Man United continues to disappoint
When Manchester United beat Brighton 4-2 at the end of October, fans' confidence began to return. That was the first time Man United won 3 consecutive Premier League matches under coach Ruben Amorim, thereby rising to fourth place in the rankings.
More importantly, those victories are clearly convincing. They overcame Brighton - an opponent who always caused many difficulties - to defeat Liverpool right at Anfield, and kept a clean sheet against Sunderland at home. Senne Lammens played steadily, while Bryan Mbeumo also played enthusiastically.
However, that excitement quickly gave way to a deadlock. In the next 8 matches, Man United only won 2 matches and missed 6 clear opportunities. At Villa Park, they were the better team but could not create the feeling of winning. Matheus Cunha scored a beautiful goal, but also missed a penalty.
The Red Devils may have cited bad luck with Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes injured, but the bigger problem lies in their defensive ability. After 13 months working in England, Amorim has not yet found a stable solution to turn a good game into a victory.
Arsenal players in poor form are trying their best
Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta could be satisfied with a minimal win over Everton and a return to the top of the table. However, the limitations in attack are still a big question mark, especially when Arsenal are nurturing their ambition to win the Premier League.
Arteta believes the winning gap will widen over time thanks to hard work and perseverance. However, the reality shows that it is still too early for a team to play with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, while Eberechi Eze, Ethan Nwaneri and Noni Madueke have to sit on the bench, but still struggle to win.
Pep Guardiola's discipline
On Christmas Day, Pep Guardiola said he will closely monitor the players' weights to ensure they do not "celebratory too much" during the holiday. The Spanish strategist revealed a special training schedule after a 3-0 victory over West Ham United.
" Tomorrow is Sunday, the whole team will practice. The players took a day off and I said no, because they didn't play well enough. It will be a recovery session, special training for those who are not competing. After three days off, it will be two days to prepare for the match against Nottingham Forest.
On Friday, the whole team was weighed and all reached ideal weights. When they return on the 25, I will check again. If anyone gains too much weight, imagine gaining an extra 3kg, that person will stay in Manchester and not go to Nottingham" - Guardiola said.
Guardiola also clarified how Manchester City can improve their playing style: "I'm good at reading the game, recognizing gaps. If the players appear in the right position, we will create more opportunities."
Isak's injury overshadows an important moment
Alexander Isak's goal against Tottenham Hotspur, in a short but brilliant moment, seemed like an impressive debut.
That is exactly the image Liverpool have accepted to spend huge sums of money in exchange for. He was a striker who was able to break the tight game by moving intelligently, finishing diversely and having confidence clearly shown through Florian Wirtz's neat pass.
Therefore, Isak had to leave the field almost immediately, after Micky van de Ven's thoughtless tackle, becoming a big concern for coach Arne Slot. It is also a pity for any neutral fan who wants to see a truly explosive talent.
Liverpool are concerned that Isak will have a broken leg and is at risk of a long-term absence. If this scenario happens, it will be a heavy blow to the team's ambition in the context of Slot's team quietly reaching the top 5.
