Pep Guardiola (Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool)
Premier League manager rankings points: 10
It was, said Pep Guardiola, just like old times. A good performance. A resounding victory. Family in attendance to celebrate afterwards. The 54-year-old Spaniard has done it all a thousand times.
Same old, same old then? Hardly. This was a landmark occasion, and not only because it quite literally was Guardiola’s 1,000th game in management, or because it came against Liverpool, Manchester City’s fiercest rivals across his nine seasons in English football. Here was a reminder of all that Guardiola has brought to the Premier League; of how he has redefined the game tactically and stylistically, but also of his capacity for evolution and reinvention – even pragmatism, when required.
City’s opener was a case in point. It was, in the most literal sense, a team goal, one created through a passing sequence in which every outfield player was involved. But if the build-up evoked, in spirit at least, the passing carousel of Guardiola’s great Barcelona side, the culmination offered further evidence of the value he has come to place on expediency, as was evident in his joy when Matheus Nunes crossed for Erling Haaland to score with a well-directed header.
By the same token, one could trace back the lineage of City’s third, a superb solo effort by Jérémy Doku, to the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta. All Guardiola’s teams have been seasoned with individual brilliance, although woe betide any player too grand to fall in with the ideas of a coach who demands the most exacting standards. Guardiola has not always let virtuosity off the leash, but there too there were signs, in the licence granted to Doku and Rayan Cherki to roam, of a greater willingness to entertain freedom of expression, albeit within a disciplined tactical framework.
Guardiola is a coaching chameleon, forever adapting to circumstance, and there is no guarantee that City will line up as they did against Liverpool when they resume their Premier League campaign at Newcastle in 12 days’ time. If Rodri is fit by then, a return to some variation of the 4-1-4-1 system City have frequently deployed this season could be in order, although second-guessing Guardiola’s intentions is a fool’s game. What we do know is that, in marking his 1,000th game with an emphatic win over the league champions to move within four points of leaders Arsenal, the Spaniard has kept the title race alive. For that, all beyond the blue half of Manchester should be grateful.
Nuno Espírito Santo (West Ham United 3-2 Burnley)
Premier League manager rankings points: 9
Last weekend, when Nuno Espírito Santo led West Ham to a first home league win since February, he was rightly praised for instilling some long-absent esprit de corps into his side. The difficulty of parlaying that into a broader sense of unity was underlined at the final whistle, however, when the buoyant mood in the London Stadium gave way to protests against the board.
So it is a measure of the progress Nuno has made over the past fortnight that, when Kyle Walker-Peters bundled home from close range to cap a second stirring fightback in as many games, fans responded by dusting off a long disused ditty. “West Ham are massive, everywhere we go,” went the chant. And yes, it may well have been intended ironically. But few would have anticipated such an uplift in mood a couple of hours earlier, when supporters bore a coffin through the streets of Stratford emblazoned with the words “sold our soul” in the latest show of opposition to the ownership.
Was it pretty? Not remotely. West Ham’s defending for Zian Flemming’s 35th-minute opener was lamentable and, had Callum Wilson not nodded home a scrappy equaliser a minute before the interval, the atmosphere might have turned toxic. But Nuno has got his players pulling in the same direction, and while conceding a messy stoppage-time goal offered further evidence of West Ham’s soft underbelly, their collective spirit was plain to see. That it filtered into the stands can only be a plus for the beleaguered club.
Victory would have moved Burnley six points clear of West Ham; instead, the two clubs are now level on points, with only a marginally superior goal difference keeping Scott Parker’s side out of the drop zone. Nuno talked afterwards of making small steps, but steps in the right direction, which felt about right. But with a trip to Bournemouth and a visit from Liverpool to come before the end of the month, this was a game in which West Ham could ill-afford to stumble. Nuno’s ability to foster togetherness, both on the pitch and in the stands, ensured they did not.
Régis Le Bris (Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal)
Premier League manager rankings points: 8
Régis Le Bris said before the visit of Arsenal that only a masterclass would enable his Sunderland team to get any kind of result. Fortunately for the Black Cats, in Le Bris they have a specialist.
Sunderland’s entire season so far has been something of a masterclass, a point emphasised by the manner in which they went about their business at the Stadium of Light. Far from being cowed by the prospect of facing a team on a run of 10 straight wins in all competitions, Le Bris’s men carried the fight to Arsenal from the outset, matching their opponents’ physicality and endeavour, and even opened the scoring from a set-piece. That it was converted by a former Arsenal player, defender Dan Ballard, only added to the sense that the visitors had been hoisted by their own petard.
Belief and resilience have been the watchwords for Le Bris’s promoted side, and having demonstrated the first quality to take the lead, they showed the second in spades when Arsenal came at them with greater intensity after the break. Unperturbed by goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, Sunderland continued to press for another goal and were rewarded with an athletic stoppage-time winner from Brian Brobbey in which the irrepressible Ballard once again played an important role. To cap an outstanding performance, the former Arsenal man then threw himself at the feet of Martín Zubimendi to deny Mikel Arteta’s side a winner.
