Premier League: 10 things to keep in mind in this weekend's football | first division

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1

Klopp must be careful with the bombardment from set pieces

David Moyes will surely have taken note of Liverpool's difficulty in defending set pieces against Everton. Jürgen Klopp, who must be delighted with Saturday's 12.30pm kick-off, should prepare his team for another tough test when they visit West Ham. For Moyes, this is a chance to make amends considerable damage to your reputation caused by Last weekend's collapse at Selhurst Park. West Ham lost 4-0 to Palace after 31 minutes and are preparing to part ways with Moyes at the end of the season, but they should take heart from how Everton destabilized Liverpool in the Merseyside derby. Everton scored twice from set pieces and West Ham pose a similar threat from set pieces. James Ward-Prowse's passes to Tomas Soucek, Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio will make Klopp's defenders sweat. Jacob Steinberg



2

Mateta thrives under Glasner

Jean-Philippe Mateta looks like a different player since the arrival of Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace. Mateta had struggled to get a starting job since he moved to south London three years ago. He was a partial presence, a useful player on the team, but no one seemed convinced he was capable of leading the line on a regular basis. However, the situation has changed under Glasner. In nine games with the Austrian, Mateta has eight goals. A clinical finisher has emerged. Palace are creating chances and Mateta has been taking advantage of them. He scored his two goals in the 2-0 victory over Newcastle On Wednesday. Fulham will have to keep an eye out when Glasner's team visit Craven Cottage. js


Oliver Glasner and Jean-Philippe Mateta compare notes after Palace's 2-0 win against Newcastle. Photography: Javier García/Shutterstock

3

Howe remains underrated as a coach

Given Eddie Howe's close links to Liverpool Football's new chief executive Michael Edwardsand them Incoming sporting director, Richard HughesIt could be said that it is surprising that the Anfield club has chosen to Aim for Feyenoord's Arne slot as a possible successor to Jürgen Klopp rather than trying to hire the Newcastle manager. Howe is not perfect, but there is a real sense that he remains underrated. Newcastle's 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace Wednesday was disappointing, but it is worth noting that it involved six players (five starters and one substitute) who were on the books at St James' Park when Rafael Benitez retired, citing a lack of ambition, five years ago. The reality that Fabian Schär, Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy and company are challenging Europe rather than trying to avoid relegation says a lot about Howe's coaching ability. Certainly, Chris Wilder is unlikely to underestimate him, since his goal is to avoid a repeat of what happened. the 8-0 defeat Sheffield United (then managed by Paul Heckingbottom) remained at Bramall Lane in September. Louise Taylor



4

No signs of improvement from Antony

Erik ten Hag gave Antony a second start since February against Sheffield United, but in hindsight the manager might feel he shouldn't have bothered. At home against comfortably the worst team in the division, this looked like an opportunity for the beleaguered Brazilian to contribute and build some confidence. On the other hand, Antony was substituted when Manchester United lost 2-1: no goals, no assists, no shots on goal, six games lost. In his 55 minutes, the 24-year-old lost possession 13 times, or roughly every four minutes. United improved a lot once Antony was replaced, so will Ten Hag risk starting him again against Burnley? From the Worrying off-field accusations Aside from the shortcomings on the pitch, this looks perhaps like a last chance for Antony to create a positive headline ahead of one more test and what is sure to be an uncertain summer. michael butler


Antony with the ball against Sheffield United. Photograph: Matt McNulty/Getty Images

5

One more push for Everton's security

Everton will remain at the top after his first home win over Liverpool 14 years from now and Sean Dyche's instruction to his players will be relatively simple: do it again. Consistency has eluded Everton for most of the campaign but, if Luton fail to beat Wolves earlier in the day, Dyche's side will go into the Brentford game knowing that a fourth successive league win at Goodison Park will ensure its status in the top category. It would be quite an achievement for a team that lost eight points to do so with three games to spare. “Repeated victories are the art of the game and finding a way to win is the next challenge,” Dyche said. “We will park quickly on Wednesday, and that is difficult because the noise around it has been tremendous from Evertonians, but we have to go again. I imagine the fans will have a good voice from the beginning, I hope so, moving forward.” andy hunter



