Newcastle United’s new owners finally pulled the trigger and sacked head coach Steve Bruce on Wednesday morning.
Bruce was expected to be replaced after the Saudi Arabian-backed consortium, led by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), completed a £305m takeover of Newcastle on October 7.
The 60-year-old remained in charge for the disappointing 3-2 defeat to Tottenham – his 1,000th match as a manager – with non-executive chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and director Amanda Staveley watching on at St James’ Park.
The writing was always on the wall for the former Hull City and Wigan Athletic manager, and with the club languishing second bottom in the Barclays Premier League, and winless after their opening eight games, it was a matter of when and not if Steve Bruce will be relieved of his duties.
Upon the sacking, the club immediately put out a statement saying that the process of recruiting a new head coach is underway, and various reports already have former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca as the early front runners.
Newcastle to hold talks with Paulo Fonseca in next 24 hours with a view to appointing him as new boss. No decision on preferred option yet – but if talks go well Fonseca set to be No 1 target. More on @MailSport
It is understood that Newcastle are currently holding talks with the Portuguese coach in with a view to appointing him as the new boss under the new regime, and the man tasked in leading the club into a new era.
Though Fonseca isn’t the only man being considered for the role, with Newcastle also sounding out for other irons in the fire in replacing Steve Bruce. But who are those options and what will they bring to St James’ Park?
Paulo Fonseca
The bookies favourite to take the managerial hotseat at St James’ Park, Paulo Fonseca has emerged as the front-runner to replace Steve Bruce at St James’ Park and if he does get the job, Newcastle supporters can expect attacking football and plenty of entertainment.
Indeed, it was his devotion to an attack-minded playing style that scuppered a potential move to Tottenham during the summer, the 48-year-old afterwards insisting the club’s managing director Fabio Paratici favoured a more defensive brand of football and as a result appointed former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo instead.
“The best way to defend is to have the ball,” said Fonseca in an interview with the Telegraph. “We have an obligation with supporters to create a spectacle, a good show. I have to be offensive and dominate the games… These are things which will die with me.”
These words will certainly ring sweetly in Newcastle fan’s ears as they’ve had to put up with more conservative, defensive and cautious approaches for much of the past decade.
Fonseca, 48, has been honing his preferred playing style throughout a managerial career which began in 2007. He started out in his native Portugal and, following spells in charge of Pacos Ferreira, Porto and Braga, where he won the Portuguese Cup, he moved to Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk and later Roma.
Paulo Fonseca had over 51% win record at Roma and a 74% win percentage at Shakhtar Donetsk, so he does seem the more plausible target to take Newcastle forward. He did evolve Roma tactically during his time there, and I’m sure that’s the reason #NUFC are after him.
Fonseca spent the last two seasons at Roma, finishing fifth and seventh in Serie A before being replaced by Jose Mourinho last summer, but he was more successful at Shakhtar, winning three consecutive league and cup doubles and enjoying some memorable moments in Europe too.
In December 2017, his Shakhtar side clinched a 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Fonseca has been turning heads in the Premier League ever since then, attracting interest from Everton and West Ham before this summer’s approach by Tottenham, but it may now be at Newcastle that he gets his first chance in England. It’s a proposition which the Newcastle fans could well be potentially excited by.
Lucien Favre
Another leading frontrunner for the Newcastle job is former Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre. A man who would take a whole wealth of experience and know-how to St James’ Park.
Much of Favre’s 28-year managerial career has been spent in his native Switzerland and in Germany, save for two seasons in France with Nice, whom he led to their best ever Ligue 1 finish in his first full year in charge in 2016/17 – also managing Newcastle forward Allan Saint-Maximin in which he had difficulties in managing.
He also enjoyed success at FC Zurich, where he won successive Swiss Super League titles in 2006 and 2007, and at Borussia Monchengladbach having twice guided the club to Champions League qualification.
Favre has been unemployed since December 2020, when he was sacked by Borussia Dortmund after a season-and-a-half in charge. During his debut season in charge of the German giants, he became the first ever manager to remain unbeaten in his first 15 Bundesliga matches, including a 4–1 win against RB Leipzig, a 7–0 win against 1. FC Nürnberg, and a 4–0 win against Atlético Madrid.
His Dortmund side were exceptionally free-scoring during his first year in charge, favouring a a dynamic, quick and attacking-minded football where ball possession and change of tempo alternate. He finished his time at Dortmund with a 61% win percentage having also led the club to a German Super Cup triumph in 2019. He was sacked in December 2020, after a poor run of results, including a 5-1 thumping at the hands of VFB Stuttgart.
The Swiss manager was linked with a move to Crystal Palace in the summer but negotiations broke down with the club appointing Patrick Vieira instead.
Eddie Howe
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Eddie Howe is the outsiders favourite for the role, and could be an exciting one at that.
The 43-year-old Englishman worked wonders at Bournemouth, guiding the south-coast club from the brink of relegation from the Football League to the Premier League, with a brief and unsuccessful spell at Burnley in-between. He kept Bournemouth in the Premier League for five seasons.
Howe has been out of work since leaving Bournemouth at the end of the 2019/20 season, when the club was relegated to the Championship.
That factor will be a major sticking point for many Newcastle fans and the new owners who are looking for a coach to guide them away from relegation this season.
He was approached by Celtic in May but turned down the offer.
Like the other four candidates, Howe is reported to be under consideration by Newcastle, and while his tenure at Bournemouth ended with disappointment, he is still viewed as a Premier League-level manager having worked wonders on the south coast with such a small budget.
He also transformed the careers of Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser, current forwards at St James’ Park and is well-known for favouring exciting, progressive and attack-minded football. What Howe could do with such a wealth of funds at his disposal remains to be seen, but if he does get the job, he will indeed not be the finished article in terms of leading the club into a new era.
There will be bumps in his tenure, one which the Newcastle will have to be patient with, but if there is any manager who can build again from the ground up, it is indeed Eddie Howe.
Amanda Staveley in a recent interview after the takeover stated that the Barclays Premier League trophy is a long-term ambition of the new regime, but is Eddie Howe up to that pressured task?
Outside Bets?
Steven Gerrard, Rangers
Another up and coming manager who needs no introduction.
Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side won the league last year in remarkable fashion as invincibles. The former Liverpool midfielder is adored over the Scottish border after finally ending Celtic’s long standing domination in the Scottish Premiership, and will certainly be amped in leading the club to a league double this season.
Even prior to the takeover, the 41-year-old was touted to take over at St. James Park after working his way up the managerial ladder.
His current win ratio at Ibrox is a staggering 64.7% but it would be a different dynamic at Newcastle. His lack of top-flight experience would be his undoing as the club aims to remain in the Premier League first and foremost but its certainly a test the Liverpool legend would be excited by.
The Magpies are in desperate need of results to lift them away from the relegation zone, prior to an expected influx of money in January.
Gerrard has already spoken about the takeover tentatively and said it’s an “exciting” time for the Geordies.
Antonio Conte
Appointing Antonio Conte would indeed be a huge statement of intent from Newcastle.
The former Juventus, Italy, and Chelsea manager is available having left Inter Milan shortly after guiding the club to the Serie A title last season.
Conte is regarded as one of the finest managers in world football because of his siege mentality and knack for picking up the prestigious titles after just a season in charge. The Italian is a serial winner, and would command the respect of his players immediately if appointed.
Conte has also been touted as the next Manchester United manager if the club decide to do a U-turn and part ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 52-year-old Italian has enjoyed success throughout his managerial career, including three successive Scudettos with Juventus and ending Inter’s 11-year wait for an Italian league title. Conte has also proved his pedigree in the Premier League, guiding Chelsea to the title in his first season before collecting the FA Cup in his second and final year.
Newcastle have not tasted cup success for a long while now, and Conte would be the immediate solution to that problem. However, the Italian does come with his baggage. He departed Inter because he wanted reinforcements which the club would not give him due to their financial issues.
If he was to be appointed, he would be blessed with great financial muscle from the Saudi owners and could make the most of rebuilding the club and moulding it in his image. Conte is tactically adept, arguably one of the best in the world but does come with a much more pragmatic and conservative approach rather than the expansive mindset the club is looking for, but his method clearly works and its one Newcastle would do well in considering.
