1<\/p>\n
Dyche playbook ravages Slot\u2019s Liverpool<\/p>\n
Amid Liverpool\u2019s deepening crisis and the growing scrutiny on Arne Slot, it is only right that Nottingham Forest\u2019s role in it is given some attention and acclaim. Back-to-back league wins at Anfield for the first time since 1963 deserves recognition, as does the willingness of Forest\u2019s players to embrace the gameplan of the third different managerial voice they have heard this season. Sean Dyche\u2019s instructions were implemented to perfection as Liverpool disintegrated. \u201cWe changed the tactical side today,\u201d said Forest\u2019s recently appointed manager. \u201cI told the players: \u2018We\u2019re not passing it, we are going long, because Liverpool were going to press the life out of you\u2019 \u2013 which is exactly what they did at the start. We dealt with that quite well and we mixed it tactically, which is credit to the players.\u201d Forest\u2019s tactics may have been straight out of the Dyche playbook but they were also encouraged, inadvertently, by Slot, who has regularly told opponents how to play his Liverpool team this season. He has meanwhile not found any solutions. Andy Hunter<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Guardiola hands credit to Guimar\u00e3es<\/p>\n
Once the final whistle blew Pep Guardiola and Bruno Guimar\u00e3es had an on-pitch exchange involving raised voices and waving arms. At first it seemed that Manchester City\u2019s manager was remonstrating with Newcastle\u2019s captain, perhaps blaming some of the streetwise Guimar\u00e3es\u2019s gamesmanship for his side\u2019s 2-1 defeat, but they seemed to part on a more cordial, almost amused, note. \u201cI was telling him how good he was,\u201d said Guardiola, who subsequently told off a cameraman for filming \u201ca private conversation\u201d with a player he has long admired. Having reverted to his old No 6 role with Sandro Tonali at No 8, Guimar\u00e3es was back to his very best and played a big part in a much-needed win secured by two goals from Harvey Barnes. The only problem for Eddie Howe, who registered a first managerial Premier League victory against Guardiola at the 17th attempt, is that Tonali adores the No 6 position and is arguably best suited to it. Has the moment come to tweak 4-3-3 into 4-2-3-1 with the Brazilian and the Italian as a double pivot? Louise Taylor<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Arteta has title-winning mix of options<\/p>\n
There are various reasons why Arsenal have finished second three seasons in succession, chief among them a lack of strength in depth. During the run-ins, they\u2019ve found themselves missing injured players and carrying tired ones. Now, in the absence of Gabriel Magalh\u00e3es, Martin \u00d8degaard, Kai Havertz and Victor Gy\u00f6keres and with Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli only on the bench, having been injured, they were able to annihilate Spurs without even playing that well. It is not simply a matter of quality, but also of variety: Mikel Arteta doesn\u2019t have replacements, he has options, different profiles posing different threats for different opponents and different situations. So, with the majority of those absent soon to return, the challenge for the manager will be to pick the right ones at the right times \u2013 one look at Liverpool<\/a> tells us how difficult this is \u2013 and if he can, there\u2019s a strong chance that this time his team finish the season as champions. Daniel Harris<\/p>\n Mikel Arteta savours derby success with Declan Rice. Photograph: Tolga Akmen\/EPA<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Frank pays price for lack of ambition<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s get the disclaimers out of the way: Tottenham\u2019s injury problems are real. Unlike Arsenal, Thomas Frank does not have the depth that allows him to be without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke while still expecting to seriously challenge consistently. What that does not excuse is the lack of ambition Spurs showed in this game. Three shots, the first of which was Richarlison\u2019s speculative goal, is what you would expect from a promoted side at the Emirates Stadium. Similarly, setting up with a back five said that Spurs were more concerned with stopping Arsenal than with how they might win the game. Frank will need to be more proactive in big matches as Tottenham manager. His Brentford<\/a> were very good at getting points against the teams they should get points against but less impressive against the top sides. It is natural that there is a period of adaptation when you step up a level but the best coaches learn quickly. Frank is a good coach but if he wants to be a great one then he must find a way to align his pragmatist tendencies with an approach that puts his teams on the front foot when the standard goes up. Tom Bassam<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Irritant Mart\u00ednez to the fore once more<\/p>\n Emi Mart\u00ednez is a very strange goalkeeper, his personality far more noticeable than his talent. He is an irritant, a great wind-up merchant and huge personality who manages to dominate his environment through ego alone. As Leeds\u2019s apparent equaliser was checked by the video assistant referee, he stood close behind Robert Jones, the on-pitch official, with his head cocked, listening in so blatantly it was comical, before giving a brief grin and nodding to inform his teammates that the decision was going their way. The cliche, which is not entirely untrue, is that he is the sort of player you love to have in your side but despise if he is an opponent. Yet his abilities as a goalkeeper are also mixed: he made two outstanding saves on Sunday, but also cost his team the opener with his weak challenge on Lukas Nmecha and Anton Stach, preferring to clutch his head in supposed agony than simply claim the ball. Jonathan Wilson<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Is Sunderland\u2019s honeymoon period over?