Football writer Alex Keble highlights the hot topics and tactical lessons from Matchweek 32 so far, including:
- Man City show their spirit ahead of summer revival
- Arsenal's inability to finish matches defining their season
- Maresca loosens the reigns to inspire Chelsea's comeback
- Individual errors a worry ahead of Spurs’ biggest game of Postecoglou era
- Everton’s battling performance has Forest fans worried
- Well-rested Newcastle blow away error-prone Man Utd
- Villa show their depth, but Southampton improve under Rusk
- Brighton are in danger of turning a good season into an average one
- Liverpool can win title this weekend after Salah and Van Dijk star
- Bournemouth striking early to end winless win
Man City show their spirit ahead of summer revival
It might seem strange to suggest Manchester City are on the road to recovery after going 2-0 down to Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium, but the way they roared back with the minimum of fuss points to a mentality shift among Pep Guardiola’s players.
Guardiola spoke of that after the match, while Ilkay Gundogan echoed those words before it.
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“I feel in a lot of games, maybe we gave a bit too much importance to tactics and didn’t really pay attention much on behaviour of ourselves,” Gundogan told ESPN, before praising his team-mates’ “spirit”, a theme Guardiola picked up on.
Guardiola and Gundogan both cited the win against AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup as a turning point, when they began to fight harder and rediscover their psychological strengths.
That’s why recovering from a two-goal deficit to win so emphatically will have done wonders, confirming to the players and staff they can return to the top next season.
Certainly they look increasingly likely to finish in the top five, while an FA Cup triumph is on the cards before they play in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
After so many months of painful decline, Man City still have the chance to make 2024/25 a season to remember - and make this one of the most productive ‘‘off seasons’’ of all time.
Arsenal's inability to finish matches defining their season
This result was always on the cards, considering Arsenal don’t really have anything to play for in the Premier League and face a trip to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
Nevertheless, it formed part of a season-long pattern for Mikel Arteta’s side: Arsenal have dropped 16 points from winning positions, just one fewer than in the last two campaigns combined (eight in 2022/23 and nine in 2023/24).
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If the Gunners had held on in just half of those games – if four of those draws were wins – then they would be five points behind Liverpool with a trip to Anfield to come. That’s how close they were to putting Arne Slot’s team under pressure.
The 1-1 draw with Brentford was typical of the problem, profligacy in the final third undermining a strong defensive showing in which Arsenal conceded an Expected Goals (xG) of just 0.19.
Clearly Arsenal need attacking reinforcements this summer. That’s all it will take for Arteta to bring the title to Emirates Stadium.
Maresca loosens the reigns to inspire Chelsea's comeback
At half-time, as boos rang out around Stamford Bridge, it was hard to see how Chelsea would get back into the game.
Kieran McKenna’s low and narrow block was frustrating a Chelsea side that struggled to overload the wings, but more importantly Enzo Maresca’s typically slow possession football was failing to pull Ipswich Town’s defence out of shape.
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But to Maresca’s credit he loosened the reins in the second half. Chelsea’s goal, within a few seconds after half-time, came from a long ball and a couple of aerial challenges, releasing Noni Madueke down the right.
From that point on Chelsea opened up and went more direct: they won just two aerial duels in the first half (13 per cent), and 13 (54 per cent) in the second.
Better still for Maresca, it was substitute Jadon Sancho who scored the equaliser, justifying the head coach’s decision to take off Madueke, a decision that did not go down well with fans.
Individual errors a worry ahead of Spurs’ biggest game of Postecoglou era
“I would probably be more frustrated if it was something that we did from a tactical perspective or organisational perspective, but they’re individual errors, the players don’t mean to do it,” was Ange Postecoglou’s philosophical response to Tottenham Hotspur’s big defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That is fair, although some supporters might question whether those mistakes were indeed a symptom of wider issues this season, with Spurs languishing and rudderless in 15th.
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Guglielmo Vicario was at fault with a poor clearance for the first goal, Djed Spence scored an unforced own goal for the second, Cristian Romero was nudged off the ball for the third and Lucas Bergvall was dispossessed for the fourth.
Whatever the reason for the litany of errors, it was hardly ideal preparation for a huge game at Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
Most errors leading to shots or goals 24/25
| Team | Total |
| Southampton | 48 |
|---|---|
| Chelsea | 41 |
| Aston Villa | 39 |
| Spurs | 35 |
| Ipswich | 34 |
| Man City | 30 |
| Newcastle | 26 |
| Leicester | 26 |
| Fulham | 25 |
| Liverpool | 24 |
Frankfurt rank fifth in the Bundesliga for most opposition errors leading to shots, with 21, while only three teams have made more tackles than Frankfurt's 74 in the final third.
In other words, they will press high on Spurs and look to force mistakes similar to those committed against Wolves.
Postecoglou’s tenure may depend on a good result in Germany. He needs his players to be considerably improved if he’s to get it.
Everton’s battling performance has Forest fans worried
This was a classic David Moyes win as Everton manager, defined by scrapping for control in central midfield and stealing the points with a goal on the break.
James Garner, Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure were dominant in the middle, making a combined five tackles and five fouls, not only breaking up play but stopping Nottingham Forest counter-attacks before they could get going.
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It helped Everton’s cause that, all too often, Forest threw crosses in to the box towards Chris Wood, only for Moyes’ defenders to bat them away, but this was more a case of Everton excelling than Forest getting much wrong.
