What We Learned This Weekend... EPL Gameday 13

Welcome to this week's "What We Learned This Weekend", where an inquisitive eye is cast over some of the key storylines that have emerged from this weekend's Premier League action.

Gomes' Crisis of Confidence

After the dream start to Harry Redknapp’s tenure at White Hart Lane, Saturday’s defeat away to lowly Fulham came as something of a shock. However, while Spurs fans would certainly have preferred not to lose the game, it is unlikely to be a result that prevents the club from surviving comfortably at the end of the season.

The manner of Fulham’s first goal, however, should be of far greater cause for concern. Heurelho Gomes has absolutely no excuse for the way he let Simon Davies' weak—albeit slightly deflected—shot slip through his fingers.

The Brazilian shot-stopper, an £8m summer signing from PSV, is clearly plumbing the depths of a severe confidence crisis—one that already threatens to end his career in England.

Now is the time for Harry Redknapp to really show his man-management skills. The 27-year-old has already proven in his career that he is a more than competent goalkeeper, but at this point he cuts a desolate figure. Redknapp has already re-invigorated the English contingent at White Hart Lane, but does he have the skills to save his distraught ‘keeper?

If he does, Spurs might find begin to build the solid defence that could lead to a decent season. But if he doesn’t, it will be £8m down the drain, two more months of defensive uncertainty—and another item for the January shopping list.

Mark Hughes Reaching a Decisive Moment

The owners of Manchester City may have declared this week that Mark Hughes’ has their full support in the “short, medium, and long term”—but in the business-speak of such hardened financiers, that only means this week, this month, and this year.

If Sven-Goran Eriksson could not save his job after finishing 9th last season, then Mark Hughes will not save his job unless he finishes at least 6th. After Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Hull, Hughes’ side sit 12th, nine points behind Aston Villa—a side they should really expect to equal.

City are not out of anything just yet, but if they cannot rectify their alarmingly poor form—especially away—they soon will be. If Hughes wants the chance to go after football’s biggest prizes at Eastlands in the long time, then he needs to prove he can oversee success in the short term—and fast.

Aston Villa are the Real Deal

Regardless of the Gunners’ current woes, a bad side simply does not go to the Emirates and win unless they truly deserve it (well, except maybe Hull City—they must be the exception that proves the rule). Aston Villa’s 2-0 victory against Arsenal was an extremely impressive result, one that demonstrates their threat to the “Big Four”.

Martin O’Neill has built an incredibly promising side at Villa Park, with a core of English players that seem more than ready to graft week-in and week-out in pursuit of their holy grail—the Champions League.

Questions might surround the depth of their squad—and, in the long term, how able they are to keep hold of their most important players—but for now, they are clearly in it to win it.

Zola’s Woes

If any club in the Premiership is in bigger trouble than West Ham, then they are sure hiding it well. The East London club is in financial peril off the pitch, and is doing hardly anything on the pitch to boost the fans’ flagging morale.

For Gianfranco Zola, it could hardly be a more difficult introduction into the life of a football manager. Saturday’s goalless draw with Portsmouth might have arrested the club’s recent slide, but it is only the most temporary of fixes. Everywhere he looks, the Italian must see problems.

The defence is poor, despite yesterday’s clean sheet, and the attack is simply not scoring goals. What is worse, Zola has been forced to rely on graduates from the youth academy—Tompkins, Sears, Collison—despite none of them being in the class of Lampard, Cole et al.

Desperately needing fresh blood in January, the club is instead likely to have to offload players like ballast from a sinking ship. Zola undoubtedly never thought management was going to be easy—but by now he must be learning just how hard it can be.

Anelka Symbolises the Difference

After his brace against West Brom, Nicolas Anelka now sits proudly atop the Premier League scoring chart, with 12 goals. Yet at the beginning of this season few people would have argued that Anelka was nothing more than Chelsea’s second-choice striker.

Realistically, especially in the big games, nothing has changed. When fit and able, Didier Drogba will still be Luiz Felipe Scolari’s preferred option at the pinnacle of the Blues’ attack. But Anelka’s ability to come off the bench and do a job symbolises the difference between the teams that can realistically win the league—and the teams that can’t.

In modern football, it is no longer simply about the 11 players on the pitch—it's also about the next 11 squad members who can step in at a moment's notice. Those clubs that can call upon international quality replacements, they are the clubs that win titles.

Chelsea, clearly, have the strength in depth to fight for the title this year. Yesterday they were without Cech, Carvalho, Cole, and Essien (amongst others) and still ran out comfortable 3-0 winners against a West Brom side that are not as bad as everyone would like to think.

Whatever misfortune befalls them, they will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

The question, though, is who amongst their rivals has a similar ability? Man Utd certainly appear to, especially with their wealth of riches up front, but their eight point deficit (with a game in hand) already makes life difficult.

Regardless, you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson will have his club in the mix come May.

Arsenal, for all their future promise, clearly don’t. And Liverpool? Well, that remains to be seen. At the moment the Reds are matching Scolari’s side step-for-step—even without Torres—but will that continue if they lose more of their established stars?

Right now, even Benitez doesn't know the answer. When he does, he'll also know how capable his side are of winning that elusive league title.