5 Things We Learned from Premier League Weekend

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Arsenal are in seventh place, Chelsea are looking rather ordinary and Manchester United aren't catching anyone's eye. 

Another wild and eventful weekend in the English Premier League. 

With November upon us, many teams will soon be shifting some of their focus to European and cup competitions, and just about everyone will start looking at possible transfers in January.

Let's look back at the weekend that was in the Premier League. 

1 - Arsenal Are Quietly Climbing Up the Table

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Not long ago, Arsenal were languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table. They had just come off a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, and the handful of deadline transfers Arsene Wenger had been able to pull off weren't helping at all.

Now, the Gunners have quietly pulled themselves into seventh place with 16 points and are on a three-game winning streak. 

Arsenal had the result of the weekend on Saturday with a 5-3 mauling of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a game in which the score really doesn't tell the whole story. 

Seventh place certainly isn't good enough for Arsenal, and competition for Champions League places won't be easy, but they at least look like they're up to the challenge now.

2 - John Terry Can't Be Happy with That Defense

Chelsea on the other hand, and captain John Terry in particular, have always prided themselves on their defense, and it was downright embarrassing this weekend.

Neither side seemed all that committed to defense as both back lines were carved apart with ease, and Terry more than ever looked slow and vulnerable at the back. 

Arsenal repeatedly passed right through Chelsea's back four, and it's somewhat surprising they could only get five goals out of it.

Both Chelsea's and Arsenal's defenses were horrible in Arsenal's 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but everyone already knew Arsenal's defense was their weakness. 

3 - It's Not Just Chelsea and Arsenal Who Are Lacking in Defense

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Goals, goals, goals. Goals have been the name of the game in the Premier League through the first 10 rounds of games.

So far, there have been 290 goals scored, and there have only been eight scoreless games. Four teams have kept four clean sheets, the most in the league. 

Is the Premier League overall becoming a more attacking league, or are defenses just not what they used to be?

Do more goals mean more entertainment, or are games like Arsenal 5-3 Chelsea more like an exhibition than anything else?

4 - How Can an Assitant Give Penalty When Referee Was Right There?

Liverpool were awarded a penalty early in the match at West Brom, and it sent the Reds on their way to a rather easy 2-0 win over the Baggies.

The penalty itself wasn't as controversial as who awarded it, though.

Referee Lee Mason was right in front of the action when Jerome Thomas tripped Luis Suarez ever so slightly in the box, but Mason initially waved it off. A couple seconds later, however, he awarded the penalty to Liverpool after his assistant gave him the signal.

It was a soft penalty for sure and obviously not a stonewall one, but how could the assistant have had a better view than Mason, who was standing right there?

Mason clearly did not think Thomas had fouled Suarez as he allowed play to continue for several seconds before seeing his assistant's flag, from 20 yards away no less.

NextTransfers; Who's Staying, Who's Going, Who's Arriving?

Van Persie Again!

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Adam Johnson scored a fantastic goal for Manchester City on Saturday to make it 3-1, and to kill off any hopes Wolves may have had of earning a draw.

Oddly enough, he may have helped City in more ways than just securing three points. Johnson is just one Premier League player struggling to get into the first team, and he could very well be on the move in January.

With two months to go before the winter transfer window opens, clubs will be looking at which of their players are expendable and who else's players they'd like to have. 

Arsenal are full of confidence right now, but an injury to just about any player could ruin their season. Another centre-back (because Per Mertesacker hasn't been what people thought he'd be) would be a prudent purchase. 

Another striker and/or winger wouldn't be a bad move either. Ditching Andrei Arshavin is a must.

Liverpool, meanwhile, may also want another centre-back and a midfielder or two (Adam Johnson perhaps?), while Chelsea may need to start looking for John Terry's eventual replacement. Manchester United's defense without Nemanja Vidic is nothing to brag about, either.

Manchester City really don't need anyone, but they'll surely do some shopping in January nonetheless. 

Then there's players like Roman Pavluychenko, Giovani dos Santos and Heurlho Gomes who are all praying to be sent somewhere, anywhere but where they are. Wasn't life better when Harry Redknapp liked you?

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Carlos Tevez: Forcing His Way out of Manchester City

Where will he end up next?
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Carlos Tevez…where do we even begin with him? An outstanding footballer to say the least, but his attitude tends to get the best of him after a while. Every team he goes to, he repeatedly does the same exact thing: forces his way out.

While playing at Corinthians in Brazil, towards the end of his second year, he refused to play and ended up forcing a move to West Ham. After completing a £13.7 million move to Corinthians from Argentine club Boca Juniors, Tevez left behind 25 goals in 38 matches for the Brazilian squad. His transfer  was also recorded as the biggest transfer for a South American club.

Once again, while at West Ham, similar problems occurred, and the Argentine International managed to force his way out. In the end, he signed a contract with Manchester United. What was interesting was that the contract was a two-year loan deal.

So to make a long story short, Tevez is now with Manchester City, and he once again is having ‘issues’ within the club. His refusal to come in against Bayern Munich after not getting the starting spot hit the media, and it has been a daily topic ever since. He is reportedly the highest paid player in the Premier League, with a bankroll of about £200,000/week, but still he can’t seem to be happy.

