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Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

First meets second as Manchester City visit Spurs, Theo Walcott looks to continue his hot streak and will this be the last we see of Francesco Guidolin?Given that the tactic of trying to absorb pressure had not worked for any of Manchester City’s opponents, it made sense for Swansea to try something different last weekend, as the Welsh side attempted to disrupt the league leaders’ momentum by squeezing their centre-backs when they had the ball. It did not work, of course, because City were still too sharp in attack. Yet Tottenham Hotspur’s feverish high press could yield greater rewards at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Both sides are without key attacking players – Harry Kane for Spurs, Kevin De Bruyne...

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Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand impresses against West Ham’s faltering defence

The left-back’s attacking mind-set was noticeable in contrast to West Ham’s Álvaro Arbeloa and Havard Nordtveit, who were pinned back and made to sufferThe 3-0 scoreline did not do justice to the superiority Southampton enjoyed over West Ham, with the visitors creating a huge number of chances and only Hammers goalkeeper Adrian keeping the scoreline respectable. Claude Puel’s team were better in almost every department – but the greatest contrast was at full-back.Both Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku were unavailable for West Ham because of injury, so Slaven Bilic handed Álvaro Arbeloa his league debut at left-back. On the opposite side Bilic curiously used Havard Nordtveit, a centre-back or holding midfielder, rather than the recognised right-back Sam Byram. Related: West...

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Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Son shines again for Tottenham, Chelsea and Leicester need defensive shake-ups, Palace signings prove their value and Southampton are ticking over againThe moment that summed up the discord in the Chelsea defence came on 64 minutes, when Gary Cahill wanted Thibaut Courtois to come to collect; the goalkeeper stayed on his line and Branislav Ivanovic bludgeoned the ball into touch. Cahill and Courtois argued. But errors had disfigured the performance to leave Chelsea 3-0 down at half-time: it was shocking, for example, to see how easily Mesut Özil accelerated away from the defensive midfielder N’Golo Kanté before he scored Arsenal’s third. Antonio Conte did not cancel his players’ day off on Sunday but they can expect a video inquest when...

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West Ham restore order off the field but are in disarray on it

West Ham took steps to ensure there was no disorder in the stands but the team was in chaos on the pitch during the 3-0 defeat by SouthamptonThere was some good news for West Ham United on Sunday. Segregation between home and away supporters was effective, well stewarded and looked like the kind of precaution that might normally be put in place at a Premier League match.Not only that, but there were 950 stewards at work around the ground, 200 more than normal. Each had undergone extra training to ensure they were capable of dealing with the unique demands of a football crowd. Furthermore, some of the fans who had found themselves uncomfortable in their new seats had been reallocated...

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Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

A crunch London derby as Arsenal host Chelsea, Michael Carrick could be key for Manchester United, and Vincent Janssen gets his chance to shineOn a weekend when much will be made of Arsène Wenger’s 20th anniversary as Arsenal manager, the Frenchman would not be human if he didn’t recall the manner in which Chelsea ruined the occasion of his 1,000th game in charge. It was March 2014 and on a strange afternoon at Stamford Bridge, Andre Marriner sent off Kieran Gibbs in a case of mistaken identity, as José Mourinho’s side hit their visitors for six without reply. Arsenal had already lost 6-3 at Manchester City and 5-1 at Liverpool that season, capitulations that rendered Wenger’s team and any aspirations...

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