A Premier League weekend to indicate shifts in big six

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( August 12, 2022 [The Independent]( Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney   A Premier League weekend to indicate shifts in big six and the mystery of Mings at Villa   Conte's "war machine" on familiar terrain As the Tottenham Hotspur players like Harry Kane and Hong Seung-Min collapsed to the ground after gruelling pre-season runs, there were smiles of relish on the faces of Antonio Conte and his staff. It wasn’t just that the squad were suffering for their benefit, although there was obviously a mischievous element. It was mostly how they were being honed, toughened. Such military-like training all played into Conte’s belief that his teams, as an ideal, should be “small war machines”. It was a phrase he first used in his first pre-season with Chelsea back in 2016, before their first title. It is also something that Spurs are now starting to resemble, after his first pre-season at White Hart Lane. There is a belief within the team that they are ready to take on Chelsea, and take all three points. That is something that hasn’t happened much in recent history, as Conte knows too well. Chelsea are one club who have a particular habit of disabusing Spurs of such notions when they get too far ahead of themselves. A classic case was the start of the 2017-18 season. Chelsea were in disarray after an opening defeat to Burnley. Spurs were talking about a title challenge, after finishing the last season at the old White Hart Lane under Mauricio Pochettino so commandingly. And what happened? Chelsea won 2-1 with a vintage late winner. But now, Conte having moved across fosters the feeling this is a new Spurs. It is also very much a new Chelsea, certainly in terms of the guiding principles of the club. That is also why the mood in their dressing room is very much to show the natural order of London football. It could make for a game with real bite. Mentality the main issue at Old Trafford For all the justifiable noise about Manchester United’s transfers, and the manner a new era got off to such a bad start, Erik ten Hag believes the current crisis is mostly down to old and continuous issues. He believes the squad are still suffering from an almost defeatist mentality that has pervaded the club. While the Dutch coach pretty much had the current players how he wanted them tactically, that was immediately undermined by the manner their confidence dropped after conceding the first against Brighton and Hove Albion. It was as if, amid all the new hope, all of the issues from the last few seasons suddenly caved in. This is how the players felt. This is what Ten Hag has been working on this week, to fortify that conviction. It is why we may well see them come raging out at Brentford. That is at least so long as everything goes to plan, something that isn’t exactly a guarantee with United now. Questions of leadership The issues with United’s transfers are still undeniable, mind. It is a poor reflection of their recruitment that they are scrabbling around for first-team players this late in the window, and feeds into doubts that are being relayed about John Murtough and Darren Fletcher elsewhere in the game. Most well-run clubs generally have their business done by now. Allowances can be made for the fact this is a new era but both Murtough and Fletcher have been there for some time, attempting to articulate an ideal to conform to. Without that, much greater responsibility has been put on Ten Hag, who has had to make more decisions on recruitment than he ever did at Ajax. Hence some of the names. Hence the opinion uttered by some observers that United could almost sign any current European pro and they wouldn’t be surprised. So much is still being pinned on Frenkie de Jong, who they haven’t given up total hope on yet. Chelsea, however, are much more confident. After that, there are so many links... He might yet have Paris If the Paris Saint-Germain interest in Marcus Rashford surprised a few, it is actually long-standing. They have kept in contact with the player's camp for three years, going back to when Thomas Tuchel was there. Rashford is naturally interested for all sorts of reasons, including the above. He could do with a fresh start. He would also represent a refresh for PSG. Part of the reason they want him is to reshape the team once Leo Messi leaves, so Rashford would serve as a "raider" with Kylian Mbappe down the middle. Mings issue creates more problems for Gerrard Mystery surrounds Tyrone Mings’ relegation to the bench at Aston Villa, but some around the club think it could be strikingly simple. There is a belief Steven Gerrard didn’t like the centre-half’s response to missing some games last season, so has taken an opportunity to display his strength. It could serve to weaken the manager’s position. Mings has “a bit of an ego”, but he is generally liked and has considerable support in the Villa dressing room. It all feels like needless noise just as Gerrard needs composure, as both he and former midfield partner/rival Frank Lampard endure increasing pressure ahead of a crunch early fixture between Aston Villa and Everton this Saturday. Drawing wrong conclusions from coach's pictures Much has been made of Mikel Arteta’s drawings and some other techniques in the Arsenal series “All or Nothing”. Those who know the manager have insisted on some explanations, though. The first is that Arteta wasn’t as comfortable with cameras around, say, as Jose Mourinho. As such, he only allowed certain superficial approaches to be filmed. The drawings were meanwhile an attempt to just simplify things for the players, in the hope it will help them internalise the more complicated work on the training ground. Arsenal’s preseason and first game, at least, show it might be working. The feeling is it is just one more factor that has sharpened and unified the focus at the club.   Top stories [Raheem Sterling can thrive with extra ‘freedom’ in Chelsea’s evolving attack]( [FPL tips gameweek 2: Erling Haaland, Brenden Aaronson, William Saliba and more](   Miguel's Dispatches Chelsea might be under new owners, but they are one club who still engage in an increasingly old media tradition - much to our gratitude. They still have introductory press conferences with big new signings. The development elsewhere is something of a pity, since players have used these events to set a tone, and it does offer an opportunity to get to know them. It is part of an increasing trend, though, where some clubs almost see themselves as “in competition” with media and want to keep such presentations for their own channels. So, in an increasingly rare occurrence outside a handful of clubs, the media were at Cobham on Thursday to speak to Raheem Sterling. It was very welcome, especially as he spoke so maturely on issues like racism and the abuse he suffered at Stamford Bridge before. There was one big line left hanging there, though, that might not have made official media at other clubs. It was his reference to his relationship with Pep Guardiola. “It was a big surprise. It was a massive surprise … a change of events all of a sudden. It’s something I had to handle and that’s why I’m here. Me and the manager and the people at the club know exactly what the reasons were.”   Quote of the day "It’s been different for me since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid. It’s true that I’ve scored many more goals, but when Cristiano was here, we had a different style of play, I was providing more assists. He really helped me on and off the pitch. But at that time, I did know that I could do more and when he left, it was the time to change my game, change my ambitions and I am doing that well at the moment." Perhaps the best player in the world right now, Karim Benzema, on the jump in his game   Reading the game quiz With Raheem Sterling making his home debut for Chelsea this weekend, he is surprisingly one of just 19 London natives to have won the Premier League. Name the other 18. ([You can find out the answers here](. The answer page will be updated weekly and contains answers from previous newsletters, too)   INDYBEST /BEST SPORTS BUY](   11 best trail bikes that’ll help you tackle tough terrain We hunted down sets of wheels for both the uninitiated and regular riders alike and broken the reviews down into: frame, suspension, spec and overall ride. [Click here for our reviews](     Essential reading Qatar’s World Cup legacy has to go beyond a spectacular vanity project – but will it?](   [Contrasting styles in defensive rebuilds as Chelsea face Tottenham in season’s first top-four encounter]( //link.e.independent.co.uk/click/28706905.16241/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvc3BvcnQvZm9vdGJhbGwvd2FsZXMtZ2FyZXRoLWJhbGUtdWtyYWluZS1hbmRyaXkteWFybW9sZW5rby1jYXJkaWZmLWIyMTEyMTEzLmh0bWw/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B8867c3f0   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). 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