Alan Smith’s Expert Analysis: Premier League GW10 Predictions & Analysis

Spurs Home vs Away Form

It’s been strange, they’ve beaten Man City away – their away form has been excellent, home form not quite so much. Then again, Chelsea, similar to Spurs, you never quite know what you’re going to get – that defeat to Sunderland was a shocker.

It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this, if anyone.

Chelsea’s Inconsistency

I thought the summer transfers had improved Chelsea. But they lost to Brighton and Sunderland at home, despite beating Liverpool. So you can’t see a noticeable improvement. Definitely, they’ve had a lot of injuries. Liam Delap’s been out as their first-choice centre forward. I think he’s coming back now. But as things stand, no, I don’t think they have improved.

Last season, they finished in a European place, in a Champions League place, and I don’t think at the moment they’re on course for that. Things can change, but at the moment, it’s been really up and down.

Prediction

It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top there, if anybody. I think it’d be a good game. I’m predicting 2-2.

Tottenham 2 – 2 Chelsea

Liverpool’s Physicality Concerns

I’m not so sure about the concerns around Liverpool’s physicality. They’ve got players who have done it before and cope with it. Konate, Van Dijk, when they’re playing well, they’re not going to be bullied. Certainly Szoboszlai. They’ve got big players. They’ve got lads who know all about the Premier League.

So, I think it’s half of it is confidence, and half of it is new players coming in, not acclimatised, not doing well. But when you are down on confidence and that, you feel like you could steamroll a team sometimes if we really go at them. And maybe there’s a little bit of that when it comes to Liverpool.

Van Dijk and Salah’s Contracts

There was so much negotiation involved with Salah’s contract, more than Van Dijk’s, but he’s been so disappointing. He got a goal at the weekend, which maybe will get him going again, so we’ll see. And Van Dijk, I don’t think they’ll be overly concerned. He’s been holding up Konate for most of this early season, so he just had a poor one the other day.

You make a kind of an educated decision when you’re given a new contract to players in their 30s. But I always thought it’d be hard for Salah to continue in the same vein, but even if he doesn’t, he’s still a fantastic player.

Harvey Elliott at Villa

A little surprised he hasn’t started. I think he’s just started the League Cup game, and he started another one, but he came off at half-time. But you wonder what his position is and where he could fit into that team. He’s not going to displace Morgan Rodgers or John McGinn.

Guessand the winger has not done well at all. But Elliot’s not that type of player. He’s not really a wide man with pace. So, it’s probably not gone as well as he would have hoped at the moment. And now, of course, Villa are back on the road, back winning games. So, he might have to sit on that bench for a bit longer.

Prediction

Another one. Difficult because obviously Villa are on a good run. But I’m going to go 2-1 Liverpool.

Liverpool 2 – 1 Aston Villa

Memories of Playing at Leeds

I always used to like playing at Leeds. I thought it was perhaps the noisiest ground in the top flight, and it was a great atmosphere. I’ve scored a few important goals there in a title-winning season in 1991, I think it was.

On the flip side, I remember missing a howler from about a yard out. It was a midweek game. It was a muddy pitch, and it bobbled up on me underneath the crossbar, and it went over the bar. So those kinds of things you never forget. But I did enjoy playing at Leeds.

Leeds’ Season Outlook

I think they do need a striker. They beat West Ham on Friday, which everyone seems to be doing at the moment, but the home form is going to be vital. Survival will still be and always be the first protocol, the main consideration.

I don’t think they’ll be thinking about the top half, and I don’t think they’ve got the squad for that. But in January, if they can get somebody in, who knows? That will help them, I think, if they succeed, whoever comes in.

Brighton’s Young Greek Players

It gives Kostoulas confidence, obviously, to score at Old Trafford. It’s fantastic and two young lads are still acclimatising to the country as well as a very high standard in the Premier League, so I think it’s right they’ve not been rushed, but they’ll gradually.

They treat players well there, and they’ve had loads of young players at Brighton, and they know how to bring them into that first team, so it’s good for them, obviously, Danny Welbeck’s doing really well, but in his mid-30s now, so it’s nice to be able to have these kinds of players you can try and groom on the training ground and they can learn with occasional appearances. Such a well-run club, Brighton. So, it looks like they’ve chosen well there with those two boys.

Prediction

I’ll go home win, Brighton 3-1.