The Italian would no doubt be able to help Newcastle attract top talent to the club, given his own standing in the game, although he does have a habit of falling out with club bosses over transfer targets.
Still, Conte would represent a significant upgrade on the former incumbents.
A full stadium, a warm autumnal shine, and an opportunity to take top spot in the Bundesliga: the stage was set for a thrilling and captivating battle between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich on Sunday afternoon. A match highly anticipated as one of the best spectacles of the campaign so far, between two teams in thrilling form in front of goal.
For just three minutes or so, the fan’s appetite for the game was truly satisfied.
Until Joshua Kimmich found an unmarked Dayot Upamecano in the box from a superbly worked free-kick, who’s volley across the penalty box sublimely diverted past Lukas Hradecky with an exquisite flick by the man of the moment, Robert Lewandowski. His movement and timing to get on the end of the pass so effortless, so swift coupled with the mastery and brilliance to flick the ball home.
Is there anything Lewandowski cannot do?
A goal to make it eight goals in eight games for the Polish hitman. He ended the afternoon with nine in eight, a striker simply strutting his business on another planet blessed with a pure striker’s instinct.
The rest was history. All of about ten minutes later, Bayern Munich once again ripped through Leverkusen when Leroy Sane struck a sweet strike on to the post.
It was simply too easy for Nagelsmann’s ruthless attacking arsenal consisting of the stunning quartet of Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and Sane who’s quickly discovering his best form once again.
A Leverkusen side thin on midfield muscle and stability — with Robert Andrich, Charles Aranguiz, Exequiel Palacios and Julian Baumgartlinger all deemed unavailable before the match — pushed further upfield in chase of a swift reply, leaving gaps between the lines that Bayern’s attackers tore through at will.
It took just seven minutes for Nagelsmann’s men to hit four goals in such ruthless and clinical fashion – Lewandowski (30th minute), Thomas Muller (34th), Gnabry (35th) and Gnabry again (37th) – simply killing any hopes and expectations fans and the media had of a closely-contested spectacle. The fourth and fifth goals scored by Gnabry was simply stunning and relentless, football played out of elite-level territory.
The cross from Thomas Muller for Gnabry’s fourth was truly mesmerising, the deft touch from Gnabry to slot home past Hradecky was even better. The fifth, Leverkusen simply could not live with as Gnabry played a quick one-two with counterpart Leon Goretzka before coolly slotting his fifth Bundesliga goal of the campaign.
Remember when Bayern had that stuttering patch all of about a month ago? With Julian Nagelsmann’s head ready to be handed on a silver platter just about two months into his tenure as Bayern boss. Well, those doubts have been well and truly dismantled.
Yes, they suffered an unexpected and historic home defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt before the international break but Nagelsmann before the contest at the BayArena, simply made sure that it was only a miniscule blip in a machine that simply cannot help blitzing their rivals on their way to domestic supremacy.
The win at Leverkusen made it 10 wins from 12 for Bayern Munich, highlighting a side showing no signs of letting up.
All Gerardo Seoane’s Leverkusen side could do was to adopt a more defensive 5-2-3 system to try and control Bayern’s rampant display in attack and hope the champions would switch into preservation mode, conserving energy for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League group-tie trip to play Benfica in Lisbon.
Fortunately for them, Nagelsmann’s men allowed them a dot on the scoreboard when the extraordinary wonderkid Florian Wirtz executed a sumptuous through ball for Patrik Schick to score.
Seasoned Bundesliga watchers will not have been surprised at the state at which Bayern laid their rivals to rest. From defence to attack, Bayern were dominant, ruthless, relentless and merciless. Even with Niklas Sule playing at right-back, Leverkusen simply did not have the bravery to trouble Nagelsmann’s makeshift backline.
It was men against boys, but most of all it was a strong statement from Bayern that they are not growing tired of capturing more Bundesliga gongs even with a different coach in the dugout. We’ve mentioned the brilliance of Bayern’s scary quartet in attack but we cannot leave here without mentioning the industry, efficiency and controlling nature that is the reliable midfield duo of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka showcasing a midfield masterclass.
Joshua Kimmich's game by numbers vs. Bayer Leverkusen:
119 touches 96 passes 41 final ⅓ passes 17 passes into final ⅓ 12 passes into opp box 8 ball recoveries 6 crosses 6 chances created 5 duels won 4 interceptions 3 fouls won 2 tackles made 2 clearances
Nadem Amiri, and Kerem Demirbay simply could not get near them as they both disheveled and dismantled the Leverkusen midfield and defence with their passing, movement and swift interchanging with the attackers.
The superlative class of the first 14 or 15 players in this Munich squad is a given. Combined with the sky-high intrinsic motivation levels of the players and new coach Nagelsmann’s nerdish and admirable attention to detail, it makes for a truly frightening package, and it is reflected throughout the whole starting XI.
In training, the former Hoffenheim and Leipzig coach had his team specifically rehearse the overload of the central areas, with Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane taking up spaces between the lines to create opportunities. It proved the perfect preparation for Leverkusen’s drafty set-up. “It might sound strange but we could have scored more goals in the first half,” Nagelsmann smiled contentedly in a cream-coloured Boss sweatshirt.
Take away their astounding 12-0 cup triumph over fifth division Bremer SV in August and Bayern have still scored 40 times in 11 outings so far this season. Unstoppable firepower in attack.
Bayern look more hungry, more refined, more matured and ready to fire in all cylinders this season. It’s not just the whole of Germany who have to sit up and take notice, but Europe too.
It may be a different head in the managerial dugout, but Bayern are out for blood yet again.
It was inside 50 minutes, Crystal Palace were 2-0 down against Leicester City – down but probably not out – Patrick Vieira’s men pressing and harrying their opponents but without any real incision or cutting edge in the final third. It had been the story of their season so far, conjuring up fine openings but lacking the ruthlessness when it mattered most.
Vieira knew that, and felt it was the perfect time for a change, for a fresh new impetus, and a significant one it turned out to be.
On came new summer signing and exciting young midfielder Michael Olise in place of the misfiring Jordan Ayew.
As soon as the 19-year-old wonderkid took his position on the pitch, Palace instantly stepped it up a notch and the former Reading man was at the centre of it alongside fellow substitute and goalscorer Jeffrey Schlupp, Odsonne Edouard and Wilfried Zaha.
Every time Olise took possession, he attempted to make things happen, expressing his bravery and courage on the ball, taking on Premier League experienced full-back Ryan Bertrand at every opportunity.
There was a moment soon after Olise came on, picking up the ball with his back to goal, swiveling on the half-turn past his marker before slotting a finely threaded through ball for full-back Joel Ward to rush onto.
It was only a small exhibition, but a true sign of what Michael Olise brings to Palace’s midfield. Not many players in Vieira’s weaponry possess the ability to unlock defences at such an alarming rate as Olise.
This is a uniquely and technically gifted midfielder, a delight to watch with the ball at his feet.
If you saw Olise during his Championship days, you’d know he holds a wand of a left-foot possessing the abilities not just to thread deft incisive through balls, but to cross effectively, make the most of set-piece opportunities and also the unique ability to get by a defender with the swiftness of feet and the most deceptive of movements on the ball.
The midfielder recorded an impressive 7 goals and 12 assists in the Sky Bet Championship last season making him one of the division’s most consummate, effective and influential attacking midfielders.
Under Paunovic at the Madejski stadium, Olise fulfilled a variety of roles in attack; on the left-wing, right-wing, centre-midfield and at no.10 highlighting his incredible versatility, tremendous tactical knowledge and awareness but also the superb knack of becoming an influential cog no matter where he is on the field.
Olise was used in Jordan Ayew’s position when he came on, and immediately changed the whole trajectory for Crystal Palace,. The midfielder got his just rewards scoring a scorching effort inside the box past Kasper Schmeichel just eight minutes after stepping on to the pitch.
