What We Learned This Weekend... EPL Gameday 14

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.

Arsenal are in Crisis

Last week, the Arsenal Community on this fair website took part in a roundtable, where the general consensus was that the club was not in a crisis. At the time, they were right.

Now, however, the club most certainly is in crisis. Saturday’s defeat was bad enough, but the events involving William Gallas could do more lasting damage. Gallas is not everyone’s cup of tea, that is for sure, but his criticisms of some of the members of his squad are not without merit.

If Saturday’s game was anything to go by, Gallas' absence from the team—for however long it lasts—will be noticeable. Arsenal were woeful at times at the back against a flamboyant Manchester City side, although the 3-0 scoreline might have slightly flattered the home side.

Nevertheless, the Gunners never looked likely to get anything from the game, and can surely rule out any hopes they still harboured of winning the league.

A crisis can depart as quickly as it arrived, and the club could easily turn around their season in the next few weeks—starting with a trip to Stamford Bridge at the weekend. But equally, the crisis could only worsen if Arsene Wenger does not quickly confront the gremlins that seem to riddle his team.

With Aston Villa riding high, and even a resurgent Tottenham only eight points behind, a failure to act quickly could spell top four disaster.

But for a team that must rely on Nicklas Bendtner—would that be an injustice?

The League is Too Close to Call

It’s been obvious for a while, but now it is official—this season is the closest in years. In many ways, the Premiership table resembles a regular Championship one, with 17th and 7th separated by just five points.

With the relegation battle already too tight to call, and the financial benefits of staying in the league more important than ever, every win is vitally important.

At the moment, few would argue that there are 14 teams in the league that should still some harbour realistic fears of relegation. As a result, almost every game each week has huge significance.

A consistent run of defeats at this stage of the season could lead to a side being cut adrift at the bottom—with little hope of survival.

That is the fear that currently afflicts Blackburn, West Brom, and Wigan. But even one win for those clubs brings five or six others back into the thick of it.

With things so tight, the January transfer window could be crucial. Who can buy, and more importantly who is forced to sell, could determine who stays up at the end of the season.

Robinho is, Quite Frankly, Amazing

Robinho scored again at the weekend against Arsenal, extending his number of Manchester City goals to nine. Think back to September, when the Brazilian arrived in Manchester and declared his pleasure at being at Chelsea—did anyone think he would be this good, this soon?

Yes, Robinho has scored the majority of his goals at home—but so did Fernando Torres last season. Creating and scoring, the former Real Madrid and Santos man looks set to repay his mammoth £31m transfer fee in double-quick time.

Mark Hughes will have been delighted with the way his side demolished Arsenal, and the continued form of his No. 10. While the defence still needs attention, the likes of Jo, Benjani, Wright-Phillips and Sturridge—whose determination to take the penalty he won on Saturday is the clearest indication yet he has the mentality to make it at the top level—should ensure that City and Robinho continue to score goals for years to come.

Bloody Hull

Perhaps what we didn’t learn this weekend about Hull would be a more appropriate title. We already knew they had the hunger, desire, and teamwork to be a match for anyone, and they proved that again in their 2-2 draw with Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

The question, even as they sit in 5th, is still whether or not the club will stay up this season. With 22 points on the board already, things look good. They have pushed Man Utd close at Old Trafford, and have beaten Arsenal at the Emirates. In Geovanni, they have a player who could be the difference in any game.

But on the flip-side of the coin, many of Hull’s wins this season have come against teams that were in complete turmoil at the time they faced them—Newcastle, Tottenham, West Ham—and they have been fairly poor in recent weeks. Whatever results suggest, their squad is certainly among the worst three in the league. If Geovanni gets injured—what then?

For those few who are still yet to be convinced by Hull, there is some supporting evidence.

Nevertheless, as mentioned above, this season’s Premier League is extremely close. With clubs cannibalising one another, every point matters. Hull have given themselves an invaluable early cushion—but with only two points from the last 15, will that be enough?

Given the Great

In the words of Shola Ameobi, “Shay is worldclass, no doubt about it.”

The 32-year-old Newcastle stopper, who kept a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge on Saturday with a string of fine saves, has long been among the very best in the league, if not the world.

What’s more, he may well be a throwback to a bygone era. The Irish international (91 caps) has been on Tyneside for 11 years, despite the attentions of many more successful clubs. In that time he has never given less than 100% for the Magpies, and should rightly go down in history as one of the club's greatest ever players.

Off the pitch, Newcastle are hardly on the surest of footings. But all the while Given is between their posts, life on the pitch will be far more stable.

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