Brighton 3 – 1 Leeds

Sunderland’s Chelsea Victory

I don’t think Sunderland will get complacent, that’s for certain. But they’d have been absolutely buzzing after that win. Nobody expected that. So, Le Bris has just done fantastically well. So many players coming into the club, you did wonder how it would all pan out, whether it would take a long time for everybody to get used to each other and the system.

But it seems to have clicked really quickly. So, fair play to the manager for achieving that. Isidore scoring goals, Granit Xhaka has been a very canny signing. But yeah, they’re in heady territory at the moment, but I’m sure they’re not fooling themselves. Survival again would be a great achievement.

Top-Half Finish Possibility

You never know, do you? It looks like one of those seasons where there are some surprise packages. They could finish top half. European places, I think that’s pushing it a little bit. But if they keep their players fit, and maybe they could if things carry on like this.

Prediction

1-1. I think it’ll be a tight game, this 1-1.

Sunderland 1 – 1 Everton

Sean Dyche Assessment

He did brilliantly at Burnley, didn’t he? Got promoted twice and achieved a European place that one season. That was marvellous. And he had his moments at Everton. He kept the team up when they lost those points. So we shouldn’t forget that. But then it petered out.

He’s got some good tools to work with at Forest. Some good players. So, it’s early days. He got that win against Porto, but then a tough one at Bournemouth. So we’ll see. I think he is a good manager. So, I would expect them to improve.

Elliot Anderson vs Wharton vs Baleba

Elliot Anderson’s been amazing, really, hasn’t he? I don’t think Newcastle really wanted to sell him, but it was maybe a PSR thing. Settled in really quickly at Forest and, surprisingly, looks like one of England’s best players over those matches recently. So, temperament-wise, he’s obviously first class, really enjoying his football.

Adam Wharton, a very good player as well. Baleba, he’s the kind I think that Manchester United need, that energy in midfield. Young lad who’s got great potential. So, I think probably of those three, because they’ve got creative players like Mason Mount, Fernandes, when you’re looking at somebody like Adam Wharton. So, Baleba, I think, would still be on their shopping list.

Prediction

Yeah, I’m going to go 2-1 away win, 2-1 to United.

Nottingham Forest 1 – 2 Manchester United

Burnley’s Approach

It was an amazing win at Wolves last week, and to score three goals. This is a team we weren’t sure we’d be able to register many at this level. For Scott Parker, it’s keeping the game alive as long as they can against an Arsenal team that is flying at the moment and not giving away shots on target; never mind about goals.

But they only won the last two, so yeah, that just gives them a nice little cushion to go into the game and hope they can get something. Fleming coming in and getting a couple at centre-forward, and that was an area where you thought they were a bit short. Lyle Foster scored as well at Wolves, but maybe Fleming now will get a run of games.

So we’ll see how that pans out. But yeah, a difficult one for Burnley, obviously.

Prediction

2-0 to the away team.

Burnley 0 – 2 Arsenal

Manchester City vs Bournemouth

I thought City were coming back into things and feeling that they were maybe Arsenal’s closest rivals for the title, and then they lost at Villa, a poor performance. So, yeah, maybe the fear factor is dwindling a bit at the Etihad, but still a City win, more Haaland goals, 3-1, 3-1 to the home team.

Manchester City 3 – 1 Bournemouth

Crystal Palace vs Brentford

Brentford are on a great run, won three of the last four. Beat Liverpool, but still going to Selhurst Park, Palace will want to get back on the road. I think it’ll be 2-1 for Palace.

Crystal Palace 2 – 1 Brentford

West Ham vs Newcastle

I think for West Ham, the nightmare might continue. It’s so low at that football club at the moment. And you look at the squad, and you’re finding it difficult for any coach really to turn things around. And Nuno, I’m sure, will be fearing that he can’t even at this early stage. I’m going to go 2-0 to Newcastle.

West Ham 0 – 2 Newcastle

Fulham vs Wolves

The Burnley defeat was an absolute killer, wasn’t it? And Wolves have got to go for it now. I know it’s early still, but I think they’re six points from safety already. So, even though they’ve got to go for it, they might get on the score.

I think it’d be a good game because of that. Wolves will try not necessarily be overly open, but they’ve got to attack. But I think Fulham will pick them off. It’d be 3-2 to Fulham.

Fulham 3 – 2 Wolves