1) Mangala is finding his feet, so why let him go?
What a strange and unexpected development, in the immediate aftermath of Manchester City’s defeat of Chelsea, to discover that the Premier League’s early pace-setters are considering moving Eliaquim Mangala out of the club on loan, just at the point that he has started to look like he is getting to grips with English football.
Mangala had a difficult first season but the expectation was always that he would be significantly improved in his second campaign and, though these are still only the embryonic stages of the season, there have already been signs of that in City’s first two games. Mangala was seldom troubled by Diego Costa and it seems peculiar when City have simultaneously made it clear they rate him so highly they would not contemplate a permanent sale.
The issues arises because Valencia, still owing City a significant chunk of the Álvaro Negredo money, have offered to make it up by letting them have the Argentina international centre-half Nicolás Otamendi - who, like Mangala, is a client of the agent Jorge Mendes.
Otamendi has 25 international caps and was in the Argentina team that lost the summer’s Copa América final to Chile on penalties but it would still be a gamble on City’s part to expect him to fit in seamlessly alongside Kompany at the expense, potentially, of a player who has shown that it can take a newcomer some time to adjust to the Premier League. Daniel Taylor
• Match report: Manchester City 3-0 Chelsea
• Chelsea agree deal for left-back Rahman
• Kompany: Chelsea fell into our traps
2) Oxford gets an education against Leicester
Like every other 16-year-old in the country, Reece Oxford will get his GCSE results on Thursday. There is nothing particularly special about that, but it does hammer home how young he is and why the hype that followed his excellent performance in West Ham’s win over Arsenal last weekend should be dialled down a little. Oxford struggled against Leicester City and was replaced at half-time by Pedro Obiang. Slaven Bilic may feel that he should take the youngster out of the firing line against Bournemouth on Saturday. Jacob Steinberg
• Match report: West Ham 1-2 Leicester
• Leicester City sign £5m Gökhan Inler from Napoli
3) Short, Byrne and Congerton must explain themselves
There was a thread on Ready to Go, a leading Sunderland fans’ forum entitled: “Ellis Short - just as bad as Mike Ashley” on Sunday. It appeared less than 24 hours after those fans who had not walked out of the Stadium of Light in disgust at Sunderland’s 3-1 surrender to Norwich chanted: “Are you watching Ellis Short.” After spending the past few seasons watching almost uniformly atrocious football they are desperate for an owner who has spent a mere £6m net this summer to invest in an inadequate squad. The depth of their frustration has sparked a debate in which some Sunderland fans are now saying the unthinkable and suggesting Newcastle’s Ashley might just be a better owner than Short. Many would still disagree but, before the situation spirals out of control, the American financier could do worse than break his long media silence and answering the questions supporters are asking. The same goes for Margaret Byrne, the chief executive, and Lee Congerton, the sporting director. A crowd in excess of 41,000 turned out for the Norwich game. Considering the team’s recent history that is remarkable but fans’ patience is wearing thin and their enduring loyalty can no longer be taken for granted. Louise Taylor
• Advocaat ‘shocked’ by performance in Norwich defeat
• Match report: Sunderland 1-3 Norwich
4) For how long will Ireland put up with the bench?
A little over two minutes in and Mark Hughes’s press conference after Stoke’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham was following a pretty standard pattern: journalist asks manager a question and he gives a straightforward reply. But then Stephen Ireland’s contribution was raised and Hughes’s tone noticeably changed. It felt more personal, like that of a man who wanted to get something off his chest. “Stephen was excellent and he knows how highly I value him,” he said. “I probably don’t show it as much as I should do in terms of giving him appearances. I’ve had discussions with him because I feel I disappoint him too often for the talent he has. He understands I respect his abilities.”
