5 Lessons from Prem weekend: Liverpool uncover new chaotic trio; Vieira shows up for Arsenal; Dyche shakes Everton

Jurgen Klopp finds a chaotic new forward trio, Bournemouth unveil an innovative kick-off routine and Fabio Vieira has revealed why Arsenal brought the Portuguese to London. Here are five lessons we learned from the Premier League weekend…

1) GAKPO, NUNEZ & SALAH INDICATE A WILD AND JOYFUL FUTURE

Liverpool ruined just about everything we thought we knew about them and Manchester United with an unusual result at Anfield and it would be wrong to take our previous ideas of Jurgen Klopp and Erik ten Hags’ fragile rebuild, the measured control of things at tear completely to United. However, this game was in line with our recent analysis of Liverpool, who have found a fiery and chaotic new energy since the Merseyside derby.

Stefan Bajcetic appeared to add a spark that allowed Liverpool to press higher and more effectively again and the corollary of the restart is a revamped front line that shows the future. Cody Gakpo played deep here, a false nine which effectively turned the Liverpool formation into a 4-4-2 of diamonds with Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah just ahead of him. Gakpo offered far more than Roberto Firmino has been able to in the past, adding urgency and purpose beyond the liaison work.

Nunez remains a wild presence on the left, but has a strength that not even Sadio Mane had, while Mohamed Salah was back in his prime on the right. As a trio they were frenetic and often out of sync, confusing their opponents until Ten Hag’s defenders were sent out of position. The downside of being so erratic is that it becomes contagious, sending the other team into a tailspin.

2) RENEWED ARSENAL SHOWS THE DEPTH OF THE EXPECTED

While this was another victory based on emotion more than anything else, tactically the most surprising aspect has been how Mikel Arteta utilizes more of his roster towards the end of this season. Lui started the game with Fabio Vieira as Granit Xhaka and the Portuguese did well by adding a Bernardo Silva-style grace to that left half to show that Arteta’s coach is deep enough for fringe players to fill in.

However, his influence was likely limited by Emile Smith Rowe’s rust on the left wing and the two didn’t work particularly effectively together, prompting Arteta to bring in Reiss Nelson, who assisted in the equalizer before scoring the winner. Nelson’s immediacy was a good replacement for Gabriel Martinelli, further solidifying the notion that Arsenal can maintain their form despite going deep in the Europa League.

With Jorginho and Kieran Tierney unused substitutes and Gabriel Jesus working on a stoppage time, Arsenal suddenly don’t look like the lean squad we thought they were in January. For that reason alone, they should be title favorites.

3) BOURNEMOUTH’S SECOND 10 KICK OFF OBJECTIVES CONTAIN INNOVATION POINT

The second-fastest goal in Premier League history was particularly interesting because of Bournemouth’s unique way of displaying a set-piece. This was a real innovation, found in an unlikely place; Few clubs, if any, have given as much thought to how to use a kick-off as if it were a normal set-piece and this focus opens up a new avenue for teams to explore tactical tricks .

Bournemouth were packed down the left, so Arsenal called in anticipation of a long ball, only for Joe Rothwell to suddenly sprint and take Dominic Solanke’s pass and put Dango Outtara in a dangerous position down the right. It was a smart decision that surprised Arsenal – and could have had a huge impact on the title race. We will surely see more of this in the future.

The break is an interesting time for playbooks because it looks a lot like the start of a set piece in American football. Maybe in the years to come we’ll see players making mock runs and runs, waiting for the quarterback to throw an unseen pass into a dangerous area.

4) NO-STRIKE SYSTEM SUGGESTS DYCHE CAN PUT EVERTON ON THE LINE

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s absence and the impact on Sean Dyche’s ability to implement his long-ball football have raised a lot of concerns. Without him there is no one to hit those long balls to and it had left Everton a bit toothless, but Dyche has already shown he is more adaptable than we imagined by watching Burnley use the same 4-4 -2 for many years. After playing against Neal Maupay as a singles striker last weekend, Dyche went 4-6-0 on Saturday, with Demarai Gray falling so low up front that he really became another midfielder. ground. This often meant Everton had two wingers to one side when Gray doubled in, which had the unique advantage against Nottingham Forest of crushing the full-back in Steve Cooper’s tight 4-3-2-1.

Both Everton goals were the result of brawls in a crowded box, proving Dyche can also score without a striker: Abdoulaye Doucoure and Amadou Onana both ventured out more often than expected, while Dwight McNeil worked hard to appear at the back post to ensure Everton can create chances without a big man at the top.

5) DOMINANT BRIGHTON SUGGEST MOYES WILL NOT RECOVER

Brighton completely overwhelmed West Ham United in a 4-0 win and would have put David Moyes in a dangerous position as press leaks suggest the dressing room are unhappy with the negative aspects of football. Perhaps unsurprising after such a big loss which saw West Ham have less than 40 per cent possession and score three meager shots on target, but what was most interesting about the performance was the fact that Moyes chose an offensive formation.

His 4-2-3-1 featured as many forwards as one would expect, with Lucas Paqueta once again taking center stage as Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma backing up Danny Ings. But Moyes doesn’t have the tactical faith to really open up and train a more expressive football. Therefore, more attacking selections than him only create defensive problems (Brighton ripped central midfield) rather than West Ham taking the initiative.

It is overwhelming evidence that if West Ham are to evolve into a more exciting team, they need to change managers.