His constant complaints about his family being far from him and not being able to get adapted to the English life are common excuses for him. But wait, hasn’t he been in the country since joining West Ham in 2006? Tevez must have forgotten that West Ham & Manchester United are also in England.

It had been rumored that City’s owners were so interested in keeping Tevez that they were willing to give Tevez and his family whatever they needed while in England to make them feel at home. So on top of his high salary, he now also has the opportunity to basically get what he wants. To me, he sounds like a spoiled baby!

This man is getting paid mass amounts of money to do something he loves, or maybe something he doesn’t really love, but it’s a job for him. It’s sad to say that there are millions of people around the world that would give anything for even an opportunity to get a professional contract, yet there are athletes like Tevez, who constantly bitch and moan about not getting paid enough, not liking where they are playing or not wanting to come in as a sub.

The amount of money that these players are getting paid in my opinion is an absolute overkill, and unfortunately it has ruined the game in many ways. The rich teams will continue to get richer, and the average teams will continue to get poorer. It’s unfortunate, because at some point, only the teams that have owners and investors will be able to compete with each other.

Those days when a mid-table team could surprise the world and have a great run and win the title appear to be long gone. They at times can start off strong, but with the lack of money and lack of depth within the squad, they end up burning out by mid-season.

So my question is: when will FIFA regulate all these transfers? They have been speaking of this new transfer policy for a few years now, but it still appears that teams that have the money can still somehow purchase whomever for whatever amount because there are loopholes.

FIFA needs to begin to enforce these rules sooner rather than later, before the world's most popular game gets run into the ground. In my honest opinion, I think someone needs to be used as an example, and why not Tevez? As an owner of a club, if they sit Tevez for the remainder of his contract, they will obviously lose him for free at the end of his contract, but they will at least show the rest of the squad and those with interest of joining City that they will not tolerate any of that.

What is your opinion on the Tevez situation and others like his?

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Van Persie: Feel like I can score every game

In-form Arsenal striker Robin van Persie says he feels like he can score every time he steps on to the pitch.

The Dutchman's hat-trick against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge saw the Gunners win 5-3 in an astonishing game on Saturday.

Van Persie's three strikes took his season tally in the Premier League to 10 and the forward can feel the confidence coursing through his veins.

In comments reported in the Daily Mirror, he said:"I feel I can score every time I go out on to the pitch.

"For me it's just the best feeling to have. It doesn't really matter against who we play, we always create chances so that means I always have a go. Then it's up to me to score.

"I'll miss chances, but I'll score them as well. To have that feeling is one of the best things in life."

After being written off in the early stages of the campaign, Arsenal have hit a purple patch that has seen them win eight out of nine games in all competitions and climb from 15th in the Premier League table at the beginning of the month to seventh after beating Chelsea.

Van Persie feels critics should now acknowledge Arsenal's form.

"I think we've been having a good run for almost two months now. A bit quiet, not many people have noticed it.

"But we won eight games out of nine and to win this one sets a standard. Everyone realises we can now do it against any team.

"It's [the match at Stamford Bridge] one of the craziest games I've been involved in. Eight goals says it all. They missed a couple of big chances and so did we.

"I had a feeling both teams could score from every angle, every minute of the game. Strange game, but fun as well.

"To score five goals here is a big achievement, and especially because we had to come back twice.

Arsenal were losing 1-0 and then 2-1 before leading 3-2. After Juan Mata equalised for Chelsea, the home sides looked to be favourites to win, but Van Persie's late brace ensured a famous win for Wenger's men.

"The 10 minutes before time they scored another equaliser. It's very hard to regroup again and go for the fourth. Two big blows," continued the 28-year-old.

"But we did it, we came back and showed ­character. To score five goals at ­Stamford Bridge is a big thing, we can be very proud."

Arsenal host Marseille in the Champions League next before taking on West Brom at the Emirates on Saturday.

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Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll: Beauty and the Beast, a Blossoming Partnership

Andy Carroll: a big problem for the Albion defence
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Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish was trying to play it down in the post match press conference, but there was no hiding his delight with his team's performance at the Hawthorns against West Brom.

Suarez had played a blinder. He was brilliant. His movement, his pace, his first touch, his vision—all reminiscent of a young Michael Owen. And his technical skills—far superior to any English player in recent years. We just don't produce players like that in this country.

But we do produce robust, hearty all-action heroes like Andy Carroll. Dalglish was ready to admit that this was Carroll's best performance in a Liverpool shirt. He lacks the class of Suarez, but he is a big handful, and the Albion defence were unable to deal with him.

Carroll scored on the stroke of half-time and missed a couple of good chances in the second half. He won most of the aerial battles, took the pressure off Suarez and provided a target for long, diagonal balls from Adam and Lucas.

At times, his giant frame and clumsy touch contrasted strongly with the slick, quick skills of Suarez.

But together, their mix of brain and brawn, muscle and subtlety, slickness and thickness are a match-winning combination.

West Bromwich Albion fans will point to the least attractive feature of Suarez's game.

He went down far too easily from the challenge by Jerome Thomas. It won him a penalty that Adam scored. Thomas's challenge was ill-judged. A winger's tackle.

But Suarez made the most of it.

We have seen him do this before. What a shame it would be if this gifted genius of a player were to spoil his reputation by cheating. He has no need to do it. He has more skill than any other striker in the Premier League.

To be a genius, he must continue to play brilliantly.

To be a legend, he must play fairly.

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