The Daily Telegraph - 26.08.2019

league of their own

It is here that Emery has bought

David Luiz precisely in order to

prevent such incursions. The

Brazilian’s leadership qualities

were meant to instil an

organisational improvement to the

Arsenal defence, to shore up the

leakage of goals. But Mo Salah’s

pace left him floundering as if the

luminous yellow boots he wore

were lined with lead. First, with

Arsenal already a goal behind to

Joel Matip’s precise header, he

attempted an early shirt swap with

the Egyptian which led to a

penalty. Then, constrained by the

booking he picked up for that

offence, he allowed Liverpool’s

quicksilver forward to wriggle past

him and smack home a third goal.

Emery reckoned the penalty a

critical turning point. But the thing

about this Liverpool – and the

reason they remain in the

ascendant – is even had Luiz kept

his hands to himself it seems

certain they would have found

another way through. As the player

himself, who, despite his torrid

afternoon was characteristically

willing to stop and discuss the

performance, admitted. “We are

playing against a fantastic team

where they have rhythm, they play

with intensity, they never stop,”

said Luiz. “We have to look

forward. We have played three

games, we have six points, it is just

the beginning of the league so we

have to fight until the end.”

Fight to the end they did, at

least, at Anfield this time. Indeed

for a brief period around the

substitute Lucas Torreira

conjuring up a late consolation,

they were on top. Though by then

Liverpool were already resting up

for challenges ahead. Which will

take further shape with Thursday’s

Champions League draw.

For Arsenal the marker points

remain imminent. Next weekend

they face their local rivals.

“Against Tottenham it is not just

three points,” said Emery. “We

want to show where we are against

them, where we are against a team

that reached the final of the

Champions League – and also it is

the derby. We will find out a lot

about our situation.”

Though after Saturday the

reality is already clear: with

Liverpool and City showing no sign

of diminishing, for the rest, the

chase is still for third.

Striker Goals Games

Enner Valencia 10 72

Diafra Sakho 24 71

Nene 0 8

Martin 0 0

Samuelsen

Michail Antonio 28 131

Luka Belic 0 0

Nikica Jelavic 2 14

Emmanuel 2 16

Emenike

Ashley Fletcher 1 20

Sofiane 4 27

Feghouli

Toni Martinez 0 3

Simone Zaza 0 11

Jonathan Calleri 1 19

Andre Ayew 12 50

Javier 17 63

Hernandez

Marko 22 65

Arnautovic

Oladapo 0 0

Afolayan

Andriy 2 12

Yarmolenko

Lucas Perez 6 19

Xande Silva 0 2

Jordan Hugill 0 3

Sebastien Haller 2 2

Albian Ajeti 0 0

Firing blanks West Ham’s search for a potent striker

Two goals but I was

terrible, says Haller

licence to roam by Lampard

By Ian Winrow

at Vicarage Road

Sebastien Haller might have be-

come West Ham United’s record

signing this summer, but there is no

sign that the status that accompa-

nies a hefty £45 million price tag

has gone to the forward’s head.

No one would have begrudged

him a moment of self-congratula-

tion after his double in the 3-1 win

at Watford in his second game for

the club. Haller thought differently.

“It was a terrible game for me,”

he said. “Yes. I wasn’t that good to-

day – it wasn’t my best game. But at

the end it was two goals – that is the

job of the striker. Even if sometimes

it is not easy to judge someone

when he doesn’t score but plays a

good game. Today was the oppo-

site. I am just happy that I helped

the team to win the game.”

Haller was being unduly hard on

himself but Manuel Pellegrini, the

West Ham manager, will have been

quietly pleased that the French-

man, signed after Marko Arnau-

tovic moved to China and Andy

Carroll was released, offered no

signs of complacency as he settles

into life in the Premier League.

Pellegrini had targeted the

25-year-old following Haller’s fine

performances for Eintracht Frank-

furt last season. Haller scored 20

goals in all competitions but just as

impressive was his ability to bring

out the best in team-mates, most

notably Luka Jovic whose form

earned him a move to Real Madrid.

Haller acknowledges it will take

time to bed in, but his goals provide

an immediate release of some of the

pressures placed on an expensive

new arrival while there were par-

perienced players such as Kovacic

come in and the Croatia interna-

tional is convinced Abraham is not

far off the finished article.

