Premier division: ten key points to look out for this round of fixtures
Walker faces Garnacho poised for a fresh encounter
A Manchester reunion could be in store when Burnley's Kyle Walker faces the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The winger is adapting well at Stamford Bridge after his summer move from Manchester United and showcased his talents against Wolves prior to the international break. His key pass for Pedro Neto mixed blistering pace with a perfect along-the-deck delivery. His creation for Malo Gusto entailed moving onto his right before chipping a delivery to the back post. His celebration with Neto, replicating his previous celebration with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a testament of the speed at which things transform. The last time Garnacho faced Walker? Back when the Argentine found the net for United during their Wembley triumph against Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (start times GMT)
The winger vital to stopping Bournemouth's slide
Antoine Semenyo is getting the complete rumour-mill treatment amid a claimed £65m release clause for his prospective mid-season move, the gossip columns setting him up for promotion from the Premier League's average tier. That is to be expected for a wide player who has six goals and three assists who is joyous to watch. However, his team occupy an difficult spot, having undergone a role reversal: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive on successive wins, whereas Bournemouth are down seven-one over two games over their last two fixtures following an strong start to the season. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the spot by Emi Martínez during the four-nil loss by Aston Villa yet confronting a defensive unit that hasn't kept a clean sheet since August may prove the best remedy.
Bournemouth versus West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
Danny Welbeck an outside shout for the Three Lions
It proved interesting to hear Thomas Tuchel mention Danny Welbeck multiple times throughout the national team window although the Brighton striker celebrates 35 soon. “Without even being familiar with him, I know what he could provide,” commented the England manager. “He can be a reserve for Harry [Kane] as a very orthodox No 9 role.” Gaining the last of his 42 international appearances in 2018, it's quite plausible that Welbeck could be in the squad to the World Cup provided he manages to sustain his goalscoring exploits. The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward can claim a greater tally over every other English footballer in the Premier League this term on six and remains anxious to increase that total when Brighton host Brentford in Saturday's match.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday 3pm
The full-back crucial as playmaker and scorer
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has offered some comfort to Fulham's uneven start. The former Tottenham man, who came back to his boyhood club recently following five difficult years at Tottenham, has become a consistent pick, driving down the left flank in the absence of the sidelined Antonee Robinson. The issue? With two goals, he's also their top goalscorer in the Premier League as well as Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their top scorer in the last term, has bagged a single goal whereas Rodrigo Muniz is injured until 2026 owing to a hamstring operation. Sessegnon is also having to step up as a creator in place of Robinson, who supplied ten helpers last season. The Cottagers' upcoming four matches feature three from the leading five plus Crystal Palace, who have conceded only nine strikes in the league so far. A threat emerges for a side that have developed a name for mid-table stability.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday three o'clock
The occasion for Isak to produce for Liverpool
The debate surrounding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort against Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's inferiority in that game as they succumbed to a seventh defeat in 10 games. The coach's team need a prolonged upturn to enter the title race from their current spot, as well as a dramatic upturn in results, and the possibility arises as seven out of their upcoming ten top-flight fixtures against teams presently in the bottom ten in the league. The threat is obvious from Nottingham Forest, the sole side to hand a loss at Anfield on the champions the previous campaign, but it is not only Liverpool's showing versus direct play and fast breaks that remains under the spotlight. It is time that Alexander Isak to show up in a Liverpool shirt. The £125m striker has not featured for his club for a month having sustained a muscle issue when making his second start over a short period in continental competition triumph in Germany. Isak returned as a substitute during Sweden's reverse to Switzerland but was rested the midweek dead rubber with Slovenia to secure his availability for the World Cup playoffs. A yellow card on Tuesday would have suspended him. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