It was the seventh point Sunderland have taken in stoppage time this season, following late winners against Brentford and Arsenal. It also took Sunderland’s tally of goals scored from the 90th minute on to a league-best total of five. As those numbers suggest, Le Bris has created a team that competes from the first minute to the last.
“I think now we have this faith, this belief that, until the final whistle, anything is possible,” said the Frenchman.
Le Bris, who has so skilfully moulded a glut of summer signings into a cohesive unit, has done as much as anyone to nourish that faith. When a manager has the advertising hoardings moved closer to the pitch in order to limit the opposition’s ability to take long throw-ins, as Le Bris did, you know he means business. Small wonder that Ballard spoke glowingly afterwards of the Frenchman’s approach.
“We always have a game plan to win,” said the defender. “We set out to win and I thought we executed the game plan. It could have gone either way.”
There may be tougher moments ahead this season for Sunderland but, for now, things are going Le Bris’s way.
Sean Dyche (Nottingham Forest 3-1 Leeds United)
Premier League manager rankings points: 7
Not so long ago, the idea of a 3-1 victory over a promoted rival being cause for celebration might almost have seemed laughable for a Nottingham Forest side that came within a whisker of Champions League qualification last season.
But times change, as do managers, and the inaugural win of the Sean Dyche era felt like an important moment for the club. Appointed as a safe pair of hands following Ange Postecoglou’s disastrous 39-day tenure, the gravel-voiced troubleshooter lost his first game in charge at Bournemouth, drew the next at home to Manchester United, and on Sunday made it third time lucky against Leeds. The direction of travel is clear; now Dyche must maintain it.
Like Nuno, Dyche saw his men fight back from a goal down and, as with West Ham, the comeback began swiftly, Ibrahim Sangaré slotting home after Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri parried an effort straight into his path. If that spoke of spirit and opportunism, it was Dyche’s triple substitution just before the hour that earned Forest the points.
Among the newcomers was winger Omari Hutchinson, a £37.5m signing from Ipswich Town who was not included in Forest’s Europa League squad and has yet to start a Premier League game for his new employers. The 22-year-old crossed for Morgan Gibbs-White to head home before driving into the box in added time to earn a penalty that was converted by Elliot Anderson.
Man management is an underrated aspect of Dyche’s professional profile; Hutchinson’s impact against Leeds was no more a coincidence than the continuation of Gibbs-White’s improved form, which has brought three goals in five games since the manager’s appointment.
Unai Emery (Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth)
Premier League manager rankings points: 6
After defeat at Liverpool last time out punctured a run of four straight league victories, the need for Aston Villa to get back on track quickly was plain. Compiling a winning sequence had consigned Villa’s early-season difficulties to history; having finally started to climb the table, the last thing manager Unai Emery needed was to go into the international break off the back of two consecutive losses.
A visit from Bournemouth, themselves in need of a restorative victory after dropping from second to fourth in the table following last weekend’s loss at Manchester City, promised to make a return to winning ways challenging. But Villa responded with their most potent attacking performance of the season – and Emery’s personnel decisions were key.
Emi Buendía, absent with a foot injury for the trip to Anfield, was handed a fourth league start of the season and responded with an outstanding performance that included a brilliant free-kick to open the scoring. Substitutes Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen added the third and fourth goals, the latter redirecting an effort by Youri Tielemans, also on as a replacement. It was one of those days when every call made by the manager turned out to be the right call. It was also a victory for the meticulous planning and tactical discipline that underpins Emery’s possession-based style.
“I’m very happy [with] how we responded and prepared for the match,” said Emery. We were very focused. We were very demanding on how we were planning to play this game. We responded very well.
“We are building the team with different players, trying to manage playing in Europe and the Premier League. After the match we played on Thursday, [I was] managing some players and trying to get the best out of them.”
Emery did exactly that.
Keith Andrews (Brentford 3-1 Newcastle)
Premier League manager rankings points: 5
Since taking over from Thomas Frank this summer, Keith Andrews has gone about the task of maintaining Brentford’s reputation for punching above their weight with intelligence and humility. A lesser man might have had a chip on his shoulder after being promoted from his former position as set-piece coach. Yet, far from ripping up the successful blueprint established by his predecessor, Andrews has doubled down on everything that was good about Frank’s Brentford while adding his own flourishes.
Under Andrews, Brentford have retained the virtues that made them so strong under Frank. They are difficult to play against. Tactically flexible. Direct, not least through Michael Kayode’s long throws, but also strong on the ball.