It’s fair to say Olise has taken in his new surroundings like a duck to water, and his 30-odd minute cameo against Leicester City will have surely captured the imagination of the Palace faithful. They now know they’ve got a real talent on their hands, and that was made perfectly clear when they jeering on his name soon after scoring.
Within those 30-odd minutes, Olise recorded 28 touches of the ball, 2 key passes, 2 long balls, 2 crosses and won 2 of his aerial duels as well as three shots according to WhoScored.com. His pass percentage read at 82.4% meaning he is not afraid to create something out of nothing. If cameos are anything to go by, Michael Olise’s was very impressive.
As much as its easy to get carried away by Olise’s short stint against Leicester City, Patrick Vieira has correctly warned that Olise is not at his best form yet, and that patience must indeed be handed to the youngster as he acclimatises himself to the Premier League, he said:
“We are all really excited by his talent, but at the same time we have to understand it will take time to be a Premier League player. He is working well and hard at a good club to support him to develop himself. It’s about him keeping working, he’s doing well in training, he can score goals, but we have to support him to develop himself.
“It is a long season, so he will definitely play some games. He’s had a long injury and is not at his best yet, but he is improving and will be a really important player for us.”
Michael Olise of course must be given much time to get used to the rigours of the Premier League, though all of his impressive cameos have come against the league’s big boys in Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Leicester City. Yet another stark reminder that 19-year-old doesn’t under the weight of expectation, pressure or lofty responsibilities.
Olise’s future in a Crystal Palace looks very promising, and his performance against Leicester will have surely given Patrick Vieira something to think about heading into the international break; that he isn’t here to sit on the bench, he’s here to make his mark on the biggest stage in the country and boy, does he possess all the tools necessary to become one of the brightest young players this nation has seen.
Two sides who have struggled for some consistency so far this season as Crystal Palace host Leicester City at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles have taken six points from their opening six games, while Leicester City have accumulated a point more from the same amount of fixtures.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have won just two of their six league games this term, most recently losing to Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion prior to drawing 2-2 with Burnley last time out.
The Foxes have also been out of character in Europe, picking up on a point from their opening two UEFA Europa League group games against Napoli and Legia Warsaw, they fell 1-0 away to the latter in midweek.
A win on Sunday will be crucial and much needed for Leicester City in order to boost morale heading into the upcoming international break.
However, Leicester City have won just one of their last five away league games against Crystal Palace and Sunday afternoon’s fixture will certainly prove a difficult test for Brendan Rodgers and his floundering team.
The Eagles are are also unbeaten in their last four games under Patrick Vieira, beating Tottenham Hotpsur either side of draws to Brentford and Brighton.
Palace were made to rue their missed chances at Selhurst against neighbours Brighton, that draw with will very much feel like two points dropped, as they conceded to a brilliant 95th-minute strike from Neal Maupay.
It had indeed been a mixed start for Patrick Vieira at his new club, but he can certainly take much more positives than negatives in his opening six Premier League games as Palace boss.
A win over Leicester City could well give Vieira and his men the impetus and confidence they need to progress even further in their development.
The good news for Palace is that Leicester have lost each of their last three away games against London clubs, most recently going down 4-1 to West Ham United last month.
PREMIER LEAGUE FORM (last six games):
Crystal Palace: LDDWLD
Leicester City: DLDWLD
MATCH FACTS:
Leicester City are unbeaten in all four Premier League matches against Crystal Palace under Brendan Rodgers (W3, D1). The Foxes had lost the four previous league meetings under Claude Puel.
However, the Foxes have won just one of their past five away matches at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their three home league games this season, conceding just one goal at Selhurst Park.
They could avoid defeat in their opening four home fixtures for just the second time in 25 seasons.
Leicester City have won only five of their past 15 league fixtures, including two of six this season.
The Foxes can equal their longest Premier League winless run of four matches under manager Brendan Rodgers, set in February 2020.
They have kept one clean sheet in 12 league games.
TEAM NEWS:
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira will select from an unchanged squad.
Former Leicester player Jeffrey Schlupp returned from a hamstring injury as a substitute against Brighton on Monday night.
Odsonne Edouard and Luka Milivojevic were brought into the side as the Eagles’ only two changes for the Brighton match, but Vieira has still yet to find his preferred XI.
Leicester City
Leicester City pair Jonny Evans and Wilfred Ndidi are both unavailable to face the Eagles.
Evans has been struggling with illness and a foot problem, while Ndidi is set to be missing for several weeks because of a hamstring injury.
Leicester can at least call upon striker Kelechi Iheanacho, who was unable to enter Poland for Thursday’s Europa League game due to a problem with his travel documents.
LIKELY LINE-UPS
Crystal Palace:
Leicester City:
SCORE PREDICTION:Crystal Palace 1-2 Leicester City
If RB Leipzig can take any solace from their quite below-par start to the season under new boss Jesse Marsch, its the form of their supremely gifted talismanic French midfielder Christopher Nkunku.
The 23-year-old was terribly unlucky that is tremendous hat-trick against Manchester City in their UEFA Champions League group stage curtain raiser came at a disastrous cost as Leipzig were cut to shreds at the other end as City triumphed 6-3 at the Etihad.
While much of the headlines on the night will have been about their shambolic defending against Grealish and co. Christopher Nkunku’s stock rose considerably providing hope for Leipzig in an otherwise dour evening in Manchester.
Photo: REUTERS/Craig Brough
The 23-year-old took his goals superbly, despite all three of them drawing Leipzig back into the game whilst City ran riot, but all three goals were a true reflection of the remarkable growth he is showing under Jesse Marsch so far this season.
The former Red Bull Salzburg coach has already stated his admiration and joy at working with the Frenchman, “Christopher has no weaknesses. He’s young and still want a lot more. Working with him is a lot of fun as he’s really intelligent and has a lot of potential.”
Indeed, Nkunku is an incredibly intelligent player and that isn’t just reflected in his goals – he’s got 7 goals and 2 assists in eight games at the time of writing – it’s the way he’s setting about scoring them. Getting himself into the right positions to take his chances but also provide the whole team with the onus to go and express themselves in attack.
Against Hertha Berlin at the weekend, Nkunku scored two beautiful goals – a dink over the keeper and a finely taken free-kick right into the top corner – and provided two assists in Leipzig’s 6-0 rout over a very poor Hertha BSC side to become the hallmark of Leipzig’s instant rejuvenation.
In their second Champions League group stage game against Belgian outfit Club Brugge – in yet another European defeat for Jesse Marsch and his side – he bagged his fourth goal in the competition latching onto a through ball to put Leipzig ahead in a 2-1 defeat.
It’s important to note that Nkunku has always provided the admirable and telling consistency in his game that makes him such a uniquely gifted performer for Leipzig. It’s only now, his performances are reaping its rewards.
Last season, he registered the highest combined non-penalty expected goals (npxG) and expected assists (xA) for attacking midfielders/wingers domestically (0.73 per game). How does that rank amongst his peers? Very high in fact. Over the course of the past year, he ranks in the 96th percentile in Europe’s top five leagues and international club competition for the same category (0.64 per game).
NpxG and xA are combined with “shot creation actions”, meaning “the two offensive actions directly leading to a shot, such as passes, dribbles and drawing fouls”, highlighting involvement in Leipzig’s attacks. Once again, his overall contribution was only bettered by a handful of the world’s top midfielders/forwards, including Neymar and Lionel Messi.
However, due to poor finishing by himself and his teammates meant that his extraordinarily positive influence on the team’s attacking output was getting somewhat overlooked because he wasn’t registering the goals and assists that is expected from attacking midfielders.
His Bundesliga npxG of 0.37 and xA of 0.36 per 90 only produced six goals and six assists from 28 games. In fact, his underlying numbers suggest Nkunku should really have notched around 10 goals and 10 assists last season. His end product appeared above-average rather than excellent, unlike his debut campaign where he hit five goals and 13 assists.
Also, his positional versatility proved his undoing under former boss Julian Nagelsmann last year. He was seen as a very useful utility player rather than the technically gifted up-and-coming star he should have been perceived as.
