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Veltman can lead Seagulls to second position
Fabian Hürzeler singled out Joël Veltman as one of the Premier League's most underrated players as Brighton prepare to face bottom club Southampton on Friday. “He knows what to do to win games,” Hürzeler said of the Dutch defender, who has started all but one of Brighton's league games so far. Veltman, who spent eight years at Ajax before moving to the Amex in 2020 for £900,000, is 11 months older than his manager and his experience has proven invaluable to his team in the absence of captain Lewis Dunk through injury. He is expected to return against Russell Martin's side as Brighton attempt to record their fourth clean sheet of the league season, not to mention the chance to move into second place in the table ahead of the rest of the weekend's games. Ed Aaron
2
A new era of the Foxes with Van Nistelrooy?
Without any previous association with Nottingham Forest, Ruud van Nistelrooy would likely be a popular event at the King Power Stadiumand all the evidence available at the time of writing suggests that the Dutchman's first game in charge of Leicester could even be at the unlikely fortress that is the Gtech Community Stadium. During his time as interim manager of Manchester United, Van Nistelrooy made no attempt to hide his enthusiasm for the job and brings trophy-winning experience to Leicester, having won the Dutch Cup in his only season in charge of PSV Eindhoven. Tactically flexible with any player at his disposal, Van Nistelrooy's preferred style is to combine quick attacking intent with defensive solidity and he was quickly able to endear himself to a fan base who soon tired of Steve Cooper's defensive approach. The approach he takes against the team with the best home record in the top flight will be intriguing. Barry Glendenning
3
Palace wants to return to increase its chances
While performances have improved, Oliver Glasner will be concerned that wins have yet to materialize for Crystal Palace. The Austrian hopes that Eberechi Eze can come back against Newcastle after a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since the start. victory over Aston Villa in the EFL Cup last month, with Adam Wharton also closing in on a return for a tough run of fixtures over the next few weeks that includes trips to Ipswich and Brighton, and home games against Manchester City and Arsenal. A repeat of April's 2-0 win over Newcastle at Selhurst Park, courtesy of two goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta, would calm nerves in south London, with Ismaïla Sarr likely to start for the fourth consecutive game after his first goal in the Premier League. against Villa last week. EA
4
Old school strikers at City Ground
After suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time this season, Nottingham Forest welcome Ipswich to the City Ground and hope to rediscover the defensive charm that served them so well before their recent setbacks. After conceding just seven goals in their first 10 games of the campaign, Nuno Espírito Santo's side have conceded six in their last two and, with Liam Delap, Forest's central defensive duo of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic will have to contend with quite a few goals. Strong as an ox and an excellent ball carrier, as fast as he is brave, the Ipswich striker's battle against one of the most impressive defensive partnerships in the league this season should make for compelling viewing. Under Chris Wood, Forest have a relatively old digger of their own and with both center forwards fit and responsible for half of their teams' combined Premier League goals total (28), this could be a classic big man battle. b.g.
5
Cunha improves the bite of the Wolves
Wolves' top-flight matches have seen 48 goals this season, more than any other team, but the most important thing for Gary O'Neil is that his team has proven to be a great spectacle in recent weeks. Wolves have scored six goals in their last two games, with Matheus Cunha contributing half of them, but their ability to score was never really the main source of concern. Only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka have participated in more goals this season than Cunha, who has contributed seven goals and three assists. Wolves have kept a clean sheet in the league and, out of necessity, their captain Mario Lemina became central in the league. victory against Fulham the last time I went out. With Santiago Bueno and Craig Dawson returning to fitness ahead of hosting Bournemouth, Wolves are suddenly looking up. Andoni Iraola knows this, who started the month with beating Manchester City. ben fisherman
6
Soler offers a ray of light to West Ham
There was no unanimous agreement at West Ham over the decision to sign Carlos Soler on loan from Paris Saint-Germain last summer. Julen Lopetegui wanted the Spanish midfielder but others were not so convinced. Some in the recruiting department had their eyes on Carney Chukwuemeka, the Chelsea midfielder. However, Lopetegui got his way and the first sign came that he might have made the right decision. West Ham's victory over Newcastle on Mondays. Soler had never admired the pace of the Premier League before. He was substituted at half-time against Manchester United last month but was impressive against Newcastle. Playing a central role, Soler's quick thinking in possession made West Ham more skilful on the ball. Lopetegui will hope the resurgence against Arsenal continues. Jacob Steinberg
7
The rotation of egos, a test for Maresca
It's a tricky balancing act for Enzo Maresca at Chelsea. Enzo Fernández was out for a while and then came back in. The midfielder has five assists in three games, which cools the rumors about a departure from Stamford Bridge. For Maresca, however, it is not easy to keep all members of his team happy. João Félix seemed upset at not coming off the bench against Arsenal earlier this month. The Portuguese attacker had a surprise start against Leicester last weekwith Pedro Neto unavailable, but what about Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk and Jadon Sancho? In recent weeks there have been rumors that Nkunku is frustrated by his lack of playing time. Sancho, meanwhile, has not started for more than a month and Mudryk remains an enigma. Will there be opportunities against Aston Villa? Maresca has plenty of attacking options and things are going well at the moment, but managing the egos in his squad will be a challenge for the Italian. js
8
Amorim hopes to make the desert bloom with a goal
In this third game of an incipient stage at Manchester United, Rubén Amorim hopes to see firm signs that “the idea” of playing to which he refers is taking hold in his players. The main thing in this vision has to be creating more opportunities because United is arid when they advance, a desert before the goal. Sean Dyche prepares his teams in a pragmatic way, so Everton, just five points behind the hosts, will be good proof of this. Dyche will plot to deliver United on their own turf, and with Old Trafford hopeful that Amorim may finally be the man, this should be a fascinating watch. Jaime Jackson
9
Forster's moment to shine against Fulham
Tottenham have won six and lost five of their 12 Premier League games this season, with their only draw coming against Leicester in an opening match they could have lost but for two excellent saves from Guglielmo Vicario. The Italian goalkeeper will be absent for the foreseeable futurehis fractured ankle the big cloud that overshadowed Tottenham's good streak beat Manchester City last weekend. The job of replacing Vicario will presumably fall to Fraser Forster, a situation that has generated much agony over the 36-year-old's ability (or alleged lack thereof) to play a style of football in which he is required to make short passes. . to its defenders. Ange Postecoglou has dismissed such concerns, telling reporters that it is a skill more related to mentality than ability. No doubt aware of concerns about the drop in quality between him and Vicario, now is the time for Tottenham's burly backup goalkeeper to show that he can be mentally imposing too. b.g.
10
The highest threat level for Guardiola
Arne Slot has brought the Midas touch to Liverpool but of all the achievements of his remarkable start, none would surpass the likelihood of liberating Manchester City from the Premier League title for four years on the first day of December. The prospect of taking an 11-point lead over the champions with an 18th win in 20 games under Slot makes this a long-awaited and momentous moment for Liverpool. However, the stakes are even higher for City. Five defeats in six games and a late collapse draw against Slot's former club Feyenoord They have left Pep Guardiola's players without confidence. Without Rodri, they look as fragile as Liverpool were after losing Virgil van Dijk to an ACL injury that ended their season in 2020. Josko Gvardiol's error-plagued performances are an added problem for Guardiola, who must decide whether to risk playing Croata against Mohamed Salah. The city's famous recovery powers are nothing more than an illusion today. They must rediscover them at Anfield, where Guardiola has never won in front of a crowd. andy hunter
