With 11 games played our writers assess what has been good and not so good in England’s top flight as the league takes a winter break
This was a tough one, and an honourable mention has to be given to Martin Ho, who, despite only two summer signings, has taken Tottenham one point past last season’s 20-point total with half the season to play. However, Andrée Jeglertz arrived at Manchester City after managing Denmark at the Euros, where his team failed to pick up a point, and has had an instant impact. City look a different beast under the 53-year-old. The league leaders’ opening-day defeat by Chelsea is firmly in the past: they have won all 10 games since, have scored eight more goals than any other side and have built a six point lead at the top. Where previously City had struggled to kill off matches against title rivals, this season there has been a ruthlessness epitomised by their late winner in a 3-2 defeat of Arsenal, after they had twice given up the lead, and a comprehensive 3-0 win over Manchester United. SW
There can be only one answer here: City. They are playing like potential champions and have used wide areas to great effect. Khadija “Bunny” Shaw is scoring at a rate of more than a goal a game, Lauren Hemp, Aoba Fujino, Kerolin and Kerstin Casparij are at the top of their game and City even coped well despite their captain Alex Greenwood’s recent injury, the sort of absence that might have prompted them to capitulate in previous seasons. Sydney Lohmann and Grace Clinton have settled well, and Vivianne Miedema has created an impressive 22 chances in 11 games as a No 10. TG
