Did Thomas Tuchel make the right decision in bring off Callum Hudson Odoi after bringing him on?
Callum Hudson Odoi was surprisingly brought off 30 minutes after coming on at half time during Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday. Tuchel brought him off early because he wasn't happy with his attitude and work rate off the ball. But when he had the ball, he was effective by linking up with his teammates and winning the penalty which Mason Mount eventually scored. So was Tuchel right to bring him off after bringing him on? Alongside side his linking up and winning the penalty, Hudson Odoi helped Chelsea improve in the second half by making them more of a threat going forward. The blues created more chances than they did in the first half despite to being able to breach the Southampton defence throughout and Hudson Odoi played a part in that. He may not have been as good on the ball according to his manager, but on the ball he was pretty good. How we plays over the next number of games could show us if Tuchel made the right decision or not.
How much will Aston Villa miss Jack Grealish?
Aston Villa were beaten 2-1 by Leicester on Sunday and they were without their talisman in captain Jack Grealish. The boyhood Villa could be out for at least a month with a leg injury which he sustained before the Leicester defeat. This got me asking how much Villa will miss their talisman. Grealish was a big miss against Leicester at the weekend because Villa didn't have anyone who could carry the ball forward and take players on. Grealish does both of these whenever he's out there on the pitch and from that he wins fouls for his team and makes Villa look dangerous on the attack. Without that player who can drive forward and beat players, Villa aren't as effective in the final third of the pitch. They have good attacking players like Ollie Watkins and Ross Barkley, but they're a better side when Jack Grealish is in the team. With Grealish possibly out for a month or shorter, we'll see over the next few games how Villa can cope without him.
Has Harvey Barnes put himself in contention for a place in the England squad for the Euros?
Harvey Barnes is having an excellent season so far with 9 goals and 4 assists to his name. He's got better as the season has progressed by being more clinical in front of goal and he has also become an important player for Leicester. With the season he's having and the form he's currently in; Has he put himself in contention for a place in the England squad for the Euros? Barnes got his first call up at the start of the season where he made his debut coming off the bench in the 3-0 win over Wales back in October and he'll be desperate to earn more caps with the season he's having. In terms of making the final 23 for the Euros in the summer, he'll be facing some competition from the likes of Leicester teammate James Maddison, Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish as well as Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford. With the form he's in, Barnes has been added to the list of attacking players that England manager Gareth Southgate has at his disposal. Southgate himself was at Villa Park on Sunday to watch Barnes in Leicester's 2-1 win over Aston Villa and the winger himself played a role in both goals by scoring the second and assisting James Maddison for the first. If he can continue what he's doing between now and the end of the season, he has a strong chance of making the final 23 for the Euros.
Has the relegation battle been blown wide open?
A few weeks ago I thought the relegation battle appeared to be done and dusted. But Fulham's recent results have brought the battle back to life with their win over Sheffield United on Saturday moving them within three points of Newcastle in 17th. So has the relegation battle been blown wide open? Fulham were 8 points from safety at the start of February and it looked like they would be heading back to Championship as they're weren't scoring enough goals and the teams above them were moving themselves away from the drop. But their recent wins over Everton and Sheffield United along with Newcastle's back to back defeats to Chelsea and Man United have appeared to have brought the relegation battle back to life. Fulham's recent results have also pulled Brighton back into it as well because the Seagull's are now just four points clear of the drop following their 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last night. With the gap between Fulham and Newcastle being just three points and Brighton not far ahead of them, the relegation battle could well be wide open.
Have Crystal Palace finally found a way to win without Wilfried Zaha?
Crystal Palace finally won a game without Wilfried Zaha as they won 2-1 at Brighton last night without a their talisman. It was their first victory without since February 2019 and with it being their first win without him this season; Have Palace finally found a way to without Wilfried Zaha? Palace may have had to defend for most of the game due to the pressure Brighton put on them, but their game plan still worked because they they hit Brighton with long balls and got crosses into the box from which they scored their goals. Cheikou Kouyate's long pass found Jordan Ayew who crossed the ball to Jean Philippe Mateta for the first goal and Andros Townsend went on a run before crossing the ball to Christian Benteke who hit the ball first time to score the winner. When Zaha's on the pitch they usually rely on him to take players on and drag the team forward because of how influential he is. Without him they play long balls down the channels and get crosses into the box. If they play like that during his absence, Palace have a chance of getting results like the one they got against Brighton.
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