<\/p>\n A straw poll among Sunderland<\/a> supporters in Putney Bridge\u2019s Eight Bells pub, the cosy establishment that hosts away fans for matches at Craven Cottage, gauged that the defeat at Fulham was the worst performance of their team\u2019s season. Bar an early effort from Bertrand Traor\u00e9 and Enzo Le F\u00e9e\u2019s fizzing shot in the opening moments of the second half, Sunderland created little. Fulham, a team low on confidence, with uncertainties abounding, should have won more easily than via a late goal from Ra\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez. In the second half Sunderland retreated into a shell as if hanging on for a point. Honeymoon over? R\u00e9gis Le Bris said his team came off second best in individual duels, with Granit Xhaka unable to exert much influence in midfield. \u201cWe are still on the Premier League journey and we can lose, we can struggle, it\u2019s normal but we are not happy,\u201d said Le Bris. He and Sunderland\u2019s fans expect far better next time. John Brewin<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Football Daily<\/p>\n Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n A soaked R\u00e9gis Le Bris saw his Sunderland team put in a damp display. Photograph: Bradley Collyer\/PA<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Santos shows he can step in for Caicedo<\/p>\n The victory over Burnley<\/a> was the first time Mois\u00e9s Caicedo had not featured in a Premier League game during Enzo Maresca\u2019s Chelsea reign, a rest taken on the Turf Moor bench after a tiring international break with Ecuador. Andrey Santos was selected to replace Chelsea\u2019s main man in midfield, who was not required for a straightforward win. Santos was able to drop into the defence when Chelsea were out of possession while happy to do the work off the ball to protect the defence. The 21-year-old has needed to wait his turn in his favoured deeper role because Caicedo all but owns the shirt, the Brazilian instead often playing higher up the pitch. In what could become a hectic season, summed up by this week\u2019s assignments against Barcelona in the Champions League and the Premier League leaders, Arsenal, being comfortable with rotating in a key area would be beneficial to Maresca. He clearly has the confidence in Santos. Will Unwin<\/p>\n Andrey Santos filled some big shoes as Chelsea won at Burnley. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n Wharton states his case again<\/p>\n It was the 95th minute and almost the final action of Crystal Palace\u2019s deserved victory at Wolves but an episode that symbolised the differences between the sides. The Wolves wing-back Jackson Tchatchoua sent a hopeful cross towards the back post and, under pressure, Daniel Mu\u00f1oz calmly chested the ball to his goalkeeper, Dean Henderson. It was typically composed and in keeping with a slick Palace performance, illuminated by another fine display from Adam Wharton. Fresh from making his full England debut against Albania, the 21-year-old was graceful in midfield, especially compared to his Wolves counterparts. The hosts, who have two points from 12 matches, were understandably anxious. Wharton seemingly knows no such emotion. \u201cHe didn\u2019t get the start [against Albania] because he\u2019s the best header of the ball in England, but for his passing, his orientation, passing forward, his line-breaking passes,\u201d Oliver Glasner said. Ben Fisher<\/p>\n 9<\/p>\n Welbeck\u2019s all-round game sets him apart<\/p>\n Sir Alex Ferguson\u2019s retirement affected various players whose careers were heavily reliant on his ability to extract the maximum from them. But none suffered as heavily as Danny Welbeck, hurried out of the door to Arsenal<\/a> by Louis van Gaal to make room for Radamel Falcao, at a terrible time, the situation compounded by his body continually letting him down. Eventually, he left for Watford then, at 29, joined Brighton, a career that never really got going seemingly winding down. But then the injuries abated, allowing him to make the most of his prodigious gifts. Physically, he is strong and quick, but so are most players; what separates Welbeck is his well-roundedness, an adhesive first touch and imaginative link-up play supporting finishing that has matured nicely. If Thomas Tuchel had a battery of elite strikers available, he would still be a terrific option, a point of difference with a unique skillset useful in all phases and game states. But the paucity of options makes it impossible to leave him out. DH<\/p>\n 10<\/p>\n Nuno\u2019s conservatism costs West Ham<\/p>\n