Check out Man United’s depth, Aston Villa’s character and more: 10 things to look forward at Premier League in week 7

Check out Man United’s depth, Aston Villa’s character and more:
10 things to look forward at Premier League in week 7

The Premier League will return this weekend after Carabao Cup third round matches in midweek.

Game Week 6 delivered high-octane action and drama and only time will tell if Game Week 7 can live up to its hype and expectations. On paper, however, there are plenty of quality matches on offer, starting with Saturday’s lunchtime clash between Aston Villa and Brighton.

With that said, here are 10 things to look forward to in week seven of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

# Can ManCity keep the top spot?

Manchester City are top of the Premier League after week six, with two points separating them from second-placed Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola’s side have started the new campaign as champions, winning their first six matches and once again remaining top of the table. Despite being reduced to 10 men after Rodri was sent off early in the second half, they showed character and courage to maintain a two-goal gap against Nottingham Forest and eventually win the final match. last week.

Rodri will be a big mistake for Man City in the next few matches after a straight red card. It will be interesting to see who replaces the Spaniard in the team and how City perform against Wolves. Overall, they have enough quality to complete the task against Wolves, who were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Ipswich Town.

And after losing the Carabao Cup to Newcastle United, all eyes will be on whether Pep makes any notable changes to his approach.

#Man United’s defenders face a serious challenge

Manchester United have spent heavily to strengthen their attack and midfield this summer, but will a lack of depth in defense cause them to fail this season?

With Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Aaron Wan-Bissaka sidelined, the absence of on-loan Sergio Reguilon – perhaps due to a hamstring problem – did not harm them much as they comfortably beat Crystal Palace in the third round of the Carabao Cup in midweek. It remains to be seen how long Reguilon might be sidelined or if it’s just a precautionary measure, but if the former, that leaves Erik ten Hag and Diogo Dalot as the club’s only natural senior full-backs. his team. Sofyan Amrabat made his United debut in the unfamiliar left-back position and played well, meaning that if Reguilon is absent, we could see the Moroccan in that position again against Palace in the Premier League this weekend . Roy Hodgson doesn’t have the sharpest attack in the league, but his team could operate differently than they did in midweek with Eberechi Eze starting in midfield. It will be interesting to see how Ten Hag comes up with a plan to solve his team’s fullback conundrum.

#BigMoment for O’Neil’s Wolves

With Gary O’Neil in desperate firefighting mode, Wolves’ home game with Manchester City is unlikely to make things any easier.

Ipswich Town beat Wolves 3-2 in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, resulting in O’Neil now suffering five defeats in eight matches in all competitions. As they look to get back to winning ways, Man City have found their own way again, with the team having had the perfect start to the new Premier League season so far.

Although City will not be at full strength at Molineux due to suspension and injury, if Wolves suffer a fifth defeat in seven Premier League matches, O’Neil could raise serious questions about direction of this season.

#Aston Villa test their character against Brighton

Aston Villa had a difficult start to the season; they suffered heavy defeats to Newcastle United and Liverpool but recovered

well and sit sixth in the table. They have beaten Crystal Palace and Chelsea in their last two league games, sandwiched by a 3-2 loss to Legia Warszawa in the Europa League. They also made an early exit from the Carabao Cup, losing 1-2 to Everton.

Up next for Villa is the visit of high-flying Brighton on Saturday, with Roberto de Zerbi’s exciting, possession-based side sitting third in the table with 15 points—18 goals scored and eight conceded. They will provide a stiff challenge to Unai Emery and Co, but given they are at home and have got some winning momentum, Villa will relish it.

#Will Pochettino’s #Chelsea respond to Craven Cottage?

It hasn’t been a good start at Chelsea for Mauricio Pochettino. He has only won 5 points after the first 6 matches and has yet to show any signs of being able to reverse Chelsea’s fortunes. They also have a huge injury list, partly to blame for Pochettino and the Blues’ terrible campaign so far.

Chelsea did not score any goals nor win any matches in September. Their slight 0-1 defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge last time increased the pressure on Pochettino. The Argentine finds himself in a delicate situation, as supporters continue to express their displeasure at the club’s slide.

After a positive midweek Carabao Cup adventure against Brighton, they will travel across the capital to face Fulham in the west London derby. A positive result at Craven Cottage would do wonders, but if Chelsea lose, it will certainly spark whispers between Todd Boehly and the club’s chiefs about Pochettino’s position.

#Can Brentford bounce back at Nottingham Forest? After a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Everton at home last time out, Brentford’s players had a week where things got worse with a 1-0 loss to Arsenal dotting the midfield. Can they escape City Ground’s trap?

Last season they did that but then let Nottingham Forest lose with a 2-2 draw.

#How did Maddison play against Liverpool?

Tottenham Hotspur hosting Liverpool on Saturday will be the most exciting match of the weekend: both teams are unbeaten in the league and in good form. Spurs were excellent against Arsenal last weekend, surprisingly dominating the ball and playing some great things that almost didn’t happen during the dark days of Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte. James Maddison had an excellent performance at Emirates Stadium, providing both assists for Son Heung-min.

Having scored twice and provided four assists in his first five appearances for Spurs, the England international will be brimming with confidence ahead of the big match. Liverpool have done well this season, but they are a bit rusty in midfield despite spending millions this summer on refurbishment. That will be music to Maddison’s ears, a player with a swagger, charisma and confidence that can hurt visitors at any time.

#Will Calvert-Lewin start with Luton?

It’s not rocket science to suggest that Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be vital for Everton this season – if he can keep up his form, of course.

The England striker, who has scored just twice in 19 matches since May 2022 amid a number of injuries, secured three points for Everton by adding a third against Brentford last weekend. With the Toffees entering the match winless, this is a good time for Calvert-Lewin to open the scoring for the season.

Summer signing Beto has shown he can fire up Everton, but with new arrivals Luton Town in freefall and unable to keep a clean sheet, Sean Dyche could choose Calvert-Lewin to lead the attack at Goodison Park on Saturday.

#Is Heckingbottom’s time at Sheffield United over?

Sheffield United are bottom of the table and suffered their heaviest Premier League defeat in front of a stunned home crowd, losing 8-0 to Newcastle United last weekend, leading to a chorus of boos throughout. Usually managers don’t last long after such a heavy defeat, but for now, Paul Heckingbottom is here and ready to fight his way through with his players.

The Blades travel to London to face West Ham this weekend, and Heckingbottom will be looking forward to hearing from his boys.

He is on the brink of becoming the season’s first Premier League managerial casualty after a horrible start and a defeat at West Ham should all but seal his fate at Bramall Lane.

#An away-day lift for Burnley?

19th in the table with just a point from seven matches, Vincent Kompany’s Burnley have found life in the Premier League difficult. The question arises here—How long might Kompany stick with Burnley’s attacking style?

Matches such as Newcastle United away are likely to determine that. In his defence, their fixture list in the Premier League has been unkind, with Manchester City, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United the first lot of visitors to Turf Moor. For their second away game, the Clarets travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United, who have managed to get their season back on track and smashed Sheffield United 8-0 at Bramall Lane.

Newcastle ripped the Blades to shreds and they could do something similar if Kompany fails to mix pragmatism with his attacking principles at St James’ Park. If Kompany and Co are to get a result at Newcastle, they must take a leaf out of Liverpool’s recent trip to St James Park—stay tight, compact, focused, disciplined and hit hard on the counter.

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