Premier League: ten key points to keep an eye on this round of fixtures
Walker faces Garnacho set for another battle
Another northwest showdown could be in the offing as Burnley's Kyle Walker confronts the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho in Lancashire. The winger is finding his feet at Stamford Bridge following his summer move from the Red Devils and displayed his abilities in the Wolves match before the fixture pause. His setup for Pedro Neto mixed rapid acceleration with a perfect grounded ball. His build-up for Malo Gusto involved moving onto his right prior to lofting a ball to the back post. His goal reaction with Neto, echoing his earlier hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, acted as a testament of the pace with which circumstances change. The previous occasion Garnacho encountered Walker? During the youngster found the net for United in the Wembley triumph against Manchester City.
Burnley vs Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12.30pm (start times GMT)
The winger crucial to halting Bournemouth's slide
Antoine Semenyo is getting the complete transfer speculation focus amid a alleged £65m release clause for his potential mid-season move, the gossip columns setting him up for promotion from the Premier League's mid-table ranks. It is predictable for a wide player who has six goals plus three helpers and remains joyous to watch. Nonetheless, Bournemouth occupy an awkward position, experiencing a role reversal: now it's the struggling side West Ham who come in on consecutive triumphs, while Bournemouth are down 7-1 over two games over their past two matches after an impressive beginning to the campaign. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the penalty spot by Emi Martínez in their heavy loss by Aston Villa however confronting a backline lacking a shutout in the league since the start of the season might be the best remedy.
Bournemouth vs West Ham, Saturday afternoon three o'clock
Danny Welbeck an outside shout for the Three Lions
It proved notable to hear Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck multiple times throughout the national team window although the Brighton striker celebrates 35 in the coming days. “Even without being familiar with him, I know what he can offer me,” commented the England coach. “He could serve as a stand-in for Harry [Kane] in a very orthodox No 9 role.” Gaining the most recent of his 42 England games in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck might be selected to the World Cup if he can sustain his goalscoring feats. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal forward has more goals over every other English footballer in the top flight this season on six and is keen to add to that total as Brighton entertain Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday 3pm
4. Sessegnon needed as creator and finisher
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has offered a measure of positivity to Fulham's inconsistent start. The 25-year-old, who came back to his boyhood club recently after five challenging years at Tottenham, has emerged as a regular starter, driving down the left flank due to the injury of the injured Antonee Robinson. The worry? With two goals, he is their top goalscorer in the Premier League as well as Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their top scorer last season, has netted one goal while Rodrigo Muniz is unavailable until 2026 because of hamstring surgery. Sessegnon is also needing to deliver in a creative role replacing Robinson, who supplied ten helpers last season. Fulham's upcoming four games take in three from the best five plus Crystal Palace, who have conceded just nine scores this season so far. A threat emerges for the club that have built a standing for consistency in the middle.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday 3:00 PM
5. Time for The striker to perform for Liverpool
The controversy surrounding Virgil van Dijk's disallowed goal against Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's shortcomings in that game as they fell to a seventh defeat over ten fixtures. The manager's side must have a consistent improvement to enter the championship chase from here, plus a significant upturn in results, and opportunity emerges as seven out of their next 10 Premier League matches versus clubs currently in the bottom ten in the league. The danger is evident from Nottingham Forest, the single club to deliver a loss at Anfield on the champions the previous campaign, but it is not only Liverpool's display versus long balls and counterattacks that remains under the spotlight. The moment has come for Alexander Isak to show up for Liverpool. The expensive signing has not featured in domestic action in a month after picking up a muscle issue when making his second appearance in the lineup over a short period in continental competition win at Eintracht Frankfurt. Isak returned from the bench in the Swedish loss to Switzerland but was rested Tuesday's dead rubber with Slovenia to guarantee his availability for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. A yellow card in that match might have suspended him. Isak may be short of|lacking|deficient