Nkunku performed in a variety roles mostly as one of two narrow attacking midfielders behind a striker or false nine which hampered his understanding of his role and value in the team and also the opportunity to work efficiently and effectively with his fellow attackers such as the equally gifted Dani Olmo.
In Jesse Marsch’s 4-2-3-1 system, by contrast, he’s been utilised as more of a winger.
When Marsch changed his set-up in response to his team’s run of poor results ahead of the Hertha BSC game and reverted to Nagelsmann’s 3-4-3 system, Nkunku was back in the right-sided No 10 role but crucially given licence to make roam and make deeper runs as his abilities warrant.
From there, he’s able to provide his strongest assets: his pace, off-the-ball movement and superb understanding of space in between the opponent’s defence and midfield. Against Hertha, Nkunku clocked an outstanding 35.5 kilometres per hour during the game.
Defensively, Nkunku is just as quick off the mark and without the ball. 8.69 pressures in the final third put him in the 99th percentile in the top five leagues for players in his positions.
The midfielder is so dangerously creative too. Once he gets the ball in the final third, its incredibly hard to stop him expressing himself. He’s always on the move, always willing to receive the ball in the most difficult areas in the half-space but more important he is very competent and consistent in attempting the extraordinary eye-of-the-needle through balls. He’s averaged an incredible 5.27 shot creating actions, 2.41 key passes, 2.22 passes into the final third whilst also averaging the same amount of passes into the 18-yard-box per90 minutes. Again, he is so vital to Jesse Marsch’s team.
Christopher Nkunku is one of the most underrated players in Europe right now. Probably because he already played for a big club and isn't really considered a new kid on the block, but there are very few 23-year-olds with his combination of intelligence and efficiency.
Now, we are finally starting to see Nkunku reap his rewards. He’s always worked hard as the above stats show, he’s always been a willing player both in attack and defence but he hasn’t had the numbers to show for it.
🇫🇷 Christopher Nkunku (23) and @RBLeipzig starting to pep up after a 6-0 win vs. Hertha.
At Leipzig, they’re not surprised at his extraordinary start to the season.
After returning from the summer break with more muscle having worked with a personal trainer on his stability and speed, putting in extra shifts on the training ground in his ball-work, Marsch and his coaching staff were expecting him to be one of the key performers in this campaign and Nkunku has repaid their faith so far.
He is one of the first names on the team-sheet this season, after finding his spot limited under Naglesmann last year.
Born in Lagny-sur-Marne, the same Paris suburb that produced Paul Pogba, Nkunku cut a rather slight if confident figure among fellow Clairefontaine academy students Marcus Thuram (now at Borussia Monchengladbach), Allan Saint-Maximin (now at Newcastle United) and Amine Harit (now at Marseille).
As was often the case of young stars playing in Paris, opportunities were limited for players from the PSG academy. If you need any examples, just ask players like Odsonne Edouard, Tanguy Nianzou, Boubakary Soumaré or Timothy Weah, the list is endless.
Nkunku understood that he needed to find regular game time hence his move to Leipzig in 2019. A club well placed to provide him with the development and learning his game deserved.
Shortly before leaving Paris, Arsenal head of recruitment Sven Mislintat had attempted to bring in the player on loan in the 2018-19 winter transfer window but PSG didn’t approve. He was sold to RB for €13 million and made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League in his first season.
“It was the club I needed,” Nkunku explained at the time. “I’ve rediscovered the pleasure of playing. I feel that I’m blossoming on the pitch, that I’m a bit more liberated. The more time goes on, the better I am. Now I can say that it is better to leave your comfort zone to grow taller.”
The 23-year-old has grown considerably since then, his game has matured and his intelligence and understanding of the tactically has soared through the roof, and its a testament to his hard-work and willingness to learn and improve. Nkunku is only going to get better and that’s a scary sight for Leipzig’s opponents this season.
His existing contract runs until 2024 but just like Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate, Naby Keita, Timo Werner and Marcel Sabitzer before him, he’ll almost certainly become too good a player to stick around at Leipzig for much longer.
The club will have to enjoy him while they can, because Christopher Nkunku is on to much bigger things in the near future.
Selhurst Park plays host to Patrick Vieira’s first M23 derby on Monday evening as Crystal Palace and Brighton lock horns, concluding the latest round of Premier League fixtures.
Graham Potter’s impressive Brighton unit could end the day top of the Barclays Premier League table if they come away with the three points in South London, and Vieira and his men will want to put that ambition to the sword as Palace aim to redeem their fortunes after losing 3-0 to Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.
After their thrilling 3-0 triumph over 10-man Tottenham Hotspur, the Eagles were quickly brought crashing back down to earth at Anfield, where Liverpool notched up a trio of unanswered goals to temporarily halt Vieira’s momentum.
Palace were starting to build up a head of steam with four points from their London derbies against Tottenham and West Ham United before their humbling at Anfield, and a total of five points from their opening five fixtures sees them occupy 15th place in the Premier League standings before they kick off against rivals Brighton.
However, Vieira’s side have managed to navigate their first two home games unbeaten without conceding a goal, and following their early EFL Cup exit at the hands of Watford, the Eagles – unlike most of their top-flight counterparts – have no midweek fatigue to contend with.
Not since the days of the Ian Holloway have Palace kept three clean sheets in their first three home league games of a domestic season, and that mettle will be extremely tested against Graham Potter’s inspired outfit.
For much of last season, Brighton may not have always garnered the results their performances deserved, but the Seagulls are currently in dreamland after a superb start to the campaign, with 12 points from their opening five games this season.
After claiming a hugely impressive 2-1 win over Leicester City in their last Premier League battle, the Seagulls swooped to sink Swansea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening, as Aaron Connolly’s double sealed his side’s progress into the fourth round.
Only Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have taken more points than Brighton so far this term – but they could overtake all those clubs including Manchester City providing they beat their M23 derby rivals – but their tally of seven goals scored is by far the fewest in the top six.
Nevertheless, Brighton have only conceded four goals at the other end of the pitch and have plenty of reasons to be optimistic ahead of the first M23 derby of the season, especially seeing as they have a 100% success rate on the road this term with wins over Burnley, Brentford and Cardiff City.
The Seagulls head to the capital winless in four against Palace, though, with Roy Hodgson’s side claiming a 2-1 win during the last meeting at the Amex in February, but the last two meetings between the sides at Selhurst Park have finished 1-1.
With both sides much improved since their last meeting, this game could well be the most enthralling M23 derby in a long while.
PREMIER LEAGUE FORM:
Crystal Palace: LDDWL
Brighton & Hove Albion: WWLWW
TEAM NEWS:
Crystal Palace:
Patrick Vieira has confirmed that Jeffrey Schlupp will be in contention to feature in Monday night’s game, but long-term absentees Nathan Ferguson and Eberechi Eze are still out continuing their road to recovering.
Odsonne Edouard’s quickfire double against Spurs did not earn him a start over Christian Benteke at Anfield, but the former Celtic man will certainly hope to feature from the off here after Benteke’s current poor form.
Fellow new signing Michael Olise has performed some impressive cameos from the bench but is unlikely to feature from the start.
Brighton & Hove Albion:
Brighton, meanwhile, are sweating over the fitness of star midfielder Yves Bissouma and new recruit Enock Mwepu, with the former though to have a stronger chance of featuring from the first whistle.
Alexis Mac Allister should also be okay to feature after a back scare, while Tariq Lamptey got 45 minutes under his belt against Swansea in midweek, but Adam Webster is out until after the international break.
Connolly has put himself into contention for a start with his game-winning brace against Swansea, but neither Neal Maupay nor Leandro Trossard are expected to concede their places after impressive individual performances so far this campaign.
MATCH FACTS:
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in the four most recent league meetings (W2, D2), though both victories in this run have come away from home.
Brighton have won just one of their previous seven away fixtures against Crystal Palace but they are unbeaten in their last three games at Selhurst Park.
Palace’s only victory in their past 12 Premier League matches on a Monday was February’s 2-1 win against Brighton (D3, L8).
Brighton could win their opening three away matches in a top-flight season for the first time.
Last season it took Brighton 21 matches to record four league wins.
