The biggest game of the weekend has been saved for Monday night, but even prior to Liverpool’s titan clash with Manchester United, there have been plenty of talking points in the Premier League.
Here’s ten things we learned.
10 – Antonio Conte must earn more respect from his players. Diego Costa aggressively demanding to come off just shows the Italian needs to stamp a little more authority on his squad, and he did that perfectly by keeping Costa on against his wishes.
9 – Leicester are in serious trouble. The Foxes may be floating in 13th place, but if they don’t improve their record on the road – four losses from four – they’re in for a relegation scrap.
8 – Crystal Palace can’t only rely on Christian Benteke. As soon as the striker went off the boil against West Ham, they faltered. Alan Pardew needs a new signing in January.
7 – Tottenham fans are still incredibly insecure. The sight of Toby Alderweireld on a stretcher is definitely not good news, nor is it the end of the word. Mauricio Pochettino has ensured they’ve got enough depth to cope.
6 – Ben Foster is underrated. The goalkeeper’s England days might be behind him, but his display against Spurs was nothing less than superhuman. An incredible effort from the West Brom stopper.
5 – Sunderland may as well wave goodbye to the top flight now. If you can’t beat Stoke, you’ve got problems. Simple as that.
4 – West Ham’s problems haven’t disappeared. Victory at Palace has lifted them out of the relegation zone, but only by a point. Slaven Bilic still has a lot of work to do.
3 – Arsenal’s squad looks in great shape. The way their front five or six combine at the moment is sublime, and that’s without Danny Welbeck.
2 – Without even playing on Saturday or Sunday, we’ve learned a lot about Liverpool. Results elsewhere mean a win over United at Anfield will put them joint top with eight games played. Few will have seen that coming.
1 – Weren’t Manchester City supposed to be running away with the title? They’ve dropped points again, and the Pep revolution isn’t coming as naturally as it seemed it would. The apparent champions-elect need to sort out their defence quickly, as they aren’t going to win it without keeping any clean sheets.
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