World Football's Monday Morning Hangover: We Are Not Worthy

Welcome to world football's Monday Morning Hangover, an homage to the NFL section's own Monday Morning Hangover, in which we round up the key stories and important points from the last weekend in world football.

With an inevitable focus on the Premier League, let's get started. 

Hollow Victories and Typical Defeats

For Arsenal on Saturday it was the same old story, as they dominated huge parts of their match against Manchester United but somehow ended up on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline.

United went ahead without having a shot on target (remember that the next time the same thing happens to you on Football Manager), as Kieran Gibbs inadvertently deflected Antonio Valencia's wayward shot past his own goalkeeper. Wayne Rooney then doubled the advantage before Olivier Giroud belatedly beat the excellent David de Gea to give the Gunners a crumb of comfort.

The home side should have won easily—United's makeshift defence looked horribly creaky for large parts of the game—but in the end, the visitors' greater resilience shone through.

United boss Louis van Gaal acknowledged as much, telling reporters: 

I was not pleased with the way we played in the first half. But it was an away game against a top team and we have won. It's also the right moment to win this game.

I have to say the first 35 minutes we gave the ball away so easily that it's not possible for a top team. Because of that, Arsenal created a lot of chances. Fortunately we have a very good goalkeeper.

Arsenal, meanwhile, only had themselves to blame. Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck both had glorious chances they should have done better with, while their hell-for-leather response to going behind made it almost inevitable United would eventually score a second on the break.

In the end, United could and should have been 3-0 up long before Giroud rifled home—remarkable considering just how much the home side had controlled possession and created the better chances.

Arsene Wenger, speaking to the BBC, said: 

At the moment defensively we are a bit naive.

It's a game that we dominated for 80 per cent of the time and we haven't dominated a game like that against Manchester United for a long time.

At the end of the day we were not efficient enough in the final third, or defensively, and we made a mistake at the back which they took advantage of.

United left with the points, but neither side will be particularly happy with their evening's work. The flaws were evident and create genuine questions about their prospects for the rest of the season.

If we have already accepted that Chelsea are the runaway team of the field and Manchester City are the nearest to their rear-view mirror, then that leaves two further Champions League qualification spots up for grabs. Arsenal and United will fancy themselves to be the most likely candidates for those positions, but on this evidence, that is far from a foregone conclusion.

United still have huge defensive issues, issues sides more mentally and tactically stable than Arsenal will surely find a way to take advantage of. The Gunners, meanwhile, have the players (at least once they overcome their injury problems at the back) but the mental fragility that has always been their problem remains.

If Arsenal and Manchester United have their flaws, who else could end up contending for—and nicking—fourth? There are candidates: Southampton have started the season brilliantly, while Everton and Spurs might consider themselves primed to push on after their own erratic starts to the campaign.

It is not improbable that any of those sides could pose a threat. The January transfer window could end up having a significant impact. Of course, that is one area where United and Arsenal should at least still have a considerable advantage.

Red or Dead

Another team that looks poorly equipped to contend for the top four is Liverpool, who were abject in a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

The last time Palace played at home in a televised league game, they were comfortably beaten by Sunderland. They are not a particularly good team, but they were clear and deserved winners on Sunday despite going behind to Rickie Lambert's goal after barely 90 seconds.

"That was a Neil Warnock performance today, I thought," Palace boss Neil Warnock told Sky Sports. "I was really proud of them.

“I thought they were fantastic today and couldn’t have given me another ounce of effort. We played some good stuff as well."

Warnock should be careful of crowing too much. When four of your last five post-match press conferences involved you blaming defeats on bad luck or refereeing decisions and the one win is greeted with a "that was a Neil Warnock performance," you are inviting others to wonder whether you really have an idea what you are on about.

A defeat on Sunday would have left them in the relegation zone after 12 games; that they won does not ultimately mean those problems are completely over and done with for the Eagles.

What it does mean, however, is that they are only two points behind Liverpool, a damning indictment of the Anfield club's season to date. The pressure is well and truly on Brendan Rodgers now, to the point where past quotes of his are being used against him (as in this Daily Mirror piece).

"They don't have to sell. [Southampton] have a choice," Rodgers said at the start of the season. "Maybe Southampton's objectives have changed. They were looking to be a Champions League club, I believe."

And then, back in April, there was this:

I think the pressure is if you're Manchester City or Chelsea, and you've spent that money and you expect to win the league. That's probably pressure. I don't think there's pressure on us, other than what we have from within.

Look at Tottenham. If you spend more than £100 million, you expect to be challenging for the league.

Liverpool, having reinvested the Luis Suarez windfall, are this season's Spurs and find themselves suffering exactly the same problems. Their team lacks fluidity and cohesion and, most of all, confidence. That should come from the manager.

“I think you could see they are a team low on confidence,” Palace’s captain Mile Jedinak said (per The Guardian). “I remember watching them of late and last year when they were free-flowing and attacking and not taking backward steps. But we had that belief that we could get a couple of chances against them and it showed."

Rodgers may not be fearing the sack just yet, but with Daniel Sturridge now set to be out until at least January, the onus is on him and him alone to find the answers from somewhere. If he is the coach he has always made himself out to be, then he will figure something out. 

Otherwise, even the memories of last season's campaign may not be enough to save him in the long run.

Goal of the Weekend

AC Milan's Jeremy Menez has made a habit of scoring impressive goals already this season. This, against Inter Milan in the derby on Sunday, was sublime.

