Is Nicolas Jackson finally proving himself at Chelsea?
Nicolas Jackson has had his fair share of criticism since he's been at Chelsea and especially last season. He did however manage to score 14 goals which marked a not bad debut season for him at Stamford Bridge, despite all the criticism he received.
He's already got 4 goals in 5 games this season, 4 more than the amount he got at this stage of last season and two of those four goals came in the blues' 3-0 win at West Ham on Saturday.
With the strong start he's made to the season, if he finally proving himself at Chelsea?
He scored 14 goals in his debut season last season which isn't a bad return. But he did miss a lot of chances and the kind of chances you'd expect him to put away. He was criticized a lot for missing those chances and many were questioning whether he was good enough to lead the line for Chelsea.
He's definitely been more clinical this season as he's been converting his chances and has managed to stay onside a lot of the time, something he wasn't able to do consistently last season.
He still has much to learn as he's only 23 years of age, but his form this season will give him a lot of confidence which he'll no doubt be looking to take into Chelsea's coming games. If he can keep up his strong start to the season, he could finally prove himself to be good enough for Chelsea.
Is Emile Smith Rowe becoming Fulham's main man?
Emile Smith Rowe has relished the regular game time he's been getting at Fulham since joining from Arsenal in the summer and he played another starring role in the Cottagers' 3-1 win over Newcastle, where he got his second goal for the club.
With the start he's made to life at Craven Cottage and the influence he's having on the team, is Smith Rowe becoming Fulham's main man?
He's certainly playing like it as he's arguably been Fulham's best player this season. Everything they do from an attacking point of view comes through him and the impact he's had on the team has played a key role in the Cottagers' start to the season.
He's relishing having a regular run of games, after a couple of injury hit seasons at Arsenal and if he can keep up the form he's in and stay fit, he could be Fulham's main man.
Man United still lacking no.9
Scoring goals was Man United's main problem last season as they netted just 57 goals, the joint fewest in the top half. That problem still very much exists after wasting a hatful of chances in their goalless draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday. And good ones too.
They've only scored 5 goals so far this season with only Crystal Palace, Ipswich and Southampton scoring fewer. Their lack of goals and profligacy in front of goal can only be down to one thing and that thing has to be a lack of a clinical no.9.
United have lacked a clinical centre forward for many years now and it's one of the main reasons why they haven't been able to challenge for the title.
They did sign a forward in Joshua Zirkzee this summer, but he was the one they signed and some say that the player is not a centre forward. They do have Rasmus Hojlund back after he came off the bench against Palace and his return will be a big boost for them. But he's still a young player and isn't someone who will take them closer to challenging for the title.
United have had some quality strikers over the years including the likes of Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney, who was the last top class centre forward they had.
They should've gone out to buy a goal scoring no.9 in the summer, but they weren't able to and their failure to do so is beginning to cost them.
Is it time for Brighton to ditch their high line?
Brighton have made a promising start to the season under new boss Fabian Hurzeler and whilst they have been good to watch, they have been exposed defensively on a few occasions. Their defensive vulnerabilities come from their high line as opponents have been able to get in behind and exploit it.
It's been exposed on three of their games this season including their draw with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, so is it time for them to ditch their high line.
I can understand why teams play with a high line as they want to get further up the pitch. But at the same time, it can be seen as risky as opposition players can get in behind it.
Brighton's high line was exploited on a number of occasions against Forest and especially for their second goal where Jota ran in behind to latch onto a long ball before setting up Ramon Sosa for the equaliser.
Their high line was exploited in their games against Man United and Arsenal. In the United game, Amad Diallo was able to run in behind and in the Aresenal game, Bukayo Saka won a looping ball over the top before playing in Kai Havertz to score the opener.
Other teams will look at Brighton's high line and believe that they can exploit as they'll see it as a weakness in their game. If Brighton's high line continues to be exposed, Fabian Hurzeler may need to think about ditching it. Especially if it costs them results.
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