Wilfried Zaha has scored seven goals against Brighton, the joint highest figure of his career against any side.
Zaha has scored four goals in his last four appearances against the Seagulls at Selhurst Park.
After a brief two-week pause of international, the Premier League finally returns this weekend offering up yet another cracking group of fixtures to feast our eyes on.
Title contenders Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool will look to strengthen each of the cases for Premier League supremacy as they return to action while fourth-placed Manchester United are looking to return back to winning ways as they head to currently inconsistent Leicester City at the King Power, arguably the weekend’s most intriguing encounter.
Another tasty encounter will be played at the Brentford Community Stadium as newcomers Brentford face another giant test taking on Thomas Tuchel’s European champions Chelsea after their impressive showings against Liverpool and West Ham picking up four points from those two games. Can Thomas Frank’s men write another exciting chapter in their new Premier League adventure?
So, let’s dive in with some predictions and previews for this weekend’s fixtures.
Watford vs Liverpool, Saturday 12.30pm
Claudio Ranieri prepares for a baptism of fire in his first game back in the Premier League, with his Watford side welcoming a rampant Liverpool to Vicarage Road on Saturday lunchtime.
The Hornets lost 1-0 to Leeds United during Xisco Munoz’s last game in charge, while Jurgen Klopp’s men played out a thrilling 2-2 draw with Manchester City at Anfield.
After Watford’s trigger-happy board relieved Xisco of his duties – a decision that received mixed responses given their respectable start to life back in the Premier League – the Hornets wasted no time in bringing back revered title-winner Ranieri following the end of his Sampdoria spell.
The Italian returns a much improved coach according to sources close to him, after a successful two-year spell at Italian outfit Sampdoria finishing 9th and 15th respectively, steadying a rocky ship. Ranieri takes the reins with Watford lying 15th in the table with seven points taken from a possible 21, and there is a comfortable four-point gap separating them from the relegation zone at this early stage.
His first match? Against Jurgen Klopp’s unstoppable force that is Liverpool, who alongside Bournemouth in the Sky Bet Championship remain the only the team unbeaten in England’s top four divisions.
Klopp must also factor in the midweek Champions League battle with Atletico Madrid as he prepares to navigate another unrelenting fixture schedule, but his side are now unbeaten in 19 competitive fixtures across all tournaments and have scored three goals in each of their last four Premier League games away from home.
However, the Reds will need no reminding how an Ismaila Sarr-inspired Watford stormed to an emphatic 3-0 success in February 2020 to end their 18-game winning run, and with Ranieri boasting four wins from five home league games against Liverpool, the Vicarage Road faithful have every right to dream of a memorable start to the Italian’s reign.
MATCH FACT: Mohammed Salah who has eight goals in six appearances vs Watford, has scored in seven straight matches for Liverpool.
KEY MEN: Mohammed Salah (Liverpool) & Ismaïla Sarr (Watford)
Villa Park plays host to a highly-anticipated West Midlands derby on Saturday lunchtime, as Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers lock horns in the Premier League.
Dean Smith’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur just before the international break, while Wolves marched to a 2-1 win over Newcastle United.
There was little time for Smith and co to bask in the jubilation of beating Manchester United on their own turf last month, as Aston Villa were brought crashing back down to earth with a 2-1 defeat to an out-of-sorts Tottenham Hotspur before the international break.
All three of their league defeats have come away from home, with Smith’s side taking seven points from their first three fixtures at Villa Park this term and notching up six goals in that hot streak.
Villa have also shipped just one goal in front of their own fans this season so far and will hope to see the defeat to Tottenham prove to be just a minor blip in their quest for Europe, but their upcoming opponents are starting to find their feet under Bruno Lage.
Filling Nuno Espirito Santo’s shoes at Molineux was going to be a tough task for whoever took the reins, but after a shaky start to life in the West Midlands especially in front of goal, Lage appears to be working his magic to good effect given his side’s recent run of results.
After a heart-warming goal for Raul Jimenez saw Wolves overcome Southampton 1-0 last month, the Molineux outfit made it back-to-back wins with a 2-1 triumphed over Newcastle United, as Jimenez turned provider for a pair of Hwang Hee-chan strikes.
With the RB Leipzig loanee leading the charge alongside reinvigorated talisman Jimenez, Wolves have won three of their last four Premier League games to rise to 12th in the rankings and will temporarily leapfrog their upcoming opponents into the top half with all three points here.
MATCH FACT: Wolves have lost just one of their last seven visits to Villa Park (W2, D4)
KEY MEN: John McGinn (Villa) & Raul Jimenez (Wolves)
Arguably the most intriguing tie of the weekend, with two teams struggling for consistency in results and performances. Manchester United may of course be in a better position in the table than their opponents heading into their Saturday afternoon kick-off, but the feeling around the club doesn’t reflect their positioning with much of their performances in recent weeks leaving a lot to be desired.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men face a tough few weeks ahead with significant league encounters coming up against the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham as well as crucial UEFA Champions League group stage ties against Serie A outfit Atalanta. These games could indeed be crucial to how United aim to go about their season, amongst the title hopefuls or as unfortunate cast offs.
Recent injuries could indeed derail Solskjaer’s progress too with both Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane out for the next few weeks. Defeat against Aston Villa and the disappointing draw to Everton – both at Old Trafford – have left fans questioning Solskjaer’s pedigree once again, and an impressive win over Rodgers’ stuttering Leicester side could be the catalyst they need heading into a fiery period.
Leicester City on the other hand, have started off the campaign in disappointing fashion, currently lying in 13th place on eight points, six behind their opponents and performing well below expectations.
In fact, Brendan Rodgers’ men have not tasted a Premier League win since late-August, their 2-1 win at Carrow Road. Both teams are in desperate need of the three points, a win for Leicester City could also be their own catalyst to kick on and improve. This game is indeed a perfect six-pointer.
MATCH FACT:Leicester City can record back-to-back Premier League victories over Manchester United for the first time
Manchester United: De Gea (GK); Wan Bissaka, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw; McTominay, Matic, Greenwood, Fernandes, Pogba; Ronaldo
SCORE PREDICTION:Leicester City 2-1 Manchester United
Manchester City vs Burnley, 3:00PM
Manchester City will aim to make an immediate return to winning ways in the Premier League when they take on Burnley at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.
The reigning champions played out a pulsating 2-2 draw with Liverpool last time out, while Sean Dyche’s side could only take a point from their clash with Norwich City.
A 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their most recent European battle means that City head into Saturday’s game aiming to avoid a third game without a win in all competitions, but they remain unbeaten at home this season and have kept four Premier League clean sheets in succession at the Etihad, the most recent of which came in a goalless draw with Southampton.
Only leaders Chelsea have also conceded a league-low three goals so far this season, and not since 2010 have City failed to score in successive home matches in the Premier League – a streak which is highly unlikely to end anytime soon as they come up against Sean Dyche’s warriors.
Their result at Carrow Road was certainly not have been the same engrossing spectacle as Liverpool-City, as neither side could find a way through in a 0-0 draw which extended their winless runs in the top flight.
That result did represent Norwich’s first point of the new season, but Burnley will be aware that they have passed up a golden opportunity to put their first win on the board as they struggle to break away from the other relegation candidates.
Burnley travel to the Etihad having lost their last eight in a row against Man City in all competitions – scoring only once in that miserable streak – and each of the last four fixtures at the Etihad between the two clubs has ended 5-0 to the hosts.
MATCH FACT: Manchester City can be the first team in English football to win five straight home matches against an opposition by 5+ goals.
KEY MEN: Phil Foden (City) & Maxwell Cornet (Burnley)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Manchester City: Steffen (GK); Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Foden; Silva, Jesus, Grealish
Brighton & Hove Albion come into this game in tremendous form, unbeaten in their last six Premier League games, although their draw against Arsenal before the international break should really have been a win considering the amount of chances they created on the evening.
Graham Potter will be hoping his side do not revert back to last seasons antics, creating chances but not finding the back of the net. Top scorer Neal Maupay already has four Premier League goals to his name in seven appearances
Potter’s men sit sixth in the table, and could find themselves in the Premier League top four come Saturday evening with a win over strugglers Norwich City who are still yet to record their first win so far this campaign.
