On September 14, Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson discussed the performances of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Aston Villa since the start of the season in his column.

"Is Slot finding it harder than he thought?"

I'm a bit concerned about Liverpool right now because Saturday's result was very poor. It was a terrible result. I'm not sure if he's finding it harder than he expected, coming from Bournemouth to Anfield. Without disrespecting Bournemouth, if they drew 0-0 away at Fulham, that wouldn't be a problem.

But for Liverpool to draw at home against Fulham, that's headline news. That's what he has to adapt to. He needs to loosen up and let the team play a bit more openly. Now, when you watch matches every weekend, as the season progresses, Manchester City and Arsenal are miles ahead of everyone else. The gap is massive.

Concerns About Wirtz, and Is Barcola the Right Choice for Liverpool?

I don't know how much longer they can wait for Wirtz. I really like him; I think he's a special player. But right now it's not working, it's really not working. I don't know how much longer they can wait. I also like Barcola, but I'm not sure if he's the player Liverpool needs.

If you ask me what Barcola's strengths are, he's very quick. But when you play for Liverpool, you don't actually need to be that quick. You don't need to be the fastest player in the Premier League. You need more than that. And right now, I'm not sure he has those qualities. Don't get me wrong, he'll have standout performances, but I think they need a smarter, more creative player. Salah has those abilities, which is why he's been so successful at the club.

At Liverpool, you don't just need pace. No team is going to push forward against Liverpool. Every team will have players drop back and defend deep. There's no other tactic, and that's what worries me.

Mentality and Confidence Are Tottenham's Main Issues Right Now

Against Everton, for the first 15 to 20 minutes, I thought they played very well. I thought the way they passed and moved the ball caused Everton a lot of problems. But they didn't score that goal. And when they couldn't get that goal, their mentality crumbled. I think if they don't score, they might still be playing now, you know? That's the problem. They need to score early. And confidence is also key.

What I want to say is, every footballer, whether you're a U10 player or a professional, if you could wrap up one thing, it's confidence. And right now, they don't have that confidence, they don't have that belief. That's the problem—belief.

Arsenal Will Easily Retain the Title

I think they'll win the Premier League by double digits. I think they'll win it comfortably. I look at Arsenal's fixtures: away to Manchester City, away to Manchester United, away to Chelsea, away to Liverpool. After those four games, I don't know who else could beat Arsenal.

They're just a very, very difficult team to beat. I don't think they'll lose many games this season. They're a bit more relaxed now. No one can call Arsenal "bottlers" anymore, so the pressure is off. They play as if they've already received an email telling them: "You know what the final result of this match will be."

I just watched their match against Villa, and then you look at their game against Sunderland, they're so composed. They play with patience. They'll eventually score, and their opponents won't. That's where they stand right now.

Is Aston Villa Really in Danger of Relegation?

No, no. I think they have too many good players, to be honest. I think their result against Nottingham Forest was very poor. It's concerning. They dominated but couldn't score. But I'd be very surprised if they end up getting relegated.

They have too many good players and one of the best managers in the business. They're just going through a difficult spell right now.

However, I think this weekend's match against Tottenham Hotspur is crucial. It's a very important game. If you're at the bottom of the table, you're there. I'm not worried about Tottenham or Villa, but I think this is an important match for both teams because it can shift momentum.

Win the game, and then you can move forward after the international break. This is an important football match.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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