“Honestly, since the Battle of Manchester, after the 6-3 shootout in October, I was hoping for more. This time it was not such a ride. The defense dominated and especially the first half was dull. United did not want to give City even a millimeter of space: for example, the attentive Fred did not move from Kevin De Bruyne. That’s also why the Citizens’ brain almost didn’t get into the match, the only exception was a goal assist for a 1:0 goal.
Jack Grealish once again confirmed his position as a productive joker, scoring a goal in just three minutes in the derby. Whenever he jumps into a match, he can influence it with a goal or an assist. They say that after the transfer from Aston Villa to City, he did not expect that acclimatization would be so difficult for him, but if he continues to play like this, I am not worried about him.
So I would say that Rashford actively participated until the final of the event. So he didn’t touch it, but that doesn’t always matter. As in this case. ⚽️ surprising decision. https://t.co/oe7CacbG4f
— Jakub Podany (@Pod_Y39) January 14, 2023
The talk of England all weekend was United’s controversial 1-1 goal and Marcus Rashford’s clear offside position that affected the game. Even I wouldn’t recognize Bruno Fernandes’ goal, it was a big mistake by the referee. If Rashford had been three or four meters behind the ball, he wouldn’t have interfered so much in the game, but he was sprinting and tying up opponents.
I feel that if VAR had not confirmed this goal, United would not have won. Instead, the opposite happened: the equalizer kicked them in and they cruised to victory. This moment can fatally affect the race for the title. The second-placed City is already eight points behind the leaders Arsenal, which is not a little in the middle of the season.
Rashford also scored the winning goal, after returning from the World Cup he scored for the seventh time in a row. I think the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo helped him a lot, he is breathing a lot better. He already has three times as many competitive goals on his account than in the whole of last season. He benefits from exceptional speed and has his head set on being the one to carry the rest of the season for United.
West Ham has big problems, the only point from the last seven league games is a scary record. It is hardly surprising that the Hammers have fallen into the relegation zone. After the successful last season, everyone expected that it would automatically continue to do well, but it doesn’t often work like that in football.
It is nonsense for the club to deal with additional reinforcements, they bought a bunch of them for huge sums of money in the summer. At this moment, I think there is only one way out of the crisis: changing the coach. It’s time for someone else to get a chance. David Moyes had it bent several times and now it is clear that the team needs a new impulse. A new coach with a new vision that will wake up the team and clear the climate. For a change, it is an ideal time for the team to start collecting points in time. By the end of the season, it might not work well under pressure and relegation would be a little closer.
Dusno is also in Liverpool after the 0:3 defeat with Brighton, although his situation is not as serious as in the case of West Ham. The loss of five points in the cup standings is solvable, but it is impossible not to notice that the Reds currently have nothing at all. Juice, drive, hunger… The team looks tired and coach Jürgen Klopp doesn’t have many alternatives due to the widespread decay.
Liverpool have been on top for a few seasons, played a lot of tough games and the stars are gone. It doesn’t look like they want to. But it is still true that Klopp has an excellent team that belongs in the cups. Sure, he could end up lower than sixth, but I don’t think that’s seriously going to happen. It might not be for the glitzy Champions League, but Liverpool could fit in the Europa League.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have much more pleasant worries. First place, only defeat and a lead of eight points. The Gunners team has matured tremendously and is a joy to watch. The 24-year-old leader Ödegaard is in command of the fired-up Arsenal, and others shine around him: Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah…
These fighters have reached the stage where they don’t care who they play against. It was also seen in Sunday’s derby in the Tottenham arena, where Arsenal already had a two-goal lead after the first half and finished the match well. The long wait for the title also takes its toll, 19 years is enough for any big club. In addition, coach Mikel Arteta manages to keep his players in suspense so that they do not succumb to complacency.
Arsenal will win the Premier League title this year.
— Gary Lineker ???????? (@GaryLineker) January 15, 2023
In order to be able to sit on the English football throne, you need to manage a well-trodden January. Arsenal have only one loss in the new year, with Sunday’s clash with Manchester United remaining. The only thing that could threaten today’s leader is a loss of concentration and a feeling of being done. It’s not, there’s still the second half of the season.”
