1) Leaving Özil out might be key for Arsenal at the Etihad

Next Sunday, Manchester City host Arsenal at 1.30pm and Manchester United play Chelsea at 4pm; it really is amazing just how often the fixture list throws up these coincidences! And whatever happens in the first game, the pressure will be on those playing in the second, because if City win, those teams will be fighting to stay in touch; if they do not, they will be fighting to take advantage of a rare City slip. So how do Arsenal make that happen? Well, their attacking trident of Mesut Özil, Alexis Sánchez and Alexandre Lacazette are good enough to give any team problems, but though it took longer than anticipated for Arsène Wenger to get all its members on the pitch together, is he really brave enough or foolish enough to keep them there at the Etihad? Whatever happens against City, they will spend a fair bit of time chasing the ball, so might do better to leave Özil out, stay in the match, and then introduce his quality once home legs are tiring after what is sure to be a taxing midweek examination at Napoli. Daniel Harris

• Match report: Arsenal 2-1 Swansea City

• Sánchez’s concern at Arsenal goal drought inevitable, says Wenger

The Dozen: the weekend’s best Premier League photos Read more

2) Pochettino won’t be drawn on Tottenham’s title credentials



Mauricio Pochettino was calm following his side’s defeat at Old Trafford. Yet Tottenham Hotspur are now eight points behind Manchester City after 10 games. Spurs finished second last season but the jury is out whether they are genuine title contenders again this year. The manager did not wish to be drawn on whether his side are improved this season. “That’s for others to judge,” he said. “If I say yes, then others will still give their opinion. It’s about results and performances. That is football. It’s so difficult to judge whether you have a better squad today than one year ago. It’s all about if you win, whether you are fighting for trophies and that’s about the dynamic and you have to mix everything. Sometimes with 20 players you can win something and yet with 25 you don’t.” Harry Kane was missed so will he be fit for Real Madrid’s visit on Wednesday? “We will assess him and then we will make the best decision,” said Pochettino. “My feeling is good, but it’s not my feeling, it’s Harry Kane’s feeling.” Jamie Jackson

• Match report: Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

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Play Video 1:41 Some people speak too much, says José Mourinho – video

3) Guardiola’s City win yet again, but don’t look invincible



Manchester City’s victory at West Bromwich Albion was their eighth Premier League win on the trot and there was no doubt they deserved it. And yet, there were traces of sloppiness in their display, both up front – where they wasted several chances – and at the back, where West Brom opened them up several times with surprising ease. Pep Guardiola said afterwards that he was pleased that his team’s imperious start to the season has not bred overconfidence. One wonders, however, whether he said something different to at least some of his players who, with games against Napoli and Arsenal to come this week, could do with a reminder that there are teams who are capable of punishing them if their standards drop. Paul Doyle

• Match report: West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Manchester City

• Played 15, lost 0: are English clubs Champions League contenders again?

4) Conte rejoices at Hazard’s impressive return



It is too early to suggest Eden Hazard is back to his best but three goals in as many games is an encouraging sign for Antonio Conte. After Hazard fractured his right ankle on international duty in June, Chelsea have had to wait for him to make a regular dent in the opposition but the way the Belgian relished his role as his team’s go-to man on the south coast on Saturday reflected a maturity Conte touched on afterwards. “Eden was a problem in the summer because to have a top player injured was difficult for us,” Conte said. “Now he is playing well and I saw a good commitment from Eden with the ball and without the ball. He is the type of player who needs to be involved with the ball to be active.” With Conte also hopeful of N’Golo Kanté’s return at Roma on Tuesday in the Champions League, before the team host Manchester United on Sunday, there are reasons to be cheerful. Ben Fisher

• Match report: Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea

• Conte: youth teams will make England a force to be reckoned with

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Facebook Twitter Pinterest Eden Hazard, back after an ankle injury, celebrates scoring Chelsea’s goal in the 1-0 victory over Bournemouth.

5) Liverpool running out of potential penalty-takers

Liverpool’s penalty prowess accounts for two of their European Cups, two of their League Cup triumphs and the 2006 FA Cup. It has deserted them of late. They have been awarded three penalties at Anfield in 2017 and spurned each. James Milner and Roberto Firmino were earlier culprits. When Jonas Lossl pushed Mohamed Salah’s penalty away, it suggested Jürgen Klopp is running out of penalty takers. The summer signing was the top scorer; he had converted a 95th-minute spot-kick to book his country’s World Cup place. “I thought it made sense after the Egypt penalty,” said Klopp, who had nominated Salah. “The pressure is bigger in Liverpool than in Egypt! I’m not sure that he is [penalty taker] any more.” Perhaps Milner, no longer an automatic choice in the side, but a man who had converted 10 of 11 attempts from 12 yards for Liverpool, would have been a better bet. Richard Jolly

