Premier League points to prove this weekend: Arsenal, Salah and more

With the sixth round of Premier League fixtures set to kick off and seven clubs fighting off European hangovers, we take a look at handful of players and teams with a point to prove this weekend.

New-look Manchester City defence

Following a shock defeat to Norwich last weekend which left the champions five points adrift of Liverpool after as many games, the spotlight was on the defensive partnership of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi. In the absence of the injured Aymeric Laporte City looked all at sea, so the news earlier in the week that Stones would now be sidelined for at least a month leaves Pep Guardiola worryingly short.

Fernandinho - a player who has been so instrumental over the years - looked set to be phased out by the arrival of Rodri but the Brazilian, once more, may have a pivotal role to play. Drafted in as a makeshift centre-back, the 33-year-old’s experience and composure seemed to rub off on Otamendi in Ukraine in midweek, so it will be up to the pair to prove that they can strike up an understanding that could save City’s season.

Miguel Almiron

Newcastle fans were delighted when the club finally stumped up the cash to acquire then club-record signing Almiron in January, but after a bright full debut the Paraguayan has been utterly anonymous for much of his time in the North East. Now 15 league appearances into his Magpies career the 25-year-old, who scored and assisted for fun in MLS, has done neither since a move to England.

It’s a huge step up, of course, but for the man signed to be the creative and attacking force from midfield to have drawn a blank in the two most crucial categories is now a huge concern. That’s despite both of his managers keeping the faith until now - starting every league match this season and creating only two chances. That faith is starting to appear increasingly blind.

Wolves

Aside from Europa League qualification it’s been a bitterly disappointing start to the season for Wolves. While many expected Burnley to struggle with the juggle last year, there weren’t too many fears over Nuno’s side doing the same. Without a win in five league matches, compounded by defeat at home to Braga on Thursday, all of a sudden there are concerns as to the strength in depth of the Wolves squad.

Last season was so successful due to the familiarity of the starting XI at Molineux, who all knew their roles and each others games. However, those that have rotated in and out this season in an attempt to keep legs fresh have failed to reach the same standards. 17 players have started in the league this season, with only 18 doing so over the entirety of the previous campaign. It’s too early to be worried about a relegation fight but the pre-season talk of Wolves potentially cracking the top six now seems even more premature.

Mohamed Salah

This may seem a stretch to suggest Salah has anything to prove to a club that were more than happy to cash in on his services back in 2015, but the Egyptian will be even more motivated to score this weekend.

Having been accused of selfishness of late, we may not see Salah’s most selfless display back at his old stomping ground having failed to score at Stamford Bridge since leaving the club. He’ll be desperate for that to change as both Liverpool and Chelsea aim to bounce back from somewhat unexpected Champions League defeats.

Arsenal

While they may have bounced back from a dismal display at Watford with an excellent result at Eintracht Frankfurt, defensively there are still huge concerns about the Gunners. Moreover, it took goals from Joe Willock and Buyako Saka - surely playing themselves into contention this weekend - to get the win, with Frankfurt mustering 24 shots, with all seven on target saved by stand-in Emiliano Martinez.

That’s 55 shots Arsenal have now conceded in their last two matches, and it will be interesting to see who lines up in defence for the visit of Aston Villa. The likes of Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney are nearing a return and could make the squad, which is a real boost, but it’s the heart of the defence and the protection to it that needs to improve dramatically. Senior pros Sokratis, David Luiz and Granit Xhaka need a strong performance against a Villa side that - luckily for Arsenal - have looked short of ideas in attack.

Jack Grealish

That leads us nicely on to our final pick for this week, with Grealish the man tasked with finding that decisive pass in the final third. Four years ago when these sides met in what was Villa’s final game of a disastrous relegation campaign, a 20-year old Grealish came off the bench in a 4-0 defeat. He is the only remaining player from the entire travelling squad to the Emirates back in 2016 at the club right now, and very much the poster boy as captain of the newly-promoted side.

To now Grealish has only shown glimpses of what he is more than capable of, and following a late miss against West Ham last time out as Villa were frustratingly held by ten men, the playmaker will be keen to prove he can cut it amongst the best. A trip to face a leaky Arsenal defence could be an opportunity to do just that.