Will Arsenal miss Rice in North London Derby?
Declan Rice was sent off for two yellow cards during Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Brighton which means that he'll be suspended for their next game in two games. That game is against the Gunners' closest rivals Spurs in the North London Derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Rice has made such a difference for Arsenal since he's been at the club and because of the impact he has made since he's been there, will they miss him in the North London Derby?
Since he's been at Arsenal, Rice had brought energy and tenacity to the midfield and leadership to the team itself. The Gunners have been a much better team since he joined the club last year because of what he's brought to them as a team and I don't think they have anyone else like him in their squad.
His suspension will leave a vacant spot in the Arsenal midfield when they play Spurs in two weeks and there is no clear candidate as to who will fill that spot. New signing Mikel Merino could've filled that spot, but he faces a spell on the side-lines after injuring his shoulder in one of his first training sessions.
Jorginho is the only other recognised midfielder that the Gunners have in their squad. But he is more defence minded than Rice and doesn't have the energy that Rice does. He'll probably play in his place anyway and it will likely force Mikel Arteta to change his formation from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1. Especially as two of Arsenal's available midfielders are holding midfielders in Thomas Partey and Jorginho.
Arsenal do look very strong defensively and they also have quality players in their attack. But how they'll cope without Rice's energy and tenacity in midfield is something we'll find out in two weeks.
Are Southampton doing a Burnley?
Southampton played a possession based style of play on their way to promotion from the Championship last season and it proved itself to be very effective. They've carried on playing that way in the Premier League this season and it hasn't worked as well.
They were caught out when trying to play out from the back against Brentford on Saturday and they were punished for it twice, both times in the lead up to Bryan Mbeumo's goals. This has got me asking if the Saints are doing a Burnley?
Burnley stuck to their style of play when they came up last season and it ended up costing them as they were punished when trying to play out from the back multiple times. They got relegated as a result of it along with many other issues they had.
Southampton are doing a similar thing as they too are sticking to their style of play and getting punished for it. Especially when they're playing out from the back.
The style of play you adopt might work well for you in the Championship but in the Premier League, you need to be able to be adaptable as it's a much ruthless league where you won't get as much time on the ball. Burnley found that out last season and the Saints will need to learn from that.
Could Haaland hit the numbers he hit in debut season?
Erling Haaland has kicked off this season in fine for after already netting 7 goals from the opening 3 games. He's already bagged two hat tricks as part of the 7 goals he's scored and his most recent one came on Saturday against West Ham.
With the start he's made to the season and the more goals he's likely to score as the season progresses, could he hit the numbers he hit in his debut season?
Haaland netted a record breaking 36 goals in his debut season and 10 of them came from the opening 6 games of that season. He's already got 7 after 3 games this season and this could be a sign that he's going to hit a similar amount this season.
He's benefitted from not going to the Euros due to Norway not qualifying as he's had a full summer to rest and full pre-season under his belt to get himself fit and sharp. If he can stay free of injuries and continue scoring at the rate he has been, he could potentially hit the numbers he hit in his first season.
Liverpool still miles ahead of Man United
Liverpool might have a different manager in charge whose style of play is slightly different to Jurgen Klopp's, but the gap between them and Man United is still large. Sunday's game proved that as Liverpool were a class above United and won the game convincingly.
The reds might not be as gung-ho as they were under Jurgen Klopp, but they're still a dangerous side when they go forward and they still press teams high up the pitch. Their identity is slightly different to what is was under Klopp in that they're more in control of games, but they still pose the same threat on the break and they're still a hardworking side out of possession.
United are the complete opposite because they don't have a clear identity in the way they play and haven't done for several years. They barely looked like scoring goals on Sunday and goals were one of their main issues from last season after netting just 58 times.
On Sunday, United looked open at the back and sloppy in possession and the goals they conceded came from that. Casemiro was at fault for the first two goals as he gave the ball the ball away for the first and was dispossessed for the second. Kobbie Mainoo meanwhile was at fault for the third as he gave the ball away. Alongside those errors, the defending for all three goals was shambolic and two reasons for it was because there was no organisation and leadership in the defence.
United spent a lot of money in the summer and have done since Erik Ten Hag has been in charge. But they're still miles away from winning a Premier League title.
Liverpool didn't bring in many players over the summer, but they still have a better squad than United and a squad that is more than capable of challenging for a title. There is still a long way to go, but Liverpool still remain miles ahead of United as they have abetter structure behind the scenes and a clear identity on the pitch.
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