PL Heroes and Villains: Coutinho class and defiant Butland
Published:Lee Gormley | November 2, 2015
Premier League Heroes and Villains
Liverpool’s 3-1 toppling of reigning champions Chelsea was the highlight of another exciting weekend of Premier League action, as more misery and pressure was piled on Blues boss Jose Mourinho.
There were others who starred too, and those who endured games they would like to forget quickly, so take a look at who made our latest list of top-flight heroes and villains.
Heroes
Jack Butland
England’s natural successor to Joe Hart continues to perform outstandingly at club level with Stoke City, this time out helping Mark Hughes’ Potters hold Newcastle United to a goalless draw and they are now 5/1 for a top 10 finish with Coral.
The Stoke stopper was in sublime form once again, thwarting many Magpies efforts to keep a clean sheet and earn his stuttering side a point, with Butland having now made the most saves of any other goalkeeper so far this season.
Arouna Kone
Roberto Martinez’s Everton stormed to a 6-2 thrashing of a severely struggling Sunderland side, with Kone becoming the fifth Ivorian to hit a top tier hat-trick, helping to earn his teammates three points at Goodison Park.
Classy Coutinho
With Jurgen Klopp’s nurturing man management skills having helped his stars at Borussia Dortmund, Brazilian starlet Philippe Coutinho is one of his new players that is already benefiting from such coaching at Anfield.
The Reds attacker struck twice to earn Liverpool a 3-1 win over Chelsea, with Klopp, clearly ecstatic with his young forward’s performance, later asking: “Who doesn’t love Philippe Coutinho?!” Mourinho maybe?
Villains
Jose Mourinho
The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ seems to be losing his control within the Blues set-up, despite an apparent backing from the Stamford Bridge hierarchy. Mourinho bizarrely took to his post-match interview and replied to every question with a seemingly pointless, “I have nothing to say.”
He will need to revive his side’s fortunes swiftly, with the Blues currently sitting just three points adrift of the relegation places after 11 games played this campaign. Mourinho truly needs a special turnaround immediately and may have something to say if his side’s form continues.
Sunderland
Sam Allardyce arrived at the Stadium of Light in order to try and claw the Black Cats further up the table, but fortunes have continued in the same disastrous manner as under former coach Dick Advocaat.
The Wearside outfit lie second from bottom with just six points so far this term, can they survive a daunting drop down divisions? Odds of 7/4 says they can this term.
Manchester United
Under Louis van Gaal, the Red Devils have been an indifferent force this season, starting the campaign solidly then, more recently, struggling to kill off games and find the net.
A goalless stalemate with Crystal Palace during the weekend proved the club’s inability to carve openings and score goals at this early stage, with Wayne Rooney haplessly leading a futile attack each passing mundane matchday.
Related
Read our heroes and villains archive
See our latest team of the week
