Winners
Manchester City (In more ways than one)- After last weeks shock defeat away to Norwich, it was safe to say Guardiola got a response from his side. Not only did they defeat Watford at the Etihad they ripped them limb from limb ending the game with a scoreline of 8-0. They not only achieved their highest ever win in the Premier League era but they also became the fastest team to go five nil up in the Premier League achieving this in an utterly staggering 18 minutes. When I was refreshing the scores I was wondering if Watford had forgot they are allowed to challenge them, but as we all know on their day Man City can do this to anyone. Bernardo Silva scored his first ever hat-trick but it was that man Kevin De Bruyne who again was grabbing all the headlines again with another world class performance.
The brilliant Belgian scored and grabbed two assists and the three point bonus which speaks volumes about how good he was considering a hat-trick was scored in this game. In reality he could have had even more points if his teammates had been a bit more clinical. His cross for the opening goal was as good as it gets, he already has seven assists already this season and currently has a 30% crossing accuracy from 50 so do not expect him to slow down soon.
Leicester City– Tipped in pre-season as one of the sides most likely to challenge the top six places, Brenden Rodgers side has so far showed that they certainly are a force to be reckoned with. The lunchtime kick off saw them take on Tottenham a match with a lot of talent on show and a game for Leicester to show they can compete. Spurs took the lead with a brilliant improvised finish from Harry Kane, but the Foxes came back and defeated the Londoners 2-1 with goals from Ricardo Pereira and the excellent James Maddison. The squad depth could be something which becomes a problem for them if they get injuries but the first eleven is very good they do not miss Harry Maguire at all. Currently they sit third and have a very good run of fixtures to keep the momentum going and really lay down a challenge to get into European football. It’s not like they’ve surprised us before is it?
Chris Wilder- The Sheffield United boss reputation continues to grow and grow, after his side pulled off a 2-0 win away at Everton and now find themselves with a very good eight points from six games. Most managers would be delighted with the result but Wilder remarked after the game he told the players he was unhappy with how easily his side kept losing the ball! The Blades have surprised many so far this season and I have been impressed by how solid they still look whilst playing good football at the top level. The over lapping centre-backs are tactically very interesting and a big part of how they play. There seems something special about Wilder and with him being born and bred in Sheffield it is a marriage made in heaven. They might not have better individuals than a lot of teams, but with how they function as a team and Wilder’s tactics, I can see United certainly being around next season.
Losers
Everton and Marco Silva- Their pre-season results looked iffy especially with the lack of goals being scored but Everton were tipped for a good season, after their impressive run of form at the end of last season. Marco Silva is a manager many do not really rate and he always seems a few bad results away from the sack. Well he must not be far away from it at the minute. They have only won one of their last four games being against Wolves and have lost games to Aston Villa, Bournemouth and most recently and surprisingly to Sheffield United at home. The pressure is now mounting on Silva and the solid defence from the second half of last season seems to have evaporated, they are especially bad at set pieces.
One of the biggest surprises this season for me so far with the Toffees is the regression of Gylfi Sirgurdsson. The Iceland international was Everton’s top FPL scorer last season and made the team of the season but so far this term he seems a shadow of his former self. He only has one attacking return with an assist but his performances have been very poor. He’s even been subbed when Everton are chasing games which says it all, with Man City up next it is hard to see things changing soon.
Dean Smith– The Villa boss has come in for a lot of stick after his sides 3-2 defeat away to Arsenal. It looked like it was all in Villa’s hands after taking the lead thanks to John McGinn and then Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off in the first half. Despite the numerical advantage Arsenal equalised through a penalty from record signing Nicolas Pepe. The game then again turned on its head straight away when Jack Grealish ran through the Arsenal midfield and defence to set up Wesley to score. Surley this is where Villa use their man advantage to the fullest right? Wrong. After taking the lead they started to go deeper and deeper and letting Arsenal set up camp in their half. The pressure told, mistakes were made and for the second time in a week Villa fail to beat ten men. It surprises me a manager who speaks about taking the game to teams decided to sit in when everybody knows Arsenal are woeful at the back. It is Burnley up next at home for Villa and you sense to some fans it feels already like a must win.
Watford- They lost 8-0 they are obviously the biggest losers this week………..