7 truths: Ibra’s record shows PSG strength, Eriksen earns his Spurs, Sturridge is slacking

Zlatan Ibrahimovic became Paris Saint-Germain's top scorer of all time, and the manner in which he did it tells you a great deal about the club. With these two goals the highlight of a largely anonymous performance in other respects, it shows that his influence on the game has now greatly decreased - this is probably his last season in Paris.

Overtaking Pauleta, it shows how the calibre of players for PSG has rarely matched the superstar status of the Swedish international. And to do so against a gutted rival, traditionally one of the strongest in the league, showed just how little opposition PSG now face in France. It has been easy for Ibrahimovic in the last couple of years, but his presence and achievement signify just how far the club have come.

Much was made of Bayern Munich's loan to Borussia Dortmund when their rivals were close to going out of business. The Bundesliga was commended as these two sides pushed each other to excellence for a couple of seasons, and it was the vogue thing to praise the integrity of the league. They have beer at the stadiums, you know. It costs five pence for a season ticket, you know. But as soon as Dortmund got ideas beyond their station, Bayern simply took the best players from them - Robert Lewandowksi and Mario Gotze.

It's not Bayern's fault. They have to try to be the best in their country by the means available to them. But it does make for a tediously predictable lead. It might not even be healthy for them. With the league won early, they have tended to struggle in European games as the season comes to a close.

He may have scored twice against Aston Villa last week but Daniel Sturridge was off the pace against Everton. The striker is possibly still short of match fitness but that is no reason not to at least try and track back to help out your midfield – something the 26-year-old couldn’t seem to be bothered to do.

At his best, Sturridge is an awesome talent, capable of turning games with moments of brilliance. But Liverpool will hope this was simply a blip because, with his appalling injury record, he needs to repay some of the support the club and fans has given him during his long layoffs. And there is only one currency they will understand - goals.

It was a case of the emperor’s new clothes at the Emirates. United were top of the table until “noisy neighbours” City hammered Newcastle on Saturday and could have gone top again with a victory over Arsenal. But in reality, United at the pinnacle of the Premier League was a false position. Yes, they had injuries against Arsenal and were forced into playing Ashley Young at left back – which despite his dedication is never an option a manager would want to contemplate – but that is a thin excuse having spent more than £100 million over the summer.

This was United’s first major test this season – their most impressive victory prior to Sunday’s game was arguably the 3-2 away win at Southampton - and they failed it miserably. Their defending was poor and it showed that Louis van Gaal still doesn’t have real strength in depth. It only took seven minutes for Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to leave United’s team very much like the emperor in Hans Christian Andersen’s famous tale – completely exposed. But is anyone brave enough to tell Van Gaal?

He doesn’t have Alexis Sanchez’s explosiveness in and around the box, Theo Walcott’s electric pace or Aaron Ramsey’s penchant for a stunning solo effort, but did Mesut Ozil prove to the naysayers that he can affect the biggest games against United?

Fans are often frustrated by Ozil, who can drift in and out of games, but does every team need that type of player? He makes the cleverest of runs to make space for others, and does a lot of his best work off the ball, thus away from headlines.

The win over United was the fourth Premier League match that Ozil has assisted AND scored in, but to really prove his doubters wrong, he has to find even more consistency.

The quiet man can often play the most pivotal of roles, and if Arsenal are to make a serious title challenge, Ozil’s subtle effectiveness may be the difference.

Christian Eriksen has always had the talent but there have been question marks over his big game temperament. He would, the accusation went, often go missing in the big games. He has been at Tottenham two years now and has grown into a genuine leader at the club. There was talk of him possibly going to some of Europe’s elite clubs when he left Ajax, but, truth be told, he would have probably floundered there.

However, Tottenham seem to have been a perfect fit. There is pressure but not nearly as much as there would have been at a club such as Barcelona. At Tottenham, he is now their go to man in the big games and should he continue to develop at the current rate it will not be too long before one of the big boys of European football come knocking. And if they do, Eriksen will be ready having served his apprenticeship at the Lane.

Real Madrid may very well have beaten Espanyol by six goals and Real Betis by five this season but there is no denying the fact that they are less gung-ho under Benitez, and ultimately that could cost Madrid.

Benitez’s modus operandi is to protect what you have and that was again evidenced against Atleti – with 77 minutes on the clock, he elected to withdraw Karim Benzema and replace him with Mateo Kovacic in an attempt to shut up shot. However, all it did was hand the initiative to the home side who went on to level and they could lost had it not been for a last-minute Keylor Navas save.