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Here’s What We Learnt This Weekend #12

So after the latest week of the Premier League season, here’s what we learnt this weekend:

Firstly we’ve learnt that the pressure now must be cranking up on Andre Villas-Boas down at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea’s defeat at home to Liverpool. Regardless of Glen Johnson scoring a late winner, Chelsea did not deserve to pick up anything from the game and barley threatened Kenny Dalglish’s side at all and looked quite lacklustre to say the least.

Liverpool to their credit took full advantage and deservedly won the game with Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy up top working their socks off. John Terry in the heart of the Blues defence looked shaky and it shall be interesting to see if Villas-Boas drops the England captain who looks fragile alongside David Luiz. Perhaps the reliable Branoslav Ivanovic will be moved back into the centre?

We’ve learnt that the Manchester City steam-train is looking extremely good right now. The way in which Roberto Mancini’s side brushed aside the previously unbeaten Newcastle United shows that based on current-form City do deserve to be top of the table. Incredibly City now have made the best ever start to a Premiership season after 12 games.

Whilst alot of attention this season has been on City’s star-studded strikers in Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez (who could be moving to AC Milan in January if you believe the latest rumour), it’s worth paying tribute to Micah Richards this season who has simply been outstanding. Why Fabio Capello continues not to select him for England’s very strange.

We’ve learnt that when you’re at the bottom of the table, breaks continue to go against you. Roberto Martinez’s excuse for his team having a big ‘voice’ may be an accurate one but the facts remain that you make your own luck and Wigan have continued to make mistake after mistake this season. They are the bookies favourites to go down and rightly so at this moment.

Saying that though, Martinez had every reason to be annoyed with referee Andre Marriner and his officials at the weekend as their decision to allow Junior Hoillet’s equaliser for Blackburn to stand following a controversial corner taken by Morten-Gamst Pedersen was a scandalous one to make. It will be a big surprise if he is allowed to officiate a game this coming weekend.

We’re learnt that Yakubu could prove to be the difference for Blackburn this season after he scored twice in that controversial game at the DW Stadium. Deemed to be past his best by Everton this summer, he has proved Steve Kean’s decision to bring him to Ewood Park was a good gamble to take. Now Blackburn fans just have to hope the Nigerian doesn’t get injured.

You do have to wonder how long Blackburn’s owners can continue to stand by their man amid the massive outcry of public pressure from Rovers fans to sack the unpopular Scot who despite all the flack he’s been getting has handled himself pretty well in the circumstances. The return of defender Scott Dann from injury will certainly help shore up that leaking defence.

We’ve learnt that Arsenal will continue to be labelled as a ‘one man team’ if Robin van Persie continues to keep up his amazing goalscoring form for them. The Dutchman has scored 31 league goals in the calendar year and is in the form of his life producing moments of magic every week for Arsene Wenger whose team have quietly climbed from mid-table to 6th place.

That’s not bad for a team who at the start of September were shipping goals as badly as Derby County were in their embarrassing last stint in the top-flight back in 2007/08. Arsenal have certainly been playing recently and their players have certainly grown together as a squad and after their win against Chelsea should not be underestimated by anybody this season.

Lastly we’ve learnt that QPR’s Heidar Helguson continues to prove the critics wrong after his goals led Neil Warnock’s side to a deserved win at Stoke City, that Steve Bruce must be sick of the sight of Fulham’s Mark Schawrzer who denied his Sunderland side a vital win this weekend and that Phil Jagielka has developed into the perfect Everton captain for David Moyes.

By Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87

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