Premier League Preview: Match Week 11

Manchester City and Arsenal try to right the ship the weekend after both clubs have struggled in recent weeks. Manchester City dropped a third consecutive match across all competitions during the week in Champions League action against Sporting Lisbon. The winning manager in that match was Ruben Amorim who the Citizens will be seeing much more of when the Portuguese manager takes the reins at Manchester United in a few weeks. A final score of 4-1 during Tuesday’s match was a humiliating exclamation point on Manchester City’s recent downturn in form. A defense depleted by injury played without discipline and conceded two penalties. Striker Erling Haaland, meanwhile, missed on his own penalty try. City returns to league play at Brighton on Saturday and the Seagulls will not be an easy opponent for Manchester City to recover their form against.

Only the top three clubs have fewer losses than a Brighton side which gave league leading Liverpool a competitive match at Anfield last week before falling in the end. Liverpool is home again this weekend to face  Aston Villa. Manager Unai Emery’s Villa team has won just one of its last five matches, a run punctuated by a 4-1 loss to Spurs last week.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will be on the road at Stamford Bridge as it tries to pick up the pieces after losing two of its last three league matches. A loss to Chelsea and a Liverpool win over Aston Villa would put the Gunners 10 points back of the Premier League top spot, reducing Arsenal’s championship hopes to just a glimmer. The team’s attacking woes were again on display in a1-0 Champions League loss to Inter Milan during the week. Chelsea, however, has been lukewarm at home, winning only two and drawing one of its five league matches at Stamford Bridge. The Blues’ early season scoring barrage has slowed considerably, with the team averaging just over one goal per match in its last four matches versus the three goal per match pace of Chelsea’s first six games of the league season.

Newcastle snapped a five-match winless run in defeating Arsenal last weekend. This week should serve as a barometer as to whether that Newcastle win was more a reflection of Arsenal’s troubles. The Magpies must go on the road to face a surprising top four club in Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees burst into the Champions League places with their third consecutive league win last weekend. Forest will be a tough out for the Magpies as the Tricky Trees have lost just once all season, Liverpool and Manchester City being the only other Premier League clubs to have stumbled just once.

Thursday work. 💪 pic.twitter.com/FVugI3n0Lh

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) November 7, 2024

Tottenham Hotspur will try to build on its dominating home win over Aston Villa last week when Spurs welcomes currently relegation bound Ipswich Town to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Tractor Boys are one of only two clubs, along with fellow relegation zone occupant Wolverhampton, not to have won a match this season. Wolves, meanwhile, will face the third relegation zone occupant, Southampton, in a key survival battle on Saturday.

West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui, meanwhile, could be facing his own survival battle when the Hammers host Everton at London Stadium. Only Brentford, of clubs not currently relegation bound, has conceded more goals than the Hammers under their new manager. The West Ham defense has been wide open and has lost any resemblance to the disciplined and pragmatic, even if boring, style of former Manager David Moyes. Everton shored up their own defensive failings, which marked the early part of their season, to put together a five-match unbeaten run before an unexpected 1-0 loss to Southampton last week. The Toffees have conceded just four goals in their last six matches after conceding 13 goals in losing the first four matches of their season.

Manchester United has had difficulty finding the net in its Premier League matches as only Crystal Palace and Southampton have scored fewer goals than the Red Devils this season. Up next on the league schedule for interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is a visit from Leicester on Sunday. The Foxes, under former Nottingham Forest Manager Steve Cooper, have experienced the most success of the three newly promoted clubs. After capturing seven of the twelve points available over their last four matches, the Foxes are 15th in the table, five points clear of the relegation line. Club legend Jamie Vardy, at 37 years old, leads Leicester with four goals this season.

Crystal Palace has failed to find the net in four matches this season and only twice has the club scored more than a goal in its 10 contests to date. The absence of injured Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton does not provide optimism with respect to Saturday’s London derby with Fulham. The Cottagers defeated Brentford in a London derby last week and are flirting with a top half finish while the Eagles continue their survival mission, flying just two points clear of the relegation line.

Brentford fell out of the top half with last week’s loss to Fulham and this week the Bees travel to in-form Bournemouth. The Cherries have sandwiched wins over Arsenal and Manchester City around a draw at Aston Villa in their last three matches. 

