Is Roy Hodgson under pressure?
Banners were displayed during Crystal Palace's 5-0 defeat at Arsenal and they were mainly directed towards the board. It was the board who gave Roy Hodgson another season in charge after steering them to safety last season and it's a decision that the fans are unhappy with.
The Eagles have won just one of their last ten league games and this kind of form is what gets a manager the sack. So is Roy Hodgson under pressure?
The main problem this season has been scoring goals of which they have 22 of so far this season. Only Burnley and Sheffield United have scored fewer. Goals have been a struggle for a while for now and it's because they don't have a no.9 who can consistently score goals. Odsonne Edouard, Jean Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew are not the sort of strikers who can guarantee you 10+ goals a season.
Alongside their goal scoring problems, they haven't been able to get their two best and most productive players in Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze on the pitch together. They've both missed a handful of games this season through injury and when they've been without them, the Eagles have looked stale in attack.
I do think they'll keep Hodgson on till the end of the season because of what he did for them last season and the track record he has. But if their poor form continues, the club may be forced to make a decision.
Toney showing what Brentford have missed
Ivan Toney did have some rusty moments during Brentford's win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but despite that he still showed what Brentford have missed during his absence.
He offered the Bees a goal threat which is something they've definitely lacked more recently, especially since Bryan Mbeumo got injured. He always wanted to be involved in every Brentford attack as he was eager to impress after being out for so long. He offered them that run in behind and also tried to create chances for his teammates to score. He also helped the team out elsewhere as he drifted out wide at times and dropped deep to start attacks as well as getting his goal.
It will take him time to get his sharpness back as he did look rusty at times. But with Toney back and back among the goals, Brentford have a very good chance of staying out of a relegation battle. Especially if they can keep hold of him.
Liverpool showing life without Salah
A lot of people were asking which Liverpool player would step up in Mohamed Salah's absence whilst the Egyptian is at AFCON. In the games since their talisman left for AFCON, all of their attacking players have contributed and stepped up in his absence including in their win at Bournemouth on Sunday.
Against Bournemouth, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez scored twice whilst Cody Gakpo assisted Jota's first goal. Jota also got an assist himself for Nunez's first goal at the beginning of the second half.
The attacking players stepping up in Salah's absence shows that Liverpool are showing signs of life without Salah, and that they have strength in depth in that department. The latter is a sign of them being title contenders as they have players who can step up in Salah's absence, as they showed against Bournemouth.
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