Premier League weekend: Five things we learned | OneFootball

Five things we learned from the Premier League weekend, featuring Casemiro’s calamities, Southampton’s style concerns and Arsenal erring in the title race.

Premier League weekend: Five things we learned

Arsenal blink first in title race

In the summer, Mikel Arteta jokingly said it would take 114 points, or a perfect season, to topple Manchester City’s dominance of the Premier League. Three games in and the Gunners have blinked first in the title race after dropping points at home to Brighton.

Declan Rice’s contentious red card cost Arsenal as the 10-man Gunners squandered the lead handed to them by Kai Havertz. In the end, Arteta’s side were forced to hold on for a point as Brighton dominated the closing stages.

It’s too early in the season for this result to be decisive but given the standards Manchester City have set in recent campaigns, every point is crucial. Pep Guardiola’s team have averaged 91 points across the last seven seasons and Arsenal need a big response after the international break. A Rice-less team will travel to Tottenham for the North London Derby.

Southampton style must be versatile

Russell Martin has suggested that he will stay true to his beliefs this season but three games into the season Southampton are without a single point. Against Brentford, the Saints struggled to deal with the opposition press as the Bees swarmed around their centre-backs trying to play from the back.

“We made two mistakes that we were punished for, which is frustrating and disappointing,” Martin said after the 3-1 defeat in West London.

“The details and structure of the team are not right. The players are doing what I’ve asked but the positions are not right. You get punished in the Premier League … It’s about taking a breath in that moment, that’s my job to get rid of the tension.”

Martin’s desire to play attractive football is commendable but, as Burnley learned last season, not always the right route to results. At this level, even slight mistakes do not go unpunished.

Duran stakes his claim

After spending the summer linked with a move away from Aston Villa, the window slammed shut with Jhon Duran still in the Midlands. Chelsea and West Ham saw deadline day enquiries rejected and Unai Emery will be grateful for that.

For the second time in three games, Duran came off the bench to score the winner, continuing his remarkable record in the Premier League. The 20-year-old has now scored seven goals in just 670 minutes of action in the Premier League, averaging an effort every 95 minutes and exceeding his xG by +3.63.

His header against Leicester arrived just two minutes after his introduction and was an outstanding moment of centre-forward play. With Ollie Watkins struggling for sharpness in the season’s opening weeks, Emery has an alternative of rich potential.

Guardiola gushes over homegrown gem

Phil Foden might take up residence as Manchester City’s homegrown hero but in Rico Lewis the Citizens have a player pushing for similar status. The 19-year-old has started the season superbly in the absence of Kyle Walker, helping the champions to a perfect start to the campaign.

At West Ham, Lewis roamed into midfield, was intelligent in his positioning, and central to an ominous performance from Guardiola’s side. It might be too early in his career for such lofty comparison, but there are certainly similarities between Lewis and former Guardiola favourite Phillip Lahm.

“Absolute, absolutely [he’s playing well],” Guardiola said.

“Have you seen the minutes he played in the pocket? I said many times, Rico has one incredible ability that for many years, it was difficult to find,” he explained.

“Always he is free, always he is alone. When his mate has the ball. I don’t know what he does, but he’s free. You can pass the ball to him, and not just in positions where it’s comfortable, but in positions where the space is so tight, arriving in the third final.

“He is a good defender and can play in two or three positions. He’s playing good so he deserves to play.”

Casemiro’s time is up

He wasn’t alone in struggling during Manchester United’s one-sided defeat to Liverpool, but Casemiro’s performance indicates that time is up for the Brazilian at Old Trafford.

Careless with his distribution, harried off the ball, and reactive when danger appeared, he was hooked at half-time after being at fault for both the visitor’s opening two goals.

The Brazilian has shown significant signs of decline across the last 12 months and looked off the pace up against Liverpool’s industrious midfield trio. Casemiro, quite clearly, was out of his depth to the extent that Erik ten Hag replaced him with debutant Toby Collyer at half-time.

It’s sad to see one of the modern greats struggling like this. With Manuel Ugarte now on board, it would be no surprise to see Casemiro move on before the closure of the Saudi Pro League window.

Read – Premier League Awards: Everton implode, Haaland hat-trick

See more – Premier League Team of the Week – Matchday 3

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