Danny Higginbotham: Arsenal are beginning to get it together… and THAT 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool could have been a blessing in disguise
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ARSENAL lost their way at Anfield in August, being beaten 4-0 by Liverpool.
It was one of the low points of Arsene Wenger’s recent reign.
But since then they have responded brilliantly, winning six out of seven matches and keeping four consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League.
With Alexandre Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez in the team, they are always guaranteed to score goals.
They have tightened up defensively, too.
Against Liverpool, midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka simply weren’t disciplined enough.
They were both too far ahead of the ball and Liverpool exploited the space.
Since then, though, they have had one defensive midfielder going forward and one sitting back.
The system has improved and so, too, have the results.
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TOFFEES ARE COMING UNSTUCK
EVERTON have plenty of good players, especially in the No 10 role. But they have lost their way recently.
They don’t have enough players who are stretching the opposition or running in behind the defence.
Too many of their players are coming towards the ball. Everything is so compact.
Teams, in their preparations, know that nobody will run behind them, so they can press up and squeeze Everton in their own half.
They had 63 per cent possession against Burnley and yet still lost 1-0.
A TALL ORDER
PETER CROUCH is proving that, even at the age of 36, he can still cut it at Premier League level.
The 6ft 7in striker has never been one to rely overly on pace.
But he is a very clever player and gives Stoke boss Mark Hughes a different dimension in attack.
Crouch has scored two goals in five sub appearances in the league this season — surely enough to warrant a starting place.
Stoke have rarely had a prolific goal-scorer, but Crouch deserves more chances in the starting XI.
NO NEED TO JUDGE
HARRY KANE is in terrific form.
His goalscoring exploits are absolutely brilliant and he deserves all the plaudits he is getting.
However, I get very annoyed when people compare him with other players.
Why? What is the point in comparing him with others — whether that is here in the UK or abroad?
Just enjoy him and admire the magnificent talents he has.
We always do this. We compare players or managers with those from different eras. Let’s stop that. It’s a waste of time.
Harry is his own man.
NO BITE FROM THE SWANS
SWANSEA have been OK defensively but, with three goals in seven matches, are clearly struggling in attacking positions.
The loss of Fernando Llorente (scorer of 15 goals last season) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (double figures for assists) have had a major impact on their goal threat.
Wilfried Bony, who went off injured at the weekend, needs to reproduce the form he showed in his first Swans spell.
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