1<\/p>\n
Pereira sacking reflects poorly on board<\/p>\n
First the P45, then the pints. V\u00edtor Pereira could be excused for having a drink on Sunday after his departure from Wolves<\/a>, with the silver lining for the Portuguese being a decent payout. It is the fourth mid-season dismissal this campaign \u2013 there have never been more permanent sackings in Premier League history at this stage of the year (3 November). And while Evangelos Marinakis might have something to answer for, trigger-happy owners and directors are becoming increasingly erratic: that Pereira lasted just 45 days into a new three-year contract reflects as badly on the Wolves board as on the manager, just as Erik ten Hag\u2019s sacking this time last year<\/a>, coming less than three months after his own contract extension, reflected badly on the Manchester United hierarchy. Backing a manager and then pulling the rug so quickly is baffling, while a board\u2019s desire for a \u201cnew manager bounce\u201d so early in the season stinks of desperation and should be seen as an admission of guilt. Michael Butler<\/strong><\/p>\n V\u00edtor Pereira\u2019s time is up at Wolves after picking up two points from 10 league games. Photograph: Wolves\/Getty Images<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Gunners aiming to match ancient record<\/p>\n Arsenal have won their past seven matches in all competitions without conceding a goal. If they keep another clean sheet at Slavia Prague on Tuesday, it will match a 122-year club record. David Raya may currently have one of the easiest jobs in professional sport, able to enjoy all the fine defensive work in front of him as Burnley<\/a> were kept at arm\u2019s length. The Spain goalkeeper had next to nothing to do at Turf Moor apart from taking the odd goal-kick and watching a late free-kick hit the post. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible,\u201d Raya said of the record. \u201cNot just the defence, I think it\u2019s a collective achievement, if you want to put it that way. It starts from the striker, finishing with the goalkeeper. So, it\u2019s just incredible to have that work rate from everyone, trying to shut teams down and not concede anything. And that\u2019s just credit to everyone.\u201d Will Unwin<\/strong><\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Dyche not banking on magic dust to fix Forest<\/p>\n The cornerstone of Nottingham Forest\u2019s success last season was defensive solidity but it is now 18 top-flight matches since they kept a clean sheet \u2013 against Manchester United on 1 April. Forest lost their ruthlessness under Nuno Esp\u00edrito Santo and Ange Postecoglou failed to resolve their vulnerabilities. Forest beat Porto 2-0 in Sean Dyche\u2019s first game but conceded two more goals from corners in the draw with United on Saturday. No team in the division has shipped more goals from set pieces this season. Everybody expects Dyche to remedy these issues but, as he told the Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, it is not that straightforward. \u201cWe haven\u2019t got any magic wand or magic dust, and we know that it\u2019s a big job to change things,\u201d said Dyche, Forest\u2019s third head coach of the season. \u201cForest had a brilliant season last year \u2013 fantastic for this club \u2013 but towards the end it was drifting a bit. They hardly scored a goal in pre-season either, so we\u2019ve got a number of things to address.\u201d Ben Fisher<\/strong><\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Watkins risks World Cup snub with poor form<\/p>\n For all the heartwarming talk of Danny Welbeck potentially earning an England recall, little positive has been said about the man the Brighton striker would likely replace. That is partly because Ollie Watkins has not given headline writers much to get excited about this season. One goal in 14 appearances in all competitions is not the form that gets you a place in a World Cup squad, with the caveat that we are still a long way from Thomas Tuchel naming his final submissions to get a plane ticket. Against Liverpool<\/a>, Watkins was limited to just 18 touches and zero shots in 73 minutes. The forward\u2019s expected goals per 90 minutes is down from 0.53 last season to 0.20 this campaign. Villa are creating chances at a similar level to last season (1.28 xG v 1.32 xG) and after a sticky start had been playing well before the visit to Anfield. If Unai Emery\u2019s system is not working for Watkins but is working for the team generally, then it falls to the player to figure out a solution. Tom Bassam<\/strong><\/p>\n Match report: Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa<\/a><\/p>\n Ollie Watkins failed to make an impact for Aston Villa at Anfield. Photograph: Adam Vaughan\/EPA<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Silva\u2019s squad brimming with potential<\/p>\n With all the focus on the fate of his Portuguese compatriot V\u00edtor Pereira after Wolves sank to yet another defeat, Marco Silva was not expecting that much credit for Fulham<\/a> ending their run of four successive league losses. But while Emmanuel Agbadou\u2019s red card was required to allow the hosts control despite being handed an early lead, there were signs of greater fluency in Fulham\u2019s attack as the new club-record signing, Kevin, was a constant threat. An impressive late cameo from Samuel Chukwueze \u2013 the Nigeria winger who joined on loan from Milan with an option to make the deal permanent next year \u2013 shows that Silva has options despite his complaints over a lack of investment in the summer. \u201cNow is not a moment to talk about what we missed or not last summer,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to focus on the squad that we have and keep ourselves together. What we need is much more availability from our senior players, because I looked at the bench today and I saw players ready to make an impact.\u201d Ed Aarons<\/strong><\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Frank plays down team tensions<\/p>\n The icy look from Thomas Frank said it all. The Tottenham manager did not look pleased when it appeared he was snubbed by Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence after full time against Chelsea<\/a>. When he has asked about the incident, though, Frank sought to played it down. \u201cI think that is one of the small issues,\u201d the Dane said. \u201cThey perform very well so far this season and everyone is frustrated. I don\u2019t think it is a big problem.\u201d The optics were not great, though. Spurs were dreadful against Chelsea, mustering an xG of 0.05, and Frank\u2019s authority seemed to be called into question. Should he have been tougher about it in public? Was the conflict avoidance evidence of a manager still not entirely comfortable in his new surroundings? Perhaps it will be dealt with behind closed doors. Frank will hope his way is enough to maintain respect. Jacob Steinberg<\/strong><\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Pressure mounts on Nelson to perform<\/p>\n A small footnote to Brentford\u2019s defeat at Crystal Palace<\/a> was a first league appearance of the season for Reiss Nelson. When the Arsenal loanee signed for the Bees on deadline day, he said he \u201cwanted to go to a club where I know I\u2019m going to play regularly\u201d but form and fitness have meant only two Brentford appearances in the Carabao Cup going into this weekend. Nelson did score in midweek against Grimsby, with Keith Andrews describing him as \u201cdynamic and positive in every action\u201d and that the 25-year-old \u201cshowed real moments of quality\u201d when he came off the bench at Selhurst Park. After an underwhelming loan at Fulham last season, the pressure is on for Nelson to prove himself. Should he fail to break into Andrews\u2019 team regularly, the talented winger may not get another chance in the Premier League next year even if his Arsenal contract does extend to 2027. MB<\/strong><\/p>\n Reiss Nelson picked up his first Premier League minutes for Brentford at Selhurst Park. Photograph: Jacques Feeney\/Offside\/Getty Images<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n G\u00f3mez shows Brighton patience paying off<\/p>\n