Mykhaylo Mudryk could make his Chelsea debut at Anfield, while Newcastle and Manchester United will miss their BraziliansShoots of recovery or a false dawn? Both Jürgen Klopp and Graham Potter will be desperately hoping their respective 1-0 wins last time out demonstrated the former. Liverpool versus Chelsea may lack its usual consequence with the teams occupying ninth and 10th place in the table and a 10 point chasm between themselves and fourth place, but their managers would beg to differ. Klopp admitted there would have been genuine doubt around Anfield on Saturday had Liverpool repeated their tame efforts at Brighton in the FA Cup replay at Wolves. An improved display from a much-changed team at Molineux, particularly in terms of...
Newcastle’s challenge against the champions, Anthony Taylor unfairly in the spotlight and a big Monday showdownCutting off the supply lines between Harry Kane and Son Heung-min worked a treat for Chelsea last Sunday, until the introduction of Richarlison for the ineffective Ryan Sessegnon provided added distraction for the home side’s defenders, his off-the-ball runs repeatedly pulling them out of position. The Brazilian will be hoping to start against Wolves and his inclusion in the lineup could well spell disappointment for Son. Fitness permitting, Clément Lenglet is likely to fill in for the injured Cristian Romero and, with Sessegnon looking a good bet to make way for Ivan Perisic, Tottenham’s uncharacteristically early transfer dealings are already looking as sensible as they...
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United reign is already in crisis while Leicester may have to make do with what they’ve gotPersuading Daniel Levy to open his wallet is surely one of the greatest achievements of Antonio Conte’s career, but for as long as he refrains from using his new players, it barely matters. Though it does make some kind of sense to retain the men who earned a Champions League spot, making the point that places are earned by performances, not purchase prices, there is an Yves Bissouma-shaped hole in Tottenham’s midfield that on another day would’ve cost them the game. It’s true that Pierre-Emile Højbjerg scored a crucial goal, but it’s equally true that they were lucky to be...
Tottenham and Everton both need a result while Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa may serve up another feast of footballWhen the dust settles on José Mourinho’s Tottenham tenure - and that could be one day soon - 4 October’s 6-1 win at Manchester United will probably be a high watermark. It happened on a day when the Premier League took on a demented quality. That Sunday also featured Liverpool’s 7-2 loss to Aston Villa. Six months on, Spurs announcing themselves as title contenders feels like a dim, surreal memory. United have since regrouped and victory in north London would further frank their passport into next season’s Champions League. Meanwhile, Spurs continue to scrap on the peripheries of the top four...
Fabinho the key to Liverpool’s improvement, Pereira parades his talent and Saints regain their cutting edgeThe post-match talk was of Trent Alexander-Arnold ramming it down the throat of Gareth Southgate. But Liverpool’s performance also spelled out why the full-back has struggled to the extent of being considered expendable by England. For Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson to have maximum attacking impact they require a balanced midfield to create space and time to burn forward. Fabinho has spent most of the season either in central defence, standing in for Virgil van Dijk, or on the absentee list. His restoration to midfield and Liverpool’s improvement either side of the international break is little coincidence. The Brazilian’s assurance and simplicity make those around him...