Yet continuity has been allied with development. Jordan Henderson, who arrived three days after Frank’s departure for Tottenham, has brought quality, leadership and composure in midfield. Igor Thiago, signed under the Dane but limited to just eight appearances last season due to a knee injury, has brought goals – a needful commodity following the summer departures of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – and has been ably assisted by the Burkina Faso forward Dango Ouattara. More broadly, Brentford have acquired a greater physical edge under Andrews, who has placed the emphasis less on possession than on quick breaks.
Saturday’s victory over Newcastle, whose away record has gone from bad to worse, brought a little of all these things. A mighty throw-in from Kayode wreaked havoc in the visitors’ defence, allowing Kevin Schade to cancel out Harvey Barnes’s opener. Ouattara’s pace and trickery won a penalty that was converted by Thiago, who then made it a brace in stoppage time after racing on to a neat through ball. Brentford matched Newcastle’s physicality and then, having earned the right to play, allowed their most talented individuals to shine. In that sense it was a victory that had Andrews’ fingerprints all over it – and another one in the eye for those who tipped Brentford, who added Newcastle to a list of home scalps that already includes Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa, to go down under his stewardship.
Fabian Hürzeler (Crystal Palace 0-0 Brighton & Hove Albion)
Premier League manager rankings points: 4
Having conceded seven times in three away games last month, a clean sheet at Selhurst Park, one of the Premier League’s most passionate and intimidating grounds, might have been welcomed by Fabian Hürzeler. That it was not is indicative of the progress made by the Premier League’s youngest manager since taking up the reins last summer. Back-to back clean sheets, following a 3-0 home win over Leeds last time out, nonetheless give Hürzeler a solid platform to build on following the international break.
Ruben Amorim (Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Manchester United)
Premier League manager rankings points: 3
Had Tottenham held on to the lead conferred by Richarlison’s late strike, Thomas Frank would have taken the plaudits here. He would also have featured considerably higher up this list, given his side’s poor home record and the influence of half-time substitute Wilson Odobert in helping Spurs back into the contest following Bryan Mbeumo’s opener. But Matthijs de Ligt’s even later equaliser changed all that. The bottom line is that, since the last international break, Ruben Amorim has not only won back-to-back matches for the first time as United manager, but also gone on to preside over a five-game unbeaten run. Yes, United were unable to hold on to a lead for the second week in a row. Yes, they remain porous at the back and can’t defend crosses. But with more than a quarter of the season played, United, who finished 15th last term, are only a point off the top four – something few would have anticipated when they began the campaign in faltering fashion. Clearly Amorim is doing something right.
David Moyes (Everton 2-0 Fulham)
Premier League manager rankings points: 2
After suffering a first defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium against Spurs last month, and squandering a first-half lead last time out at Sunderland, Everton will have felt the need to right a few wrongs against a Fulham side who arrived on Merseyside with four straight away defeats behind them. That they did so owed much to David Moyes’s decision to play midfielder James Garner at right-back in place of Jake O’Brien, which gave Everton “a little bit more quality on the ball from that position”. That in turn allowed Tim Iroegbunam to make his fourth league start of the season in midfield. It was a calculated gamble – Moyes knew the absence of the 6ft 5in O’Brien would leave his defence more vulnerable to aerial threat – but it paid off handsomely. Iroegbunam teed up the cross that led to Everton’s opener, and added steel in the middle as they sought to maintain that advantage, while Garner added a fresh dimension going forward. Hats off to the manager.
Enzo Maresca (Chelsea 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Premier League manager rankings points: 1
Across the course of a first half in which Chelsea laboured to find a way past Wolves’ low block, unease grew among the Stamford Bridge faithful. Enzo Maresca’s selection decisions have come under scrutiny from supporters, with the Italian’s constant chopping and changing causing a source of consternation to which his reluctance to start teenage winger Estêvão Willian has only added.
Valid criticisms? Yes and no.
This summer’s Club World Cup victory meant Chelsea’s season did not end until mid-July, leaving Marsesca with little choice but to juggle his resources in an effort to keep players fresh. As for Estêvão, the 18-year-old Brazilian is still adjusting to a new country, league and club following his summer move from Palmeiras; in using him sparingly, Maresca is simply protecting him in the way that any responsible manager might do.
Equally, Maresca could hardly have anticipated that, after 51 minutes in which his side had toiled against the league’s bottom-placed team, France international Malo Gusto would pop up to score his first Chelsea goal at the 98th time of asking. And when Estêvão did finally arrive in the 64th minute, his impact was immediate, the Brazilian setting up compatriot João Pedro for Chelsea’s second.
Pedro Neto completed the scoring to ensure Chelsea ran out comfortable winners, ensuring a deserved point for Maresca on this list. Yet the smattering of boos that greeted the half-time whistle at Stamford Bridge suggests not all share the Italian’s optimism that Chelsea can compensate for the lack of an outstanding striker by sharing the goals around. The manager will point to this result as evidence that his approach can work, but there is also a case for the argument that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. Estêvão is certainly good enough.
