EPL Monday: Arsenal Keeps Rolling; Charlie Adam vs. Jermain Defoe for Goal of the Week

The Premier League often feels like the perfect sport to follow for our modern day, ADHD-rattled brains. If you don’t like how things are going at your club? Wait a week and the always-evolving narrative is soon to change.

Once again the powers of a short-term memory were on full display at the Emirates Saturday when Arsenal thumped Liverpool 4-1, thanks to a three-goal blitz before halftime. If we allow ourselves to hop into the way-back machine, it was only Feb. 25 when Arsene Wenger’s team laid a big smelly fart of a performance vs. Monaco in the Champions League, sending the Gunners into a super-fun “crisis.” Since that game? Arsenal has only reeled off seven straight wins and beaten Manchester United to reach the FA Cup semifinals.

Oh right, temporarily on Saturday morning there was even talk of the Gunners catching Chelsea for first place. (One must assume another offshoot of ADHD is that it ruins your ability to do basic arithmetic or people liked to forget Chelsea — seven points clear of Arsenal — still has a game in hand.)

Arsenal’s fine current form can be chalked up to a team-wide improvement coupled with the unreal, consistent play of Olivier Giroud — player of the month for March. The Frenchman is up to 14 league goals despite consistent criticism of his ability to, you know, score. More than that, the Gunners are finally reasonably healthy and can field a lineup Wenger wants. Hector Bellerin shored up the hole caused by Mathieu Debuchy’s injury at right back, while Gabriel — gasp — is an actual center back by trade, meaning when Laurent Koscielny limped off Wenger could play someone in their proper position rather than, say, an out-of-place Nacho Monreal. Oh right, Mesut Özil also scored on a free kick to add to his personal, never-ending narrative.

Money is always going to be the No. 1 factor in who wins and loses in the modern Premier League on a year-in, year-out level. Often what separates the top teams is health. Playing 38 games over 10 months might not sound like a lot, but here we are in early April and four outfield players (Aaron Cressell, Ahmed Elmohamady, Ashley Williams and John O’Shea) have played every minute for their clubs. Obviously at the top of the table there are Champions League considerations to factor in, but in order to make it all the way you need a team with depth and some luck — look how long it took Louis van Gaal to find a team that works for Manchester United, in part because of injuries.

So in that sense Wenger needs to figure out whatever water his team is drinking now and bottle it up for August. The good news? Given their great form, the Gunners won’t need to expend two extra games in late August to qualify for the Champions League since somebody else is going to claim the Fourth Place Trophy.

Meanwhile right around the time of Arsenal’s crisis, Liverpool became the “it” team in England with Brendan Rodgers figuring out a lineup that worked and got results. Liverpool had won six straight league game to crop back into Champions League contention … and then it lost to Manchester United before the International break … and then it lost to Arsenal on Saturday.

Hello crisis.

To make matters worse, Raheem Sterling is embroiled in a massive, public contract dispute — to which their are no easy, perfect answers for either side. Now Jordan Henderson, too, is in the news for a link to Chelsea. Oh right, there’s also talk Rodgers accused players of “not playing for him.”

Gulp.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Liverpool play Blackburn Rovers in an FA Cup quarterfinal replay, which will either alleviate or add to the crisis talk since you’re only as good as your last result.

Goal of the Week?

There were two stunning goals this weekend. Since it’s sports and the Internet, we’re basically forced to compared them and deem which was this week’s “Goal of the Year.” I guess we could appreciate both independently of one another, but that doesn’t generate controversy or drive traffic, does it? Both these goals involved an element of luck — Charlie Adam caught Thibaut Courtois off his line from long range — whereas Jermain Defoe hit a ball vs. Newcastle that deserved Jerry Seinfeld breaking down its trajectory.

Take a look and decide which of the two is better:

Charlie Adam vs. Chelsea

Jermain Defoe vs. Newcastle United.

Meanwhile Wayne Rooney’s sumptous goal vs. Aston Villa and Alexis Sanchez’s thumper vs. Liverpool are relegated to afterthoughts. If we’re talking “goal of the year” I’d still vote for QPRs Matt Phillips’ thunderbolt that wasn’t lucky at all.

Stat of the Week:

The quick, kneejerk perception is that Di Maria’s first season in England has veered toward “flop” status, but 10 assists is still 10 assists. No, the Argentine hasn’t lit the world on fire but he hasn’t been rubbish either. Assuming United finish in the top four and gain the Champions League for next season the team’s record-signing will be all the more important.

Odds & Ends:

Jose Mourinho took a “risk” and played Diego Costa vs. Stoke. The result is Costa tweaked his balky hamstring and will miss two weeks. Chelsea is so far in front it shouldn’t matter, especially with an in-form Eden Hazard but it was still a foolish call by Mourinho who apparently didn’t watch last year’s Champions League final. … QPR finally won a road game (away to West Brom) but remain firmly in the relegation spots. … Tim Howard’s been a huge talking point for Everton all season, but this save vs. Southampton was fantastic.

The Table:

1. Chelsea 70 points, 30 games played
2. Arsenal 63; 31
3. Manchester United 62; 31
4. Manchester City 61; 30
5. Liverpool 54; 31
6. Tottenham 54; 31

16. Hull City 28, 31
17. Aston Villa 28, 31
18. Burnley 26, 31
19. QPR 25, 31
20. Leicester City 22, 30

Looking ahead:

Sunday is the Manchester Derby. Should Manchester United win it would move ahead of City for third place. It might not sound like a lot, but United finishing atop City in the final table would be significant given the fortunes of the two rivals over the last 24 chaotic months.