James Maddison must go the the World Cup
James Maddison has often been overlooked for England in the past despite him being one of the most talented English players of his generation. One reason why is because he's been competing with the likes of Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish for a place in the team which is never easy considering how talented those players are. But with England lacking any sort of creativity in their side going into the World Cup, now must be the time for Gareth Southgate to make Maddison part of his plans.
The Leicester midfielder has improved his game a lot over the past year by improving his numbers for both goals and assists of he has 12 and 18 respectively this calendar year. He's also improved on other aspects of his game such as the ugly side in running back to help his team out defensively which is something he didn't do enough of in the early part of his career. He can also play in a variety of positions such as out wide and as both a no.10 and a no.8. This will strengthen his case further as Gareth Southgate likes players who are versatile and Maddison has certainly proved how versatile he can be over the past year by playing in numerous positions.
He's carried Leicester pretty much all season and his performance against Everton on Saturday showed why he should get picked for England as he assisted both goals and ran the show from midfield. Many will be wondering how he hasn't had many England caps after that kind of performance and it will hopefully give Southgate something to think about when he picks his World Cup squad on Thursday.
Arsenal showing title credentials
Two points clear at the top and have already beaten Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea. This is a sign that Arsenal are showing title credentials because you need to win against the big teams in order to win or challenge for the title. Their record against the so-called big six has been questioned over the years and they appear to have done something about it this season by going into those games with more belief and they've certainly carried that belief into those games.
They also have a much stronger mentality and character with both playing a crucial part in their season so far. I have mentioned this on more than one or two occasions already this season and I'm mentioning it again now as they've shown it in those big games. Particularly against Chelsea at the weekend as they went into the game with the right mind-set and saw the game out better than they might've done a year ago.
They will be tested towards the end of the season but having beaten three of the four big teams they've faced this season, the Gunners are showing positive signs of a potential title challenge.
Mohamed Salah is back to his best
Liverpool had had an inconsistent season so far during which attacking talisman Mohamed Salah was struggling to find his form early on. But with 9 goals from his last 8 games in all competitions, Salah is no doubt back to his best.
The Egyptian's slow start came not long after signing that lucrative new contract with many suggesting that he'd down tools after signing that new deal. Many players have done that after signing big new contracts with Mesut Ozil and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang being two examples from their times at Arsenal. But Salah has recently shown that it isn't to be case with the recent run of form he's in.
He's getting into better positions to score goals than he was earlier in the season and his performance against Spurs on Sunday can back that up. He was in the right place to receive Darwin Nunez's pass before scoring his first and made the most of Eric Dier's error for the second. The best players in the world always take those kind of chances and Salah is certainly one of them given his goal record since he's been at Liverpool and the kind of goals he has scored over the years.
Hasenhuttl got what was coming after Southampton sacking
Ralph Hasenhuttl was sacked by Southampton earlier today with the club in the relegation zone and winning just one of their last nine games. Their poor run of form has put a lot of pressure on Hasenhuttl and with that and results they've had, it's fair to say that he got what was coming to him.
That pressure was arguably on him at the start of the season after their dreadful end to last season where they lost 9 of their final 12 games. You could say that he relieved that pressure with early season wins over Leicester and Chelsea which had the Saints in 7th after four games. But the pressure again returned as results went against them and they slid down the table towards the relegation places.
Hasenhuttl himself was quite fortunate to be in charge of Southampton for as long as he was as his side lost 9-0 twice to Leicester and Man United respectively plus they went on barren runs of form on several occasions. Most clubs may have sacked their manager when losing a game 9-0 but the Southampton board stuck with the Austrian on both occasions as he became their longest serving Premier League manager. He always found a way to relieve the pressure on him whenever his side were on a bad run of form and that luck has now caught up with him.
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