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Game to watch: Chelsea v Tottenham
Tottenham, the match to watch again. Get used to it for a couple of reasons. First, obviously, they are the best in the league at least for now. Second, it is quite common. City last week. Chelsea this week. Arsenal next week. Then Palace, who, no offense, could miss the cut, and then a certainty for Big Midweek against Liverpool. And then Leicester. Wow. If Spurs are still the best at Christmas after that little batch, then we’ll really have to start making the proper preparations for José Mourinho to win the league.
For now, however, let’s focus on this. It should be good, right? Both teams were in midweek European action, with Chelsea’s two-day lead from playing Tuesday night offset by Spurs who had the luxury of sending a second, and at the end of the night, third and fourth. , side of the rope to take a short break from playing cricket in the gym to strolling to a 4-0 Europa League victory.
In more significant action, both teams have reacted to silly 3-3 draws by adding a layer of iron determination to their game and mercilessly earning points ever since. Spurs did an absolute job with Manchester City last week, while the lingering doubts about Chelsea lie in how they fare against the best teams in the division, of which the Spurs are undoubtedly one. The Blues’ only three games so far against teams currently in the upper half were wildly contrasting but equally disappointing draws against Southampton and Manchester United, plus a tame loss to Liverpool that sent Frank Lampard to an alternate reality by a spell.
Spurs lost to Everton and staggered West Ham, but they have also beaten Southampton and Manchester United, as well as dealing with City with such skill. This points to a road win here, and with both teams beefed up on defense over the past few weeks, a defense-dominated, low-scoring fight could be on the cards. He would have to favor José Mourinho over Frank Lampard in a master versus apprentice competition if it turned out that way, while the Spurs are also the most accurate and efficient of the two attacking sides.
Player to watch: Andy Robertson
One step back for Liverpool in the Champions League with a rare loss at home, and suddenly a nagging feeling that Jurgen Klopp’s continued lean towards broadcasters might have gone from being entertainingly fair to unnecessarily distracting.
While Klopp may rage at the start, he can’t complain about opponents with a trip to the generous hosts in Brighton, a team that struggles enough to defend themselves from the centers and faces the added headache of coping without him. excellent Tariq Lamptey for this. one as it serves a suspension.
Enter Andrew Robertson. Three assists already for the left-back this season and an obvious opportunity to add to that tally here and help Liverpool return to the Premier League peak they achieved last season but have generously shared a bit so far this year. .
Video to watch
Team to watch: Manchester United
It’s still a really strange team. I’m still not even remotely convinced that they are good and the manager certainly isn’t, but they are still Manchester United and they will continue to have hot streaks of form along the way. Currently on a three game winning streak, but facing the kind of game that seems perfectly designed to bite them in the butt.
Southampton lost their first two games of the season, but are undefeated since then and have only lost points to Chelsea and Wolves. They certainly won’t fear United and are, with the glaring exception of that frankly odd second half against Spurs in September, extremely adept under Ralph Hasenhuttl in finding ways to set them up to negate their opponents’ strengths while preying on any weaknesses.
United have been going from a hot streak to a bad one and vice versa for a while now, and this match feels like a decent litmus test. Get a result and it will start to look and feel a little more like a corner that is actually turning. But he loses and they’re back where they started in Crisis Club’s mischievous stint.
Manager to follow – Mikel Arteta
Of the three rookies currently in charge of big Premier League clubs, Arteta still comes across as the most capable and lucid. I would still support him to be the one who can one day land a great coaching job without the advantage of having played for the club in question.
But right now he is the one who is struggling the most. They just need to score a few goals. The last few years have been full of nonsensical statistics on how and what Arsenal would be like if you arbitrarily eliminated Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goals and assumed no one would replace them. It’s a ridiculous and clearly illogical game but Arsenal seem determined to bring it to life. We’re now looking at exactly what that hypothetical Arsenal team would look like, and it’s not pretty.
They have scored just four points in their last five games, but more damningly, the only goal they have scored in that run was Aubameyang’s penalty at Old Trafford.
The determination shown to somehow escape Leeds with one point last week was something, but there has to be more to Arsenal than this. There has to be more to Arteta than this.
And it doesn’t get easier. This week it’s the Wolves, who have conceded just three goals in their last six, and then a trip to a Spurs team that suddenly decided to have the best defense in the league for some reason.
Time to show us something, Mikel. Anything. Please.
Football league match to watch: Nottingham Forest v Swansea
Forest is a football championship in a frankly dangerously pure form. Last season’s late collapse to miss the play-offs was a record, and it wasn’t much of a surprise that the hangover extended into this season and four straight losses to start the season.
Since then, they have won three, tied three and lost three. Swansea’s last nine games have produced three wins, four draws and two losses. Textbook Championship. One of them is the fourth, the other the twentieth and it is literally impossible to choose a favorite. Tremendous.
European match to watch: Napoli v Roma
Because really, how could it be anywhere else?
Dave tickner
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