Are Man City back to their best?
Man City looked like them old selves on Saturday as they thrashed Burnley 5-0. This got me asking if they're back to their best after a fairly slow start. City's problem for most of this season has been scoring goals with both strikers in Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero serving time on the side-lines which has had a huge effect on the way they've played this season. They put that problem behind them on Saturday by putting in an impressive display to thrash Burnley with Riyad Mahrez scoring a hat trick and Kevin De Bruyne pulling the strings in the midfield like he always does. They played like the City that won back to back titles a few seasons ago by being crisp with their passing and winning the back at a high intensity which was a crucial part of their game when they won those back to back titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19. If they can play like they did in their next few games, we'll see if the City we know are back to their best.
Are Man United finally building some consistency?
Consistency has been a problem for Man United all season. After three consecutive wins in the Premier League, are they finally building some consistency? Wins over Everton, West Brom and Southampton have moved United up to 9th in the table and only two points behind 4th placed Leicester after a difficult start to the season. The inconsistent results they had could've been down to their late start to the season after their involvement in the latter stages of the Europa League last season which made them start their season a week late. This is because they didn't have time for a pre-season after completing their Europa League campaign late which could've had an impact on the players' performances because of the lack of minutes they had prior to the season. Now the players have more minutes under their belts, they're putting in some decent performances and that is leading to some positive results. If they can avoid defeat in their next two or three games, they'll be more consistent.
Can Wolves cope without Raul Jimenez?
Raul Jimenez picked up a nasty head injury following a collision with David Luiz during Wolves' 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday. Both players were going for the ball in the air and they clashed heads with the Mexican requiring an oxygen mask as he was taken off on a stretcher. Jimenez has been a vital player for Wolves since his arrival from Benfica in the summer of 2018 band has scored 34 Premier League goals since he's been at the club. His injury will be a massive blow for Wolves because of how important he is to the team and also Wolves don't have a lot of depth in the centre forward area which will be a concern for manager Nuno Espirito Santo because of the tough games they have coming up. In December, Wolves will facing four of the top six in Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Man United as well as midlands rivals Aston Villa. Jimenez's injury came at the wrong time because of how bad it looks and the tough games Wolves have coming up in December. Those fixtures could determine how much of a miss the Mexican will be for Wolves.
Have Arsenal really progressed under Mikel Arteta?
Arsenal fans were full of optimism at the start of the season after winning the FA Cup land the Community Shield followed by three wins in the opening four games. But since then, their form has been poor with only one win and four defeats which has seen the Gunners drop into 14th place in the league. This got me asking if they've really progressed under Mikel Arteta. Arsenal were expected to kick on this season after ending last season reasonably strongly before going on to win the FA Cup beating Chelsea in the final back in July. It appears that they haven't kicked on because they're 14th in the Premier League and haven't been putting in convincing performances of late. Their main problem this season has been scoring goals and that could be due to the way they set up or the lack of creativity and service from midfield. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette has just four goals between them this season which could be down to a lack of creativity in the side because Arsenal's most creative is not in their squad and they don't have a midfielder who's going to create a number of chances during a game. Arsenal play Spurs next in the North London Derby and if they lose that, Arteta could be under a lot of pressure.
Has David Moyes proved himself as the right man for West Ham?
David Moyes wasn't the popular choice when he returned to West Ham last season and with the Hammers in 5th place, has he shown why he's the right man to take the Hammers forward? Moyes had a tricky start when he replaced Manuel Pellegrini with the club right in a relegation battle. But since the restart, he's starting to build a good West Ham side that are hard to beat and are pretty decent going forward. It's similar to the job he did at Everton because when he arrived at Everton in 2002, they were a lower mid-table team and he later made them an established top half team with a few finishes around the top six. West Ham are in a similar position because they finished a few places above the relegation zone last season and could finish in the top half this season if they can continue getting good results like they have done this season. The recruitment since he's been back at the London Stadium has been pretty good with Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek being decent additions since their arrivals in January plus summer arrival Said Benrahma got an assist for the winning goal against Villa which could be a sign of good things to come. If the Hammers can stay within the top half between now and the end of the season, we'll see if Moyes has proved the doubters wrong.
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