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Key Points of the Weekend

  • jonjoward1998
  • 4 hours ago
  • 4 min read

Man United were let down by VAR


VAR was arguably the main talking point from Man United's 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on Friday because of two controversial penalty decisions with one being given and the other being turned away.


The one that wasn't given was Adrien Truffert's foul on Amad Diallo and this decision was the one that cost Man United the win because it was a definite foul.


Truffert was clearly holding Diallo when trying to win the ball off him and he even pushed him just seconds later. How VAR saw nothing wrong with this incident was very surprising because it looked a clear foul and a clear and obvious error.


The one that was given was Harry Maguire's foul on Evanilson which saw Maguire being given a red card as he was the last man and denying a goal scoring opportunity.


The awarding of the penalty was the right decision because it was a definite foul on Evanilson by Maguire. But I didn't think it was a red card offence because there wasn't a lot of contact on Evanilson, and there were other players who could've got back to cover Maguire had he not made the intervention.


Chelsea need a new goalkeeper


I've been saying this since at least last season and Chelsea's defeat at Everton over the weekend confirmed it following another poor performance from Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal.


Sanchez was at fault for Everton's second goal as the ball went straight through him from Beto's shot and was unconvincing all afternoon as he looked uncomfortable with the ball at his feet.


Liam Rosenior has changed his goalkeepers in one or two of Chelsea's recent games including the first leg of their Champions League tie against PSG where Filip Jorgensen started and was at fault for one of the goals.


The blues haven't had a top class keeper since the days of Petr Cech and Thibaut Courtois and that alongside a top quality central defender and striker is what they need if they're to seriously challenge for trophies.


But they're probably not going to get one of that ilk because their model has changed to buying young players who they can sell on or develop in favour of buying the best players around like they did under Roman Abramovich's ownership.


Their current model has seen them go backwards as a club and the longer they stick to it, the less likely they are to win major trophies and the Premier League title.


They can still buy a young exciting keeper with the potential to be a top class keeper like Man United did when they got Senne Lammens in the summer.


But if they want to win trophies and compete near the top of the league, they need to buy a more proven top class keeper.


Villa are in the drivers seat in the race for fourth


Aston Villa put an end to their recent poor on Sunday with their win over West Ham which got their Champions League hopes back on track following three defeats in a row.


With both Liverpool and Chelsea dropping points and out form, you have to say that Villa are now in the drivers seat in the race for fourth.


I say this because they have some favourable fixtures coming up and have got two key players in Youri Tielemans and John McGinn back from injury which is a massive boost for them.


Tielemans and McGinn were both badly missed during Villa's poor run of form and having them back will give their Champions League hopes one massive boost.


They are still in Europa League which will test their squad depth, but with their favourable run in and Liverpool and Chelsea both not being in the best of form, they look the most likely to clinch that all important fourth place.


Is Igor Tudor's time at Spurs over?


Spurs and Igor Tudor appeared to be turning a corner in their season following their encouraging performance against Liverpool last weekend and their win over Atletico Madrid in midweek.


But were brought back down to earth over the weekend following their 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest which left them just a point and a place above the relegation zone.


The pressure is very much back on Igor Tudor following this result and there are once again questions surrounding his future.


Could his time at Spurs be over?


Tudor was brought in to make an instant impact and turn Spurs' season around as he has done so at his previous clubs.


But there hasn't been one as he's picked up just one point from his five league games in charge and his team have been poor in all but one of those games.


He's tried different systems and styles of play in the games he's had in charge and none of them have seemed to work.


The fans have never taken to him and nor have the players as we can tell with the performances they've put in since he took over.


The international break is usually a good time for a team to change managers because it allows the new manager to work with his new team on the training pitch before taking charge of their first game.


With this coming week being an international break and Spurs in serious danger of being relegated, the club may decide to pull the plug on Igor Tudor's reign.

 
 
 

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