#5 Bournemouth back with a win
After a stunning start to the season, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was considered a prospective manager for the English national team. However, over the past few weeks The Cherries have slowed down and it looked like they weren’t able to break through teams like they usually did. However, a Nathan Ake header ensured a deserved victory against Stoke City.
Bournemouth have been lauded for their attractive football despite the obvious lack of superstars in their team and this win could boost their confidence considerably going into the most intense month of football in December. Eddie Howe can only hope they continue the same to avoid any kind of a relegation battle towards the latter bits of the season.
#6 Liverpool’s monstrous attack finally stopped
Over the past few years, there have been a few teams that demand their opposition to sit back and deploy extremely defensive tactics in order to shut out their attack. Big teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich often see their opponents sit back to defend and this is something Southampton did against Liverpool. The Saints were smart enough to see the threat of Liverpool’s attack and sat back to defend and earn a point.
This not only shows that Liverpool can be contained but it also shows that Claude Puel has done his homework. The Saints’ boss has taken a page from Jose Mourinho’s book and his tactics were something similar to what Manchester United did against Liverpool when they faced off earlier this season. A deserved point for the Saints.
