be the chant by the Toons as Kevin Keegan’s insanely attacking Newcastle team of the mid nineties captured the imagination of the football world. Well, this year, it seems to be Leicester city doing just that – Claudio Ranieri’s simply refuse to lie down and die and are making a habit of coming back from being a goal or two down to win matches. And they were at it again against West Bromwich Albion last weekend. West Brom took the lead and sure enough back came the Foxes, scoring three through Mahrez and Vardy (of whom, more later). And just as Keegan’s side surprised the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal by finishing above them time again, Leicester this year are coasting at third, well ahead of the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea.

Newcastle as Burnley 2015

They get full marks for honest endeavour, but few points against better organised opposition. It happened to Burnley last season, and it seems to be happening to Newcastle this year around. Steve McLaren’s men had played brilliantly for a while against Manchester City before a twenty minute spell of Aguero magic ruined their day and their scorelines, the scenario was again played out against arch rivals Sunderland, and when all their efforts seemed to yield no goals against Stoke on Saturday, you would not have blamed the Toon Army for feeling that the fates are against them. It finished goalless and Newcastle remained in the drop zone, although they would be consoled by the fact that below them are Sunderland.

Manchester City as Arsenal 2005

No, they are not going to finish the season undefeated as that famous Arsenal team of 2005 did, but Manchester City are showing a similar approach to the task, playing with flair when needed and digging deep and pushing out a result when faced with a particularly stubborn foe. And Norwich certainly were stubborn, staying level with the EPL leaders for an hour and then pulling off a late equaliser, before Toure finished off the match with a penalty. No, they might not always be at their best, but just like Wenger’s Invincibles, they seem to be very difficult to beat and are capable of conjuring up magic at the drop of a hat – just put Toure in place of Viera and Aguero in place of Henry!

Everton as Chelsea 2014

Remember Chelsea last year at this time when the likes of Costa and Fabregas were running amok and seemingly scoring at will? Well, Everton, who were ironically one of their victims in that phase, channelled that spirit when they took on Sam Allardyce’s Sunderland. The Merseyside Blues were up by two within half an hour and when Sunderland equalised twenty minutes later, raising visions of a stirring battle, the response from Everton was to hit three goals in 12 minutes, and then hit another for good measure to win by a tennis score of 6-2. It was thrilling, stirring stuff with Kone’ getting a hat-trick, and must have made the folk at Stamford Bridge feel so nostalgic.

Jamie Vardy as Gary Linekar

Speed. That was one word that best described England’s legendary striker of the eighties. And that is the word that best describes Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy so far. The man has scored in eight consecutive Premier League games and sure enough was on the scoresheet against West Brom, when he swapped passes from the centre line and then left the defence for dead before slotting home his team’s third. It was vintage Linekar at his lethal best. The fact that Vardy is a soft spoken, gentle mannered person simply makes the similarity even greater.

Wayne Rooney as Steven Gerrard 2014-15

He might have been a legend in his lifetime, but Steven Gerrard spent last season looking lost and being switched from position to position as his coach searched desperately for solutions. That so far seems to have been the fate of Wayne Rooney, who has played pretty much everywhere in the United frontline and has never really looked anything like one of England’s greatest strikers. He was a shadow of his speedy, skilled self against Crystal Palace leaving Untied fans torn between trying to lift him and kick him out. Not the happiest sight on the field, alas.