1) Arteta needs to recreate Jesus effect
Arsenal have made huge strides over the last 12 months. When they ended last season with two emphatic defeats in three games to miss out on a top-four finish, their prospects of then competing for the title looked fanciful. But the summer signing of Gabriel Jesus changed the mood from despondency to excitement, and after what looks like a second consecutive run-in disappointment – despite their fine win at Newcastle – Mikel Arteta could do with pulling off the same trick: picking a player so obviously the right fit his arrival inspires teammates and supporters with the certainty of progress. Most likely, the plan is to recruit a midfielder to replace Granit Xhaka, as good at St James’ as he has been all season but still lacking the class required in a champion team. If rumours are to be believed, Declan Rice will be the man, and though his lack of finesse might be a problem, his physicality would make facing Arsenal an even more unpleasant task than it is already. Daniel Harris
2) De Gea’s error could come at high price
With David de Gea yet to agree to a contract extension which will keep him at Old Trafford beyond the end of the season, the last few weeks may have given the club hierarchy a stronger hand in negotiating a mooted pay cut. While De Gea’s limitations with the ball at his feet have been much-scrutinised, his shot stopping – usually the strongest aspect of his game – failed him against West Ham. With Liverpool on a six-match winning run and now only one point behind Manchester United in fourth, albeit having played a game more, his failure to keep out Saïd Benrahma’s weak bouncer from distance could prove hugely costly. Having given another nightmare performance as Erik ten Hag’s side crashed out of the Europa League against Sevilla last month, De Gea has burnt through much of his capital from earlier in the campaign. Though few would question his importance to the club over the last 12 years, a replacement would be expensive and United have pressing need for improvements elsewhere, Ten Hag cannot afford to delay his succession planning too long. Will Magee
3) City face critical decision over Gündogan
Ilkay Gündogan showed his worth once more against Leeds with the two goals that brought Manchester City victory. The midfielder has been one of Pep Guardiola’s most consistent performers but his contract is up at the end of the season. Guardiola implied he would like to keep Gündogan at the club after Saturday’s win but admitted the matter is in the club’s hands. Gündogan will be 33 in October, which will make the City hierarchy seriously consider whether they need to find a younger model to take his place; the end of this season could be a natural point to do so. Against Leeds he played a deeper role in place of the rested Rodri, showing his versatility and experience, while still being able to settle the match by finding space in and around the box. The German was elected by his teammates to be captain this season, an indication of his stature in the dressing room. It would be a risk to lose that. Will Unwin
4) Mason rewarded after making big call
Ryan Mason may only be 31 but Tottenham’s caretaker head coach showed he is not afraid to make big decisions after dropping Eric Dier for the game against Crystal Palace. The England defender has struggled to justify his place in recent weeks and Spurs looked far more secure with Cristian Romero operating alongside left-footer Clément Lenglet in the centre of a back four. Mason, who was also rewarded for his call to play Pedro Porro in a more advanced role – the Spaniard assisted Harry Kane for his 209th Premier League goal – will be hoping Lenglet will be available for next week’s crucial trip to Aston Villa, when he is likely to stick with the 4-4-2 formation that served him so well against Palace. “The players deserve all the credit because we’ve asked them to do something they haven’t done in a while,” he said. “They responded, they were brave with it and ultimately we got the result.” Ed Aarons
5) Silva setting example for Blues
Few Chelsea players stand to come out of a miserable season with much credit but Thiago Silva almost certainly will. Frank Lampard signed the Brazilian on an initial one-year contract in his first spell in charge, in August 2020, and Silva, who turns 39 in September, still looks like a world-class defender. Against Arsenal last week he showed incredible composure to control and then clear on the goalline and in Saturday’s victory at Bournemouth he made a superb raking challenge to nick the ball from the feet of the former Chelsea striker Dominic Solanke. “He is 38 – I was [playing] in the MLS at that point,” Lampard said, before acknowledging that Benoît Badiashile and Wesley Fofana will learn from Silva. “He is a great reference point for the young centre-backs in the team around him.” Ben Fisher
6) Newcastle to challenge for title soon?
