Premier League: ten key points to watch for this weekend
Walker faces Garnacho poised for another clash
A Manchester reunion could be on the cards as the Clarets' Kyle Walker lines up against Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho at Turf Moor. The winger is adapting well at Stamford Bridge following his close-season transfer from Old Trafford and demonstrated his abilities in the Wolves match prior to the fixture pause. His setup for Pedro Neto combined rapid acceleration with a flawless grounded ball. His creation for Malo Gusto entailed moving onto his right prior to dinking a cross toward the far post. His goal reaction with Neto, replicating his previous hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a indication of the pace with which situations evolve. The previous occasion Garnacho faced Walker? When the former netted for United during their FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday half past twelve (all times GMT)
2. Semenyo vital to halting Bournemouth's decline
Antoine Semenyo is getting the complete gossip column focus due to a claimed £65m release clause for his prospective mid-season move, the media positioning him for promotion from the Premier League's middle class. It is understandable from a winger who has six finishes plus three helpers and remains delightful to watch. However, Bournemouth occupy an tricky situation, having engaged in a body swap: now it's the struggling side West Ham who arrive with successive wins, whereas Bournemouth are down seven to one combined over their past two games after an impressive opening to the season. Semenyo was denied on the penalty by Emi Martínez in their heavy loss to Aston Villa but taking on a defensive unit that hasn't kept a shutout in the league since the start of the season might be the perfect solution.
Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
3. Welbeck an outside option for the national team
It was interesting to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck multiple times throughout the international break even though the Brighton striker celebrates 35 soon. “Despite not knowing him, I know what he is able to offer me,” stated the England boss. “He might act as a back-up for Harry [Kane] as a very conventional No 9 position.” Earning the final 42 caps in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck might be on the plane for the World Cup provided he can sustain his goal-getting exploits. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal forward has more goals over every other English performer in the top flight this campaign having six and will be keen to increase that total when Brighton welcome Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday 3:00 PM
4. Sessegnon crucial as creator and scorer
The Ryan Sessegnon tale has brought a degree of comfort to Fulham's uneven start. The 25-year-old, who came back to his youth team last year after five difficult years with Spurs, has emerged as a regular starter, driving down the left flank in the absence of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The issue? With two goals, he's also their joint-top scorer in the league together with Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their top scorer the previous campaign, has scored once while Rodrigo Muniz is out for the long term due to a surgical procedure. Sessegnon is also having to step up in a creative role instead of Robinson, who supplied ten setups last time round. Fulham's next four games take in three of the best five and Crystal Palace, who have allowed only nine goals in the Premier League so far. A threat emerges for the club that have built a reputation for consistency in the middle.
Fulham against Sunderland, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
The occasion for Alexander Isak to perform for the Reds
The controversy regarding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort against Manchester City failed to mask Liverpool's shortcomings on the day as they fell to their seventh loss in ten matches. Arne Slot's squad require a consistent improvement to enter the title race from their current spot, as well as a dramatic boost in performance, and opportunity presents itself as seven from their upcoming ten Premier League matches versus clubs at the moment in the bottom ten in the league. The danger is evident posed by Nottingham Forest, the only team to hand a home league defeat to Liverpool last season, however it's not just Liverpool's performance when facing long balls and fast breaks that will be in focus. The moment has come for Alexander Isak to perform wearing red. The big-money forward has not played at club level in a month after picking up a muscle issue while his second appearance in the lineup in four days in Europe triumph abroad. Isak returned from the bench in Sweden's defeat to Switzerland but missed the subsequent inconsequential game with Slovenia to secure his readiness for the upcoming World Cup playoffs. A yellow card on Tuesday could have made him ineligible. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient
