Branding battle inside Premier League show story from glory to crisis

LET us discuss Arne Slot.

Will fans remember him as the manager who won the league using Juergen Klopp’s players? Or will they remember him as the manager who struggles against teams playing a 3-4-3?

Maybe, they’ll remember him as a coach who lifted the Premier League title in his debut season.

Or perhaps, he will be remembered as the one who handed Ruben Amorim his first back-to-back victories in the Premier League.​

Yes, you read that right. Amorim has finally done it.​

Manchester United’s victory at Anfield will instil belief in the players that the 3-4-3 system works.

To beat your closest rival on their home ground for the first time in 10 years says a lot.

For Liverpool, losing four consecutive matches in all competitions is uncharted territory and will trigger unpleasant memories of the Brendan Rodgers era.

This is Slot’s second defeat against a team playing 3-4-3, and it all began with the loss to Crystal Palace that started this unexpected slide.​

The scoreline could have been far worse for Slot’s men had United been more composed in front of goal.

Once again, Slot seemed unsure of his best eleven and what tactics to deploy. Throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks is not a strategy that wins titles.

At the moment, Slot looks clueless. If the instability continues, the media may start questioning whether last season’s league triumph had less to do with his tactical genius and more with Arsenal sabotaging themselves in the title run-in.​

Speaking of the North London club, Arsenal truly lived up to their “Set Piece FC” reputation over the weekend. Another goal from a corner secured victory and reaffirmed their mastery in that department.

Mikel Arteta’s men dominated the match but needed their trusted formula to break the deadlock. The Gunners are finding ways to win and ticking all the right boxes to be genuine title contenders.

May it continue, because this title race is shaping up to be a thriller.​

No one doubts Erling Haaland’s credibility as a striker, but the Norwegian continues to redefine dominance.

He now has eight goals and one assist in his last five games.

In the European context, fans are witnessing a three-way shootout among Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe.

Manchester City briefly went top before Arsenal’s win, and Pep Guardiola will be pleased that his side are improving with each game while tightening up defensively.

This is the part of the season where contenders start separating themselves from pretenders.​

Personally, if I were Ange Postecoglou, I would never have taken the Nottingham Forest job. His reputation took a hit last season in the Premier League, even though he won the Europa League with Tottenham Hotspur.

Taking over at Forest after Nuno was a trap waiting to happen.

Postecoglou’s style carried too much negativity, and he was never going to get a fair chance because the media would constantly bring up his past results.

True enough, not even his Greek heritage could save him after just 39 days.

Following a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, Evangelos Marinakis pulled the plug. Roberto Mancini is now the frontrunner for the role.

If Nuno stabilises West Ham and sends Forest down, that will be quite the revenge arc.​

The stereotype after every international break is that the matches will be dull and low-scoring. Crystal Palace and Bournemouth tore that script apart, playing out a thrilling 3-3 draw.

At halftime, many questioned whether Olivier Glasner’s magic had faded as Palace trailed 2-0.

Tactical adjustments in the second half saw the newly capped French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta score twice in quick succession to level the match. A late penalty earned him a hattrick and sealed a share of the points.

If you only have time to rewatch one game this weekend, make it Eagles versus Cherries – pure entertainment.​

Aston Villa, meanwhile, are quietly climbing the table after winning five straight in all competitions. Their latest victory came at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur.

Thomas Frank is still figuring out his best set-up, while Unai Emery has built a settled squad with genuine depth.

When you can afford to leave Ollie Watkins on the bench, that’s a sign of a confident manager.

Slot could take a page from Emery’s book because Mohamed Salah, in his current form, is stealing a living at £400,000 a week.​

This gameweek shattered the usual “post-international break” pattern of slow, cautious matches. Instead, fans were treated to open, entertaining football across the board.

With the table tightening up, every team have something to fight for.

Let’s hope this level of excitement continues after the final international break in November because the Premier League has rarely looked this competitive.

*The views expressed here are solely the writer’s own. The writer would also like to apologise for a slight error in his previous article. He mentioned that it was the last international break but there is one more in November to determine which teams qualify for the World Cup.