“He knows where he needs to

go,” said Kovacic “As a striker he

sometimes needs to come and

sometimes needs to go, but he al-

ready knows what to do so I cannot

teach him much because I am not a

striker or a great goalscorer. He is

doing really well and will improve.”

Lampard was impressed with the

way his players adjusted to the late

enforced changes, in particular

with Mount, whom he worked with

last season at Derby, where the

youngster was on loan.

“I don’t want to say it’s surprised

me because I’ve got real belief in

him but it has made me sit up and

take more notice of where he can

get to in the game,” said Lampard.

“At Derby he was great. But that’s

one thing. Coming to Chelsea, with

the competition he’s got in midfield

and the expectation level that

comes with it, is another thing. He’s

not a boy that wants the razzmatazz

of it all, he just wants to be a top

player for Chelsea and then Eng-

land and I believe he can be.”

Abraham hit 26 Championship

goals while on loan at Aston Villa

last season, but was beaten in the

scoring stakes by Finn Teemu

Pukki, who continued his impres-

sive start in the top flight, with Nor-

wich’s second equaliser and an

assist for Todd Cantwell, as he

moved to five goals in three games.

While Norwich’s attacking style

is thrilling for crowds, defensively

they are poor and will concede

many goals this season. The return

from injury of Timm Klose this

week could help them, even if it

means Grant Hanley dropping out.

ticular signs of encouragement in

the way he linked with substitute

Michail Antonio.

Operating as the focal point of

the West Ham attack, Haller made

an immediate contribution, leading

the counter-attack that led to Mark

Noble giving the visitors a third-

minute lead from the spot after Ma-

nuel Lanzini had been brought

down by Abdoulaye Doucoure. The

Frenchman then featured less

prominently until Antonio’s arrival

shifted the momentum of the game

to West Ham. Haller had already

put Pellegrini’s side ahead in the

64th minute with a close-range fin-

ish before he reacted well to head

his second after Ben Foster pushed

Antonio’s header on to the bar.

The need to justify a club’s outlay

can weigh heavily on a player, par-

ticularly at West Ham where any

number of high-profile strikers

have failed to live up to the billing.

However, Haller, said: “I have to say

in football that there is always pres-

sure. Sometimes because of a big

transfer, sometimes it is if I am go-

ing to play or have a contract and

everything. I can’t say I have pres-

sure – this is part of the game. It is

good pressure because they have

bought me for a lot of money.”

While Haller’s goals, together

with a first win of the season, give

Pellegrini cause for optimism, Javi

Gracia is experiencing an uneasy

start. Three defeats have extended

the losing streak that started with

the last four of last season and with

Troy Deeney out injured for two

months, the Watford manager

badly needs a lift. “It’s disappoint-

ing,” said midfielder Tom Cleverley.

“We’re all accountable. You have to

start with yourself when you are in

a sticky patch. But we can’t feel

sorry for ourselves.”

Heatmap

The 25-year-old's heat map

shows how much work he put in

across the centre and down the

right flank at Carrow Road.

Covering ground

4

Touchmap

Direction of play

His touch map highlights his

contribution to a Chelsea

midfield-three who retained

possession expertly. Kovacic

and Barkley both completed 46

passes on either side of

Jorginho, who completed 54.

Keeping the ball

5

Mateo Kovacic

evades the challenge

of Tom Trybull

Direction of play

Striker Goals Games

Ilan 4 11

Benni McCarthy 0 13

Mido (loan) 0 9

Pablo Barrera 0 23

Frederic 11 62

Piquionne

Victor Obinna 8 32

Robbie Keane 2 10

(loan)

Demba Ba 7 13

Brian 0 1

Montenegro

(loan)

John Carew 2 21

Sam Baldock 5 22

Terry Dixon 0 0

Nicky Maynard 4 17

Ricardo Vaz Te 19 61

Modibo Maiga 7 45

Andy Carroll 34 142

Wellington 0 0

Paulista (loan)

Sean Maguire 0 0

Marouane 0 2

Chamakh

Mladen Petric 0 4

Carlton Cole 9 56

Jaanai Gordon 0 0

Marco Borriello 0 13

Mauro Zarate 7 29

Sebastien Haller is one of 47 forwards who have been with the

club since 2010, with the majority failing to make the grade

The Daily Telegraph Monday 26 August 2019 *** 13

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws