Chelsea’s poor discipline is back in the spotlight
Moises Caicedo became the latest Chelsea player to be shown a red card this season, taking their total number of send-offs in all competitions to seven. That is more than any other Premier League club this season.
Fortunately for the Blues, it didn’t hurt them as they managed to take a point from Arsenal despite playing with ten men for most of the match. Perhaps they have become accustomed to playing at a disadvantage; after losing by a scoreline to Manchester United and Brighton, they have won each of their last five matches in which they have been red carded (including Enzo Maresca’s red card after the injury-time winner against Liverpool).
The West London team has proven that they can deal with diversity, but it is not sustainable. At some point you pay a price for such poor discipline. Caicedo will miss the match against Leeds, which will have a knock-on effect on Maresca’s plan. The Italian would probably prefer not to start Reece James in midfield after pushing so hard against the Gunners, so it seems likely that Andrey Santos will partner Enzo Fernandez. But with Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo still working on their fitness, another injury or suspension in that area could leave them with very few options in the busiest period of the season.
A sneaky new title contender?
It has gone under the radar, but Aston Villa are currently the form team in the Premier League. With seven wins, one draw and one defeat from their last nine matches, no club has achieved more points (22) than the Villans since matchweek five.
The second placed team in the rankings is of course Arsenal. And wouldn’t you know it, next weekend they will face each other at Villa Park. In the meantime, a trip to Brighton beckons. If they win, they put themselves in a position to close the gap with the leaders.
Villa currently occupy fourth position in the overall standings, but are just six points behind the Gunners, meaning they can halve that gap on Saturday.
The fact that this is even possible after the start they had is incredible. Unai Emery was under immense pressure after failing to win his first six games in all competitions. And yet it doesn’t feel like he or his team have gotten the credit they deserve for such an impressive turnaround.
Yes, a title tilt seems conceivable, but they are once again firmly in the hunt for the top four.
Salah’s starting position is questionable
“We have to find a way to play without him.” That was the message from Arne Slot during his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Sunderland.
The Dutchman dropped Mo Salah from his starting line-up against West Ham United and it worked. His side won 2-0, Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for the club, and they stopped the bleeding for now, ending a three-match losing streak.
It was the first time in almost two years that the winger was named on the bench. The question is: will he be back in the lineup right away on Wednesday?
Given his poor form this season, it would make sense to give his other attackers another chance to prove their worth. But given the health of some of their attackers, it seems certain that the Egyptian will start against the Black Cats.
Isak was cramping towards the end of Sunday’s win, while Slot said neither he nor Wirtz can play three full games in a row.
Whatever his decision, the era of dependency on Salah is over. He will soon be playing in AFCON and the onus will be on his teammates to get them back up the rankings.
Frank on the edge
Spurs have lost three games in six days. They have not won a Premier League match since October 26. Their only win since then was against Copenhagen.
It is not only the results that look bad for Thomas Frank at the moment, but also the way in which the defeats are suffered. They seem incapable of creating big chances, and against Chelsea and Arsenal they created next to nothing.
A trip to Newcastle United couldn’t have come at a worse time for Frank. What he and his team needed was a fun, easy game against one of the so-called lesser clubs in the league to try and build their confidence with an impressive win. Instead, they will have to fight for their lives against the ultra-physical Magpies.
Three points would be a massive boost for the manager, but it feels incredibly unlikely. At this rate, will he even make it to Christmas?
Read – Five things we learned from the Premier League weekend
See also – Premier League Awards: Fantastic Foden and massive James
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