Martin Lipton's Premier League review: The Monday Morning Manager
The Daily Mirror's Chief Football writer Martin Lipton will be here every Monday morning to review the weekend's Premier League fixtures. And come back every Friday when Laptop will provide his expert analysis on the weekend ahead and unveil his predictions...
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
Actually, I'm not too sure that George Santayana had football in his mind when he wrote that back in 1905 but the resonance for Arsene Wenger and Roy Hodgson cannot be understated.
Wenger left Stamford Bridge yesterday bearing that all-too-familiar cast of mind.
The Arsenal boss, once again, was left to reflect that his side had played all the football but not delivered in the commodity that really counts in football - goals.
And, of course, the agent of destruction for Chelsea was the one it seemingly always is, Didier Drogba.
For half an hour, if there was a winner, you would have suggested the men in red, not blue.
Jack Wilshere was outstanding, Abou Diaby joined from midfield, Arsenal pushed and probed, creating chances they should have taken.
But, once more, they did not take them. And when you do not convert, you lose. Time and time and time again.
This time, at least, it was not down to the Arsenal goalkeeper, even if there were enough "Flappy Handski" moments to keep everybody on their toes.
Yet just as Drogba bullied the life out of Philippe Senderos and Kolo Toure in the past, at Stamford Bridge it was Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci who crumbled under the pressure.
Like it or not, this was a match that summed up the difference between Wenger's men and Carlo Ancelotti's side.
Arsenal played the football, knocking it about, forcing Chelsea to defend in depth, constantly extended, unable to impose themselves in their normal fashion.
Yet even when Chelsea do not play well, they have that crucial X-Factor, the belief and expectation that, eventually, they will win.
Of course, it helps when you have Drogba, whose one-man campaign against the Gunners must be getting close to becoming a sick joke for every Arsenal supporter.
Had Drogba been wearing an Arsenal shirt, and Marouanne Chamakh in blue, this surely would have been an away win, closing the gap rather than seeing it reach a worrying large seven points after just seven games.
Instead, Chelsea look dominant, their mood even more bright after a weekend which saw Manchester United slip up away from Old Trafford yet again and Roberto Mancini's City take the opportunity to move up to second.
Eight points dropped in four away matches is not title-winning form, as Sir Alex Ferguson well knows. There are now few other margins for error, putting United under real pressure even at this early stage of the campaign.
Then again, Ferguson's problems pale into utter insignificance in comparison with the ones facing Hodgson at Anfield after Liverpool's worst start to a season since they were relegated in 1953-54.
That fate, still, seems unlikely to come Liverpool's way - just look at how Spurs recovered from their shocking start two years ago to retain a chance of a Europa League spot going into the final game - but the issues are mounting.
Losing to Blackpool in normal circumstances would be unacceptable for any Liverpool team. Losing as badly as they did at Anfield was beyond disgraceful.
The plaintive chants of "Dalglish" from the Anfield fans mid-way through the shocking 2-1 defeat were an anguished plea for salvation at a club which has lost its way on and off the pitch.
Allowing Blackpool so much room in midfield was quite simply criminal and while there were chances for Joe Cole and Sotiris Kyrgiakos, there could be no complaints at all at the final result and the ramifications which leave Liverpool in the drop zone.
The next 10 days will be a testing time for Hodgson, unable to do anything about it and just hoping that nobody pushes the panic button, but the fact that Liverpool's next game is the Merseyside derby at Goodison will only add to the tense atmosphere swirling round Melwood.
No doubt the atmosphere is certainly clearer at Everton after getting off the mark at Birmingham and at Spurs, where Rafael Van Der Vaart continued his claims on the hearts of the Tottenham faithful with the double that earned a comeback win over Aston Villa.
Spurs may be in a slightly false position - their form has not been that of a fifth-placed club and the fixture list has been kind - but Harry Redknapp has been battling without any central defensive consistency and also missing Jermine Defoe, making the performances far more impressive.
Elsewhere, West Brom are looking more and more as if they will end their "yo-yo" status, picking up another point from the clash with Bolton, West Ham are not pushing the panic button despite dropping to bottom - four games unbeaten have bolstered the mood at Upton Park - and Wigan eased fears with that elusive first home win, aided and abetted by Karl Henry's act of madness.
The real issues, though, are going through the minds of Wenger and Hodgson. They will not have enjoyed their breakfasts this morning.
What do you think of Martin's weekend assessment? Let us know by leaving a comment below...
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