[ad_1]
1) The Merseyside derby offers the shape of things to come
Ten years to the day after their most recent win over Liverpool, Everton entertain the Premier League champions at Goodison Park in a top-notch match that is as delicious as they make it under current conditions. Despite a 7-2 loss to Aston Villa, Liverpool enter the game as favorites against a team that, under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, seem to have finally overcome their almost pathological inconsistency. His seven-match red-hot winning streak in all competitions since the season began will end at some point, but there are few compelling arguments to suggest that he will do so against a team that has looked curiously out of place of late. We could learn a lot from this game, especially if Everton are a true contender for the title in what is already shaping up to be a very peculiar season, and if the extraordinary humiliation Liverpool suffered from Aston Villa was an aberration or an early indicator of a much greater discomfort. BG
2) Saints will ask Chelsea questions on both ends
Southampton has yet to get going this season, but it’s precisely the kind of team Chelsea won’t want to take on: organized, athletic and with the firepower to put an extremely risky defense to the test. In particular, Danny Ings and Che Adams can cause all kinds of problems for any center-back Frank Lampard sends, probably Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma. Neither of you will appreciate being pressured into possession and neither of you have spent much time in the kind of man-to-man duels that a genuine and surprising partnership will impose on them. Chelsea have attackers to harm any team, as Crystal Palace discovered. It will be interesting to see if Lampard sticks with Tammy Abraham as the focal point and Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi trailing behind, because with Mason Mount looking good and Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech now in shape, he has as many options as he could possibly need. . The skill consists of choosing which combination will work best against which opponent. DH
3) Party time for Arsenal at the Etihad?
Arsenal had already made two big signings this summer, but the addition of Thomas Partey feels different. While Willian offers experience and Gabriel Magalhães has great potential, Partey is a 27-year-old player operating at the peak of his powers, hailing from a club that has operated above Arsenal in recent years. It could be a game changer and Arteta will surely be tempted to initiate it at Etihad. “We knew before signing him that he is fit, he is very willing to start playing,” said the coach. There will be a temptation to jump to conclusions if you play but, given the praise Lucas Torreira receives shortly after his arrival, flattery or instant condemnation should be avoided. But Partey is exactly the type of elite player required for the test City will provide; if he and Arsenal can get past it, the signs that his recovery is accelerating will seem irresistible. N / A
The Fiver – Sign up and receive our daily soccer email.
4) United must make changes after Spurs surprise
The international hiatus has put distance between United and their 6-1 loss to Spurs, but those responsible must not escape punishment for the hilarious rancidity of their display. Though David de Gea didn’t make any catastrophic mistakes last time out, his catatonic aversion to leaving his line or dominating his area is the last thing a wavering defense needs. It’s time for Dean Henderson to give it a try, while facing him Alex Telles for Luke Shaw is a no-brainer. It may seem risky to include Axel Tuanzebe, but he’s quick, cool and smart – all that United currently lacks. And the balance of the team also needs to be addressed: you can’t line up two wide attackers without defensive duties, when you have a slow winger four and midfielders who don’t assist the wingers. So Nemanja Matic should be replaced by Scott McTominay or Fred, whose job it should be to cover the entire width of the field, while Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek, instead of Paul Pogba, run up and down. If Ole Gunnar Solskjær is not vigilant, the players who helped him in this mess could soon help him lose his job; It’s time to step up the act of homage to Fergie from the parking spaces and visits to Cliff to the calculated gameplay and cruelty of the exhibits. DH
5) An early battle in the basement of Bramall Lane
Chris Wilder’s team is still very good and should start moving up the table soon. But questions may arise whether the Blades still have zero points after Sunday’s home game against bottom row Fulham. Scoring goals has been United’s biggest problem so far this season, so the youngster they signed for £ 23.5m to fix it, Rhian Brewster, could make his debut on Sunday. Fulham strengthened its defense at the transfer deadline by signing two new centers, Joachim Andersen and Tosin Adarabioyo. Something has to give in Bramall Lane, where both sides hope to start their season. P.S.
6) Palace ready to launch against Brighton
Crystal Palace is at the bottom of the Premier League possession table, with less than 37% of the ball in their four games so far. They are unlikely to improve on that figure in the Brighton derby, given Graham Potter’s emphasis on dominating the ball, but their counter-attack approach has served them quite well so far. It could be that Roy Hodgson is willing to allow Brighton to take the lead and invite mistakes: despite their flashy game, the Seagulls are being exploited too easily so far this season, even if the circumstances against Manchester United they were unfortunate. Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha offer consistent speed and threat at halftime, so the pattern for this competition may well have been established beforehand. A victory would see Brighton overtake their hosts and, with a particularly difficult start behind them, they could use a result to avoid any early alarms. N / A
7) Ndombele has a chance to cement his place in midfield
You don’t have to look too long to find people lining up to praise José Mourinho’s harsh and loving treatment of Tanguy Ndombele. Things are certainly heading in the right direction after what the French midfielder admitted last week were “a series of differences of opinion” between the pair last season. “Since then, each of us has tried to put our ego aside,” Ndombele said, and both men deserve credit for changing the situation. The 69 minutes Ndombele completed in the win at Old Trafford, which also brought the Spurs’ first goal, felt like a significant step and now Mourinho will want to see if he can produce that intensity in a streak of games. West Ham is capable of more or less anything, so it remains to be seen if they are the ideal opponents for an equally fickle talent. N / A
8) Southgate keeping an eye on English talent
The King Power is where Gareth Southgate needs to be on Sunday so that he can glimpse an exciting future in England. As well as reviewing Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, he could enforce the rule on a potential England defensive association, Villa’s Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, and reconsider his attitude towards two attacking talents he never seemed to properly appreciate, Jack Grealish and Jamie. Vardy. Fitness permitting, all of those players should help make this Sunday night matchup a thriller. Brendan Rodgers’ main question will be whether a visit from a team that scored seven goals to the champions is the right occasion to deliver a Premier League debut to 19-year-old center-back Wesley Fofana. P.S.
9) Baggies and Clarets have a chance to stop Slide
Should you win or not dare to lose? It’s too early to start reading the last rites to anyone, but both West Brom and Burnley need to improve and there may be a bit of tension when they sell out on the Hawthorns on Monday. Sean Dyche describes his group as “a bit hurt”, albeit more in terms of injuries than a loss of morale from its pointless start; Johann Berg Gudmundsson is at least back in contention for a starting job and his creativity should add to Burnley’s attacking threat. They can also turn to Chris Wood, one of the most underrated forwards in the league; The New Zealander scored the winner’s goal in the most recent iteration of this match, in March 2018, and will be eager to get a taste of his former club’s troubling defense. West Brom has conceded more goals than anyone so far and taken fewer shots; Both sides will relish their chances of capturing some grim stats on Monday night. N / A
10) Tactics vs talent in an old school classic
This is the kind of accessory whose details should be the exclusive domain of James Alexander Gordon, the vidiprinter, and those on the ground, not played in front of empty bleachers for a Monday night television audience, but here we are. The Wolves have had a strange start to the season: good against Sheffield United, both outmatched and dominant against Manchester City, then thrashed by West Ham, of all teams. Although they have changed formations and personnel at the time, their fundamentals remain the same: they will sit deep and retain possession to launch quick counterattacks, a strategy that seems inadvisable against a Leeds team that moves the ball more quickly and aggressively. . Despite all the tactical guesswork this matchup inspires, in Raúl Jiménez, Adama Traoré, Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence, the Lobos have system-busting individuals good enough to turn all of Marcelo Bielsa’s training camp effort into bursts of good, honest, old. fashion talent. This should be a good one. DH