Nevertheless, it raises the very real prospect of Forest finishing outside the top five. Only three points separates them from Chelsea and Aston Villa in sixth and seventh respectively.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
32 | +13 | 57 |
| 4 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
31 | +16 | 56 |
| 5 |
Man City
MCI
|
32 | +20 | 55 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
32 | +17 | 54 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
32 | +3 | 54 |
Forest still have the kindest fixture list of the three, but all of a sudden back-to-back defeats have dragged Nuno Espirito Santo’s side into the fight. Can they hold their nerve?
Well-rested Newcastle blow away error-prone Man Utd
There are many contrasts between these two clubs but arguably the most significant one on Sunday afternoon was their fixture congestion.
Newcastle United have had free midweeks all season and it shows. They were able to name the same starting XI for the fifth consecutive match in all competitions yet looked sprightly and rested, bursting through a Manchester United team that made a litany of errors.
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Another two errors leading to goals made it 12 for the season, the third-most in the Premier League behind Southampton and Villa.
The reasons are partly tactical, but tiredness is surely a factor.
Man Utd made five changes in order to prioritise their Europa League quarter-final against Lyon on Thursday, creating a less cohesive system that was prone to mistakes at the back.
In a funny way, this might give Man Utd fans a little bit of hope for next season.
Winning the Europa League and therefore qualifying for the Champions League is of course hugely important for the club, but should they go out this week, then at least Man Utd can look forward to a freer calendar in 2025/26.
On Sunday’s evidence, for Ruben Amorim to get his tactical ideas across, he might just need it.
Villa show their depth, but Southampton improve under Rusk
At long last, Southampton have discovered the right way to approach Premier League life. Sadly it comes too late.
Simon Rusk took interim charge and immediately installed a more defensive set-up, with Southampton holding just 40 per cent possession, their joint-lowest share since losing to Liverpool back in November.
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"We knew there was going to be moments today where we had to suffer without the ball a little bit. That was part of the plan." Rusk said after the game.
"And I think we can be really pleased with lots of that, the blocks, the level of passion around the defending and the ability to deal with set pieces."
Southampton's average formation v Villa
Villa certainly struggled to break Southampton down, only doing so thanks to fresh legs in the final third.
Unai Emery’s side became the first team in Premier League history to have three different substitutes score in one match, providing further evidence – as if it was needed at this point – that their attacking strength in depth is the key to their Champions League hunt.
Most goals from substitutes 24/25
| Team | Goals |
| Fulham | 14 |
|---|---|
| Bournemouth | 12 |
| Arsenal | 10 |
| Aston Villa | 10 |
| Brighton | 8 |
| Nottingham Forest | 8 |
| Spurs | 7 |
| Chelsea | 6 |
| Leicester | 6 |
| Liverpool | 6 |
Brighton are in danger of turning a good season into an average one
Brighton & Hove Albion fans must have thought this one was a banker.
Leicester City hadn’t scored a single goal in their last eight Premier League matches and were sinking like a stone, yet only two penalties saved Fabian Hurzeler’s side from defeat.
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Brighton are now winless in four league games, a sequence that threatens to undo all the good work that preceded it.
They are now six points behind Villa in seventh and need something special if they are to qualify for Europe.
Then again, four of their last six matches are against teams currently in the bottom half, while one of the other two is against a Liverpool team that will surely have won the title by the time they travel to Amex Stadium in May.
There is just about time for Brighton to end on a high. But after allowing Leicester to score twice, you wouldn’t necessarily back them to turn things around.
Liverpool can win title this weekend after Salah and Van Dijk star
The headlines wrote themselves.
Fittingly Virgil van Dijk’s late winner, and Mohamed Salah’s magnificent first-half assist, were the defining moments following a week in which Salah extended his contract and with Van Dijk reportedly close to signing his.
Salah has now been directly involved in 45 Premier League goals this season, setting a new Premier League record for a 38-match season.
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More importantly, he got his first Premier League assist since February, while also moving to within two assists of the single season Premier League record currently held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry, with 20. After a brief hiatus, Salah can accelerate away again over the final few weeks.
As for Van Dijk, a 24th Premier League goal ensured that he is the top scoring centre-back in the competition since his debut in September 2015.
The victory took Liverpool 13 points clear at the top, meaning that if Arsenal lose at Ipswich on Sunday, Liverpool can win the title with a victory at Leicester later that day.
But more realistically, they will confirm the title in front of their own fans at Anfield the week after, when they host Spurs.
If and when that happens, all of the murmurs about a low-quality season will disappear.
Bournemouth strike early to end winless run
Having not tasted victory in their previous six matches, Antoine Semenyo ended AFC Bournemouth's winless run and boosted their European hopes with a 1-0 victory over Fulham at the Vitality Stadium.
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Semenyo’s eighth Premier League goal of the season was enough to snap their barren run as he netted after just 53 seconds, Bournemouth's third-earliest goal in the Premier League after Philip Billing against Arsenal in March 2023 (nine seconds) and Matt Ritchie against Spurs in October 2015 (49 seconds).
Not only did the Cherries reignite their European hopes, they have ended any doubt whether they would fade away as the season draws to the end.
Their victory means they are now on 48 points, a tally they produced last season which is also their highest number in a single Premier League campaign.
And with fixtures against Man Utd, who may be focusing on their Europa League campaign, and Leicester at home to come, there is no reason why Andoni Iraola's side can't break their own record again.
