1) Will Aubameyang appear occasionally in the derby?
A year ago, José Mourinho was widely viewed as a grumpy, declining choice for the Spurs job, while Mikel Arteta should be hailed as the man propelling Arsenal into a bright new future. The temptation might be to find out how it all works, but the more relevant point is that managers cannot always be pigeonholed. At the derby in north London on Sunday they might have one thing in common: Neither Mourinho nor Arteta want to play gung-ho in games of this size, just as Arteta could behave differently, especially if he had a more balanced squad. This should be a cautious proposition as Spurs are making increasingly compelling drafts of the title and Arsenal need to prevent a deep fall slump. Both sides will be looking for their frontmen to make the most of the opportunities. Harry Kane does this without exception, but can Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is poorly positioned this season, rise again to the big event? N / A
United inconsistency and Giroud’s fabulous four
2) Kelleher has to face another test against wolves
Jürgen Klopp celebrated a flourishing youth after the hard-fought loss to Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday. While Neco Williams and Curtis Jones conjured the winning goal between them, Caoimhín Kelleher was the first to receive a bear hug from her manager. The goalkeeper’s ability to play with the ball at his feet, having emerged from his time as a midfielder in his school days in Ireland, seems to push him on the bill to stand up for Alisson, ahead of Adrián, who is less of a ball player recent victim of Liverpool’s muscular injury plague. Williams and Jones could play their part as well, as Klopp’s anger at planning continues to be justified by the breakdown of older players. Wolves also need to look after the youth as Raúl Jiménez has been missing for some time after breaking his skull at Arsenal on Sunday. Fábio Silva, who came on as a substitute for the Emirates after that dire injury, gave glimpses of what made him worth £ 35m from Porto. Nuno Espírito Santo is characteristically careful with him, but a vacancy has emerged. JB
3) Time for Brewster to pay back Blades investment
Sheffield United beat West Brom last weekend but still lost. Chris Wilder had to demand “better technology, better composure and better quality” of those who were at the end of their chances. Something has to change quickly: Oli McBurnie was an all-powerful handful last season, but doesn’t have to hit the mark this time. Oliver Burke hasn’t scored either, and while David McGoldrick has made two substitutions, the veteran is unlikely to single-handedly pull the blades out of trouble. Chris Wilder has yet to embark on a pairing that appears to be capable of turning things around. A bonus is that Lys Mousset, another recent tenure success story, is back. He’s unlikely to face Leicester on Sunday, however, and Wilder must be tempted to call Rhian Brewster back. The 20-year-old has been in the pits since his expensive move in and out of Liverpool and, despite being raw, a Livewire customer. Perhaps a side benefit to their big summer investment would provide some much-needed items. N / A
4) An investigation into Burnley’s injury list
While Sean Dyche may not be as common as Jurgen Klopp, he’s so concerned about the litany of Burnley player injuries that he has opened an internal investigation. Nick Pope, Robbie Brady, Josh Brownhill, Jack Cork, Phil Bardsley and Jóhann Gudmundsson were absent from the Manchester City shootouts last weekend and continued an injury-related year for Dyche’s side. “Sometimes you get these periods of injury,” said Dyche. “Maybe it’s just one of those things, but we’re analyzing it and working closely with sports science and physios to find out if there are things that we don’t fully understand.” Pope, who missed the City game through concussion log, should be back against Everton this weekend, while Brownhill and Bardsley are also expected to be available. BG
5) Will Ancelotti stay in formation or twist?
Carlo Ancelotti started his tenure in charge of Everton with a Boxing Day win over Burnley and could hardly ask for a more accommodating opponent as his team tried to get out of the rut that had emerged after the blistering start of the season. An arduous win against Fulham halted a streak of three straight defeats for Everton, who subsequently missed enough opportunities to win multiple games in an entertaining loss to Leeds. Ancelotti has switched from 4: 4: 2 to 3: 4: 3 in the last two games. That formation left them vulnerable in the end, but helped them score three goals against Fulham and nine shots on goal against Leeds. Instead of giving it up, Ancelotti could choose to stay against a team that is in the bottom three positions. BG
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6) Chelsea versus Leeds… and Lampard versus Bielsa
The renewal of a north-south rivalry that dates back to the heyday of Ron “Chopper” Harris and Norman “Bites Yer Legs” Hunter in the late 1960s is not filled with the incandescent atmosphere of the past. A socially distant crowd of 2,000 spectators will only be sparsely distributed for a game that was last played in May 2004. This is a 1-0 home win thanks to a goal from Jesper Gronkjær that marked both Claudio Ranieiri’s tenure at Chelsea and Leeds’ top status for the game for 16 years. The two clubs’ trajectories have finally brought them back together, with Frank Lampard, Chelsea midfield general on Saturday afternoon, leading what has become the stingiest team in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Leeds have been clean in their last two games and scored a real number on Everton last week. Lampard is reunited with Marcelo Bielsa, with whom no love was lost in the Spygate scandal that took place in Derby during his time in London. Had Leeds fans been allowed in, their feelings for the Chelsea manager would have become clear. JB
7) Do you want Parker to repeat the plan for Leicester?
A textbook counterattack performance gave Fulham a confidence-building win over Leicester, and Scott Parker’s side will need a lot of faith for their Etihad trip against Manchester City. Parker attempted a 5-4-1 formation on Monday, focusing on removing the threat from Jamie Vardy, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison, then attacking at high speed during the break. After having such a success, he’ll likely be back in the game, and it could potentially bring more dividends if his squad catches the city defenses on one of their increasingly frequent rest days. BG
8) Pereira and Zaha will be key at Hawthorns
Zaha or not Zaha? That is the question for any team that wants to face Crystal Palace. Despite signing Eberechi Eze, Palace remain heavily reliant on Wilfried Zaha, whose absence in their last two games has resulted in sad defeats to Burnley and Newcastle. If he’s not fit enough to play this weekend, West Brom will be even more confident about pursuing the league’s first win of the season with another. They will hope Matheus Pereira plays as well as he did when he defeated Sheffield United last weekend, when the Brazilian wreaked havoc on the opposition with his tricky dribbles, astute passes and precise set pieces. PD
9) More Moye’s magic against his former club?
Who is the team that is currently fifth in the Premier League after 10 games and what have they done to the real West Ham? David Moyes’ side won three games for relegation before the start of the season. The team have now won three games, which has led to speculation that their manager has finally got his mojo back since it left him at Manchester United six years ago. It’s his former club heading to the London Stadium this weekend, where he’ll face a Hammers collective backed by smart recruits who seem to be pulling everyone in the same direction for a manager who is seen by many as defeated . On the court, at least, West Ham is a long way from the wicker suitcase outfit that many had predicted before the season started. BG
10) Brighton must be smart to beat the Saints
Graham Potter is sure to tell his players to be extra careful on Monday. Only Fulham have committed more Premier League fouls this season than Brighton, who is best advised not to give away free kicks within 30 meters of goal, i.e. James Ward-Prowse. Southampton could be bolstered by the return of Nathan Redmond and maybe even Danny Ings, who resumed training this week. Brighton will have Tariq Lamptey back from suspension and can expect another dominant performance from Yves Bissouma, who has become one of the most successful midfield generals in the league. Brighton haven’t beaten Southampton at home since 2012 but have a good chance of changing that – as long as they are smart. PD
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