English top flight: ten highlights to look out for this weekend
Walker faces Garnacho poised for another encounter
A Manchester reunion might be on the cards as Burnley's Kyle Walker lines up against Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho on Burnley's turf. The attacker is adapting well with Chelsea following his close-season transfer from Manchester United and demonstrated his skills versus Wolverhampton prior to the fixture pause. His assist for Pedro Neto mixed electric speed and a perfect low cross. His creation for Malo Gusto required cutting inside before dinking a delivery toward the far post. His celebration with Neto, mirroring his earlier hug with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, was a testament of how quickly situations evolve. The last time Garnacho took on Walker? Back when the former netted for United during their cup final win over Manchester City.
Burnley versus Chelsea, Saturday afternoon 12:30 PM (all times GMT)
2. Semenyo crucial to ending Bournemouth's slump
Antoine Semenyo is receiving the complete transfer speculation treatment amid a claimed £65m release clause for his potential mid-season move, the gossip columns setting him up for graduation out of the Premier League's mid-table ranks. This is to be expected from a winger with six finishes plus three helpers and is joyous to watch. However, his side are in an awkward spot, having undergone a body swap: now it's the bottom-half team West Ham who arrive with back-to-back victories, whereas Bournemouth have lost seven-one over two games over their past two games after an strong beginning to the campaign. Semenyo had his effort saved on the penalty by Emi Martínez during the four-nil loss by Aston Villa yet taking on a defensive unit that hasn't kept a clean sheet since August might be the best remedy.
Bournemouth against West Ham, Saturday afternoon 3:00 PM
3. Welbeck an outside option for the national team
It was intriguing to listen to Thomas Tuchel name-drop Danny Welbeck multiple times during the fixture pause despite the fact that the Brighton attacker reaches 35 next week. “Even without having met him, I understand what he is able to offer me,” stated the England boss. “He can be a reserve for Harry [Kane] as a quite orthodox striker role.” Having won the final 42 international appearances several years ago, it's entirely possible that Welbeck could be on the plane for the World Cup if he manages to continue his goalscoring exploits. Once of Manchester United and Arsenal attacker has a greater tally than any other English player in the Premier League this term with six and will be keen to increase that total when Brighton host Brentford on Saturday.
Brighton vs Brentford, Saturday 3pm
Ryan Sessegnon needed as assist provider and goalscorer
The narrative around Ryan Sessegnon has provided some warmth to Fulham's inconsistent beginning. The 25-year-old, who came back to his boyhood club recently after five challenging years with Spurs, has become a consistent pick, driving down the left flank due to the injury of the unavailable Antonee Robinson. The issue? With two goals, he's also their joint-top scorer in the Premier League alongside Harry Wilson. Their main striker, their leading man last season, has bagged once whereas Rodrigo Muniz is out for an extended period because of hamstring surgery. Sessegnon must also having to step up in a creative role in place of Robinson, who provided 10 assists in the previous campaign. The Cottagers' following four matches take in three of the top five and Crystal Palace, who have allowed just nine scores in the Premier League so far. Trouble awaits for the club that have earned a standing for solidity in the central positions.
Fulham vs Sunderland, Saturday afternoon 3pm
5. Time for Alexander Isak to produce for the Merseyside club
The debate surrounding Virgil van Dijk's chalked-off effort in the match with Manchester City could not hide Liverpool's deficiencies on the day as they succumbed to their seventh loss in 10 games. Arne Slot's squad require a sustained recovery to enter the title race from their current spot, as well as a significant boost in performance, and the possibility emerges with seven of their next 10 Premier League matches versus sides currently in the bottom ten in the standings. The threat is clear from Nottingham Forest, the single club to deliver a loss at Anfield to Liverpool the previous campaign, however it's not just Liverpool's display versus aerial passes and fast breaks that will be under the spotlight. The moment has come for Alexander Isak to deliver in a Liverpool shirt. The expensive signing has not played at club level for a month following a groin injury during his second consecutive start in quick succession in continental competition win in Germany. The striker came back off the bench during Sweden's reverse to Switzerland but was rested the subsequent dead rubber with Slovenia to secure his fitness for next year's World Cup knockout rounds. A yellow card in that match would have ruled him out. Isak may be short of|lacking|deficient