Their home draw over Burnley ended a run of six straight defeats, but Daniel Farke’s men would be in a real hole if they do not register points on the board in the coming weeks.
MATCH FACT: Brighton have won both their Premier League meetings against Norwich, with Leandro Trossard involved in all three goals
KEY MEN: Teemu Pukki (Norwich) & Neal Maupay (Brighton)
Leeds United will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League when they head to St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon to take on Southampton.
The Whites are currently 16th in the table, having picked up six points from their opening seven matches, while Southampton occupy 17th, two points behind their opponents in this game, and without a single victory to their name so far this campaign.
Southampton’s position of 17th is far from ideal, and their issues in front of goal this season is still a big worry having just score five goals in their seven games. But, there is a lot of football to be played this season, and Hasenhuttl will have been encouraged by certain aspects of his team’s early-season performances.
The Saints have actually lost their last three games against Leeds in all competitions, though, including both Premier League meetings between the two teams last term, and they have not overcome the Whites on home soil since August 2011 in the second tier of English football.
Leeds, meanwhile, finally picked up their first Premier League win of the season before the international break, with Diego Llorente’s first-half effort seeing them record a 1-0 victory over Watford at Elland Road.
Bielsa’s men have won one, drawn three and lost three of their first seven matches of the campaign to collect six points, which has left them in 16th position in the table ahead of the next set of fixtures.
It is not quite the start that Leeds would have had in mind considering their success last term, but they now have a run of winnable matches, facing Southampton, Wolves and Norwich City in their next three.
Leeds remarkably won 10 away games in the Premier League last term, meanwhile, and will certainly believe that their free-flowing football can cause Southampton problems once again, but there has also been a lot of space for teams to operate in against the Whites this term, suggesting that this may well be an entertaining contest.
MATCH FACT: Leeds United have 14 PL wins over Southampton including two last season, their most against any a single opponent.
KEY MEN: Adam Armstrong (Saints) & Raphinha (Leeds)
Chelsea will aim to cement their position atop the Premier League rankings but face no easy task in doing so this weekend against a fired-up and an impressive Brentford side in Saturday evening’s London derby.
Thomas Tuchel’s side eased past Southampton before the international break registering a 3-1 win, while the Bees got the better of West Ham United 2-1 at the London Stadium.
Thomas Frank’s men have taken points against Liverpool, Arsenal and West Ham, and will be hoping Chelsea will be amongst those prestigious results.
Seeking to establish themselves as Premier League mainstays during the first few weeks of the season, Brentford’s Premier League success story is earning a few more superb chapters, with the Bees following up their pulsating 3-3 draw with Liverpool with a 2-1 win at West Ham before the international break.
Brentford’s stellar start to the season is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, and having taken seven points from their last three games, Thomas Frank’s side have risen to seventh in the table – above the likes of Leicester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
The hosts’ only defeat so far this season did come on home soil, though – 1-0 against another surprise package in Brighton & Hove Albion – but having beaten Arsenal and drawn with Liverpool on their own patch, Chelsea can hardly travel across the capital expecting a routine three points.
With Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton all playing out draws in game-week seven, Chelsea’s comfortable 3-1 win over Southampton has seen them surge to the top of the rankings with 16 points taken from a possible 21 so far this term.
Desperate to add a top-flight title to his European crown at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel’s staunch and resolute defence has conceded a joint-low three league goals this term – level with champions Man City – and the German coach has lost just one of his 12 away games in the Premier League since taking over at Chelsea.
Tuchel’s men are strong favourites for the Premier League gong this season after their successful capture and return of Romelu Lukaku, who has three league goals to his name and will be looking to follow that up in the coming weeks.
Not since the 1938-39 season have Brentford prevailed against Chelsea in any competition, with the Blues marching to successive 4-0 FA Cup wins in the 2012-13 and 2016-17 seasons, although the victory in the former season came during a replay after an initial 2-2 draw.
MATCH FACT: Chelsea could be the first team in English football to get seven straight London derby away wins.
KEY MEN: Ivan Toney (Brentford) & Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Everton will be hoping to continue their impressive start to the season under new manager Rafael Benitez when they welcome West Ham United to Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.
Heading into this weekend’s fixtures, Everton are fifth in the table, only two points off top spot, while the Irons occupy ninth place and are just three points behind Sunday’s opponents.
Appointing Benitez, who was in charge of Everton’s arch-rivals Liverpool from 2004-2010, was always going to be a risky move by the club’s owners, but it appears to have paid off with the Toffees making a strong start to the campaign.
Players like Andros Townsend, Demarai Gray and Abdoulaye Doucouré have undergone a stark rejuvenation under Benitez’ management, and even without the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Seamus Coleman have they still managed to pick up impressive points especially against Manchester United at Old Trafford, a game which Everton could well have taken three points on another day.
Home form has been key to Everton’s solid start and they boast a 100 per cent record at Goodison Park this season, beating Burnley, Southampton and Norwich, but they have only managed to keep one clean sheet during this run and that should offer hope to West Ham.
The Hammers are unbeaten on their travels across all competitions this term, winning four times and drawing once, and they have failed to score in only one of those matches. David Moyes and his men will be looking to get back to winning ways after disappointing home defeat to Brentford in injury-time.
Benitez has often been seen as a pragmatic manager, creating a solid base to build from and trying to nick games by the odd goal, but his Everton side have found the back of the net 13 times in seven league matches. Only five teams have scored more.
West Ham are one of them, netting 14 times, but they have also looked fragile in defence and are one of 11 teams already in double figures for goals conceded.
An entertaining and intriguing affair is expected at Goodison Park this Sunday.
MATCH FACT: Everton can win their opening four league matches at Goodison Park for the first time since 1978.
KEY MEN: Andros Townsend (Everton) & Michail Antonio (West Ham)
West Ham: Fabianski (GK); Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Antonio
SCORE PREDICTION:Everton 2-2 West Ham United
Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur, 4:30PM
Newcastle are set to usher in a new era against Tottenham with this match set to be the first under their respective new owners, however the club remains in the bottom three and without a win in their seven league games so far. Steve Bruce’s immediate future at St James’ Park is currently up in the air, with his sacking a matter of when not if.
If Newcastle fail to pick up three points against Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, you’d expect Bruce to be out of the manager’s hotseat Monday morning. One positive for Bruce, has been the performances of his players though, they have indeed battled hard but without gaining wins. Their defeat to Wolves came only through the brilliance of Raul Jimenez and Hwang Hee-Chan, but its those small margins that is proving Steve Bruce’s undoing right now, and you could argue the Manchester United legend and former captain is lucky to be still in a job.
Looking at their personnel, it’s easy to see why – Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron provide real dynamism in forward areas. Without Callum Wilson, the club have struggled to score consistently to beat teams, whilst still getting goals on the borad
However, defensively, they have struggled, conceding 16 goals in seven matches, which represents the joint-worst record in the division along with bottom club Norwich City.
Tottenham, however come into this game off the back of a much needed, crucial three points against Aston Villa with goals coming Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and a Matt Target own goal. Star man Harry Kane is still without a league so far this season, and Nuno Espirito Santo will need his striker firing on all cylinders if they are to challenge for the top four places once again.
Spurs do have an excellent recent record against the Magpies, losing only one of their last eight Premier League contests. They were last beaten at St James’ Park in 2016, losing 5-1 on the final day of the campaign. It’s been a happy hunting ground since then, and its a game Tottenham will be expected to get all three points in.
MATCH FACT: Spurs have lost just one of their last eight league games against Newcastle, (W5, D2)
KEY MEN: Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle) & Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris (GK), Emerson, Rodon, Dier, Reguillon; Hojbjerg, Skipp; Lucas, Ndombele, Son; Kane
SCORE PREDICTION: Newcastle United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace, Monday 8:00PM
Monday night football marks the return of Arsenal legend and former captain Patrick Vieira to North London as he takes his new and improved Crystal Palace side to the Emirates as Arsenal take on Crystal Palace.
