We are five games into the new Premier League season and there have been some notable results already and Premier League highlights aplenty.
Yet two managerial masterclasses stand out for me which are truly worth shouting about.
They belong to a Spaniard and a Portuguese.
Step forward Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) and Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest).
Let’s start with the latter and a result he masterminded which not so much upset the SBOTOP Premier League betting odds as blew them out of the water!
For despite some notable scalps over the Merseysiders, especially during the era of the great Brian Clough, and even taking into account the visitors’ 23-year Premier League absence, Nottingham Forest had not won at Anfield in the league since 1969.
That has now changed and when it was least expected.
With Liverpool boasting three wins from three at that stage, Forest were thought by many to be cannon fodder for the hosts, yet Santo was having none of it as he outwitted his opposite number Arne Slot.
The Forest boss congested the middle of the park with five central midfielders: James Ward-Prowse, Nicolas Dominguez, Ryan Yates, Elliott Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White. Even striker Chris Wood dropped deep in a solid defensive shift.
Centre halves Murillo and new boy Nicola Milenkovic were imperious, while fellow summer signing Alex Moreno pocketed Mohamed Salah and Ola Aina was equally impressive in keeping in-form Luis Diaz quiet.
It was a true team performance from which every player deserved credit, plus goalkeeper Matz Sels was solid when called upon. Indeed, you will do well to find a finer tactical team performance this season.
After setting their stall and barely venturing forward in the first hour, they used their pace on the counter-attack to deadly effect.
The winning goal came from substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi who had a semblance of an idea when he picked up the ball on the left wing but, after cutting inside past defenders Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate, even he could not have imagined how perfectly he would strike his low curling shot which crept inside Alisson Becker’s left-hand post.
But, even more so than the goalscorer and his defensively disciplined team-mates, it was the coach who received the most praise with many suggesting he has found the blueprint to beat Liverpool.
He has led Forest to an opening sequence of two wins and three draws as a result and few expected that.
Fast forward eight days and there then was Mikel Arteta who also oversaw a defensive masterclass in Sunday’s thrilling clash between last season’s top two.
It was utterly chaotic and utterly brilliant, including Erling Haaland’s 100th goal for Manchester City (in just 105 appearances), an Arteta team playing the entire second half with 10 men but remaining brilliantly drilled and a dramatic intervention in the 98th minute from John Stones which meant City returned to the summit.
In the 48 hours since the encounter, there has been criticism of both teams (mainly from players past and present of either club aiming barbs in the opposite direction) but one which is hugely unfair has been that directed at the Gunners about tactical fouls.
This is a ploy which has been used by sides up and down the country for decades and is nothing new.
Should Arsenal really have continued to attack in the second half at the Etihad Stadium and be picked off by opponents with a numerical advantage?
Of course not.
Arsenal may have fallen short against City for the umpteenth time in recent seasons but this felt different due to their defensive diligence (and yes, some gamesmanship).
In the second half on Sunday, they had a mere 12% possession, yet the way they defended, the diligence with which they dropped into their 5-4-0 shape, occasionally a 6-3-0, just outside their own box, was first class.
Yes, they were saved by the woodwork and fortunate that Spanish midfielder Rodri went off when City were in the ascendancy, but they deserve credit for recovering from going a goal down after nine minutes away to the best team in the country – and from there to come within moments of victory despite having lost a player in the first half (although that speaks volumes for City’s character too).
In the words of Guardian journalist Barney Ronay, just as interesting is the way Arsenal’s skill at defending has become an issue. There is confusion here.
This was another masterclass.
Two managerial masterclasses within eight days of each other which deserve respect.
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