10 Things We Learned From The English Premier League Football Weekend (30 Sept - 1 Oct 2017)

5. A Substitution Masterclass

Jurgen Klopp
Nigel French/EMPICS Sport

If one thing unites us football fans - besides a shared hatred of John Terry, Joey Barton, and Michael Owen - is that we think we know better than the men who live and have lived the game. The men who earn fortunes within it. The men who see what it is Tom Cleverley actually does.

When Slaven Bilić subbed off Javier Hernández with 15 minutes to go on Saturday, the fans jeered the decision en masse. Understandably so, on the surface; if there's one player capable of scoring from out of the fabled nowhere, it is the diminutive Mexican, who benefits from his off the ball anonymity to slide into the DMs of defenders across the land. What Bilić and few else saw was the Swansea's back line's inability to deal with the aerial threat of Andy Carroll. In bringing on Diafra Sakho, Bilić doubled down the direct onslaught and settled a game low on quality with a late show of brute force. Fellow substitute Arthur Masuaku provided the opportunity with a teasing, pacy delivery. A direct attack settled a directionless game played largely within a creatively barren midfield.

Much as the transfer window has shaped the dirction of this season, Renato Sanches is looking more like a one-tournament wonder with each passing week.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!