Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino under scrutiny as Richarlison seizes chance for Spurs – Premier League hits and misses | Football News – Canada Boosts

Pochettino facing awkward questions

It was solely 12 years in the past that, simply minutes after ending the season with a defeat at Everton, Carlo Ancelotti was instructed in a hall amid the bowels of Goodison Park that he was being sacked by Chelsea.

Ancelotti had simply secured a second-placed end, having received the double 12 months earlier. Nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient to avoid wasting the Italian.

A well-known destiny is unlikely to befall Mauricio Pochettino, with Chelsea stated to be dedicated to him for the long run, however questions are starting to be requested of the supervisor.

Chelsea have now misplaced three of their final 4 video games, and adopted up a dismal exhibiting at Outdated Trafford on Wednesday with one other insipid effort at Everton.

The progress that was pointed to after taking factors off Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester Metropolis and Arsenal is difficult to discern now.

Chelsea discover themselves in twelfth – the identical place they ended their dreadful 2022/23 marketing campaign – and no ever-present Premier League facet has earned fewer than their 39 factors this calendar yr.

That may be a stark actuality for Pochettino and his facet to face.
Joe Shread

When the going gets tough, Rodri gets going

There was a second at Kenilworth Highway the place Ross Barkley, who was in glowing type for Luton, appeared to have two yards of house within the Manchester Metropolis midfield. However then an enormous appeared, in each sense.

Rodri strode in from nearly nowhere to rob Barkley of possession and ship Metropolis on their method up the sector. Pep Guardiola welcomed his midfield maestro again to the fold at Luton and his affect shone brightly but once more.

Metropolis file a decrease win fee, factors per recreation fee, rating fewer targets and concede extra per recreation when Rodri is lacking from this facet. He’s their driving drive. The important thing cog. He was but once more in monstrous temper.

No participant had extra touches, received extra duels, made as many dribbles or had extra pictures than Rodri in a Metropolis shirt over the course of a tough and prepared afternoon for Guardiola’s males. Rodri’s physicality is the bedrock of this extraordinary Man Metropolis facet. There is not anybody higher in world soccer.
Lewis Jones

Richarlison seizes his chance

Richarlison’s inclusion within the beginning line-up towards Newcastle can have raised a number of eyebrows amongst Spurs followers after his miss towards West Ham on Thursday. The Brazilian, it appeared, had misplaced the persistence of many supporters.

However along with his two targets in Sunday’s thrashing, Richarlison has modified the narrative. He acquired one of many largest roars of the day when his identify was introduced for his substitution within the second half.

The very fact they have been his first Spurs targets along with his ft on his forty eighth look inform the story of how tough he has discovered life in north London. It’s, after all, no coincidence that his return to goalscoring type after a barren run of seven video games coincided with a change of place.

Ange Postecoglou restored Brazil’s No 9 to a central attacking position. “I think that’s his best position, through the middle,” the Spurs boss stated after the sport. “It wasn’t just his goals, his general work-rate, his energy and physicality were very good for us.”

Harm had restricted Richarlison to this point, which explains why it is taken Postecoglou so lengthy to belief him up entrance, maybe probably the most very important place on the pitch to determine the group’s press.

“Richy was important to us at the start of the year too, but he wasn’t fully fit. He was restricted in his movements,” added Postecoglou. “At times, we had to play him out wide to get him through games.”

Given the chance to play nearer to aim, Richarlison grabbed it with each palms. For a participant that has spoken about his psychological well being struggles, this felt like an essential second in his Spurs profession. Nothing restores confidence like targets. Now he has the platform to push on.
Zinny Boswell

Exhausted Trippier needs a break

Eddie Howe described Kieran Trippier’s impending suspension for Newcastle’s assembly with Fulham as a “huge blow” in his post-match press convention nevertheless it may change into a blessing.

The complete-back seems to be like a participant in want of a break.

Having been partly at fault for all three of Everton’s targets in Newcastle’s defeat at Goodison Park on Thursday night time, Trippier endured one other torrid night on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Heung-Min Son was his foremost tormentor, beating him one-on-one to offer the crosses for the primary and second targets, however he was not the one Spurs participant to trigger him issues.

It was notable, within the first half particularly, how Spurs focused that flank, with Future Udogie charging ahead from left-back and Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison additionally drifting in the direction of that facet.

Trippier appeared exhausted and it’s hardly shocking that he’s making uncharacteristic errors. He isn’t the one Newcastle participant who has been overworked amid their harm disaster however, not like lots of the others, he was already shouldering a heavy workload.

The 33-year-old has began all of Newcastle’s video games this season bar two Carabao Cup ties. Final season, he began 43 of a attainable 46 membership video games – and all that with a World Cup within the center.

His exertions have taken a toll. Newcastle will after all miss him towards Fulham. On this proof, although, he is perhaps higher for sitting the sport out.
Nick Wright

Everton’s progress under Dyche plain to see

Everton at the moment are 4 factors above the relegation zone. They’d be 4 above Chelsea in the event that they hadn’t had their factors deduction, sitting in tenth moderately than seventeenth. However though that punishment has left them down among the many sides fearing relegation, Everton are fairly clearly on the up underneath boss Sean Dyche.

It is three Premier League wins in a row now, with the victories over Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Chelsea lifting them out of the mire. They’re wins which have come for the reason that factors deduction and there may be definitely a component of that punishment galvanising the group. However going again additional Everton have received seven out of their final 11.

Poor ending, particularly at Goodison, had masked a number of the progress the supervisor and his gamers have made this season however with Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure – two Dyche favourites – discovering type, they’re getting their rewards now.

The previous two seasons have seen Everton pull off late survival exhibits. The indications are they are going to be wanting down on the relegation scrap this time round, no matter how profitable their enchantment towards the factors deduction is.
Peter Smith

Rampant Fulham just can’t stop scoring

The final seven days have made for a wild trip for Fulham followers.

One week earlier, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 88th-minute winner noticed Liverpool edge a seven-goal thriller at Anfield. On Wednesday, they pulled a shock 5-0 win towards Nottingham Forest out of the bag – and on Sunday, they inflicted the identical scoreline on West Ham.

Talking in his post-match press convention, Marco Silva pointed in the direction of Raul Jimenez’s return to type as a person instance of the actual fact confidence has performed a big half within the group’s general upturn, and it is exhausting to argue – he has 4 targets in his final 5 video games, which has massively aided the trigger.

Fulham had scored solely 10 of their first 12 earlier than the November worldwide break however, since they, they appear to have turn into world beaters with 16 of their final 4, which equates to 61.5 per cent of their whole within the league thus far this time period. They’ve far exceeded their Anticipated Objectives determine of 8.97 throughout these matches.

Silva’s males have been languishing within the backside half for a lot of the season thus far, but when they keep it up on this vein, they won’t be dropping again any time quickly.
Dan Lengthy

Time for Luton to be more than lucky losers

Conceding stoppage time targets towards Liverpool and Arsenal price them three factors – the Hatters doubled that tally by conceding two quickfire targets whereas on high.

So for the third time this season, Rob Edwards’ facet have been clapped off as unfortunate losers after taking a ‘Huge Six’ membership the gap.

No one anticipated Luton to get any factors from the three video games towards Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Metropolis – not to mention the one level they’ve. However they should begin producing outcomes, moderately than performances.

With Everton and Bournemouth profitable over the weekend, there are fewer groups for Luton to tug into this relegation combat. Now they face Bournemouth, Sheffield United and Burnley of their subsequent 4 video games. These are essential instances for Luton.
Sam Blitz