Eight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend

Eight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekendEight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend, featuring Mohamed Salah, Liam Delap, Andre Onana and Arsenal’s auxiliary number nine.Eagles out to upset the champions againCrystal Palace have quietly gone under the radar as one of Europe’s form teams. Only Paris Saint-Germain have won more games (9) across their last 10 than the Eagles (8), who have found form under Oliver Glasner and reached an FA Cup semi-final.

Next on their hit list are the champions, whose Champions League hopes suffered a setback after a goalless draw in the Manchester Derby last weekend. City are also well aware of the threat Palace can pose, having won just three of the previous seven meetings.We have now found the back of the net in 12 @premierleague games – a run stretching back to our 2-1 win over Southampton on 29th December 🤝#CPFCpic.



twitter.com/TyzsEc7hd5— Crystal Palace F.C.

(@CPFC) April 8, 2025The South Londoners could certainly throw a spanner in the works of Pep Guardiola’s bid for a top-five finish.Who will take the initiative as Forest face Everton?Nottingham Forest have gone against the grain this season to emerge as the surprise package of the campaign. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are flying high in third place despite having the lowest average possession (36.

5%) in the Premier League.A well-drilled defence and clinical counter-attack have undone teams this season, but the visit of Everton poses a different challenge. The Toffees are marginally ahead of Forest for average possession (36.

6%) with both sides allowing – either intentionally or not – opposition teams to dominate the ball. It will be fascinating to see which side takes the initiative at the City Ground.Malen out to prove a pointDonyell Malen can quite rightly feel aggrieved at his omission from Aston Villa’s Champions League squad.

Signed from Borussia Dortmund in January, the £21m recruit was a casualty of UEFA’s registration rules. Loanees Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi were preferred, leaving Malen to watch on in midweek at Paris Saint-Germain.The Dutchman has shown signs of settling in the Premier League and has netted in consecutive games for Villa.

With the second leg of their quarter-final with PSG on the horizon, he looks certain to start in what could be a rotated side at Southampton. The Saints, relegated with a record seven games to spare, appear the ideal opposition to continue his goalscoring run.That @OnsOranje connection 🤝 pic.

twitter.com/BotBYTIdhA— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 5, 2025An ode to Arsenal’s auxiliary manArsenal’s season appeared in danger of unravelling when Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus succumbed to season-ending injuries. Without a recognised forward, Mikel Arteta pushed Mikel Merino forward as an auxiliary option.

The Spaniard is no natural number nine, but he’s done his utmost to do a job for the team. A sweeping finish in Wednesday’s historic win over Real Madrid made it six goals in all competitions since the positional change in mid-February. Only two Premier League players have managed more in that timeframe.

Credit where credit’s due.An audition for Liam Delap?Liam Delap is in demand with the Premier League’s top clubs circling. The 22-year-old looks set to be available for £30m in the summer, due to a release clause in his contract.

With 12 goals for the season in the Premier League, Delap has impressed during his first full season at the highest level.The Manchester City academy graduate boasts deceptively nimble footwork for his broad frame and powerful ball-carrying as a one-man forward line. It is the sort of skillset that has attracted Chelsea, who will get a closer look at Delap this weekend.

Enzo Maresca worked with Delap during their respective time at Manchester City and is reportedly interested in a reunion at Stamford Bridge.Salah deal can lift LiverpoolLiverpool’s season has stuttered and while it’s unlikely to derail their title challenge, the Reds needed a good news story this week. It arrived on Friday morning, with the announcement that Mohamed Salah is going nowhere.

Long live the King. pic.twitter.

com/Eh1cj5oCZI— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 11, 2025The Premier League’s leading scorer has penned a new two-year deal, a contract that will extend his time with Liverpool to a decade. With an inconsistent West Ham the visitors this weekend, and a stadium sure to be abuzz after the re-signing of Salah, Arne Slot’s side can get back to winning ways after last weekend’s setback at Fulham.Mohamed Salah’s contract had to be the exception to the rule for Liverpool and FSGAnge must go all-in on EuropeTottenham take on Wolves this weekend but it’s a clash of little consequence to either side.

Wolves are all but assured another season of Premier League football after last week’s win at Ipswich, while Spurs are stuck in 14th with even a top-half finish increasingly unlikely.Spurs, however, still have plenty to play for. On Thursday night, the North Londoners were frustrated in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final with Eintracht Frankfurt.

After the early setback of Hugo Ekitike’s opener, Spurs produced an impressive performance. Only a combination of Kaua Santos’ saves and the woodwork prevented Spurs from turning the game around.Pedro Porro’s equaliser has at least restored parity ahead of the return in Germany, which represents win-or-bust for Postecoglou.

This weekend’s fixture matters little, while Thursday’s return could save his skin. His team selection should showcase this.Onana errors a huge concernIf ever there was a time to not mess up, for Andre Onana it was Thursday night.

The Cameroonian’s war of words with Nemanja Matic came back to bite him, as two glaring errors cost Manchester United dearly at Lyon.Onana’s errors were the latest mishaps from a goalkeeper who has made an unwelcome habit of mistakes. Though there have been periods of solidity and some exceptional saves, Onana has now made eight errors leading to a goal in all competitions since the start of last season.

No goalkeeper in the Premier League has made more.8 – Since the start of last season, no goalkeeper has made more errors leading to goals for Premier League clubs in all competitions than Manchester United’s André Onana (8). Exhibit.

pic.twitter.com/G8vq2HMzes— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 10, 2025 Ruben Amorim has no shortage of fires to put out at Old Trafford, but finding a solution to his combustible shot-stopper might need to be pushed higher up the list.

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