In this week’s edition of the 5iver, Desh looks at Maddison’s influence at a revitalised Leicester, Alexis Mac Allister’s woes in front of goal and more from the Premier League!
Just like that, the Citizens are back on top and the title race is well and truly on! Their highly anticipated clash at the Emirates with then table-toppers Arsenal did not go the way of the hosts, with Guardiola now 8-1 up in the managerial head-to-head against Arteta.
The Gunners do have a game in hand over the reigning champions, however, an away fixture against Aston Villa this weekend, led by who else but ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery, could be a tricky test.
The Spanish tactician was chosen to be Arsene Wenger’s successor but was axed less than 80 games into his tenure and I am expecting a showdown at Villa Park.
As far as rivalries go, Liverpool earned their first league win of 2023 against Everton at Anfield – could there be a better time to do so? The Reds are up against a stubborn Newcastle outfit this weekend, who remain unimpeached at St James’ Park – indeed, they are the only club in the division yet to see defeat at home.
Maddison Magic
James Maddison to take full advantage of a distracted United defence. The Englishman has seen more of the injury room than he would have liked to in recent months, with no fewer than eight teammates registering more topflight appearances than he has hitherto. Despite this, the dead-ball wizard leads his teammates for goals, assists and chances created. Furthermore, he was fouled more than any other Foxes player this season so keep an eye out for him in this one.
Mac Alister’s goal drought
Mac Alister to end his goal drought this weekend? The Argentine midfielder is yet to find the back of the Premier League net since his antics in Qatar. In his four top-flight appearances since then, he has registered 12 shots, created five chances and attempted 26 ground duels. Furthermore, he missed three big chances last time out and I can’t see him letting too many chances go begging against a Fulham outfit who have kept just two clean sheets across their previous seven appearances, across all competitions.
De Bruyne back to his best
The playmaker was on hand to capitalise on an Arsenal’s defensive error midweek, cooly chipping Aaron Ramsdale with the Citizens first shot of the fixture. He followed that up with an assist, finding Haaland in the box to gift the striker his 26th league goal of the season. The Manchester outfit are up against a Nottingham Forest side who have kept just a single clean sheet across their previous five appearances, across all competitions.
Reece’s Return
Reece James is relishing his return to Chelsea’s line-up. The academy graduate has started just nine of Chelsea’s 22 league fixtures this term, in what has been an injury-ridden campaign for the marauding fullback. Despite his lack of minutes, he has been getting stuck in and I think he finds the back of the net in this one. Against West Ham, James registered 115 touches – the most of any player on the pitch and followed that up with 2 shots on target against Borussia Dortmund on European duty.
Perisic takes aim at Hammers
Ivan Perisic is poised to strike against a West Ham outfit who have won just one of their previous ten league outings. The Croatian wide man may be a regular in the Spurs starting lineup over the coming weeks as their injury list grew (Rodrigo Bentancur – ACL) in the previous round of league action. Across his previous three appearances in the English topflight, Perisic created five chances, attempted 17 crosses and registered 19 duels. In their midweek European bout with AC Milan, no teammate created more chances, attempted more crosses or completed more tackles than he did.
