Premier League: 10 things to keep an eye on this round of fixtures
Walker faces Garnacho poised for a new battle
A Manchester reunion might be in store as the Clarets' Kyle Walker faces the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The wide man has started to settle with Chelsea following his off-season signing from Old Trafford and displayed his skills against Wolves prior to the international break. His setup for Pedro Neto mixed rapid acceleration and a ideal along-the-deck delivery. His build-up for Malo Gusto entailed cutting inside prior to chipping a delivery toward the far post. His celebration with Neto, echoing his prior embrace with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of the speed at which situations evolve. The most recent instance Garnacho took on Walker? During the Argentine found the net for United during their Wembley triumph over Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (start times GMT)
Antoine Semenyo crucial to stopping Bournemouth's slide
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the complete rumour-mill focus following a claimed £65m escape clause for his possible winter exit, the gossip columns setting him up for promotion out of the Premier League's mid-table ranks. That is predictable from a winger who has six goals and three setups and is joyous to watch. Nonetheless, his team find themselves in an awkward situation, experiencing a body swap: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who enter with back-to-back victories, while Bournemouth are down 7-1 combined over their last two matches after an promising start to the campaign. Semenyo had his effort saved from the spot by Emi Martínez in the four-nil loss to Aston Villa however taking on a backline lacking a goalless game for months could be the ideal tonic.
Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
3. Welbeck a left-field shout for England
It proved notable to hear Thomas Tuchel reference Danny Welbeck multiple times during the international break even though the Brighton attacker reaches 35 next week. “Despite not knowing him, I understand what he could provide,” commented the England manager. “He might act as a reserve for Harry [Kane] in a quite conventional No 9 role.” Having won the most recent of his 42 caps in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck could be in the squad to the World Cup if he manages to sustain his scoring performances. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal attacker can claim a greater tally compared to any English performer in England's top division this campaign with six and will be eager to increase that tally when Brighton host Brentford this weekend.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday 3pm
The full-back required as assist provider and finisher
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has provided a measure of positivity to Fulham's bumpy start. The former Tottenham man, who returned to his youth team recently following five difficult years at Tottenham, has emerged as a consistent pick, driving down the left side in the absence of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The worry? Having scored twice, he remains their joint-top scorer this season together with Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their leading man the previous campaign, has scored one goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for the long term due to hamstring surgery. Sessegnon must also having to step up as a creator in place of Robinson, who supplied 10 assists last season. Fulham's following four fixtures include three from the best five as well as Crystal Palace, who have let in merely nine goals in the Premier League this season. A threat emerges for a team that have earned a reputation for consistency in the middle.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
5. Time for Isak to perform for the Reds
The debate about Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort versus Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's deficiencies on the day as they fell to loss number seven over ten fixtures. The coach's squad need a prolonged upturn to muscle into the league contest from this position, plus a significant upturn in results, and opportunity emerges as seven from their next 10 Premier League matches against sides at the moment in the bottom ten in the standings. The threat is clear posed by Nottingham Forest, the sole side to deliver a home league defeat on the champions the previous campaign, yet it isn't solely Liverpool's showing against direct play and quick transitions that remains under the spotlight. Now is the occasion that Alexander Isak to deliver wearing red. The £125m striker has not featured for his club in a month having sustained a muscle issue while his second start in four days in Europe triumph in Germany. He reappeared as a substitute in Sweden's reverse to Switzerland but sat out the subsequent dead rubber versus Slovenia to secure his fitness for the upcoming World Cup knockout rounds. A yellow card during the game might have made him ineligible. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
