5 thing we learned from matchday 8 fixtures

Chelsea 3 Vs Leicester City 0: Back to normal for Ranieri’s men

Leicester City’s poor start to their title defence continued with a 3-0 loss away at Chelsea. While pundits and fans alike have blasted the performance of the Foxes, for me it’s just normal for Claudio Ranieri’s men. Leicester City had a freak 2015/2016 season winning the Premier League title, but they shouldn’t be judged with that. Yes, they have signed some players, but N’Golo Kante has left and the likes of Ahmed Musa and Islam Slimani are not top quality. Leicester City are not in crisis, they are having a normal season.

Chelsea 3 Vs Leicester 0: Conte gradually figuring it out

After a series of bad results for Chelsea, Antonio Conte is gradually figuring it out his best approach for the team. In the losses against Liverpool and Arsenal, the Chelsea midfield and full backs were over-ran. Conte has attempted to fix that by playing a three-man defence which allows the team to crowd the midfield which in turn helps the full-backs. There is urgency in their play now while Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are firing again.

Manchester City 1 Vs Everton 1: Citizens found out

Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Everton and it seems the citizens have now been found out in the Premier League. Tottenham a fortnight ago pressed Pep Guardiola’s men so hard, making it difficult for them to have time on the ball. Everton did the same thing and got a point away against Premier League favourites. In England where the game is so fast and physical, it will be hard for Guardiola to succeed with his low tempo passing football.

West Brom 1 Vs Tottenham 1: Spurs not strong enough for title chase

Tottenham were held to a 1-1 draw away at West Brom despite dominating possession. Mauricio Pochettino has done an extraordinary job with Spurs, bringing together some talented youngsters to form a fantastic team. The problem, they seem too young and fragile for the title chase. The squad depth is still a huge issue for them. Against West Brom, I saw a slew of young and talented players who wanted the football to do just the talking. Title winners don’t depend on the ball alone, they win with their physicality, mentality and their ruthlessness. Spurs have none of these.

Arsenal 3 Vs Swansea 2: Gunners showing strength

ALSO READ: How Arsenal beat Swansea 3-2

10-men Arsenal held on to record a 3-2 win over visiting Swansea. The popular opinion about the game is that Arsenal made it hard for themselves than it should have been. But it should also be noted that Swansea’s decent record at Arsenal meant that it was always going to be a tough game at the Emirates. It was tough, but Arsenal held on to grab the three points. They showed strength in doing that and they will need more of that this season.