Have Everton found a way to fix their defence?
Before their 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday, Everton hadn't kept a clean sheet in the league since their opening day win at Tottenham. After weeks of conceding soft goals, have Everton found a way to fix their defence? The performance of their backline against Chelsea was pretty impressive as they looked solid throughout by blocking almost every shot Chelsea had at their goal. Michael Keane in particular was the most impressive of their defenders against Chelsea by blocking shots and making well timed tackles to ensure that the toffees came away with a win as well as the clean sheet which they haven't done in a while. Everton have been changing from a back three to a back four in recent games which hasn't helped the defence as they've been conceding a lot of goals. If they can stay with the back four and if the personnel in that backline can play like they did against Chelsea, they'll hopefully be more solid at the back and get good results like they did against Chelsea.
Can Southampton push for Europe?
Southampton moved into the top four at the weekend after their 3-0 win over Sheffield United and are just two points behind leaders Spurs. So are they pushing for a place in Europe after a good start? The 9-0 defeat to Leicester over a year ago has clearly been forgotten by the way the players have responded since then and the way they've been playing. All that is down to the manager Ralph Hasenhuttl because he was facing the sack after that humiliating defeat and has since then got the players on their feat and putting in good performances to banish that game from their memories. They're more solid defensively and are hard working at the other end of the pitch by winning the ball back at a high intensity which was instilled in them by Hasenhuttl himself. The high intensity pressing has been the story behind their success this season and it has served them well as they're currently 4th in the Premier League. If the Saints can keep this up, they could well qualify for Europe whether that be for the Europa League or Champions League.
Are Sheffield United on course to be worse than Derby?
Sheffield United look like they'll be playing in the Championship next season with the club still bottom of the Premier League with just a single point after 12 games. With way they're going they could be worse than Derby from the 2007-08 season because they don't look like winning games at the moment and they're clearly lacking confidence by not winning games and not putting in good enough performances to earn a result. Derby had 6 points after 12 games during the 2007-08 season which is more than Sheffield United who have picked up 1 so far. Derby ended that season with just 11 points and 1 win to their name as they were relegated and were the worst side in Premier League history because of the amount of points they picked up during that season. If Sheffield United do not improve their current form, they could be worse than Derby because I can't see them get a result due to the way they're playing at the moment.
Is Mikel Arteta under pressure?
Arsenal lost once again as they were beaten 1-0 at home by Burnley. It was their third defeat in a row and their fourth defeat in a row at home. This got me asking if manager Mikel Arteta is under pressure. After winning the FA Cup last season before a fairly promising start with three wins from their opening four games, Arsenal have been on a slide as they currently find themselves 15th in the Premier League and only five points above the relegation zone. Its been their worst start to a top flight season for over 40 years and things don't look like improving with the way they're currently playing and their position in the table. This was meant to be the season where Arteta would bring in his own players but at the same time move on some of the underperforming players from the final years of Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery's reigns at the club. Half of that has been done in the arrivals of Gabriel and Thomas Partey who have looked like decent buys at times. But underperforming players like Granit Xhaka are still at the club where many thought that Arteta would move him one because of the amount of stick he's received since he's been at the club. If Arteta continues relying on his underperforming players, Arsenal won't improve unless he manages to get a tune out of that player.
Can James Maddison show Southgate why he deserves more England caps?
James Maddison showed how much of a talent he is by scoring two good goals in Leicester's 3-0 win over Brighton on Sunday. This got me asking if he can show Gareth Southgate why he deserves to play more for England. Maddison has been called up four times for England but has only received 1 cap which came against Montenegro in November of last year. Despite impressing for Leicester countless times since he's been at the club, he's often been overlooked by Gareth Southgate because of the amount of players England have in his position like Mason Mount and Jack Grealish. His performance at the weekend showed what he can offer England in linking up with players on the pitch and scoring goals which is what he does when playing at his best. He linked up with James Justin whenever Justin got in positions to cross the ball and he always links up with Jamie Vardy whether thats him setting up a goal for Vardy or Vardy setting up a goal for him like he did on Sunday. If he can continue to put in those kind of performances more often, he'll be hoping that he'll get more England caps. Especially if he gets picked for the Euros.
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