6

Luton must keep their head up

Sitting in 19th place with 25 points and with time running out to mount an improbable great escape, Luton will be desperate to get some sort of result against Wolves. However, no team has conceded more away goals this season, and Rob Edwards will surely have more confidence in Luton's (kind) remaining home games against Everton, who are now virtually safe, and Fulham, who are not has nothing tangible to play for. . He wins those two and Luton could well stay ahead with an incredibly low total of 31 points. Nottingham Forest and Burnley face the Manchester clubs this weekend, and Luton are unlikely to be much worse off in the end. So even if Luton lose at Molineux, hope remains, and Edwards must ensure no heads fall. MEGABYTE


Rob Edwards struggles to contain his disappointment during Luton's 5-1 defeat to Brentford last weekend. Photo: Paul Phelan/ProSports/Shutterstock

7

Chelsea fights without taste

There was a lot of talk about Cole Palmer's absence before Chelsea's ill-fated trip to Arsenal, but almost of equal importance was Malo Gusto's injury. The right-back has been the team's second best player this season, a rare gem unearthed by Chelsea's scattered transfer policy. Reliable and tenacious in defense and enterprising in attack, Gusto lived up to his name before suffering “a minor knee ligament problem” in the FA Cup semi-final defeat to city ​​of manchester. Gusto is unlikely to return for the trip to Aston Villa and backup right-back Alfie Gilchrist, who endured a torrid time at Arsenal, could be called up again to face the in-form Morgan Rogers. MEGABYTE



Given their respective positions on the map and in the middle third of the table, one could argue that Sunday's match between Bournemouth and Brighton is as much of a beach game as these late-season fixtures are. With only two wins in their last 10 games in all competitions (one of them was an exercise in futility in the second leg of a Europa League tie). that was already lost), Brighton's injury-ravaged season is in danger of ending with a whimper, but Bournemouth still have something to play for. Despite picking three of the top 27 available this season, the Cherries still have a chance of achieving their best Premier League finish (ninth in 2016-17), while news that the squads for Euro 2024 now there will be 26 people It will have piqued the interest of Dominic Solanke. The 26-year-old is in the best form of his life and you have to imagine his chances, however slim, of getting in line for an England striker spot ahead of the dispirited Ivan Toney. Barry Glendenning


Dominic Solanke is hoping to catch the eye of Gareth Southgate. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters

9

Will Arsenal keep the ball rolling or will they grind to a halt?

Much has been made of match congestion by managers this season, but Spurs go into the north London derby with a 15-day break following their game. Depressing 4-0 defeat at Newcastle on April 13. By contrast, Arsenal have played four games since that day, but travel to their neighbors with an almost fully fit squad: only the long-absent Jurriën Timber, who scored a sensational goal just eight minutes into his return match with the under-21 team on Monday, he remains a doubt. Despite having more miles under their belts and less time to prepare tactically, could Arsenal be feeling more alert, especially after their Confident 5-0 win over Chelsea? MEGABYTE



10

Resumption of hostilities in Forest

Nottingham Forest could find themselves in the relegation zone when their match kicks off on Sunday afternoon and, even with home advantage, the odds are they will face the combined forces of Manchester City, match referee Simon Hooper and its Stockley Park that makes the curtains tremble The insider Peter Bankes will be a long one, no matter how fatigued Pep Guardiola's players are from having to play three full games in nine days. Won reasonably comfortably by City, the corresponding match at the Etihad Stadium was a particularly bad-tempered affair, Rodri received a red card for putting his hands on Morgan Gibbs-White's throat, while Ederson and Taiwo Awoniyi collided. Given the high stakes and the propensity of both managers to complain about evil forces conspiring against their sides, it would not be a surprise to see a resumption of hostilities and more fireworks at the City Ground. Here is the hope. b.g.






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