Liverpool and Chelsea in turmoil, great opportunity for Arsenal

Round 10 of the Premier League promises to turn the race around: Liverpool and Chelsea are struggling between pressure and schedule, while Arsenal have the opportunity to widen the gap. Man United have support from Bryan Mbeumo, while Manchester City have to solve the problem of rising Bournemouth.

Arne Slot's Liverpool in trouble with heavy schedule

Liverpool have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions. The decision to rotate heavily in the Carabao Cup, resting most of their key players for the 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, only makes sense if Arne Slot can immediately improve his results in the Premier League.

The next challenges are Aston Villa (home), then Real Madrid and the trip to Etihad to face Manchester City. With current form, the possibility of extending the losing streak to seven, eight or nine in the next 10 days is a real risk.

Villa head to Merseyside with four straight Premier League wins, including a win over Man City. This is the stage for Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers to find their rhythm. If Liverpool stumble, questions will be raised about Slot's future at Anfield.

Enzo Maresca's Chelsea: a tough test at Tottenham

Not only Slot, Enzo Maresca also felt the heat. Chelsea had a shaky start after winning the Club World Cup. A narrow defeat to newly promoted Sunderland pushed them down to ninth place; a win over Wolves in the Carabao Cup was a hard-fought victory at Molineux.

The London derby at Tottenham is a measure of maturity. With the disciplinary issues (red cards) recurring, a close result in favor of Spurs is the scenario analysts highly rate. If that happens, the pressure on Maresca's position as coach will increase sharply.

Man United bet on Bryan Mbeumo's form

Liverpool and Chelsea’s slump has opened the door for a top-four race. Manchester United have won three games in a row under Ruben Amorim, with Bryan Mbeumo at the heart of it: three goals and an assist in that run, suggesting the £65m fee is paying off in time.

Against Nottingham Forest, Mbeumo has the opportunity to maintain his effective streak. In the context of the competition for Champions League spots opening up, the output of the Cameroon striker is a strategic variable for Man United.

Andoni Iraola and the test at Etihad

Man City have been slowly reviving. Although Erling Haaland has maintained an impressive scoring rate, he failed to score in the loss to Aston Villa. This weekend, Etihad welcome Bournemouth – a team that has been surprisingly upbeat.

Bournemouth go into the round of 16 in second place after an eight-game unbeaten run. Despite losing their first-choice goalkeeper and three-quarters of their defence in the summer, Andoni Iraola has kept up a sharp attacking rhythm, with Antoine Semenyo emerging as a dangerous spearhead and teenage striker Eli Junior Kroupi starting to get going.

So a one-sided game is unlikely. If Bournemouth can maintain their intensity, this will be a valuable test of Pep Guardiola's control structure.

Arsenal has a chance to accelerate on the rankings

The continued drop in points from their direct rivals has left the door wide open for Arsenal to consolidate their lead. Visiting Scott Parker’s Burnley – who have won consecutively against Leeds United and Wolves – remains a challenge, but the difference in quality and current form makes a slip-up by Arsenal difficult to imagine.

Arsenal’s biggest asset is their defence: they just became the first top-flight team to win six games in a calendar month without conceding a goal. If they keep this up, Arsenal could end the week five points clear of second place, and eight or ten points clear of Manchester City and Liverpool – enough to spark early speculation about the title race.

Impact Overview

- Liverpool need immediate results to stop the decline and stabilize the dressing room before a series of big matches.

- Chelsea face a season-defining milestone at Tottenham.

- Man United have a chance to enter the top 4 if Mbeumo maintains his performance.

- Man City cannot be complacent against Bournemouth who are in form.

- Arsenal faces a problem: risk management to convert momentum into accelerating points.