1
Palace should do Hodgson’s talking on the pitch
The “spoiled” supporters of Crystal Palace will get another glorious treat this weekend with the early Saturday kick-off against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool. The Eagles’ only win in their previous eight matches came at Turf Moor against Burnley and they have suffered demoralising defeats to Everton, Luton and Bournemouth since. Roy Hodgson took umbrage with the fans booing his side’s dismal efforts against the Cherries on Wednesday. Palace were poor throughout, barely laying a glove on Andoni Iraola’s side, and deserved criticism. Picking a fight with the supporters is rarely a sensible move, regardless of a person’s standing at the club. Hodgson was never favoured at Anfield in his dreary, short-lived spell as manager, and it is unlikely his popularity will drop to those levels in south London. If he wants to get the supporters back on side, though, he will need his team to show more fight, regardless of the result. Will Unwin
2
Hinshelwood shows Brighton are building to last
Brighton get plenty of praise for their smart recruitment, signing players from all over the globe for a good price. What occasionally gets overlooked is the fact they have a blossoming academy as part of an impressive infrastructure on the south coast. With injuries taking their toll on Roberto De Zerbi’s squad, Jack Hinshelwood has been given greater opportunity to show what he can offer in the Premier League. The 18-year-old has started the past three matches in all competitions, scoring the winner against Brentford on Wednesday to take the headlines. He started the game at right-back, showing his versatility after previous appearances in midfield. In the modern game it can pay to be flexible. De Zerbi is the sort of manager that will want his players to be able to operate in numerous roles, as James Milner will testify. The most important thing for Hinshelwood is that he builds on his promising start by being given more minutes on the pitch. WU
3
Cherries offer test of United resurgence
A brave new world for Manchester United, or just the latest false dawn? Wednesday’s convincing 2-1 home win over Chelsea is swiftly followed by Bournemouth’s visit on Saturday, as Erik ten Hag’s men seek to keep on moving up the Premier League table. With Manchester City not playing until Sunday at Luton, United can draw level on points with the champions with a victory. Asked how they can avoid a costly backward step following the Chelsea victory, Ten Hag urged his players to maintain consistency. “Always make sure you are a team [with] good cooperation, organisation, in and out of possession,” he said. “We have brilliant players who can make a difference. We are not robots, but if you don’t play good you still have to win.” Let’s see if the manager’s players can walk his talk. Jamie Jackson
4
Bees’ hive must work together to find goals
Injuries are causing havoc across the Premier League but Brentford seem particularly badly affected by the loss of players. The latest to suffer an issue is Bryan Mbeumo, who hobbled off in their defeat to Brighton having scored an earlier penalty. Thomas Frank’s team are not exactly free-scoring and the absence of their top scorer would be a blow heading to Bramall Lane. With Ivan Toney unavailable, Kevin Schade injured and Neal Maupay not the most clinical of strikers, Thomas Frank will need the entire team to help with the load because he has limited ways to change things in attack. “We obviously missed him [Mbeumo] but it’s not an excuse,” Maupay said after the loss to Brighton. “No matter who is on the pitch, we should be able to create chances.” Yoane Wissa would be the obvious replacement for Mbeumo in the starting lineup but he has only three goals in 15 appearances this season. It is a team game and Brentford need everyone pulling in the same direction. WU
5
Gibbs-White can be man to lift Cooper on Wolves return
Fans in the away end at Molineux may be surprised to see Steve Cooper in the Forest dugout after what had seemed like a goodbye at Craven Cottage. His players let him down in the 5-0 drubbing against Fulham and it is likely he will make changes once again, because few deserve to retain their place. Morgan Gibbs-White was left out of the lineup in west London, much to the surprise of many. He is a Cooper player through and through, having played under him for the England under-17s and at Swansea, and he trusts his manager wholeheartedly. The midfielder will be doubly motivated against Wolves, eager to prove a point to his former club and help his troubled manager in the process. Whatever happens, Cooper will surely not last much longer at the City Ground, but deserves a few fleeting moments of happiness before he departs. Gibbs-White is the most likely Forest player to provide one on Saturday. WU
6
Gunners face test of mettle at fortress Villa Park