Given Hughes regularly used Ireland during his time in charge of Manchester City and signed him first on loan and then on a long-term deal after taking over at Stoke, there is little doubt the Welshman rates the midfielder, and his faith in him was rewarded on Saturday when the 28-year-old came off the bench and played a key role in the visitors earning a point having been 2-0 down, most notably proving the cross from which Mame Biram Diouf headed in the equaliser seven minutes from time. Yet the fact Ireland was on the bench in the first place shows, as Hughes outlined, that he is not a guaranteed starter for Stoke and he may find his chances to shine limited further now Xherdan Shaqiri has arrived at the club. How long Ireland puts up with sitting on the bench will be intriguing to see and it could ultimately prove the case that for all the pep talks and pats on the back he receives from his manager, the Irishman decides his future lies elsewhere. Sachin Nakrani
• Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Stoke City
• Tottenham complete signing of Clinton Njie from Lyon
5) Palace and Arsenal will scintillate once their forwards find their fitness
- Appearances
- 1
- Goals
- 0
- Shots
- 10
- Shots on target
- 30%
- Offsides
- 0
There was relief and regret post-match at Selhurst Park as Arsène Wenger and Alan Pardew assessed a frantic London derby claimed by the visitors, but the common ground was an acknowledgement of rustiness.
Wenger pointed to Alexis Sánchez, a player who brings “a drive forward” but who was starting for the first time on Sunday having been granted four weeks off after winning the Copa América in his homeland. His excellent performance here was apparently born of “more desire than fitness”. Once he is properly match fit, he should thrive in the same way he propelled this team for much of last term, particularly if Mesut Özil maintains form like this to offer the Chilean a sumptuous supply-line.
But the same applied to Palace. Pardew’s more attack-minded side, with Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur at its heart, will only prosper if Jason Puncheon, Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie drive them forward with the kind of skill and urgency which can set them apart. But, while Puncheon has quickly hit his stride, the team’s wingers are only offering flashes. Both have endured disrupted pre-seasons: Zaha, a scorer at Norwich on the opening weekend, underwent surgery on a toe injury; while Bolasie suffered a hamstring strain.
They enjoyed periods of success against Nacho Monreal and Héctor Béllerin here but will need time to find their own rhythm. “My own exuberant players are just below their levels in my opinion,” confirmed Pardew. “They’re not quite there yet physically. When we get up to speed we’ll be better than we were today, but there were some great signs today.” That applies to both these sides. They have different objectives for the campaign ahead, but each could scintillate in their own right once up to speed. Dominic Fifield
6) Time for McClaren to practice what he preaches
Steve McClaren, like all England managers in the Premier League era, used to complain about the dearth of English talent he had available with so many clubs increasingly reliant on foreign players. As recently as April, he added his name to a letter encouraging the FA to increase the number of homegrown players in club squads. Now in charge at Newcastle, McClaren has just signed Georgino Wijnaldum (Dutch), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbian) and Chancel Mbemba (Congolese) for something like £35m. That should help Roy Hodgson then. At Swansea on Saturday Newcastle fielded just one Englishman, Jack Colback, in their starting 11 and used one more, Steven Taylor, as a substitute. The Swans, much the better team and deserved 2-0 winners, used eight British players, including subs. Joe Lovejoy
• Match report: Swansea 2-0 Newcastle
• McLaren warns Monk away from England job
7) Watford show potential but lack of killer instinct
It must be frustrating to play poorly, but encouraging to avoid defeat when doing so. And it must be encouraging to play well, but frustrating not to be able capitalise. Conflicting emotions, then, for both sides, but Watford surely had more positives than West Brom to take from a game in which their defence looked assured and their midfield, but for Miguel Layún, who surrendered possession far too frequently, dominant. But as Heurelho Gomes – the Watford goalkeeper for most of the match as much a spectator as anyone in the stands – pointed out, “sometimes you need to be clever in the pass. We have players up front that can finish the game off, that can score goals, but we need the players to put the ball in as well, a better ball sometimes.” José Manuel Jurado, who had an impressive home debut, looks a potential match winner, while the former Italian international Alessandro Diamanti, who was at Vicarage Road to watch his future team-mates as he awaits international clearance