Premier League Results Match Week 10: Liverpool Back On Top; Bournemouth Ends Manchester City’s Unbeaten Run; Arsenal Falls Again; Nottingham Forest Joins Top Four; Spurs Smash Villa; Chelsea and Manchester United Share The Points; Saints Be Praised !; Bees Lose Another Lead

Some of the top clubs are licking their wounds after the weekend results as the Premier League table at the top seems less fixed than recent seasons. Liverpool sprinted back into the lead with Mohamed Salah striking the winner at Anfield to defeat a pesky Brighton side. The Reds moved past Manchester City into the top spot as the Citizens lost for the first time in 33 matches in a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth. Arsenal, meanwhile, lost for a second time amid a three-match winless run as Newcastle defeated the Gunners 2-1 at St James Park. Aston Villa lost its tenuous grip on the top four in a 4-1 embarrassment at Tottenham Hotspur. Both Villa and Arsenal fell out of the top four. Nottingham Forest is now in third place after the Tricky Trees defeated West Ham 3-0 for their third consecutive win. Chelsea is fourth by virtue of a goal differential advantage over Arsenal and Aston Villa after the Blues picked up a point in a 1-1 draw at Manchester United. The tightly congested Premier League table sees Bournemouth and Newcastle level on points in 9th and 10th position, respectively, just three points removed from the top four after both clubs knocked off traditional powers on the weekend.

Liverpool, of course, is no stranger to a title race. There were understandable questions, however, as to how the transition to a new manager would go after a long period of prosperity under the legendary Jurgen Klopp. Things are going just fine under Arne Slot, however, as the transition has gone as smoothly as could be hoped for. The  major difference to date is greater attention to the defensive end of the pitch where the Reds have conceded only six goals this season. Only one other Premier League side has conceded less than eleven goals. Some things, of course, have not changed, such as the sight of a curling left-footed strike by Salah leading Liverpool to victory.

Things have changed quickly for Manchester City. Saturday’s loss to Bournemouth not only put an end to a club record 32 match Premier League unbeaten run which included 26 victories and six draws for the serial titlists, but also marked a second consecutive loss for the Citizens after an EFL Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur during the week. Injuries, many in the defensive end, have riddled Manchester City’s squad. The embattled back line saw Ruben Dias the latest to miss action on Saturday, joining center back partner John Stones on the injury list. Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake played through injuries on Saturday while Kenny Walker returned to the lineup despite having not trained in almost three weeks. Bournemouth has now claimed the scalps of both Arsenal and Manchester City in the last three weeks. Saturday’s victory was the Cherries’ first ever topflight win over Manchester City.

Arsenal failed to score for the second time in three weeks in its match at St. James’s Park as the absence of midfield maestro Martin Odegaard is taking a heavy toll. There is also the ongoing discussion, of course, as to whether the Gunners need a true striker as the early season form of converted midfielder Kai Havertz has cooled considerably. Arsenal faced a Newcastle side at St. James which was desperate to snap a five-match winless league run which had put the job security of Manager Eddie Howe in question. The Magpies, however, were buoyed by a midweek Cup win over Chelsea and a 12th minute Alexander Isak goal on Saturday goal put them in control in front of the roaring Toon army. From there, it was Newcastle’s defense which put the final stamp on the 1-0 victory over an Arsenal side which could find no answers in attack.

Nottingham Forest moved past Arsenal and three other clubs as the Tricky Trees moved from seventh to third place in the table with their 3-0 defeat of West Ham. It marked the first time in more than a quarter of a century that the Tricky Tress have won three consecutive Premier League matches. The clean sheet was the fifth of the season for virtually impenetrable Forest as only Liverpool have kept their opponents off the scoresheet more often than the Tricky Trees who have thrived under Manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s pragmatic and disciplined approach. Much of the club’s scoring, meanwhile, has come from striker Chris Wood who, after again finding the net on Saturday, has eight goals in this season’s ten matches and is just one short of tying the career mark for Nottingham Forest.

