Following a mid-week of FA Cup matches, Premier League action returned last weekend with the season approaching another busy period.
Leicester City opened the weekend round action, while Chelsea’s clash against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge was the last game played in this latest round.
And in its usual tradition, Freshsports review some of the talking points from the latest round of games.
Liverpool in Crisis: The Reds are on a worrying run of form after losing their place in the top four- something unimaginable as of November.
Jurgen Klopp suffered their third straight loss in the league following their 3-1 defeat to Leicester City on Saturday. The Reds are now 13 points behind Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
It’s a worrying time for Liverpool, who looked like a shadow of the team that blew every opponent away last season. The Reds are now sixth on the table, two points behind Chelsea in fourth place.
Liverpool are currently in a crisis, and it’s important they find a way to turn it around before their season spiral out of control.
Unstoppable Manchester City: It’s now a matter of when and not if Manchester City will win the title. The Citizens look unbeatable at the moment, and Saturday’s 3-0 win over Tottenham made it 11 straight wins in the league.
They are now seven points clear, which could extend to ten if they win their game in hand (vs Everton) on Wednesday. Pep’s Guardiola’s men are on a roll right now and are well on course for a fifth Premier League title.
Familiar Problems For Manchester United: Manchester United appeared to be the only team challenging City, but they’ve slumped in recent games to allow City pull ahead.
The Red Devils have won just one of their last five matches, losing at home to Sheffield United while they also dropped points against Everton.
Last weekend saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side play a 1-1 draw against West Brom at the Hawthorns, which leaves them seven points behind City, who have a game in hand.
The result highlighted the same problems United have had this season. They’ve dropped costly points against teams they were expected to beat.
Chelsea Move Into The Top Four: When Chelsea sacked Frank Lampard they were facing the prospect of missing out on the top four, but Thomas Tuchel’s arrival has revitalised the team.
The Blues secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Newcastle on Monday night, which was their fourth consecutive league victory, and also lifted them into fourth.
Tuchel has restored the players’ confidence, and that showed in Timo Werner, who scored his first league goal in 100 days in the win over the Magpies.
Leicester City On Course For A Top Four Finish: Leicester City missed out on top-four to Manchester United on the final day of last season, but that disappointment appears to have spurred them on this campaign.
The Foxes are currently levelled on points with United on the table and have beaten City, Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool already this season. The latest which came last weekend against Liverpool showed that Brendan Rodgers are ready to compete with the very best for a top-four place.
