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5 talking points from this weekend’s Premier League action

| 17.10.2017
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Man City went clear at the top of the table

There were big results at the top and bottom of the Premier League last weekend. Manchester City went two points clear after thrashing Stoke City 7-2. And Crystal Palace picked up their first win of the campaign in a shock result against defending champions Chelsea.

As always, there’s plenty to discuss and the Coral News Team are here with the main talking points…

Is Kevin De Bruyne the best player in the division?

Manchester City were superb in their 7-2 win over Stoke on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s team played football reminiscent of his incredible Barcelona side and Kevin De Bruyne was central to all of their best work.

The Belgian midfielder created goals for Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus with passes that were timed and weighted to perfection.  His clever no-look pass also unlocked the Stoke backline for Raheem Sterling’s strike.

Whether he plays in central midfield, as a number 10 or out wide, the 26-year-old is dominating games for City. There aren’t many players anywhere in Europe currently operating at his level.

Manchester United miss chance to make a statement

Liverpool had only won one of their last seven games going into Saturday’s derby against Manchester United. Their defence has also looked particularly vulnerable so far this season.

Jose Mourinho had racked up 21 goals in seven league games. But they barely threatened in the 0-0 draw at Anfield. Jose Mourinho’s side seemed content to contain the Reds rather than impose themselves on the game.

There has been a sense that United’s goal tally was largely a result of late goals against tiring, weaker sides, rather than sparkling attacking play. They did little to dispel that notion this weekend.

Can Chelsea’s squad compete on several fronts?

Chelsea’s failure to land several of Antonio Conte’s targets during the summer could cost them on this weekend’s evidence. The Blues’ were without N’Golo Kante and Alvaro Morata against Crystal Palace. They never looked like winning during the 2-1 defeat.

Michy Batshuayi barely featured in the club’s title triumph last season. Antonio Conte doesn’t appear to be convinced by the 24-year-old. His quiet display at Selhust Park highlighted how key Morata is for Chelsea.

Victor Moses also picked up a hamstring injury and faces around a month on the sidelines. With only two fit central midfielders, Conte’s squad could be stretched thin with plenty of games coming up.

Arsenal continue to frustrate

Arsenal will complain about the dubious penalty that Watford equalised from. But this game should have been out of sight by then. The Gunners opened the scoring at Vicarage Road through Per Mertesacker. They then spurned a number of chances to extend their lead.

Once Troy Deeney levelled from the spot, Arsene Wenger’s side collapsed. They sat back and invited pressure instead of playing their natural game. Tom Cleverley’s late winner felt inevitable.

These results seem to happen too often with Arsenal. They’re likely to continue unless there are drastic changes at the Emirates.

Pressure mounts on Koeman

Everton have only won once in the Premier League since the opening weekend. They needed a late Wayne Rooney penalty to steal a point against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

After the Toffees’ considerable summer outlay, much more was expected from Ronald Koeman’s side. Instead, they look short of ideas going forward and too open at the back.

Koeman is the 1/3 favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post. He could be out of a job sooner rather than later if results don’t improve quickly.

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Author

Daniel Anwar

Daniel has written about sport for Coral, Squawka, FourFourTwo and the Premier League, among others.