Chris Wood again. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zg9Un2h9IP

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) November 2, 2024

Surprising Forest also scored a win off the pitch this week as Arsenal Sporting Director Edu Gaspar has resigned his post with the Gunners to take up a position for Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis. In addition to the Tricky Trees, Marinakis, known for fiery outbursts when displeased with officiating, also owns Olympiakos and Rio Aves with rumored intensions to add to that group. The win at the City Ground was surprisingly just the second home win of the season for Nottingham Forest which has enjoyed most of its success on the road with only Liverpool having a better away record.

Aston Villa had been undefeated on the road until Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Rejuvenated Spurs responded to last week’s disappointing league loss at Crystal Palace by toppling Manchester City in the Carabao Cup during the week and then inflicting Villa’s first away loss in convincing fashion. Dominic Solanke, relatively quiet this season after his splashy offseason acquisition, scored twice for Spurs. Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, two individuals singled out for poor performance last week against Palace, also stepped up for Manager Ange Postecoglou’s side. Kulusevski assisted on the first of Solanke’s goals while Maddison finished off the scoring in the 96th minute.

Chelsea’s point against Manchester United moved it level on points with both Aston Villa and Arsenal and into possession of fourth place in the table based on goal differential. A rare goal from Moises Caicedo proved the equalizer for Chelsea just four minutes after Bruno Fernandes had given United the lead on a 70th minute penalty kick. It was Caicedo’s first goal of the season and fourth in 90 appearances for Chelsea. The Ecuadoran’s calling card is breaking up the opponents’ attacks, something he is doing with unparalleled success this season as he leads the Premier League in combined tackles and interceptions. Manchester United Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy remained unbeaten as he waits to hand the reins over to permanent appointment Ruben Amorim with the Red Devils having toasted Leicester 5-2 in the Carabao Cup during the week.

Leicester recovered from that pasting to earn a point at fellow promoted side Ipswich Town on Saturday. Former Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew scored his second league goal of the season for the Foxes with his equalizing strike in the 94th minute.

Palace also shared points this weekend when center back Marc Guehi tied matters in the 77th minute at Wolverhampton. The Eagles got their earlier goal courtesy of fellow defender Trevor Chalobah as Crystal Palace found a way to overcome the meager threat posed by its attacking players. Only Southampton has scored fewer goals this season than the Eagles who were without star Eberechi Eze for the match.

The prayers of the Southampton Saints were answered in the 85th minute when Adam Armstrong scored to stun Everton 1-0 for the Saints’ first win of the season. The Saints victory ended a five-match unbeaten run for Everton and gave Southampton supporters at St. Mary’s a sliver of hope that the Saints might yet ascend from the relegation zone.

Week 10 in the Premier League ended in dramatic fashion Monday when Fulham’s Harry Wilson scored twice in stoppage time to give the Cottagers a come from behind 2-1 win over Brentford at Craven Cottage. The Bees have now dropped 14 points from winning positions this season. 

Premier League Preview: Match Week 10

An eventful week saw Manchester United sack its manager, win its Carabao (EFL) Cup match versus Leicester in resounding fashion and name a new manager in waiting. The club moved quickly to replace Eric ten Hag, announcing the signing of Sporting Lisbon Ruben Amorim on Friday. That was two days after interim manager Rudd Nistelrooy was on the touchline for a 5-2 thrashing of Leicester in the EFL cup. Van Nistelrooy will get a few more games in charge as Sporting Lisbon’s Amorim will not take over till after the next international break. On Sunday van Nistelrooy and the Red Devils are at Old Trafford to face an angry Chelsea squad which was bounced from the EFL cup by Newcastle on Wednesday. The Blues will be a far more formidable test for Manchester United, which faced a heavily rotated Leicester line up in midweek.

League leading Manchester City, still undefeated and riding a three-match winning streak despite an increasing injury list, will face a tricky Bournemouth side on the south coast. The Cherries defeated Arsenal just two weeks ago and stole a late point at Aston Villa last Saturday. Manchester City has overcome a host of injuries in rising to the top of the table. Rodri is out for the season, Kevin De Bruyne is out indefinitely. Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker are all out for the Bournemouth match while defender Manuel Akanji is a question mark.

