Welcome back to the 11th week of the Premier League Ones to Watch column, a weekly piece that highlights the most notable performance of the previous matchday as well as predicting a top performer for the weekend ahead. This column is made for West Coast fans in particular, as I help you decide which games you should wake up for by identifying the players who are worth the price of admission, so to speak.
All season long, Bryan Mbeumo has gone under the radar as one of the Premier League’s most consistent players, and he continued his run of form with two goals and an assist in Brentford’s 4-2 win against Brighton at home on Saturday.
Mbeumo reached 24 total goal contributions on the season, having tallied 18 goals and six assists in the Premier League. With goals in the ninth and the 48th minute, he helped secure a huge victory for the Bees. Alongside Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa has been right alongside him in creating an entertaining dynamic duo, with 16 goals and three assists of his own this season, including a goal and assist this weekend. The pair has been crucial all season for Brentford and were two of the best performers of the week as well.
Another big performance came from Ollie Watkins and the entire Aston Villa side, who walloped Newcastle in a 4-1 victory amid a very close race for Champions League qualification. Watkins scored off a deflected finish in the first 40 seconds and later added on an assist for Ian Maatsen in the 64th minute to help secure a crucial win against the Magpies.
This result pushed Aston Villa to 57 points on the season, which leaves them level on points with sixth-place Chelsea. Villa remains in seventh based on goal differential, but because Chelsea has been struggling for form and only fifth place is needed for Champions League qualification given the Premier League’s European coefficient, this win could be integral in helping Villa play European football next season.
Another big performance came from Leandro Trossard in Arsenal’s 4-0 away victory against Ipswich Town. He opened the scoring after 14 minutes and later added Arsenal’s third in the 69th minute, helping put the game to bed. This result follows Arsenal’s stunning victory at the Santiago Bernabéu against Real Madrid in the Champions League. With such great results as of late, Arsenal are likely to use the Premier League to keep squad players, like Trossard, in shape as the Gunners look to Europe for their last chance at silverware this season.
The last player worth a mention is Jacob Murphy. Despite Newcastle’s rough loss to Villa over the weekend, the Magpies had a dominant 5-0 victory at home against Crystal Palace in their midweek fixture in which Murphy had a goal and an assist. His season tally is now up to an impressive eight goals and 11 assists and Newcastle will need him if the club hopes to play Champions League football next season after spending a year out of Europe.
In big news this week, relegation was effectively confirmed for the bottom three, as Ipswich would have to overcome a 15-point gap to West Ham in just five matches to stay up. Ipswich, Leicester City and Southampton will all play Championship football next season. On the flip side, Burnley and Leeds have both secured automatic promotion and will be Premier League sides next season, with one more spot still up for grabs via the playoffs.
Looking ahead, I have to make the boring, usual pick as the one to watch: Mohamed Salah. This will be the last week he will be selected, however, and there is good reason to make the pick this week. With one more win, Liverpool can officially secure the Premier League title and with Spurs coming to visit Anfield, Salah could easily spearhead a huge Liverpool performance. On top of the added sense of occasion, Spurs have been one of the league’s worst teams this season and frequently collapse under pressure. With 27 goals and 18 assists to his name—more than enough to win him Premier League player of the year—Salah looks set for at least one more 10/10 showing and what better week to have one than in the formal title-decider.
Another big game on the fixture list is the midweek match between Manchester City and Aston Villa, another big clash for Champions League football. While the game is being played at the Etihad Stadium, there may be a familiar rival there to spoil the party for the Cityzens. Former Manchester United player Marcus Rashford will look to have a big play-making performance as Aston Villa looks to carry on its momentum from the Newcastle game. His familiarity with the opponent, team momentum and City’s inconsistent form could all contribute to a big Rashford game.
The last player to keep an eye on this week is Matheus Cunha. Wolves have now won five consecutive Premier League matches and are in their best form of the season. While Cunha has not directly contributed to this form goals-wise, he’s due to put one in the back of the net. Especially considering recent links surrounding a transfer to Manchester United this summer, there will be a spotlight on him for the remainder of the season. A home match-up against an already relegated Leicester team is the perfect opportunity for him to perform.
As always, I have to be accountable for the previous week’s predictions. The main man selected was Alexander Isak, who played two matches with Newcastle. In the first against Crystal Palace, he scored in a 5-0 win but did not play his best before being held scoreless in a 4-1 loss to Aston Villa. An inconsistent, if sort-of-accurate pick. As to aforementioned Salah, while not scoring against Leicester, he did play well in a win that will set up Liverpool for a title-clinching matchup this weekend. A similar performance came from Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, who did not have a goal contribution in the 4-0 victory over Ipswich but still managed to create five chances. Last week’s picks were good, however hopefully this week, they will be even better.