In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including Arsenal’s striker problems, Graham Potter being under pressure, and a look at the return of the Premier League on Boxing Day.
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A little look at the first round of fixtures as the Premier League returns
Lionel Messi doesn’t play in the Premier League, but Alexis MacAllister does. It will be interesting to see how quickly Brighton try to get him back playing. In my experience, a four or five-week gap means you’re a little bit off the pace – you need to get five, six, or seven matches under your belt. I think there are going to be some interesting results. It wouldn’t surprise me at all that around Christmas time when players will be seeing their family, or travelling to see friends, there will be some bizarre results. I don’t think things will calm down until we get to the point where the European games return in February. Pep Guardiola has said that Kalvin Phillips, who was in the England squad at the World Cup, has come back overweight. He’s going to have to train harder to get back fit and get into the Manchester City team, that’s just one example.
Some players will be coming off the back of a quarter-final, semi-final, or a final. Their adrenaline is high, they’re fit, and they’ll be able to walk back into the team. It’ll be interesting to see how clubs that really need to claw back points, Liverpool or Chelsea, for example, will react during the January transfer window. I think we could see some unexpected results in this round of fixtures. For those who have a number of players that haven’t played at the World Cup, I think it will take them a bit more time to get into the rhythm.
On the last day of the Premier League before the World Cup, I mentioned that clubs will be insistent on letting their players know that they need to finish that part of the season really well. Being competitive away, winning games, and making sure they communicate with the players during the World Cup. If you’ve left a good situation before heading off to the World Cup, it’s important to continue this when you return. Manchester United have got rid of the Cristiano Ronaldo issue, a recurring, weekly problem. Erik ten Hag isn’t going to be asked about Ronaldo during press conferences, so I think Manchester United could go on a…
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