Arsenal continue to build their credentials as title challengers, a Tottenham Hotspur star’s 14 minutes of madness has created the perfect problem and Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers could be the next manager to find himself looking for a new gig.
Review the weekend that was in the latest edition of Premier League Talking Points!
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GUNNERS FLYING HIGH AS BEES BOSS OFFERS BIG PRAISE
Brentford boss Thomas Frank was fulsome in his praise for the Gunners as he tipped Mikel Arteta’s men to challenge City for the title.
Arsenal have not been champions of England for 18 years and have failed just to make it into the top four for the past six seasons.
However, the arrivals of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira along with the return of William Saliba from three loan spells has built on the progress made under Arteta last season.
At a ground where Arsenal crumbled in losing 2-0 on the opening night of the campaign last year, Saliba stood up to the physical presence of Ivan Toney and even grabbed the opening goal.
Jesus and Vieira were then on target with the visitors so comfortable Arteta could even hand a debut to 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri in the closing stages.
Dethroning a City side now blessed with the firepower of Erling Haaland may prove too big a task over 38 games for Arteta’s men.
The Norwegian took his tally to 14 goals in 10 City games as the champions cruised to victory at Molineux.
But Arsenal’s improvement should have Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United sweating over the stiff competition to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
And Brentford boss Thomas Frank was full of praise for the victors.
“They are top of the table so you cannot argue with that, they have done brilliantly,” he said. “Looking at the quality, they must be title contenders.”
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SUPER-SUB CREATES PERFECT PROBLEM FOR CONTE
Having been dropped to the bench after an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, Heung-Min Son responded in the best possible way.
The South Korean forward came on and scored a hat-trick in the rapid space of 14 minutes.
“My finishing has been poor this season. I’ve also been a little bit unlucky,” Son said. “I was really disappointed, but I knew the goal was coming and I wasn’t worried about it. I was working hard and always want to help the team.”
It now gives Spurs boss Antonio Conte the perfect headache, and one in which there isn’t really a correct answer to.
In the season so far, Tottenham have operated with a front three, with Harry Kane the constant focal point up top with Swedish star Dejan Kulusevski on the right.
Son began the season on the left but was dropped in favour of summer signing Richarlison, who made several crucial impacts when injected from the bench.
But the reigning golden boot winner has all but ensured he is on the pitch from the get-go thanks to his rapid exploits against the hapless Foxes.
How will Conte manage the quartet of attacking stars?
RODGERS ON BRINK OF FOXES SACK – BUT THERE’S A £10m TWIST
Is this the end of the road for Brendan Rodgers? Just seven rounds into the season, three Premier League managers have already moved on – first it was Bournemouth, then Chelsea, before Brighton were forced to replace Graham Potter after he left for the Blues.
Leicester sit dead last on the ladder, with just one point from their opening seven games – and conceding a horror 22 times along the way.
Rodgers has enjoyed a hugely successful stint at the King Power Stadium since arriving in February 2019, guiding them to fifth place (and Europa League qualification) in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons before an eighth-place finish last season.
He added an FA Cup title in 2020-21 to boot.
But he is currently the betting favourite for the next manager to be sacked at odds of $1.30, and has admitted he would understand if he is axed.
“Whatever their decision is, I will always respect it. The owners will do what it is they feel they need to do.
“I’m not daft, I know football, and the last six games don’t make great reading. But I have every confidence the team can push on and climb the table. I come in every day and do my work, but you’ve got to win games. I understand the frustrations of supporters and I can’t hide from that. It’s my responsibility.”
Rodgers lost captain and keeper Kasper Schmeichel in the transfer window, while star defender Wesley Fofana forced through a big-money move to Chelsea. Meanwhile, Rodgers was able to sign only one player, Wout Faes, in the entire window. It is fair to say this season was always going to be a tougher task than recent years.
Rodgers is set for talks with the boardroom this week, but with two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, he could be saved by the fact Leicester would have to pay out around £10m ($A17m) to sack him.
It might just buy him a little more time to turn around their horror six-straight losing streak.
WEST HAM WOES FLY UNDER THE RADAR
With a seventh-place finish in the Premier League and an appearance in the Europa League semi-finals last season, much was expected of West Ham United this season.
Their summer expenditure of $AUD271 million (per Transfermarkt), the third-largest in Europe, armed the Hammers with plenty of quality to ensure they’d kick on even further.
Instead, David Moyes’ side are languishing in 18th spot on the ladder with a measly four points from seven games.
Not only that, but West Ham have scored the equal-lowest number of goals in the league, with just three.
Moyes was left exasperated by his side’s insipid attacking display against the Toffees, claiming he doesn’t know “how many wrong decisions we made, how many passes we gave away, but it was as high as I have known it.”
Striker Gianluca Scamacca is yet to find his feet since arriving from Sassuolo in the summer, as is midfielder Lucas Paqueta.
It’s too early to say time is running out for Moyes to get his side singing from the same hymn sheet.
But the season could very easily get away with them if West Ham cannot find form after the international break.
