Leeds, Arsenal and Tottenham feature.
Tackling three topical issues in a busy week in domestic football…
Arsenal did not miss Ozil
Arsenal’s £42 million man Mesut Ozil was the big name absentee from their starting line-up against Chelsea.
And how nice it was for Gunners fans to end a big away game not lamenting Ozil going missing.
The German was terrible in their recent 4-0 loss at Liverpool. Drawing 0-0 at Chelsea could be considered somewhat of a success.
Arsenal’s team was full of fight from 1-11. This has been a rarity for Wenger’s team on the road, and it was not a coincidence it was without Ozil.
With the former record signing’s contract set to expire next summer, Arsenal got a taste of what it will be late without him.
And it wasn’t too bad…
Do Leeds prioritise Carabao Cup?
Leeds face a tricky task this week in selecting their team to face Burnley in the Carabao Cup.
Burnley are favourites but Leeds have had a strong start to the season, going unbeaten before suffering their first loss of the campaign at the weekend.
Leeds will not want to record two losses in a row, and will have to select a strong team in order to stand a chance against a team which sit inside the top 10 in the Premier League.
Yet they must also keep a close eye on their Championship fixture at home to Ipswich Town at the weekend. That is the game they really cannot afford to lose.
The Whites really need to come out of the Carabao Cup game with respectability, with result next Saturday the focus.
Getting their team selection right will be absolutely key, and is a balance head coach Thomas Christiansen must strike.
Pochettino still struggling to effectively rotate
Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino was right to admit that their draw against Swansea was nothing to do with Wembley, but down to his team selection.
Once again the Argentine has struggled to effectively rotate his team, leaving out Ben Davies and Mousa Dembele, and it proved costly.
Spurs have struggled in recent seasons to balance competitions, last year they suffered in the cups as they focused on the league.
This time around early success in Europe has come at Premier League expense.
Pochettino needs to get a handle on it before further needless points are dropped.
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