Goal of the Weekend: Runner-Up Edition

Random Asides

• Has there been a more improved player in recent seasons anywhere in England than Yannick Bolasie? The Congolese winger was an erratic presence during Palace's promotion campaign two years ago, often a distraction as Wilfried Zaha actually did the damage. Yet while Zaha seems hardly to have gotten better since that heady campaign, Bolasie has turned himself into a pacy, powerful attacking threat—one that Liverpool could not handle on Sunday. He deserves a huge amount of credit for his improvement.

• Brilliant once again from Jose Mourinho. Last time at Stamford Bridge, he criticised the crowd, this time around they were noticeably louder. "It improved a lot, a lot," the Chelsea boss said (via The Independent). "They pay me to win matches, they don't pay me to be critical of the crowd, so I feel sorry for my comments a couple of weeks ago. But the reality is there today, the difference was amazing." The Portuguese knows how to get his way in seemingly any setting.

• Sunderland seemed to lack a certain adventure against Leicester City on Saturday, with a 0-0 draw a damning indictment of the quality of the game. After the 8-0 away defeat to Southampton, perhaps the Black Cats have become more tentative on their travels. However, such pragmatism in winnable games like this may cost them come the end of the season.

• An Arsenal fan was reportedly arrested on Saturday for throwing red wine in the direction of the Manchester United dugout. (Subsequent stories suggested it might have been coffee.) Modern football, everybody.

• The pressure is mounting on Steve Bruce after another defeat for Hull City. Gaston Ramirez's silly red card might have turned the game, but it is nevertheless another example of the Tigers conceding a costly late goal. Bruce said afterward that such late strikes will surely stop soon—but perhaps it says something about the side's energy and concentration levels.

• The Britannia used to be considered a fortress for Stoke City, but that is clearly no longer the case. Whether Burnley actually deserved to win on Saturday is something that can be debated (Mark Hughes' side had countless chances after conceding two early goals), but Stoke had already lost this season to Aston Villa, Leicester City and Southampton in front of their home fans this season. If home form is the bedrock of any good campaign, Hughes has plenty of work to do.

• After the win over West Brom, Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas said he had never enjoyed a football match more than the first half of the game. For a World Cup and European Championship winner, that is a statement worth noting.

Good Week, Bad Week

Good Week

Neil Warnock: As he proclaimed: "That was a Neil Warnock performance."

Chris Smalling: Made up slightly for his derby meltdown with a strong defensive display.

Christian Eriksen: A sweet, sweet late goal to secure Spurs' win against Hull

Moussa Sissoko: Sneakily becoming one of the best midfielders in the league. Newcastle up to fifth—a remarkable renaissance.

Danny Ings: His goals resulted in a vital win for Burnley, and suddenly they have real hope of Premier League survival.

Bad Week

Gaston Ramirez: A stupid incident, even if his dismissal was harsh

Brendan Rodgers: Is the Northern Irishman now under genuine pressure?

James Tomkins: Come on, man. That was pathetic.

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal should never have lost their match against Manchester United—luck alone does not explain it.

Jack Wilshere: Came off second best in his (instigated) clash with Marouane Fellaini. And then got injured.

Other Points of Note

Chelsea Switch to Clinical Efficiency

Expect to see much of this over the remainder of the season. Chelsea are already in the Premier League's driving seat and have no intention of doing anything stupid to jeopardise that, as they showed against West Brom on Saturday.

Two goals clear inside the first 25 minutes, Chelsea pushed on for a little while longer and then slipped into consolidation mode, shutting up shop at the back rather than continue an all-out pursuit of more goals. They could have won the game 5-0 or 6-0, but such an approach would have opened up the five per cent chance (three per cent? one per cent?) of a West Brom fightback.

Instead, Jose Mourinho made sure the three points were kept firmly in the bag. This might be how Chelsea operate for the rest of the season: get an early goal or two, then settle down and see the job out once the lead is secured.

It might not be exciting for the casual fan, but it will certainly be impressive in its own way.

Spurs' Luck Might Prove Significant Come the End of the Season

Victory over Hull on Sunday lifted Spurs up to 10th in the Premier League table—but they are just two points behind Manchester United in fourth. Not for the first time this season, a red card proved fortuitous for Mauricio Pochettino's side; the sending off changed the flow of the contest and allowed them to come from behind to secure a valuable away win.

Spurs clearly still have a number of issues—their defence remains a work in progress, and neither Roberto Soldado nor Erik Lamela are in form at the other end—but somehow, by luck more than judgement, they are keeping in touch with the teams at the top end of the table.

Of course, there is no guarantee that things will improve, but if they do over time, which Pochettino surely will hope they do, then the red cards of Gaston Ramirez and Christian Benteke earlier in the campaign may have a big a role in Spurs' eventual position.

Monday Night Football

The final game of this Premier League weekend sees Aston Villa take on Southampton, two teams that will be desperate to make a statement after watching the events of the last two days unfold.

Aston Villa, toward the foot of the table, have seen Burnley and Crystal Palace both win, which has only made things tighter at the foot of the table. Paul Lambert's side are currently outside the relegation zone with 11 points—but 10 of those came in their first four games. Since then, they have been far and away the worst side in the division, but they can start to address that with a win over Southampton.

Of course, that will be anything but easy. Southampton sit second in the table despite having a game in hand and saw both Arsenal and Liverpool lose this weekend (Manchester United won against the former but hardly looked impressive). It is becoming increasingly plausible that the Saints could challenge for Champions League qualification this season. But in order to do so, they need to win these sort of games.

The pressure and scrutiny of such a challenge might eventually take its toll on Ronald Koeman's side, but they should prove too strong for Villa on Monday night.

Prediction: Aston Villa 0-2 Southampton