English top flight: ten highlights to look out for this weekend
Garnacho versus Walker ready for a new battle
A Mancunian rematch may be in store when Burnley's Kyle Walker lines up against the Blues' Alejandro Garnacho at Turf Moor. The winger is adapting well with Chelsea following his summer move from Old Trafford and displayed his talents in the Wolves match prior to the international break. His assist for Pedro Neto combined rapid acceleration with a ideal along-the-deck delivery. His creation for Malo Gusto required shifting infield prior to dinking a ball toward the far post. His celebration with Neto, mirroring his prior hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, served as a reminder of the speed at which situations evolve. The last time Garnacho faced Walker? Back when the youngster found the net for United during their cup final win against Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon half past twelve (all times GMT)
The winger key to ending Bournemouth's decline
Antoine Semenyo is attracting the full transfer speculation focus due to a reported ÂŁ65m buyout clause for a possible January departure, the media positioning him for promotion out of the Premier League's average tier. It is predictable from a wide player with six finishes plus three helpers who is delightful to watch. However, his team find themselves in an difficult situation, having undergone a form flip: it is the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive with back-to-back victories, while Bournemouth have lost 7-1 over two games in their previous two games after an impressive start to the season. Semenyo saw his attempt stopped from the penalty spot by Emi MartĂnez in their 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa yet taking on a defence without a goalless game since August may prove the best tonic.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday 3pm
3. Welbeck a left-field choice for the national team
It was intriguing to listen to Thomas Tuchel reference Danny Welbeck repeatedly during the fixture pause even though the Brighton forward turns 35 in the coming days. “Despite not being familiar with him, I understand what he could give me,” said the England boss. “He could serve as a reserve for Harry [Kane] playing a quite orthodox centre-forward role.” Gaining the final 42 England games back in 2018, it's entirely possible that Welbeck could be on the plane to the World Cup if he manages to maintain his goal-getting exploits. The former Manchester United and Arsenal attacker has more goals over every other English player in England's top division this season with six and is keen to increase that tally when Brighton welcome Brentford this weekend.
Brighton versus Brentford, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
Ryan Sessegnon needed as playmaker and goalscorer
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has provided a degree of warmth to Fulham's uneven beginning. The left-sided player, who returned to his former side recently after five difficult years in north London, is now a first-team fixture, pushing forward on the left in the absence of the injured Antonee Robinson. The issue? With two goals, he remains their joint-top scorer in the league together with Harry Wilson. Raúl Jiménez, their top scorer in the last term, has scored once while Rodrigo Muniz is out for an extended period owing to a hamstring operation. Additionally, Sessegnon needing to deliver as an assist provider in place of Robinson, who supplied 10 assists in the previous campaign. Fulham's following four games take in three from the best five as well as Crystal Palace, who have allowed just nine strikes in the Premier League to date. Danger looms for a side that have developed a name for consistency in the middle.
Fulham versus Sunderland, Saturday three o'clock
5. Time for The striker to deliver for the Merseyside club
The dispute regarding Virgil van Dijk's ruled-out strike against Manchester City failed to mask Liverpool's deficiencies in that game as they succumbed to loss number seven in ten matches. The manager's team must have a sustained recovery to muscle into the championship chase from this position, plus a major boost in performance, and the possibility emerges with seven of their next 10 top-flight fixtures facing clubs currently in the bottom half of the table. The risk is evident from Nottingham Forest, the only team to inflict a loss at Anfield to Liverpool in the last term, however it's not just Liverpool's showing versus aerial passes and fast breaks that is in focus. It is time that Alexander Isak to perform in a Liverpool shirt. The expensive signing has not featured at club level over four weeks following a groin injury when making his second start in quick succession in continental competition triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt. The striker came back as a substitute in Sweden's loss against Switzerland but missed Tuesday's inconsequential game with Slovenia to ensure his readiness for the upcoming World Cup playoffs. A caution in that match would have ruled him out. He might be short of|lacking|deficient
