Manchester City’s quest for a fifth consecutive Premier League title is on track as they head into Matchday 10 of the 2024/25 season.
Pep Guardiola’s unbeaten team sits at the top of the table after nine matches, one point ahead of Liverpool and five points in front of Arsenal, who finished as runners-up to City for the past two seasons. Aston Villa currently holds the last top-four position, just behind Arsenal on goal difference.
The Gunners will kick off this week’s action as they travel north to face Newcastle United at St James’ Park, starting at 4:30 pm (UAE time) on Saturday.
Manchester City will play Bournemouth on the south coast, one of five matches starting at 7 pm. Other matches include Ipswich Town against Leicester City, Liverpool hosting Brighton, Nottingham Forest taking on West Ham United, and Southampton battling Everton. Wolves will face Crystal Palace in the late match at 9:30 pm.
On Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur will meet Aston Villa in North London at 6 pm, followed by Manchester United hosting Chelsea at Old Trafford at 8:30 pm. Fulham will play against London rivals Brentford at Craven Cottage on Monday. Here are the main points to watch for in this weekend’s matches.
Can Arsenal Get Back in the Title Race?
Arsenal’s hopes of ending Manchester City’s four-season hold on the Premier League title have hit a couple of bumps in the road recently. Mikel Arteta’s team saw their unbeaten record come to an end at Bournemouth and then, last week, they led Liverpool twice at home, ultimately settling for a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta expressed his disappointment over what he felt was a lack of courage from his team in not securing the win, especially as they were missing key players like William Saliba due to suspension and lost Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber to injuries during the match.
However, Arteta was pleased with his team’s performance midweek as they advanced to the League Cup quarter-finals after defeating second-tier Preston 3-0, thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri, and substitute Kai Havertz. “We discussed the importance of playing with enthusiasm and the right attitude, and they certainly showed that,” he said.
Arsenal will need to maintain that positive attitude during a tough stretch of matches against Newcastle, Inter Milan, and Chelsea in just eight days.
Will Injury Crisis Hurt Manchester City?
Meanwhile, Manchester City is facing challenges of their own as they deal with a significant injury crisis, which manager Guardiola describes as the worst he has faced in nine years at the club.
City was already without six first-team players during their League Cup defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, and they then lost defender Manuel Akanji in the warm-up. Center-back Ruben Dias left the match at halftime due to injury, while winger Savinho was carried off on a stretcher in the second half.
Key midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has been ruled out for the season with a serious knee injury, while Oscar Bobb is still recovering from a broken leg suffered in August. Guardiola is uncertain when Kevin de Bruyne will return from his thigh injury.
City has also been without Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku, and Jack Grealish for recent matches. “If these players don’t return soon, we’ll struggle, as we can’t rely on just 14 or 15 players for the entire season,” he stated before the League Cup match, which marked City’s first loss this season. “We need our players back quickly.”
Can Salah Overtake Fowler on the Scoring List?
Mohamed Salah is set to reach another milestone in his impressive Liverpool career if he scores against Brighton at Anfield this weekend.
Last week, Salah scored the equalizer at Arsenal, bringing his total to six goals for the season. He has now tied with Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler at eighth place on the all-time Premier League scoring list with 163 goals.
Next in his sights are Thierry Henry with 175 goals and Frank Lampard with 177 goals. The 32-year-old Egyptian is more than capable of surpassing both before the season ends. “Salah’s contributions go beyond just scoring,” said Reds manager Arne Slot after the Arsenal match. “He is always available and shows up in crucial games. We need players like him to achieve good results.”
Can Spurs Find Consistency?
Tottenham has had a mixed bag of results lately under manager Ange Postecoglou. The team lost a two-goal lead in a defeat against Brighton, which Postecoglou called “as bad as it gets,” then scored four goals against West Ham.
Last weekend, they lost to Crystal Palace, who had yet to win a game, but then knocked Manchester City out of the League Cup just three days later.
Finding consistency will be essential if Postecoglou wants to push for a top-four finish or end Spurs’ long wait for a trophy, as the last one was the League Cup in 2008. This weekend, they face a tough test against Aston Villa, who are currently fourth in the table and enjoying a successful Champions League campaign.
“This team is always evolving, but growth comes with challenges,” Postecoglou said after the win over City. “I don’t believe in big or catastrophic moments; we’re the same team we were three days ago. I hope we have more good days ahead.”
What’s Next for Van Nistelrooy?
Manchester United started strong after Erik ten Hag’s departure, beating Leicester City 5-2 in the League Cup. Interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy brought energy to the team, which had been lacking scoring throughout the season.
With only Crystal Palace and Southampton scoring less than United’s eight goals in the Premier League, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes each scored twice, and Alejandro Garnacho added another.
Van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals for United and is the club’s ninth highest scorer, will lead the team again for Sunday’s match against Chelsea and possibly two more games after that. As United is close to hiring Sporting coach Ruben Amorim, it’s unclear what will happen to the Dutchman after his interim role.
“I’m motivated to return to my assistant role for this season and the next. My goal is to help the club move forward,” said Van Nistelrooy. “When the new manager is signed, we’ll see how things develop.”
