Chelsea v Leicester
Sunday, 14:30
Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Chelsea began sharply against United last weekend and only faded once their energy levels were depleted in the second half, with Frank Lampard’s overly expansive formation – very high full-backs, and a big gap between defence and midfield – allowing the hosts to counter-attack in behind. Leicester City are perfectly set up to pierce Chelsea’s soft centre, even with N’Golo Kante restored to the side.
The naivety displayed by Lampard will only be amplified on his Stamford Bridge debut; a lack of leadership and defensive alertness in his young side will inevitably leave space for Youri Tielemans and James Maddison to attack via their sudden, vertical passes into the final third. Brendan Rodgers had created a powerful, centre-focused counter-attacking side towards the end of last season.
Wolves’ defensive blockade nullified Leicester’s new approach on the opening weekend, but Chelsea will be considerably more porous. N’Golo Kante works best in a tightly compressed reactive system, rarely flourishing without close support, and so he will be badly overworked by Leicester’s two number eights as Chelsea fan out across the pitch.
Man City v Spurs
Saturday, 17:30
Live on Sky Sports Premier League
These two sides typically create claustrophobic matches in which intensity and sharpness within the tactical system define the winner – a sign of excellent tacticians separated by very little. Tottenham’s lack of speed in the final third without Son Heung-Min is likely to prevent them from stretching the pitch at key moments, and so Pep Guardiola’s side are likely to control a densely compact game with Tanguy Ndombele and Kevin de Bruyne the key players.
So far this season, De Bruyne has flitted between central midfield alongside Rodri (to provide additional cover as the Spaniard adapts) and a wide right position (to support Riyad Mahrez in overwhelming the opposition left-back). The extent to which the Belgian is tied to defensive positions – ensuring a low-scoring contest – or freed to support on the right depends on Ndombele’s display. Should the Spurs man cover adequately alongside Danny Rose and help launch counters by weaving through midfield on the ball then De Bruyne will be forced into retreat.
Christian Eriksen’s playmaking abilities will also impact on how De Bruyne chooses to play, as will Harry Kane’s effectiveness tracking back to put pressure on the still-vulnerable Rodri. The most likely scenario is a disciplined and hard-fought Spurs performance limiting De Bruyne – until late on, when City’s pressure mounts and weary legs leave him free to roam forward and capitalise on the error-prone Rose.
Wolves v Man Utd
Monday, 20:00
Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has doubled down on pace over the summer. He is looking to emulate the Sir Alex Ferguson sides of the 1990s, focusing on sheer counter-attacking speed to win matches via short bursts of creativity. That’s all well and good against such a wide-open Chelsea, but Wolves’ tactics should stump Solskjaer’s approach at Molineaux.
Nuno Esperito Santo won 16 points from 12 matches against the Big Six last season by sitting in a deep 5-4-1 formation that limits space in the final third but presses aggressively in midfield, their wing-backs pushing up to meet the opposition wingers while Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho launch counter-attacks.
Rashford and Martial will find no space whatsoever, and Wolves’ organised back three should prevent Paul Pogba from clipping through any Hollywood passes. When forced to play in front of a brick wall of bodies, United will look as sluggish and idealess as they did towards the end of last season, providing the hosts with the impetus to burst forward on the break and send Solskjaer’s side crashing back to earth.
Brighton v West Ham
Saturday, 15:00
After a dream start under Graham Potter, Brighton fans may be surprised to find their team vulnerable against West Ham, who will be forced to play to their counter-attacking strengths when Potter introduces his expansive approach on home soil. Solly March, converted into a left wing-back over the summer, made a big error against Watford that makes him a target for Felipe Anderson on Saturday.
West Ham will likely be much more direct than they were against Man City, giving Sebastien Haller more chance to show off his physical strength and aerial presence; he is superb at plucking the ball out of the sky and spreading it wide, which should lead to Anderson running directly at March this weekend.
Brighton’s new attacking identity under Potter deserves plenty of praise, but against clubs with quick wingers and a propensity to counter-attack with long balls forward – as West Ham have shown in away matches – will lead to dropped points during the first few months of the season.
Source: Betfair Premier League