Arsenal could only manage a draw away at Brighton last time out but the way the Seagulls have played in comparison to the Gunners, suggests that it was a decent point for Arteta’s men. They have indeed undergone an upturn in form and performances in recent weeks, and you can argue the international break came at the wrong time for Mikel Arteta and his team.
Despite their improvement the Gunners still have an unhealthy goal difference of -5 and need to add more goals to their game. Arteta’s men are unbeaten in four Premier League games, their last defeat coming in the 5-0 drubbing at Manchester City. The Gunners may well be expected to grab the three points in this game, though they are coming up against resurgent Crystal Palace who have proven very tough to beat under Patrick Vieira so far this campaign.
Before the international break, Crystal Palace claimed a 2-2 draw at home to Leicester and will have been happy with a point having come from two goals down. Olise and Schlupp scored the second-half goals that brought the Eagles back onto level terms and Vieira will have been happy to see his players fight back against such a good team.
His side have been performing brilliantly and resolutely without getting wins on the board with their only victory coming against Tottenham mid-September. The Eagles currently sit in 14th place four points off the drop zone, and will need to be turning good performances into wins, starting at the Emirates against Patrick Vieira’s former side.
MATCH FACT: Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is the only Arsenal player to score on more than one occasion so far this season.
KEY MEN: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) & Wilfried Zaha (Palace)
Premier League newcomers Brentford have got off to an unprecedented start to life in the Barclays Premier League taking eight points from five games so far. Manager Thomas Frank has superbly moulded a team that has taken in the rigours of such a demanding league like a duck to water, making them tough to beat, organised, rugged and extremely dangerous and efficient on the counter.
Whilst Ivan Toney has been grabbing all the plaudits in attack, defenders Rico Henry, Pontus Jansson and new signing from Celtic Kristoffer Ajer, have rightly all been receiving praise for their stunning performances so far. Though, Bryan Mbeumo is perhaps a name that has somewhat flown under the radar thus far.
The French winger lining up alongside Ivan Toney in Thomas Frank’s 3-5-2 setup has been excellent. He only turned 22 last month and has long been a permanent fixture and a real source of energy, incision and pace in the Bee’s front-line.
Mbeumo joined Brentford at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, signing for £5.8 million from French side Troyes. His impact was immediate, notching 16 goals and seven assists in his debut Championship season, whilst last season he scored eight and laying on 10 assists in the league too. Whilst he is yet to grab an assist this season, he has started the campaign in good form, with one Premier League goal, and one in the EFL Cup too.
However, the amount of goal contributions Mbeumo records only tells a small part of the story of how he has impacted Thomas Frank’s side over the past couple seasons. The 22-year-old is a silky forward, blessed with great trickery, unerring strength, sheer speed with the ball at his feet and an understanding with Ivan Toney that will certainly frighten even the best sides in the Premier League this season.
Mbeumo has established himself as a vital cog in the Brentford system. Given his fine performances over the past two seasons, there will be plenty of sides around Europe closely monitoring how he adapts to life in the Premier League this season, and with very valid reason.
So has the Mbeumo impacted Brentford’s system so far?
Mbeumo may line up as part of a front two, but that position is too restrictive for where he actually influences the play. He enjoys relative freedom to move away from the front line and link-up with the midfielders, becoming the link-man between both the midfield and Ivan Toney in attack.
As seen in the image below, Mbeumo diverts from his starting position alongside Ivan Toney, to present a passing option for the defence to play out from the back. As he receives the pass, there are only three Brentford players clearly deeper than him. Moving into the deep areas from such a high starting position, Mbeumo is able to evade tight marking from the opposing defenders to lay the ball off to the wing with a one-touch pass.
He is a player who is constantly on the move, arguably the most efficient in the Brentford team. While Toney also holds the mobility to come deep and effect the game, it is Mbeumo’s drive, pace and excellent ball control in tight areas that allows him the freedom to wreck havoc in the middle third disrupting the opponent’s defensive organisation.
The space left open in Brentford’s midfield allows him to not only drop into these sort of areas, but to provide plenty of options for which positions he may choose to drop into.
The 22-year-old never shies from his responsibilities in attack, however. Just after receiving in midfield and laying off to the wing-backs, he is immediately on the move within the central attacking areas, looking to hit the space between the opposition centre-backs and offering a dangerous option for a dissecting through ball or a long pass over the top.
Mbuemo’s movement is a dangerous source of chance creation for Brentford
Bryan Mbuemo is an intelligent player, he knows where to run, where to show for the ball and also where to operate in tight spaces so that more freedom and space can be afforded to his partner Ivan Toney as shown in the above image.
He is a constant option for Brentford to play to in between the lines. Mbeumo regularly positions himself in spaces where he can receive the ball and Brentford can break opposition lines.
The off-the-ball movements he performs are often well-timed owing to his incredible understanding of the system when Brentford are in possession. He starts high, even higher than Toney at times, but holds an excellent burst of pace and close-control where he will burst away from his marker and into the open spaces.
He will react to the positioning of the ball but also recognises triggers in Brentford’s build-up play to begin his off-the-ball movement. One of these is a lateral pass from one teammate to another, where the new ball-carrier is facing the opposition goal, and has possession in the same channel that Mbeumo is operating in. The French forward will then drop into the half-space receiving between the lines, preferably on the half-turn.
It’s when he receives the ball that he becomes so effective drawing on opposition defenders to allow gaps and spaces to open up for others to exploit, like Toney or Sergi Canos, or one of the three midfielders to break into.
Further forward, Mbeumo engages in the kind of movement you would expect from a centre-forward of his ilk playing alongside someone with Toney’s tremendous attributes.
Toney is strong, quick, aerially dominant with an impressive frame, and as such provides an excellent outlet, alongside many other of his telling attributes. Any pass into his strike partner and Mbeumo is always on hand to aid his partner and provide an option as shown in the below image.
Toney receiving a pass in these sorts of areas is yet another trigger for Mbeumo to move. As you can the see, the Wolves defensive-line is so high, and that’s because of Toney’s excellent positioning engaging them. As soon as he receives the pass, he knows Mbeumo will be on the move exploiting the space in behind.
This can be particularly devastating and effective if Toney can find a nearby central-midfielder perfectly capable of instantly playing the through pass, but Toney also has the individual flair in possession to conjure up a telling pass in behind, even from a position like the one shown above.
Mbeumo will constantly scour for spaces along the width of the forward-line. He positions himself where he cannot possibly be tightly marked, placing himself between two defenders. There was an instance in that Wolves game where he broke free to set up Ivan Toney to score but Mbeumo was ruled to be offside. Despite that, his constant movement is telling. Once he receives such a pass, he possesses the technical ability and trickery to wreak havoc.
The ex-Troyes forward is an excellent technical player who holds a first touch many other players would kill for. He can receive the ball on either foot but greatly prefers to do his work with his favoured left foot, where he can be incredibly deceptive and drive at his marker.
Mbeumo possesses a maturity in Brentford’s possession play that belies his tender age. He reads the space around him well, scanning and using his peripheral vision to assess how immediate any pressure is, whilst looking for a passing option too. He is quite comfortable holding up the ball with his back to goal, but much of that work is left to Ivan Toney, as explained above. Once Toney is in such a situation, Mbeumo is always on hand to move beyond him into any spaces vacated.
Much of Mbeumo’s best work comes when using his dribbling ability to hold up the play whilst also waiting for teammates to join the attack. He uses his body well when in possession which means he can keep the ball for as long as he likes; remember how Eden Hazard used to manipulate the ball to his advantage. Mbeumo is equally adept at such a situation. He will take many small touches when holding the ball up, keeping an upright body position, whilst changing direction if pressured by a defender.
So far this season he has recorded a 58.3% completion rate on his 3.6 dribbles per 90. He’s also recorded 1.06 dribblesinto the final thirdper 90 highlighting his importance to Brentford when progressing the play into dangerous areas.
The 22-year-old is a devastating outlet for Brentford in transition as Wolves found out constantly on matchday 5.
