Mediawatch: Sterling, Martial, Morata and other failures

Sterling service
A rampant Manchester City won 5-0 on Saturday. Riyad Mahrez had possibly his best game in a City shirt, David Silva was wonderful, both John Stones and Aymeric Laporte excelled in a fifth straight Premier League clean sheet.

So what was Paul Wilson’s (original) intro in The Observer?

‘Raheem Sterling was an unused substitute in this game, granted a rest after rediscovering his scoring touch with England. It might not do him any harm to realise how well Manchester City can operate without him, especially against a side as limited as Burnley.’

Yes. Because a 5-0 win achieved without Raheem Sterling is exactly the right time to take Raheem Sterling down a peg or two.

Trouble at the Bridge
Chelsea have scored 20 Premier League goals this season; only Manchester City have scored more.

Chelsea have only scored more than 20 Premier League goals in their first nine matches once in the last five seasons: 2014/15.

The eagle-eyed among you will spot that Chelsea have actually won the title twice in those five seasons, so they are currently ahead of where they were in 2016/17, when they went on to win the title.

It’s against that backdrop that we read Martin Samuel in the Daily Mail, opining their lack of goal threat. After a 2-2 draw.

‘If Chelsea do not end up as title-contenders this season, they will surely be so next year. As it is, they are flawed. Morata is a point of weakness, while Jorginho pulls strings from deep and has scored one goal in club football since November 26, 2017. Ahead of him is N’Golo Kante, who is a defensive midfielder playing an unfamiliar role and Mateo Kovacic, who last scored on January 29, 2017.’

It’s worth noting – because Samuel really does not make that clear – that both Jorginho and Kante have scored this season. And you know who else has scored? Ross Barkley. Twice. You may remember the last one; it was just on Saturday.

‘Willian is a forward but also a hard worker, which leaves Hazard as Chelsea’s real threat. It is testament to his talents that he has taken them this far — but in two recent games, away at West Ham and in the second half here, he has been identified as the key to it all, and closed down.’

Odd that Samuel does not mention Pedro, who is actually Chelsea’s second-top scorer this season. That must have slipped his mind. Also slipping his mind is logic; if Hazard was ‘identified as the key to it all, and closed down’, then how did Chelsea still score twice? It’s almost like they found new ways to be effective.

‘When Hazard has been the Premier League’s best player — 2014-15 and 2016-17 — Chelsea have won the title. Yet in those campaigns, Chelsea also had Diego Costa to offer a foil to his creative brilliance. That is what may be missing this season.’

Well, as we pointed out above, this version of Chelsea – in Sarri’s first season, remember – is faring better than Antonio Conte’s title-winning side at the very same stage. Do we need to remind everybody that they are unbeaten in all competitions?

‘So far, Hazard has been able to go it alone with eight goals, but who will pick up the slack if opponents shackle him? Chelsea’s front six are mainly link men, toilers, pivots and passers.’

Odd then that this collection of ‘link men, toilers, pivots and passers’ scored five goals in their first two hours of Premier League football this season without Hazard.

Oh and have you hard of a little something called a ‘substitute’? We believe they have been allowed since 1965.

The Gripes of Wrath
Obviously Everton winning an actual football match does not make the back page of The Sun. That would be mental. So what does? Well, a bit of brum-brum and one of the most ridiculous of all attempts to eke another day of back-page coverage out of Saturday‘s 2-2 clash between Chelsea and Manchester United.

‘MAURIZIO SARRI has risked the wrath of Chelsea fans by telling them Jose Mourinho deserves more respect.’

Chelsea are currently unbeaten, having been tipped by many to not even finish in the top four. Believe us when we say this: Sarri and the fans are all good. Stop sodding stirring.

Legends
Inside The Sun, Charlie Wyett has seemingly forgotten that Anthony Martial is only 22 – and thus not yet at his peak – as he summarily dismisses the goal record of the Frenchman.

‘A record of 40 goals in 145 games is not exactly the stuff of legends at Old Trafford and for someone of Martial’s undoubted talent, is certainly not enough.’

The problem with that sentence is that as soon as we add context, it falls apart.

Like the context of Ryan Giggs having also scored 40 goals for Manchester United by a similar age; it took him 197 games.

Or the context of Cristiano Ronaldo having played 145 games for Manchester United by a similar age: he had scored just 29 goals.

It’s almost like – and this will blow some tiny minds – players are not generally ‘legends’ at 22.

The Power
One player beloved of pundits and journalists is Ross Barkley, and Jamie Redknapp ‘writes’ in the Daily Mail:

‘What I love about him is his willingness to run with the ball, go past people and get his team up the pitch. He is Maurizio Sarri’s power player, someone who can supply that moment of magic to turn a match – even if it’s from the bench.’

We can only imagine his enthusiasm for the 75 Premier League regulars who go past more people regularly than ‘power player’ Ross Barkley.

Memories…
‘Mourinho has a track record of getting results at all costs. What a shame some ungrateful Chelsea fans seem to have forgotten’ – John Cross, Daily Mirror, p56.

Maybe the memory of Mourinho’s Chelsea winning only once in seven Premier League games to leave them just one point above relegation in December 2015 is a little clearer in the mind, John?

How did that happen to a manager who has a track record of getting results at all costs?

‘What the f*** have we just read?’ intro of the day

‘SO the beautiful cockerel has turned into an ugly duckling.

‘Tottenham’s triumphs used to be too pretty for Tinder, now they are much more of a Grind-er.’

Paul Jiggins in The Sun there, making us feel all kinds of bilious.

On a theme…
According to Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail: ‘AS THRILLING as it was it couldn’t really go on. Watching Liverpool last season was too often like a visit to a theme park. You didn’t quite know what would happen, only that you would enjoy yourself.’

Note to Ian Ladyman: That is really not what happens at theme parks, where the entertainment is very much as advertised.

Oh and not everybody likes theme parks.

Recommended reading of the day
Sean Ingle asks if there is too much football on TV

Miguel Delaney on Manchester United