• Match report: Liverpool 3-0 Huddersfield Town

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Facebook Twitter Pinterest Huddersfield’s goalkeeper Jonas Lossi saves Mohammed Salah’s penalty for Liverpool at Anfield. Photograph: David Blunsden/Action Plus via Getty Images

6) Zaha’s form always gives Crystal Palace cause for hope



Roy Hodgson has not been at Crystal Palace long enough to have grown tired of being asked about Wilfried Zaha yet. Not that Palace’s manager will mind talking about Zaha every week if the forward maintains his rich vein of form. Zaha has been excellent since his return from injury and his exploits have helped Palace to cope without a recognised forward. Having scored the winner against Chelsea a fortnight ago, he was impressive in this draw against West Ham. Hodgson says that Zaha is playing in a free role rather than through the middle, but he was the biggest goal threat against Slaven Bilic’s side. He had already forced Joe Hart to make two good saves before he was rewarded for his persistence with a virtuoso 97th-minute equaliser. Palace are still crying out for a greater presence up front – Christian Benteke’s return cannot come soon enough – but Zaha always gives them a chance. Jacob Steinberg

• Match report: Crystal Palace 2-2 West Ham United

7) Gray was out to prove a point against Everton

Claude Puel has winning start as Leicester pile further misery on Everton Read more

It was tempting to wonder what was going through the mind of Steve Walsh as he sat in the stand at the King Power Stadium, watching Demarai Gray skip away from three Everton players during the scintillating 60-yard run that led to Jamie Vardy putting Leicester ahead. Everton’s director of football had been instrumental in bringing Gray to Leicester from Birmingham City in January 2016 and could do with finding someone with the 21-year-old’s pace, guile and penetration to breathe new life into the team who sit third from bottom in the Premier League. Gray was outstanding and played as if determined to not only justify Claude Puel’s decision to give him his second Premier League start of the season but also to prove a point to Craig Shakespeare and Claudio Ranieri, who used him so sparingly. Could a full England call-up follow before the end of the season? Stuart James

• Match report: Leicester City 2-0 Everton

8) Tadic and Gabbiadini may solve Southampton’s woes

Southampton’s forward issues remain unresolved. Mauricio Pellegrino was missing Charlie Austin once more at Brighton & Hove Albion but the question seems less one of absent personnel and more what to do with those players who are available. Every single attacking player on the Southampton roster has flattered to deceive, not just this season but also in the previous campaign. Each has their abilities and each their flaws but perming different combinations did not work for Claude Puel and things are no different so far this season under the Argentinian. Dusan Tadic is neither the quickest nor the most tricky of Southampton attackers but he does know how to deliver in this league. Playing him off Manolo Gabbiadini and allowing them to build a relationship is surely worth a shot. Paul MacInnes

• Match report: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Southampton

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Southampton’s Dusan Tadic has formed a good partnership with Manolo Gabbiadini. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images via Reuters

9) Wenger sweating on Kolasinac’s fitness for City



After the fun and games of the AGM last Thursday when, as usual, the Arsenal chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, had to answer loaded questions about the club’s transfer market dealings, there was something timely about Sead Kolasinac’s man-of-the-match performance in Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Swansea City. Kolasinac barrelled up and down the left flank, bristling with power and directness, and he belted home the equaliser before setting up Aaron Ramsey’s winner. Kolasinac arrived on a free transfer from Schalke over the summer and, as Arsène Wenger said, it shows that there are bargains out there. The only cloud was Kolasinac’s early withdrawal with a hip muscle problem. It has been niggling at him for some time and he felt the pain become too much. He is now a doubt for Sunday’s visit to Manchester City. How Arsenal need him to recover fitness. David Hytner

• Match report: Arsenal 2-1 Swansea City

• Sánchez’s concern at Arsenal goal drought inevitable, says Wenger

10) Signs of progress in Stoke’s defence

Last August Marc Wilson, then of Stoke City and now of Sunderland, made some strong criticisms of Mark Hughes. “It would actually help if we ever did any defensive training, which we don’t,” he wrote on Twitter. He also said “we have gotten away from being a tight compact unit when we lose the ball”. These criticisms came to mind here as Stoke’s defence appeared superbly organised – and in particular formed a notably tight, compact unit when they lost the ball, when Ramadan Sobhi effectively dropped into the left-back position allowing Erik Pieters to move inside and turn a back three into a compact central four. Hughes should perhaps have boasted about the positive aspects of it afterwards rather than whinge about Watford’s alleged abuse of “the spirit of the game”, an absurd complaint when his side had spent the vast majority of this one wasting time, feigning injury and generally disrupting play by any method either fair or foul. Simon Burnton

• Match report: Watford 0-1 Stoke City



