What is the most discussed topic in England after the weekend? About Arsenal’s four-goal concert led by conductor Bukaya Saka? About Wolves’ Jonny Castro or Newcastle’s Alexander Isak’s exclusive volley? No. Everything was overshadowed by the press conference of the coach of Tottenham, Antonio Conte, who was badly bitten by the crazy 3-3 draw in Southampton, and fired without incident into his own ranks.
“I never want to see what I saw today again. It was unacceptable and disrespectful to the fans who traveled to see us. We are not a team. I saw 11 selfish people on the field who do not cooperate, do not help each other and do not play with heart.” criticized his charges.
And it didn’t just stay with them. The Italian strategist also took the owner (investment company ENIC Group) and the club itself to task. “They are used to this here – not playing for anything important, not playing under pressure. It is written in the story of Tottenham.” Conte took a dig at his employer, who last won a valuable trophy in 2008, namely the League Cup.
“If the club wants to continue like this, they can change the manager, maybe several times, but nothing will improve. Trust me.” added Conte, who has a contract until the end of the season. Will he keep it or will he be fired?
On the other hand, Mikel Arteta does not have to worry about his position. The leader of Arsenal reacted in the best possible way to the unexpected elimination in the round of 16 of the Europa League. In Sunday’s London derby, Crystal Palace overcame 4:1 and increased their lead over second-placed Manchester City to eight points. But the defending champions played one game less.
With a score of 2+1, Saka shone and thus became the first footballer in the Premier League season to have a double-digit number of goals and assists (12+10). Crystal Palace, who dismissed coach Patrick Vieira during the week, remains in twelfth place, but only with a three-point “cushion” before the relegation zone.
Leeds got rid of him after a very important 4-2 victory in Wolverhampton. However, it must be noted that in fourteenth position they have only two points more than eighteenth West Ham and nineteenth Bournemouth, which did not follow up on Liverpool’s scalp from last week in Villa Park (0:3).
On the contrary, 15th placed Everton scored for the third time in a row, specifically with a 2:2 draw at Stamford Bridge, despite losing twice. In the 89th minute, twenty-two-year-old striker Ellis Simms scored an unexpected goal with his first league goal.
Swedish representative Isak fared even better, scoring two goals for Newcastle’s triumph in Nottingham. His successful stoppage-time penalty ended the Magpies’ four-game winless run away from home and leaves them just two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham. Considering Spurs’ current state of mind and the fact that they have played two games less, their chances of participating in next year’s Champions League have increased significantly again.
TOP 3 goals:
TOP 3 players according to WhoScored.com:
1. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 9.20 / 2 goals, assists, 3 key passes.
2. Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa) – 8.93 / goal, 5 successful dribbles, 2 key passes.
3. Alexander Isak (Newcastle) – 8.59 / 2 goals, 5 shots, 5 successful dribbles.
TOP players according to Fantasy Premier League:
1. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 18 points.
2. Abdoulaye Doucoure (Everton), Alexander Isak (Newcastle) – both 13 points.
3. Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa) – 12 points.
28th round line-up:
Author: Marek Ustohal
Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa) – The best goalkeeper at the recent World Cup in Qatar was again outstanding, becoming the only man to keep a clean sheet at the weekend. It was the third clean sheet in the last four meetings. He lifted the supporters at Villa Park from their seats especially with a tiger jump against Billing’s free kick, which went over the crossbar with a strong arm. He also helped his teammates in passing and reliability in standard situations.
Right-back: Ben White (Arsenal) – The orthodox stopper has become an excellent full-back this season. In the duel with Crystal Palace, he wiped Zaha off the pitch while also posing a constant threat to the Eagles’ defence. In the first half, he even had more touches with the ball in the opponent’s penalty area than the forward Martinelli. He put the crown on his performance with an eye-pleasing pass, which was converted by Saka in the 43rd minute.
Stoper: Rob Holding (Arsenal) – He started in the Gunners’ starting line-up for the first time this year and received recognition from the implementation team, teammates and experts in the TV studios. The Bolton native stood in for the injured Salib very well in the London derby, as evidenced by 11 successful tackles out of 15 and a well-above-average 91 percent pass success rate.
Stoper: Harry Souttar (Leicester) – In a similar vein, we can also talk about the Australian representative, who was as solid as a rock on the ground and in the air in the match with Brentford. In the middle of the Foxes defensive line, he dominated, more or less did not let the star Toney finish, read the game perfectly and played the lion’s share in stopping a four-game losing streak.
Left back: Alex Moreno (Aston Villa) – Since his move from Betis in January, the performance of the Spanish defender has been on an upward trend. Against Bournemouth, he dutifully fulfilled his defensive duties, was in no way behind the sprinter Outtara in speed, and was also very effective as a dispatcher in the construction of the Villans’ offensive actions. His price tag (4.4 million) in the Fantasy Premier League could interest many a manager.
Central midfielder: James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) – The Saints captain is a significantly more expensive option in the mentioned game (6.3 million), but ensures a more stable supply of points. In a crazy duel with Tottenham, he served his teammates one key pass after another, regularly tried to finish and embellished a very good performance with a converted penalty in the set-up, which set up a 3-3 draw.
Central midfielder: Abdoulaye Doucouré (Everton) – In football or in life, it’s not a rule that hard work is always rewarded, but the box-to-box midfielder from Mali got to do it twice at Stamford Bridge. He first deflected Tarkowski’s header behind Kep’s back from a corner and just before the end unselfishly fed Simmos who decided an unexpected but very important point for the Toffees.
Central midfielder: Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa) – Villans, on the other hand, do not have to worry about rescuers. They are currently on a four-game streak without finding a winner, to which the club’s 21-year-old protege contributed against the Cherries. His range of action was enormous on Saturday, among other things he entertained the fans with his brisk dribbling at maximum speed and also cheered them up with a goal – in the 80th minute he outwitted Stephens with ease and with a significant amount of luck beat Neto.
Right Forward: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – The balance of 12 goals and 10 assists in twenty-eight league matches speaks volumes. No player in Gunners history has reached double figures in both stats in the same season at a younger age (21). The English super talent “terrorized” the Crystal Palace defense from the opening to the final whistle, worked perfectly with White and delighted the hopelessly sold-out Emirates Stadium.
Center forward: Alexander Isak (Newcastle) – The Magpies’ pursuit of a place in next year’s Champions League continues. In Nottingham, the native from Stockholm saved them with two hits, and especially his first one, which you can enjoy in our traditional video section, is worth repeating several times. In addition to this, it is also necessary to recall five finishes, nine touches with the ball in the opponent’s penalty area and five successful dribbles.
Left Forward: Theo Walcott (Southampton) – The first accurate hit in the Saints jersey after almost two years, according to his own words, as a long-time Arsenal player, he could not have timed it better. He made waves in Tottenham’s net and undoubtedly the best performance of the season was decorated with an exclusive assist on Adams’ goal. Can he team up with prolific captain Ward-Prows and others to save the south coast club among England’s elite?