on his loan move from Guangzhou Evergrande, may assist in the search for assists. Given that Watford scored twice at Everton the previous weekend there is no need to go overboard, but it is unusual for a team to enjoy so much possession, in such dangerous areas, while creating so little. “I’m not happy. I’m happy only when I win,” said Sánchez Flores. “But I’m not frustrated. We created emotion, we connected with the stands, we had control of the ball, we played with intelligence, we recovered the ball very well, we really attacked the second ball. Of course we need to win matches, but while you’re not winning the feelings are important.” Watford’s last two top-flight teams also created plenty of emotion, the only problem being that it was mainly sadness. This team seems to have much greater potential, but potential – much like a succession of speculative 30-yarders – doesn’t win you matches. Simon Burnton
8) Manchester United need another option up front
- Appearances
- 2
- Goals
- 0
- Shots
- 2
- Shots on target
- 0%
- Offsides
- 4
Wayne Rooney had a stinker under the Friday night lights of Villa Park. Wasteful in possession, he posed no threat to Brad Guzan’s goal, and didn’t have a touch inside Aston Villa’s penalty area until the 93rd minute. Against Tottenham last week, with the goal gaping, he dallied on the ball and was lucky Kyle Walker’s tackle inadvertently gave United the lead. Rooney is a class act in poor form, but he needs help and Louis van Gaal doesn’t have an awful lot of alternatives to spearhead his attack. With Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao gone, Javier Hernández and James Wilson remain the only other recognised strikers at the club. United’s good to start to the season – only the second time in the last nine seasons that they have won both of their opening matches – owes more to their defence and the two clean sheets thus far; Chris Smalling has been a rock at the heart of Van Gaal’s defence. Sooner or later though, United will concede and drop points, and their lack of options at the opposite end of the pitch will be exposed. Attention this summer may have been focused on reinforcements in defence and midfield, but eyebrows will be raised if Van Gaal doesn’t supplement his strikeforce before the transfer window closes. Michael Butler
• Match report: Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester United
• Michael Cox: Villa’s striking similarities show up Sherwood
9) Stones and Everton must resist Chelsea’s advances
Who knows the state of José Mourinho’s mind at the moment? Such as it apparently is, in the wake of the ridiculous ‘DoctorGate’ episode, do not bet against the Chelsea manager suddenly offering £50m for Everton central defender John Stones. Bids of £20m and £26m from the West London club have already been turned down. Why shouldn’t Mourinho go for broke and make Everton boss Roberto Martínez a third offer that he and his club couldn’t possibly resist? But Everton must resist and Stones, 21, should stay where he is. The young central defender turned in another composed display in the 3-0 romp at Southampton on Saturday. He played 90 minutes and that’s what he will do - week in, week out - if he remains at Goodison Park. His education will gather steady momentum. Yet should he move to Stamford Bridge, he will play only in fits and starts, when John Terry or Gary Cahill are unavailable. How is that going improve his fledgling career? Martínez is building for the future at Everton, the key as much the players he doesn’t sell as those he buys. “Correct,” he said. “That’s very important. That’s why we want to keep our best performers and get better. Maybe we haven’t got a Champions League budget but we are a big club and it’s important that we keep growing from season to season.” To do that, Stones and his ilk must stay. Russell Kempson
10) Squad stability behind Leicester’s inspired form
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Leicester | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | Man Utd | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Everton | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Swansea | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Pre-season assessments of Leicester’s prospects focused excessively on upheaval in the dug-out while ignoring the equally significant lack of it within the club’s playing staff. Claudio Ranieri’s “tinkerman” reputation, and flimsy recent managerial record, would undo the progress made under Nigel Pearson, was the general prediction of many. But if your team remains settled and confident, how much does any of this matter? Leicester’s victorious starting XI at West Ham – making it two wins out of two so far – contained only two players not at the club last season, which Leicester ended so strongly. Indeed, Leicester’s league form sequence now reads WWWWLWWDWWW. That level of form and squad continuity is not something either of their two victims this season, Sunderland and West Ham, can get near to boasting. Tom Davies