A battle of title contenders awaits on Saturday night in Birmingham. There is rightly plenty of hype around Villa after their 1-0 thrashing of Manchester City on Wednesday. Unai Emery’s side were utterly dominant against subpar opposition, but the focus will be on Arsenal, who travel to the Midlands top of the table. The Gunners have edged their past three matches by a solitary goal, including late winners against Brentford and Luton. The sign of champions, we are told, is being able to win even when not at your best, but they will need to reach new heights at Villa Park, where the hosts have won 14 matches in a row. If Arsenal can find an improvement to see off such an in-form team, it will be another huge marker laid down as they look to secure their first title since 2004. Some might argue that the Premier League has never been harder to win; getting a result in games like this could be the key for Mikel Arteta’s men. WU
7
Chelsea resources give them no excuses
Mauricio Pochettino blamed a lack of preparation time for Chelsea’s defeat at Manchester United, mentioning (several times) that his team had less time to recover from their weekend fixture than Erik ten Hag’s side. The manager’s excuse was another indication of how far and how fast Chelsea have fallen since the time when two games in four days was a regular, acceptable demand of a lavishly assembled squad competing in the Champions League. Yes, Chelsea have injuries and several young players so inconsistency is to be expected, but there is also no question that a team able to deploy a £200m-plus central midfield and a creative forward line at Old Trafford are underperforming. Pochettino is back to needing a reaction again at Everton, who played a day later than Chelsea, and have fewer players to rotate – but won their midweek game. Andy Hunter
8
Jiménez finding form at free-scoring Fulham
Fulham have gone goal crazy. Having initially struggled to fill the void left by Aleksandar Mitrovic’s departure last summer, Marco Silva has finally hit upon new ways to attack. Willian remains an effective outlet on the left and Alex Iwobi, who is developing a good understanding with Andreas Pereira, has been increasingly excellent since joining from Everton. But what really made the difference during Fulham’s 5-0 win over Forest was a clinical showing from Raul Jiménez up front. The striker has not been the same since suffering a horrible head injury while he was at Wolves. Yet he remains a clever player and he scored two fine goals in the midweek win. Fulham’s rise away from danger will continue if the Mexican keeps playing well, so Silva will hope Jiménez is in the mood when West Ham visit Craven Cottage in search of another London derby win. Jacob Steinberg
9
Rodri needs help in midfield to reignite City
Every time Manchester City have lost in the league this season, Rodri has been absent through suspension. He is their key man in midfield, the barrier that protects the defensive unit and instigates attacks with his simple use of the ball and was sorely missed against Aston Villa. There is little doubt City need the Spaniard to play as many minutes as possible for the remainder of the season if they are to win the title once again, but he will still need further support in midfield. Last season Rodri picked up his fifth league booking in late April, while this time around he already has five yellow cards and a red to his name. This suggests he has been more exposed in his position and – after a gruelling season in pursuit of the Treble – could well be tired. Rodri and City are still missing the influence of Ilkay Gündogan, with summer signings Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes struggling to fill the gap. Pep Guardiola needs to find a way to help Rodri get City back on track. WU
10
Romero and Tottenham are walking tightrope
Tottenham fans had a bit of fun on social media after the home defeat to Aston Villa. They noticed how Cristian Romero, in his civvies as he served a suspension, gave Matty Cash a death stare after the Villa defender had taken out Rodrigo Bentancur. Cash’s teammates escorted him off the field at half-time, presumably worried about an intervention from Romero, while the Spurs support would speculate on which games their centre-half would miss after the red card he receives for sorting out Cash in the Villa Park return. It plays to Romero’s hard-man reputation, yet he was the first to realise he let his team down by getting sent off against Chelsea. From 1-0 up that night, they slipped to a 4-1 defeat and they took only one point from the next three matches while Romero was suspended. His performance against West Ham showed his good and bad sides: he headed Spurs in front, but picked up a late booking through frustration as his team slipped to defeat. He is imperative to Spurs’ defence but controlled aggression is required. David Hytner
