Premier League talking points: Saka's big call, prolific Palmer, growth of Gravenberch

We pick out the big issues ahead of this weekend's English top-flight action

Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring Arsenal's second goal in their 2-0 Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain on October 1, 2024. AP

The Premier League will take a pause after this weekend for an international break with Liverpool currently in the driving seat, albeit with a single point advantage over Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the table, going into Matchday 7.

And it is Arne Slot's Liverpool who will kick off the latest round of fixtures when they head south to take on Crystal Palace in Saturday's early game (3.30pm kick off UAE) at Selhurst Park.

Five matches then follow (at 6pm) with Arsenal at home to Southampton, Brentford facing Wolves at the Gtech Community Stadium, Leicester City entertaining Bournemouth in the Midlands, Manchester City up against Fulham at the Etihad Stadium and West Ham United playing host to Ipswich Town in London. Everton's home clash with Newcastle United on Merseyside is the late game (8.30pm).

Sunday sees Aston Villa versus Manchester United at Villa Park and Chelsea tackling Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge (both 5pm) before Brighton's home game against Tottenham Hotspur on the south coast (at 7.30pm). We pick out the main talking points heading into this weekend's schedule.

Is Gravenberch the top-flight's most improved player?

Replacing the hugely successful and immensely popular Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield hot seat looked an unenviable task on paper, but Slot has made it look relatively easy so far.

Top of the Premier League after winning five out of six games, with the meanest defence (two conceded) and the best goal difference in the top-flight (+10). In attack, only Chelsea (15) and Manchester City (14) have scored more than Liverpool's 12, with Luis Diaz (five) and Mohamed Salah (four) contributing nine between them.

And the form has continued over into Europe after the Reds followed up their opening 3-1 win at AC Milan with a 2-0 home victory over another Serie A side in Bologna on Wednesday, with Salah scoring one and assisting Alexis Mac Allister for the other.

Man of the match against the Rossoneri was Ryan Gravenberch, who has formed an impressive midfield triangle alongside Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai that has been the driving force of Liverpool's flying start.

Gravenberch – a £35m signing from Bayern Munich in 2023 – was a bit-part player last season, but not any more after his latest Rolls-Royce performance that saw him barely waste a pass all night. “I was delighted with him,” said Slot. “Ryan was again outstanding.”

Can Arsenal win title this year?

For the last two seasons, Arsenal have finished as runners-up to Manchester City, first by five points, then by just two when Mikel Arteta's side led the title race for most of the campaign before stumbling in the final stretch.

So is this the season that Arsenal secure their 14th top-flight crown and first since Arsene Wenger's 'Invincibles' of 2003/04? Well, Bukayo Saka certainly thinks so.

“I don't want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year,” said the 22-year-old forward after their midweek Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain. “We've been close the last two years and we're getting closer, but this hopefully will be the year.”

The Gunners are currently third in the table, one point behind Liverpool and level with City after six games having been within a couple of minutes of beating Pep Guardiola's side at the Etihad for the first time since 2015, despite playing half the game with 10 men.

And PSG manager Luis Enrique did not hold back in his praise on Tuesday, calling Arsenal “one of the best teams in the world”, adding: “We knew from the first minute they were going to press us and we couldn’t overcome that.”

Are Southampton heading for drop?

Facing “one of the best teams in the world” is probably not ideal for any club, especially one that has managed just a single point so far this season, but that is the task facing Southampton this weekend.

The Saints have endured a nightmare return to the top flight that reached a new low on Monday when they were outclassed by Bournemouth on the way to a comprehensive 3-1 defeat.

And manager Russell Martin did not mince his words after the match, calling Southampton's efforts “outrageously poor” at the Vitality Stadium. “I didn't recognise our team,” he said. “I didn't like a lot of what I saw, and I was hurt by the lack of spirit and fight. Normally I'm proud of them for the courage they show, but there was no aggression, no courage, no intensity to play.”

A sentiment echoed by midfielder Flynn Downes: “We let everyone down. There was no belief, a lack of fight and no commitment. We have to look at ourselves. We've got to liven up quick.”

But the fixture list does not make for kind reading: Southampton face away games at Arsenal and Manchester City before the end of October.

Should super sub Duran be starting for Villa?

The remarkable season of Jhon Duran continued on Wednesday when the Aston Villa striker came off the bench to earn his team a famous victory over German giants Bayern Munich by lobbing the great Manuel Neuer.

It was the fifth time Villa's super sub had scored having been called into action – four of which were winners; against West Ham, Leicester City, Everton, and now Bayern – with the 20-year-old Colombian having notched six goals in fewer than 300 minutes of football this season.

“He came back with a different mentality this season,” said goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who produced several key saves against Bayern. “He's a super-sub, the first time he touched the ball, he lobbed Neuer, one of the best goalkeepers in history.”

Manager Unai Emery added: “We are working with him. Most important is his attitude. He's available to play 90, 60, 30 minutes. He's been focusing each minute he's playing.”

Now the question remains: How long can Villa can keep such a talent on the bench? Only the reliability of Ollie Watkins is keeping him out of the starting line-up, with the England striker having scored four and assisted two in the league himself.

Who can stop prolific Palmer?

Even more prolific than Duran this season – apart from the goal machine that is Erling Haaland – is Chelsea forward Cole Palmer who has started the current campaign in the same fashion as the last one.

In his debut season for the London club, after moving from Manchester City, Palmer scored 22 Premier League goals (beaten only by Haaland's 27) and provided 11 assists (bettered only by Watkins' 13). We're only six games in but the 22 year old has already found the back of the net six times – boosted by his superlative four-goal salvo against Brighton last week – and provided four assists.

Despite this form, coach Enzo Maresca decided against naming Palmer in his Europa Conference League group-stage squad, insisting the England international needs to be managed carefully.

“It is not about reliance,” Maresca said ahead of Thursday's 4-2 win over Belgian side Gent at Stamford Bridge. “We have already played some games without Cole. For sure, for us or any team in the world, Cole is an extra, something that you need. But we also need to protect some players. They need that.”

What it does mean for Nottingham Forest, Sunday's visitors to west London, is that they will be going up against a fully refreshed and firing Palmer who became the first Premier League player to score four times before half time last week.