Man City played a youth infused line up in a midweek loss to Spurs as the Citizens bowed out of the Carabao Cup. The win was costly for Tottenham Hotspur, however, as defender Mickey van de Ven pulled a hamstring. Van de Ven’s speed is crucial to Manager Ange Postecoglou’s risky attacking scheme which leaves acres of space for Spurs’ opponents to exploit. On the positive side, forward Son Heung-min is expected to return for this weekend’s match against visiting Aston Villa. The Villans were surprisingly knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace midweek, just days after conceding a 96th minute equalizer to Bournemouth. The draw with the Cherries was the third deadlock in the past three league matches for Aston Villa which is still clinging to fourth position in the table by a point over Chelsea.

Ready for Sunday 👊 pic.twitter.com/Ju4S6NkFmb

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 1, 2024

Liverpool and Brighton will meet at Anfield on Saturday just days after the Reds defeated the Seagulls in a midweek Carabao Cup tilt. That match saw five goals being scored and the attack-oriented sides can again be expected to ripple the nets. The Reds plethora of attack options has easily compensated for the injury absence of Diogo Jota with Cody Gakpo notching a brace versus the Seagulls on Wednesday.

Arsenal gets center back William Saliba back from suspension and Manager Mikel Arteta is hopeful his other starting center back, Gabriel, will be fit to go when the Gunners visit Newcastle which defeated a collection of Chelsea reserves during the week but are in dire need of ending a five-match winless run in the Premier League.

West Ham, meanwhile, has been on a rollercoaster for the past few weeks. The Hammers were humiliated by London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, administered their own beatdown of lowly Ipswich Town, and then ended the Manchester United career of Eric ten Hag with a victory at London Stadium last week. The Hammers now head to Nottingham Forest, which is just two points outside the top four under Manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The majority of results, however, have come away from the City Ground where the Tricky Trees have won just once and suffered their only league loss.

That lone loss of the season for the Trees was inflicted by Fulham, which will be home at Craven Cottage to face Brentford this weekend. A tightly contested battel could be in store for the mid table sides with the ninth place Bees holding a one-point advantage over the Cottagers in the standings. Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa lead a high-flying Brentford attack which has not been slowed down by the departure of striker Ivan Toney during the offseason. Mbeumo’s eight goals are second in the Premier League to Erling Haaland and Wissa has five goals for a Brentford side which is joint third in the Premier League in goal production this season. Unfortunately, the Bees have also conceded more goals than any club not in the bottom three.

One of those bottom three clubs has started to show signs of life after a dreadful start to the season. After conceding five goals to Brentford for loss number six of the season, Wolves recovered to play competitively in a 2-1 loss to Manchester City before grabbing a point at Brighton with a stoppage time goal. A confidence infused Wolves side will now greet Crystal Palace to Molineux Stadium. The Eagles have also been on an upward trajectory but lost star Eberechi Eze to injury in a midweek Carabao Cup win over Aston Villa. The Cup win followed a London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur for the Eagles’ first Premier League win of the season last weekend. The loss of playmaker Eze could disrupt the Eagles’ flight pattern, however. Midfielder Adam Wharton was also injured in the midweek match. The opportunity is thus there for Wolves to win for a first time in this campaign and perhaps extend the tenure of Manager Gary O’Neil.

Winless Southampton are the only club below Wolverhampton in the table. The newly promoted Saints have found the net only six times this season, joint lowest in the league. Meanwhile, they have conceded 19 goals, a total exceeded only by fellow relegation zone occupants Wolverhampton and Ipswich Town. Everton comes to St. Mary riding a five-match unbeaten run which has lifted the Toffees five points clear of the drop zone. The Toffees are greatly improved since the Saints eliminated the Merseyside club from the Carabao Cup back in September. No Everton opponent has scored more than a goal in the Toffees five match Premier League unbeaten run.

Ipswich Town, meanwhile, has conceded ten goals over three consecutive losses as the Tractor Boys prepare to get back at it this weekend versus Leicester. The newly promoted Foxes are level on nine points with Everton but suffered a painful loss versus Manager Steve Cooper’s former Nottingham Forest team last weekend. That loss was followed by a trouncing at the hands of Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Cooper’s frustrations got the best of him at Old Trafford, and he has been suspended from the touchline for Saturday’s match.