English top flight: 10 things to watch for this round of fixtures
1. Garnacho and Walker set for a fresh battle
A Mancunian rematch might be in the offing as the Clarets' Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The attacker is adapting well at Stamford Bridge after his off-season signing from the Red Devils and displayed his skills against Wolves prior to the international break. His setup for Pedro Neto mixed rapid acceleration and a perfect along-the-deck delivery. His contribution for Malo Gusto required moving onto his right prior to dinking a delivery toward the far post. His goal reaction with Neto, echoing his prior hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a testament of the speed at which circumstances change. The most recent instance Garnacho took on Walker? Back when the youngster scored for United in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Burnley against Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (kick-offs GMT)
2. Semenyo crucial to stopping Cherries' slide
Antoine Semenyo is attracting the full transfer speculation treatment amid a claimed £65m release clause for a prospective mid-season move, the gossip columns preparing him for advancement from the Premier League's middle class. That is understandable from a wide player with a half-dozen strikes plus three helpers and remains delightful to watch. Still, Bournemouth find themselves in an awkward situation, having engaged in a role reversal: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive with back-to-back victories, while Bournemouth have lost seven-one over two games in their last two games after an promising opening to the season. Semenyo was denied on the penalty by Emi Martínez in the 4-0 defeat by Aston Villa but confronting a defence lacking a clean sheet in the league since the start of the season could be the perfect tonic.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
Danny Welbeck a surprise option for the national team
It was notable to listen to Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck on more than one occasion during the national team window although the Brighton striker celebrates 35 soon. “Even without being familiar with him, I am aware what he could offer me,” stated the England coach. “He can be a back-up for Harry [Kane] as a very orthodox centre-forward position.” Having won the final 42 England games back in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck might be on the plane to the World Cup assuming he is able to maintain his scoring exploits. The ex- Manchester United and Arsenal attacker can claim more goals over every other English footballer in the top flight this term with six and remains eager to add to that tally as Brighton entertain Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday three o'clock
Ryan Sessegnon crucial as playmaker and scorer
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has brought some warmth to Fulham's inconsistent beginning. The 25-year-old, who came back to his youth team recently following five challenging years in north London, has emerged as a regular starter, operating on the left side with the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The issue? On two goals, he remains their top goalscorer in the Premier League as well as Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their primary attacker the previous campaign, has scored one goal while Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable for the long term because of a hamstring operation. Sessegnon must also needing to deliver in a creative role in place of Robinson, who registered ten setups last time round. Fulham's next four matches include three among the top five as well as Crystal Palace, who have conceded merely nine goals in the Premier League to date. Danger looms for the club that have earned a standing for solidity in the central positions.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
The moment for Isak to produce for the Merseyside club
The controversy about Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort versus Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's deficiencies during the match as they succumbed to loss number seven over ten fixtures. The manager's team need a sustained recovery to force their way into the championship chase from their current spot, along with a dramatic improvement in form, and the possibility emerges as seven from their following ten top-flight fixtures versus teams at the moment in the bottom ten in the league. The danger is obvious posed by Nottingham Forest, the single club to hand a defeat on their own turf on the champions the previous campaign, but it is not only Liverpool's performance when facing direct play and quick transitions that remains in focus. It is time that Alexander Isak to show up for Liverpool. The expensive signing has not played at club level in a month following a groin problem while his second consecutive start over a short period in continental competition win abroad. He reappeared from the bench during Sweden's reverse against Switzerland but sat out Tuesday's inconsequential game against Slovenia to secure his fitness for next year's World Cup qualifiers. A booking during the game could have ruled him out. The striker could be short of|lacking|deficient
