Is Mohamed Salah back to the player he was in his first season at Liverpool?
Mohamed Salah has 13 goals in the Premier League so far this season including two goals in Liverpool's 7-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday. With the rate he's scoring goals at, is he the player he was in his first season? Salah in his first season at Liverpool was electric as he netted over 40 goals in all competitions including 32 in the Premier League which is more than any other player in a 38 game season. He has 16 in all competitions this season and is currently the top scorer in the Premier League with 13. Two ahead of Heung Min Son and Dominic Calvert Lewin. He's on course to have a similar season to the one he had in his first season at Anfield with the amount of goals he's scoring and the impact he's having on the pitch because he had these kind of numbers after 14 games back in 2017/18 and he went one to win the golden boot and win the PFA Player of the Year award. If he can continue scoring goals like he has been this season, he could be the player he was when he first arrived at Liverpool.
Is John Stones forcing his way back into Gareth Southgate's plans?
John Stones wasn't expected to be a regular in the Man City side this season because of his lack of game time last season. He's returned to the fold this season and has looked solid and impressive in every game he's played for City this season. So is he forcing his way back into Gareth Southgate's plans due to the form he's been in? Pep Guardiola didn't seem to rate John Stones at times last season and that was understandable because he's received a lot of criticism for most of his career which lead to Pep not trusting him. This season Stones has been given more opportunities by his manager has taken every single one by being solid at the back and playing the right pass at the right time which is what Pep wants from his centre backs. Stones is in good form because he's had a good look at himself by working on the mistakes he made before in training and is doing what his manager wants on a consistent basis. If he can continue doing this week in week out, he could return to the England fold with the Euro's coming up in the summer.
Are Spurs becoming Spursy again?
Spurs have dropped 7 points in their last 3 games and now find themselves 6th in the Premier League and six points behind leaders Liverpool. So are they being Spursy again? Spursy is a term used whenever Spurs lose a bit of form during a season and it has happened a lot in recent seasons. Spurs appear to be Spursy at the moment after losing two and drawing once in their last three games which has knocked them off top spot after they were considered as title contenders because of the run they were on before and the way they were playing. This always seems to happen to Spurs because they always go on a good run which puts them in contention for a possible title challenge only to go on a winless run which costs them. This could be down to the mentality of the squad because they haven't won any silverware and they don't have the experience of being involved in a title challenge. This has often been the case for Spurs during the last few seasons and if they're to win any trophies or mount a serious title challenge, they need to stop being Spursy. They have a manager with experience of winning things in Mourinho and he'll need to put a winning mentality in his players like he did in his first spell at Chelsea.
Are Man United back to their best at home?
After a tough start at home, Man United appear to be turning a corner at home after putting six past Leeds on Sunday. They scored more goals against Leeds than they did in their previous six home games this season which is surprising because United are usually very strong at home. Against Leeds they started better than they did in their previous home games this season by scoring twice in the opening three minutes through Scott McTominay which gave them the platform to score more in the match and win. Their performance throughout the game was better than the performances they've been putting in at home in general this season because they made more sprints and played fewer passes in the final third which they were not doing in their home games prior to their game with Leeds. They moved the ball quicker than they did in previous home games and that helped them put six goals past Leeds as they won the match 6-2. If United can play like they did against Leeds in their next few home games, we'll see whether they're back to their best at home.
Are Burnley on course to avoid relegation again?
Burnley's 2-1 win over Wolves on Monday night moved them up to 16th in the Premier League and three clear of the relegation zone. After winning two of their last four, are they on course to avoid relegation? The Clarets had a tough start to the season with no win until November, not many new faces in the summer and injuries to key players. Since the November international break, they've won three and drawn two as they've move up the table and eased fears of relegation. They've gone back to basics by being defensively solid and part of that has been the return of captain Ben Mee alongside James Tarkowski. Those two as a pair at the back make Burnley more solid defensively because they're not the same when one of them is missing. They understand each other which is what you want in a centre back pairing and their partnership at the back has been huge to Burnley's success in the last three seasons. Sean Dyche sets his team up to be defensively solid and both Mee and Tarkowski are what make that defence solid because of how well they work as a pair and how good they are as central defenders. If the Clarets can start scoring more goals and stay defensively solid like we know they are, they should stay up comfortably because of their manager.
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