Which team will top the Premier League heading into Week 5?
Welcome to Woz's Football Factory. The Premier League fixtures come thick and fast, and Matchday 4 promises to be as exciting as the last. 17th placed Everton signed Neal Maupay from Brighton on a 3-year deal. Maupay scored 26 goals in 84 Premier League starts for the Seagulls, but I don't see him adding value to Frank Lampard's squad.
Newcastle smashed their transfer record with the signing of Aleksander Isak for approximately £58m. The 22-year-old scored 44 goals in 132 appearances for La Liga side Real Sociedad. Transfermarkt valued Isak at £28m - no pressure Aleksander. In 2020-21, he scored 17 goals in 34 games. A similar return at St James' Park would be a huge boost to the club.
According to Football London, Chelsea and Leicester have made a verbal agreement to send Wesley Fofana to Stamford Bridge. Thomas Tuchel will not be standing in his technical area for the fixture against Brendan Rodgers' struggling Leicester. Tuchel's ban comes into force because of the shenanigans in the game against Spurs.
The sub-headline asks which team will end this week at the top of the tree? That's where we will start, with the Gunners.
Can Arsenal maintain their 100% record?
Arsenal versus Fulham isn't usually a fixture to whet the appetite until now. Mikel Arteta's side have the only 100% record in the league. Fulham, have also had a great start to the season, including to a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in Week 1.
Arsenal are a much better side with the Gabriel Jesus, Martin Ødegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko in the starting XI. Ødegaard wore the skipper's armband with style last weekend, in a 3-0 away win at Bournemouth. Jesus has scored two since moving south from Manchester City.
Ødegaard and Jesus aren't the only players to watch closely on Saturday. Fulham have their star in Aleksandar Mitrovic, a striker in form, scoring 3-in-3. Mitrovic uses his strength to good effect, holding off defenders to maintain possession of the ball.
There's an argument to bring Kieran Tierney or Takehiro Tomiyasu back into the fold as they would be better equipped than Oleksandr Zinchenko or Ben White to deal with the aerial threat of Aleksandar Mitrovic as we've seen how the Serbian striker likes to isolate full-backs at the far post. But as the home team and with the onus on us to stamp our authority on proceedings, I'd only make one change. - Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
I fancy Arsenal to win the game by a goal. It could take a bit of magic from Ødegaard to unlock the Fulham defense. Saturday's late kick-off is definitely one to watch.
Can Liverpool register a 1st Premier League win of the season?
16th placed Liverpool find themselves 5 points behind Man City. Although there is no need for panic, the club's start to the season is not good enough for Jürgen Klopp or the Liverpool supporters. The Reds have won all their previous five games against Bournemouth at this level, and tomorrow's game is a great opportunity for Klopp's side to register their first win.
Mo Salah and Luis Diaz must find chemistry with whoever Klopp selects as Liverpool's 3rd attacker. Bobby Firmino lacks pace to run in behind Fulham's defence, so you can expect Salah and Diaz to cut inside and exploit the space in behind Bournemouth's defence.
My focus on Liverpool's midfield continues because I believe this is the biggest problem for the team. Liverpool's lack of a ruthless goal scoring midfielder puts pressure on the front-three to find the back-of-the-net. Thiago Alcantara is not fit enough to make the game and his absence is being felt in Liverpool's engine room. Diogo Jota and Joel Matip will also miss the game.
Klopp has urged his players for more effort and passion and the Reds' gaffer has not ruled out more signings for the transfer window deadline. Bournemouth's heavy defeat to Arsenal wasn't the best preparation for a trip to Anfield.
Can Casemiro improve Manchester United's fortunes?
Casemiro is like marmite. You either love the signing or you hate it. Only United's board can explain why they signed a 30-year-old on £350k per week. The Brazilian had a good game for Real Madrid in their UEFA Super Cup game against Frankfurt, but he only played seven minutes in Real Madrid's 2-1 win away at Almeria on the opening day of the Spanish Season.
I doubt Casemiro is 'Premier League' match fit because of a lack of minutes on the pitch. United face Southampton in tomorrow's early kick off. This fixture has produced several high-scoring games in the history of the Premier League, including United's 9-0 demolition of the Saints in February 2021.
Tomorrow's game will be the 47th Premier League fixture between the two clubs. The Saints are one point ahead of Erik ten Hag's side. Another three points for United will ease the pressure on United's manager, who isn't afraid to drop the biggest earners at Old Trafford. Don't be surprised to see Harry Maguire sat on the bench at St Mary's tomorrow lunchtime.
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