Premier League: 5 key talking points as City steal early march in title race and Carrick comes under fire

The title rivals show their weaknesses

The title race looks set to be a two-horse race, with City taking a three-point lead over defending champions Arsenal into the break after their thrilling 5-3 win over Sunderland.

That followed the Gunners slumping to a 3-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion but, even with the difference in results, both City manager Enzo Maresca and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta have problems to reflect on during the first interlude of the season.

For all their obvious ability going forward, City were too easy to break down against Sunderland. Brian Brobbey became the first Premier League player to score a hat-trick and finish on the losing side since 2007, and the Dutch striker had a simple finish to all three goals as the Black Cats opened City with little difficulty each time.

Maresca can point to City’s clean sheets in their previous four games (only two of those games were in the Premier League), but there is still a clear vulnerability in his side that was evident in their narrow opening-day win over Bournemouth. The good news for him is that Arsenal also have obvious problems.

The complete breakdown of Arsenal’s typical defensive solidity at Brighton may ultimately be just a blip, but the lack of cohesion in midfield between Declan Rice, Bruno Guimaraes and Martin Odegaard represents a potentially bigger problem.

It’s further forward where Arsenal may have their biggest concern after a game in which Kai Havertz didn’t fire. With Viktor Gyokeres clearly the second choice ahead of the German, the Gunners need Havertz to deliver consistently. If he can’t, it’s hard to see Arsenal having the firepower to compete with a City side that have so much ammunition.

Jacquet impresses again, but Iraola faces pressure from Wirtz

It’s often said that the mark of a great team is winning when you don’t play well, and Liverpool’s efforts in their 1-0 win at unbeaten Bournemouth on Sunday could be described as uninspiring, with Alexander Isak’s fourth goal of the season proving the difference.

The Reds’ standout player was centre-back Jérémy Jacquet, who continues to impress following his £60million move from Rennes.

Jacquet, according to FotMob, was credited with three tackles, a block, two clearances, two interceptions and six fumble recoveries. He also won three of his four matches, with the Frenchman’s partnership with Virgil van Dijk flourishing as Liverpool kept three clean sheets in the league.

While there is reason for optimism behind it, there is growing concern over the performances of Florian Wirtz, who was much criticized by Jamie Carragher after the win at the Vitality Stadium.

Carragher urged Iraola to consider leaving Wirtz ahead of Liverpool’s clash with City after the break. If Iraola heeds that advice, it will be a major setback to Wirtz’s hopes of ever justifying his £100m fee.

Can the Seagulls or the Bees reach the Champions League spots?

Brighton’s demolition of Arsenal came less than 24 hours after Brentford dispatched another team seen as potential title contenders in empathetic fashion, thrashing Chelsea 3-0.

With the Blues’ strong start under Xabi Alonso stalling, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Tottenham struggling in the opening weeks and Newcastle United transitioning into a new era under Matthias Jaissle, the performances of Brighton and Brentford naturally raise the question of whether either can force their way into the Champions League places.

Both sit in the top four after five games and have shown defensive solidity while getting goal contributions from various areas. In fact, Brighton (16) and Brentford (10) are among four teams to have hit double figures in the league so far this season.

But the underlying numbers suggest that Brighton, who have an xG against of 8.7, should have conceded more than the five goals they have allowed. The big test for Fabian Hurzeler’s men will keep the momentum going as their Conference League games pile up after the break, while a series of testing games in the second leg that will see the Bees take on Villa, Liverpool and surprise package Hull City will reveal a lot about Brentford.

Early evidence suggests there could be an opening in the top five for one of these teams, and their meeting on the south coast on November 7 will have plenty of intrigue if both are still at the top of the table.

Is it time for Carrick to go?

The long honeymoon for Michael Carrick is over.

After his excellent spell as interim manager of Manchester United last season, Carrick has endured an extremely difficult start as permanent boss, and there are likely to be calls for this spell to end after a disappointing display in the 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday.

Former defender Gary Neville hit out at United’s efforts with the ball in scathing comments made while working as a Sky Sports co-commentator.

“I’ve been watching Manchester United since I was five and this is the worst 15 minutes I’ve ever seen,” Neville said after Fulham went ahead with a Lisandro Martinez own goal. “Absolutely pathetic.

“I’ve never seen such a lack of effort. What must (Michael) Carrick be thinking?”

While Neville’s comments will be dismissed by many as outlandish hyperbole from a United legend, his words speak to a major problem for the Red Devils in a league that demands a lot of energy from teams hoping to succeed.

Sky Sports said on Monday that GeniusIQ data ranked United last in the Premier League for distance covered at high intensity, time occupied at high intensity, total sprints and time spent sprinting.

With United sitting in a lowly 12th in the table after a summer in which they only added to the midfield, anger against the club’s hierarchy will linger during the international break. However, it’s clear that the finger is also starting to be pointed at Carrick, and unless he can get his side to produce high-intensity, match-winning performances, time could soon be running out on his managerial career at Old Trafford.

Are Spurs ready for the relegation battle?

It was another miserable weekend for Tottenham, who will now spend three weeks in the Premier League following their latest defeat to Villa and Fulham’s draw with United.

Tottenham at least ended their wait for a Premier League goal this season, but the damage had been done when Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke found the net to make it a more respectable scoreline.

Van Hecke, a £52m signing from Brighton, is part of Spurs’ many problems. The Dutchman is underperforming at the heart of a defense that is still too easy for teams to break down, with Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia all scoring in Villa’s 3-2 win.

There is energy in midfield but there is a distinct lack of creativity in a side that spent over £300m on in the summer. Tottenham have an xG of 5.0 this season, the third worst in the Premier League.

With Roberto De Zerbi in that kind of support, the hope was that Tottenham would be well out of danger after two 17th place finishes in the last two seasons. Instead, the Spurs are a team that seems destined for another scrap. Tottenham are not creating enough chances and are falling behind. It’s a recipe for disaster, and De Zerbi must find a way to fix it during the break.