Collymore's Premier League 5-Point Stance: On Arsenal, Man Utd and More
This week's Premier League five-point stance sees B/R's Stan Collymore tackle issues relating to Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Swansea.
1. Lambert Must Be Given a Chance at Liverpool
I'm worried about Liverpool. They had a disappointing Champions League performance against Basel, and Brendan Rodgers is being stretched to his coaching limit right now.
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When it comes to strikers, Mario Balotelli is the opposite of Luis Suarez. I wonder if there's the option to play two up front and a diminutive three behind. Rickie Lambert could be very useful, but only if he's given a run of five or six games to settle in and do the business.
I've been a striker at that level. You have to find your rhythm, and you need games to get into a groove.
I'd go with a 4-4-2 diamond that includes Balotelli and Lambert. That would give Rodgers the chance to rest Daniel Sturridge, or use all three, with one of Balotelli or Sturridge in a withdrawn role. Rodgers has to make something happen at Liverpool, and Lambert could be the catalyst.
2. Arsenal Are Repeating Their Annual Mistake, Yet Again
In my very first column for a national newspaper, six years ago, I wrote that Arsenal were a five-a-side team playing in an 11-a-side league.
Arsene Wenger's team are overloaded with diminutive attacking midfielders who drift out of games too easily. They lack a leader, and they have done for years.
Mesut Ozil was starting to look like a Fernando Torres figure before his injury. He's clearly injured, but I wonder whether they might have decided to take him out of the firing line even if he was fit.
There is a myth that there are no good defensive midfielders on the market. I don't buy it. Arsene Wenger could have got one this summer, but he was too focused on attacking players and ignored their big weakness yet again.
3. United Are Moving in the Right Direction
The Everton of last season would have won at Old Trafford last week. As it happens, they are not that side and United managed to eek out a victory.
Those three points were huge. Louis van Gaal's team ground out a result and their confidence will be up now. If they can continue scratching out results between here and January—when Van Gaal will strengthen in defence and midfield—they're in a good spot.
United are doing OK. They're making do at the back. Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair have come in and performed with maturity.
If they take this momentum forward, I think there's a real chance United could replace Liverpool in the top four and push on.
My top four, based on current form, would be Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and United.
4. Chelsea are Flying
Jose Mourinho has got everything right at Chelsea. He looked at his squad and identified the key areas he needed to strengthen in the summer.
He brought in Cesc Fabregas to add a multidimensional midfielder and Diego Costa—a natural Premier League goalscorer—to fire things up front.
Two players have changed Chelsea's tone. They've made Mourinho's team a place where good players would love be involved. I think they could romp to the title by six to nine points.
5. Dyer and Routledge Deserve England Chance
England manager Roy Hodgson has committed to picking players in form, yet Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge of Swansea both fit that bill and were left out.
I think there's still a big-club bias when it comes to England, and as a footballing nation, we don't like digging lower down.
Needs must, however. There are gems to be found, and Hodgson must remain open to going to clubs like Swansea and picking players who truly want to be part of the England setup.
Former Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Liverpool and England striker Collymore is in his second season as a Bleacher Report marquee columnist and video analyst.