The moment the takeover of Newcastle was permitted – and what a cowardly disgrace that was and is – it became inevitable they would get good. But the speed at which it has happened remains surprising and, though Eddie Howe has done superbly to find a style that suits his circumstances, the most important aspects of any football team are talent and mentality. In Bruno Guimarães and Alexander Isak, Howe bought young, hungry players with everything to prove who elevated the level of his first XI by several orders of magnitude. Often a newly monied side must establish itself before attracting signings of such calibre, but their availability allowed Newcastle to improve faster than seemed possible, sending a message that they are for real. Even in defeat to Arsenal, they still showed plenty. If Howe can find a couple more players of similar quality, a title challenge is imminent – perhaps not next season, but soon. DH
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7) Alexander-Arnold’s evolution continues
Mohamed Salah’s goal, the national anthem being booed and Liverpool’s Champions League push all grabbed the headlines at Anfield on Saturday, but the ongoing evolution of Trent Alexander-Arnold into a midfield superstar also caught the attention. The 24-year-old was superb again, shifting into a more central, advanced role whenever Liverpool had possession and executing his passes perfectly. Going into the game, no player had more assists since the start of April than Alexander-Arnold and he would have had another had Darwin Núñez not made a mess of an excellent through-ball from the England international. Jürgen Klopp was coy afterwards on whether Alexander-Arnold’s long-term future is in midfield but the more he performs like this, the more it feels like a new right-back will be high on the manager’s summer shopping list. Aaron Bower
8) Allardyce needs to find bolder plan to stay up
Sam Allardyce’s first game in charge of Leeds saw them enjoy 17% possession in 90 minutes, an unsustainable figure if the former England manager is to keep his new side up. There is no chance the 4-5-1 that failed to stop City will be replicated when Newcastle come to Elland Road at the weekend. The positive news for Allardyce is that he has a full week to work on a new plan that can build on the hard-working, if somewhat underwhelming, display against City. The main focus should be on how to support a striker. Patrick Bamford struggled to make an impact, spending the majority of the game isolated from anyone else in a black shirt. Rodrigo came on and scored but that was Leeds’ only chance of note. To survive, Leeds need goals and cannot repeat their blunt efforts at the Etihad. WU
9) Happy days in West Midlands
Aston Villa’s European charge has stalled after two straight defeats. And, after misses like Tyrone Mings’s, at least one point was left behind at Molineux. But, in the spirit of fraternity across the West Midlands conurbation, there ought to be satisfaction the region’s Premier League contingent is in far better fettle than at the beginning of the season when both Villa and Wolves flirted with relegation. The solution was to turn to experienced Spanish coaches in Unai Emery and Julen Lopetegui, former Sevilla managers who share the faith in their players to make multiple tactical switches during matches. That appeared way beyond Steven Gerrard and Bruno Lage was fresh out of ideas by the time his end came. “The most difficult achievement I’ve achieved,” said Lopetegui who, like Emery, was a Europa League winner with Sevilla, as Wolves hit 40 points. A summer of rebuilding awaits with many Wolves veterans expected to leave, probably a year later than was sensible. John Brewin
10) Managerial might adds to top tier’s depth
Not all the best players in the world play in the Premier League, and the cachet of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich – along with the spending power of Paris Saint-Germain – means that will never be the case. But when it comes to managers England’s top division is way out in front, home to almost all of the best ones. Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp are already cemented as generational leaders with Mikel Arteta and Erik ten Hag hoping to join them, but the quality of those below the upper echelon is equally exciting. The work done by Thomas Frank, Roberto De Zerbi and Unai Emery has been nothing short of sensational and, if their sides continue improving at their current rate while playing their varied and energetic styles, the quality and intrigue of matches next season promises to be stratospheric. DH
