The Premier League rolls into week seven as the table starts to take a more familiar shape after a few initial upsets. There is a familiar name at the top of the table – Manchester City have a perfect record so far, and Spurs are not too far behind, not having lost a match yet.
The summer witnessed a whole raft of managerial changes at the league’s top clubs, and one new manager in particular will be feeling the heat as his team wobble and stumble from one crisis to the other. Antonio Conte, known for his emphasis on defensive organisation, has seen Chelsea concede nine goals this season, the most among any team in the top half of the league.
Can Conte man the Hull of Chelsea’s ship?
When Conte took the Chelsea job in the summer, the Italian knew it wasn’t going to be easy. An ultra-demanding owner, a squad short of confidence after a season in which they lost as many matches as they won (12), and a star player in Eden Hazard who looked totally listless for the entirety of last season – these were just some of the problems plaguing an expensively-assembled Blues side.
It started well this time for the four-time Premier League champs as they won their first three fixtures, and David Luiz made a return to Stamford Bridge, bringing with him memories of years gone by. However, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic have regressed to what surely must be unmanageable levels. Conte may well consider wholesale changes to the back four as Chelsea, have suffered consecutive defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal.
Marcos Alonso could be in line for his first league start as Luiz and Cahill are expected to continue in defence, with John Terry out injured. Hull, thrashed 5-1 by Liverpool last weekend, is capable of capitalising on Chelsea’s defensive vulnerability and will be emboldened to take the attack to Conte’s men at home.
With no European distractions this summer, Chelsea should normally win games such as these. Failure will certainly put the heat on the Italian manager.
Hull City vs Chelsea: 7.30 pm IST, October 1
Swan curry for the Reds?
Swansea appear to be in early season trouble as they sit just outside the relegation zone, losing four of their last five matches under Francisco Guidolin. Having lost captain Ashley Williams to Everton, the Welsh club appear to be in free fall and could be potential relegation fodder.
Club record signing Borja Baston may be a last throw of the dice by Guidolin, but their opponents on Saturday are more than well-equipped to deal with this Swansea side.
Liverpool have scored for fun this season and have won their last four games in a row, notching up 14 goals in the process, and manager Jurgen Klopp will see no reason to change a winning combination.
Swansea City vs Liverpool: 5 pm IST, October 1
United are not out of the woods yet
With every passing fixture, it becomes increasingly difficult to assess the potential of this Manchester United side. The ingredients are all there – a manager with a proven track record, a collection of marquee match-winners, and the rich legacy of the club, but the question is, do these ingredients go together?
Their mid-week struggle against an obscure Ukrainian side merely added to Jose Mourinho's headache, and Anthony Martial might be preferred to Jesse Lingard as the manager looks for some stability in his front four.
They’ll come up against a Stoke side fighting for their lives, as Mark Hughes is the odds-on favourite to be the first manager to be sacked this season with his side picking up just two points from the first six games. Stoke, a team once known for their frugality, have conceded 15 goals; the return of Jack Butland cannot come soon enough.
Manchester United vs Stoke City: 4.30 pm IST, October 2
Can the Son keep rising for Tottenham?
Mauricio Pochettino’s men are yet to lose a game in the Premier League so far, but that statistic could very easily change come Sunday. They face the only other unbeaten team in the league, Manchester City, who played a tough 3-3 draw against Celtic in the Champions League mid-week.
Spurs have played Liverpool and Everton already, but this will be their biggest test this season, as Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen will shoulder the burden of the attack. The South Korean especially has been in red hot form, averaging a goal every appearance this season, and also netting Spurs’ only goal in their mid-week Champions League match.
Guardiola will demand a response from his players after his 10-match winning run as manager came to an abrupt halt in Scotland. His most influential player with two goals and four assists so far, Kevin de Bruyne, is ruled out with a hamstring injury and this could see either Leroy Sane or Jesus Navas get the nod to start instead.
Sergio Aguero will play a pivotal role once again as he comes up against the solid centre-back pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. This battle could be decisive to the outcome of the match, as the Argentine has eight goals to his name this season.
Tottenham Hotspurs vs Manchester City: 6.45 pm IST, October 2
Walcott form good news for Arsenal
Arsenal have bounced back from their opening day defeat to Liverpool at home to stitch together a seven-game unbeaten run and Theo Walcott, whose future at the Emirates was in considerable doubt at the start of the season, has responded with a return of five goals, two of them coming in a comfortable mid-week win over Basel.
A number of key personnel, including Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud, are still missing as Arsene Wenger persists with the in-form Alexis Sanchez up front. New signing Shkodran Mustafi has settled in seamlessly, forming an effective partnership with Laurent Koscielny, and keeping a clean sheet against Chelsea in their last league match.
New boys Burnley managed a much-needed 2-0 win victory over Watford as the Clarets ended a run of four games without a win. Sean Dyche’s men have no significant injury concerns and should field an unchanged line-up against the Gunners. Steven Defour has contributed one goal and three assists from five starts, and could be one of the summer’s best bargain buys.
Burnley vs Arsenal: 9 pm IST, October 2
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