Brentford regularly keep their attackers close to their midfield in the defensive phase. As such, Mbeumo can at times recover the ball himself, pinching the ball away from opposition midfielders, making a late, well-timed move to dispossess them from their blindside. Upon regaining the ball Mbeumo is very direct, quick and unstoppable when in full-flow. He can quickly progress the ball and begin a swift counter-attack. He is confident driving forward on the ball and is a competent ball-carrier, but can show quality with his forward passing on quick breaks too.
He currently averages 2.13 progressive carries per 90 whilst also recording 2.57 shot-creating actions too. These are all impressive numbers especially for a player enjoying his first few games in Premier League football. Such numbers recorded shows how key he is to Thomas Frank’s efficient and organised system.
However, Mbeumo does have a bad habit for giving up possession too cheaply on occasion in transition. These instances arise specifically when Mbeumo receives possession in a deeper area, often inside his own half and close to the wide channel.
Mbeumo can look to receive on the half-turn despite being marked tightly. For a player who can show outstanding awareness this is a puzzlingly poor habit of his, but one he will no doubt work on as the season progresses. For a player of his slight frame, he does have incredible strength, so he must use that to his advantage when faced with such a situation.
Playing at such an elite level, Mbeumo will need to work on his efforts in the final third. If Brentford are to build on their good start and avoid any relegation issues, they would need to be ruthlessly clinical when it matters most and that will include Mbeumo improving his game in those situations too.
Last season he recorded 10 assists along with his eight goals, which was quite a decent return in front of goal but for a player of Mbeumo’s quality, he can do better. He vastly over-performed against his 12.02 xG in his first season at Brentford but since then has underperformed against it.
He should have two against Wolves at the weekend, blazing his second attempt on to the bar when a much calmer and composed finish will have sufficed.
Mbeumo so often looks to break the net with his finishing, opting for power, even when he looks to shape the ball toward goal. This often leads to him striking the ball in the air, which isn’t needed most of the time. Seeing Mbeumo spurn such opportunities has become all too familiar, and its a trait he must cut out if Brentford are to have any chance of staying in the top-flight.
He can nevertheless forge a chance for himself or his teammates regularly through his unerring dribbling ability shifting the ball from one foot to the other with lightning-quick speed and precision.
Yes, at times he may be wasteful but his movement in the penalty box is quite impressive as shown for his goal in Brentford’s assured win over Wolves where the French forward made an initial movement towards the front post, latching onto Toney’s fine pass to double their lead.
Mbeumo actually made this movement twice, checking his run initially and preventing himself from going too early which would have been ruled offside. However, he was able to still hit the space towards the back post, receiving the ball across goal, and finishing unmarked.
Because of Mbeumo’s ever-improving qualities coupled with Ivan Toney’s brilliance, Brentford will indeed cause a lot more problems for established Premier League sides this campaign.
The 22-year-old Frenchman has quickly become a vital cog in Thomas Frank’s impressively built machine, already adapting to the rigours of the Premier League so effortlessly. However, the player knows his importance to the team which means he must carry on his form and impact alongside Ivan Toney to give his team a chance of survival come May.
He was always ready to take his game up a level showcasing his quality consistently throughout his time in the Championship with Brentford, but now that must be translated into the English top-flight. Five games in, and Mbeumo has already proven his ability to the masses, and long may it continue.
With Aston Villa lacking the required decisiveness in the final third, seeming short of ideas against Everton at Villa Park, coach Dean Smith decided it was the perfect time to throw on their new signing Leon Bailey in the 61st minute, and change the game he did.
The Jamaican international immediately curled in a dangerous free kick, a few minutes later Matty Cash bombed down the right flank to score his first Villa goal.
Soon after, Bailey’s set-piece qualities were evident once again, utilizing that wand of a left-boot to swing in a peach of a cross from a corner which forced Everton left-back Lucas Digne to head into his own net; you simply do not defend those crosses as the French defender found out
Six minutes later, Danny Ings played a devastating cross-field pass in front of Bailey and the Jamaican headed the ball ahead of himself while charging into the penalty area.
For his next touch, he rifled the ball into the roof of the net in front of a delirious Holte End to make it 3-0. It was a finish truly reminiscent of his time at Bayer Leverkusen where he registered 46 Bundesliga goal involvements during his five year spell in Germany.
Ten minutes later he was forced off with a thigh strain apparently picked up from kicking the ball hard for his first goal in English football.
Bailey became only the second Villa player to be subbed on, score, and then be subbed off in a Premier League match, after Julian Joachim against Derby County in September 2000.
The 24-year-old was only on the field for 21 minutes, yet he provided the crucial impact Villa needed. If those 20-odd minutes were any indicator for how his Villa career would look like in the next few years, then Aston Villa really do have a stunning player on their hands.
Bailey joined the club this summer at the peak of Jack Grealish’s transfer saga, which perhaps meant his arrival was not met with the excitement it deserved. But make no mistake, this is one of the most exciting signings at Villa Park for a long time.
If you were indeed to throw a spanner in the works, then Leon Bailey is just as good as Jack Grealish. The fact that Aston Villa secured his signature for a fee of only just £30million is an absolute snip, because the forward on another day may well have been valued double that figure, so in actual fact its a superb bit of business from Dean Smith.
The club’s strategy in recent years have been nothing short of excellent often involved buying up some of the best players in the Championship, like Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash, Ollie Watkins and Emi Buendia. Sometimes they have sought out players unhappy at clubs further up the English football pyramid, like Emi Martinez from Arsenal or Tyrone Mings at Bournemouth during Villa’s time in the second tier.
Image via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Rather less successfully, the club have shopped in Europe’s lesser leagues such as the signings of Mbwana Samatta and Wesley from Belgian sides.
However, Leon Bailey is a totally different proposition, arguably the most prestigious signing of the lot.
A player with bags of European experience, playing at the top level and Christian Purslow could have been forgiven for jumping for joy when the Jamaican forward chose Villa Park rather than a more elite-level club playing Champions League football, because to put it simply Leon Bailey is indeed a Champions League level footballer.
For donkey-years, the Jamaican international has been linked with a whole host of top level clubs in Europe, and much of that has been down to his superb form for Bayer Leverkusen.
Deployed as a winger, Bailey scored 15 goals in 40 games last season, claiming 11 assists. He was indeed amongst the most accomplished wingers in European football last term, but as a result of Grealish’s move to Manchester City, Villa fans weren’t as excited and optimistic about Bailey’s arrival as they should have been.
Make no mistakes about it, Leon Bailey can play. He’s a devastating winger, a real problem for opposing defences, not just because of his speed and drive but his scintilating trickery, swift change of movement and unbelievable ball-carrying skills.
Last season, Villa were often overly reliant on Grealish and looked severely weakened in his absence. The club are looking this season to keep the ball better, to progress the ball much quicker into the final third areas and most importantly convert most of their chances and with Leon Bailey, Villa now hold the qualities to kill three birds with one stone.
In fact not only do they have Bailey to address those glaring weaknesses but Dean Smith now holds bags of quality at his disposal including Emiliano Buendia, and Danny Ings.
The Villa coach aims to qualify for European football come May and those three players alone possess the ability to both replace Grealish’s influence and creativity in the final third but more importantly, fire this ever-progressive football club to the next phase of their proud development.
Bailey has so often divided opinion in Germany because of his lack of consistency or attitude but despite all his issues, he still managed to contribute considerably to Bayer Leverkusen’s gradual improvements in recent seasons. When he is on-song he is indeed unstoppable as Everton defender Ben Godfrey found out on Saturday despite Bailey only having just 11 touches during his 21 minutes on the pitch.
Certainly, the absence of Jack Grealish will still be felt around the Aston Villa faithful but possessing the qualities of players like Leon Bailey means the fans will indeed begin to heal once the Jamaican starts firing on all cylinders. His performance against Everton was only a pretty brief stint, but its a promising and a very pleasing evidence for Dean Smith and the whole club that they can now be allowed the freedom and room to progress and move forward post-Jack Grealish.
Villa fans now have something to smile and shout about. They have a new superstar in Leon Bailey.
The rest of the Premier League will have to stand up and be warned at the sight of the Jamaican winger.
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