Will the teams in the relegation zone be the ones who end up going down at the end of the season?
The teams in the bottom three of the Premier League failed to boost their survival hopes at the weekend whilst Brighton beat Spurs 1-0 to go 7 points clear of the drop. With Newcastle also winning and Burnley looking safe; Will the sides in the bottom three be the ones who end up relegated this season? Fulham and West Brom who played each other at the weekend had a chance to strengthen their hopes of survival. But they missed their opportunity by drawing 2-2. A West Brom would've moved them above Fulham and a Fulham win would've moved them within two points of Brighton prior their game against Spurs. It was a big opportunity missed by both sides and Brighton's win over Spurs has made their quest for survival more difficult because the Seagulls went 7 clear of the relegation zone and are picking up some form unlike West Brom and Fulham. Sheffield United look relegation bound anyway despite their improvement but with West Brom and Fulham failing to beat each other and Brighton pulling themselves away, the bottom three could remain as it is for the rest of the season.
Are Newcastle beginning to turn a corner?
After a long time without a win, Newcastle ended that drought by beating Everton 2-0 which was their first win in 11 games in the league. With a much improved performance as well as the win; Are the Magpies beginning to turn a corner? They looked more on the front foot than they have been over the past month and that is what the Newcastle fans were wanting to see after weeks of abject performances on the pitch which lead to manager Steve Bruce being criticized and rightly so. Callum Wilson who scored both goals had more service than he had done in the games before and he thrived off of that by scoring twice. He was supported more by his teammates throughout the game which enabled him to have more chances in front of goal in which he took two. His second goal was the pick of the bunch as the Magpies cleared an Everton corner before Jamal Lewis played a lovely ball into Wilson who slotted it past Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal. If Newcastle can play like this more within the next few games, we'll see if they're turning a corner.
Has Thomas Tuchel found his best system at Chelsea?
Chelsea got their first win under Thomas Tuchel on Sunday by beating Burnley 2-0. They impressed throughout playing a 3-4-3 formation which suited the players that were on the pitch. So has Tuchel found his best system at Chelsea? The system they played was the one they used when they won the title under Antonio Conte with Cesar Azpilicueta playing on the right of a back three, Marcos Alonso at left wing back and Callum Hudson Odoi at right wing back like Victor Moses was that season. Eddie Howe said on Match of the Day 2 last night that the three at the back system suits Chelsea and that could encourage Thomas Tuchel to use it more because of how well Chelsea used the system in their win over Burnley. With N'Golo Kante to come back from injury and Reece James to also come in, Chelsea have to players who will fit the system perfectly because Kante was part of the team who won the league under Conte and Reece James is a threat going forward. If Thomas Tuchel continues to use the back three, we'll see if this system is the best one for his Chelsea team.
Are Leicester so reliant on Jamie Vardy?
Leicester really missed Jamie Vardy at the weekend as they were beaten 3-1 by Leeds with Ayoze Perez failing to step up in the no.9 position. His pace at the top end of the pitch is a key part to the way that Leicester play and they were clearly missing that on Sunday. This got me asking if the Foxes are so reliant on Vardy? Vardy has scored 11 goals so far this season and the team itself is built around him and the way he operates. His goals have been a huge part of their success this season and have been ever since Leicester have been in the Premier League. Leicester did win games without Vardy last season, but he is still a miss for them at the top end of the pitch because they have no one else like him in their squad. Kelechi Iheanacho doesn't always step up to the plate whenever he's given a chance and Ayoze Perez is not an out and out no.9. With Vardy now 34 years of age, Leicester won't be able rely on him for much longer because as he gets older his pace will gradually drop and we won't be able to play every week because his body may not be able to cope with the amount of games he plays. If the Foxes lose him to another injury, their chances of finishing in the top four will look slim.
Will Spurs miss out on Champions League qualification?
A couple of months ago Spurs were top of the Premier League which got many people asking if they could mount a serious title challenge. Since then they've fallen out of the top four and are currently 11 points behind leaders Man City. As they're also six points behind 4th placed Leicester; Could they possibly miss out on a Champions League place at the end of the season. Spurs' drop off in form is mostly down to not finishing teams off despite having two of the best attackers in the world in Heung Min Son and Harry Kane. Spurs have relied on those two to a lot this season and their defeat at Brighton showed why. The pair have scored a lot of goals between them this season because of the partnership they have on the pitch and with Kane currently out injured, Spurs are not the same team going forward. Son had a quiet game against Brighton and he was clearly missing his strike partner because he is used to receiving balls from him to run onto and score. Kane has been the creator in the team this season and without him Spurs lack a real threat. If one of Kane or Son gets injured again and other players don't contribute, Spurs could possibly miss out on a Champions League place.
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