Who’s looking like title contenders and/or favorites?
Almost at the halfway mark of the 2022-23 season, Arsenal and Manchester City are looking head and shoulders above the rest.
The Gunners will have their hands full for the duration of their title challenge, as Erling Haaland continues to take the Premier League by storm with an almost impossible goal-scoring record.
Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United are locked in a battle for the top four, while Liverpool have improved and will be back in the Champions League scrap and Chelsea are struggling.
Who are the early-season candidates for relegation?
Newly promoted Nottingham Forest moved off the bottom of the table with a win before the break, with Wolves and Southampton currently occupying the other two relegation places.
Leicester have picked up a few big wins, while West Ham, Everton and Leeds all find themselves within a few points of the bottom-three after a topsy-turvy start.
Below you will find the latest Premier League table.
Christian Pulisic was injured scoring the lone goal of a 1-0 win over Iran as the United States men’s national team advanced to the World Cup’s Round of 16 on Tuesday.
Fortunately for the USMNT, his exit from the match did not stop the Yanks from delivering a spot in the knockout rounds.
While the attack sputtered without him, the defenders and midfielders largely stepped into the fold as Yunus Musah and Co. helped Matt Turner keep a second clean sheet in three games.
Matt Turner: 6.5 — Some nervy moments late but the Arsenal backup again showed command of his box even when his body didn’t follow-through on good decisions.
Antonee Robinson: 9 — There’s an argument to be made that “Jedi” was the player of the round for the USMNT. He made a few rescue tackles and crosses from the left were few and far between.
Tim Ream: 8 — Quick, someone ask the coach if the guy who played every minute of the group stage is now a good fit for his system.
Cameron Carter-Vickers: 7 — Terrific when the U.S. had the ball and mostly good at the back, too. Is a good fit as a RCB in the back three, if that’s something Berhalter pulls out again.
Sergino Dest (Off 82′): 9 — While Pulisic’s goal was the moment of the game and Musah delivered several other moments, the fullbacks were the story of the entirety. Dest’s assist was massive, too (obviously).
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Tyler Adams: 8 — He rarely has bad games in a USMNT shirt, and there’s a reason he has the captain’s arm band when most teams would’ve automatically allocated it to Pulisic.
Yunus Musah: 8.5 — It’s fair to say the U.S. hasn’t had as a complete a midfield duo in Musah and Adams in two decades, if not longer. Musah was monstrous
Weston McKennie (Off 65′): 6.5 –Still working his way to match sharpness over the hour-plus, and you can pen him in for a start and a sub in every game the rest of the way.
Tim Weah (Off 82′): 7.5 — The team’s second-biggest threat, could’ve had this match salted away at the hour mark with a hat trick on another day.
Josh Sargent (On 75′): 7 — Yeoman’s work from the Norwich City man, who limped off after landing awkwardly on the ball.
Christian Pulisic (Off HT): 8 — Scoring a round-clinching goal in a World Cup game is a really good way to cement your status in a national team program. His abdominal injury required a precautionary trip to the hospital. Fingers are crossed. So are toes. And any new appendages that might evolve.
Subs
Brenden Aaronson (On HT):7 — A busy boy in his half, had Iran just as enraged as he’s had Premier League opponents
Kellyn Acosta (On 65′):6.5 — Job done.
Haji Wright (On 75′): 6.5 — See above.
Walker Zimmerman (On 82′):8 — A goal-line clearance and all the aerials duels you knew would be won when he was plugged into the lineup, were won. Three clearances in 10-plus minutes.
Shaq Moore (On 82′): 6 — Wyd, Gregg? Moore’s only job should’ve been to shut down crosses. He didn’t.
For the second straight game, the Yanks came flying out of the starting gate and set the tempo early on. Only this time, they didn’t retreat into their shell. This young team is growing, very quickly, right before our eyes, in their most difficult game of the group stage, at a World Cup.
GK – Matt Turner: 7 – We knew he was the best shot-stopper in the USMNT player pool, but his distribution — both short and long — were fantastic on Friday. With England forced out wide and to cross so much, he had to be strong and confident going up to catch the ball. And he was.
RB – Sergiño Dest: 7.5 – One of his best performances for the USMNT, both attacking and defensively, as he, Tim Weah and Weston McKennie frequently overloaded Luke Shaw. England didn’t have an answer for their combination play down the right wing.
CB – Walker Zimmerman: 6.5 – Harry Kane’s impact on Friday’s game was virtually zero, with two, three and sometimes four blue shirts surrounding him every time he touched the ball, and Zimmerman was typically first on the scene with pressure hot on his heels (literally).
CB – Tim Ream: 7 – It’s been simply incredible to see Ream come into this team, take up a starting spot and thrive in his role as not only the elder statesman of the squad, but also the initiator of possession. And he’s been brilliant. Just brilliant.
LB – Antonee Robinson: 7 – Much like Dest on the right, Robinson was a menace down the left flank and keeping Bukayo Saka on the back foot for 78 minutes. Using possession to defend and control games is what the great teams do, and the USMNT came dangerously close to doing just that on Friday.
DM – Tyler Adams: 8 – Jude Bellingham posed a serious threat as the central midfield pushing forward into attack on the right side of midfield, but Adams did a fantastic job shadowing him anytime he made those runs forward and never letting the full backs become outnumbered. It was the biggest threat that the USMNT defense would face, and Adams effectively nullified it.
CM – Yunus Musah: 7 – No one was more calm or comfortable playing through England’s midfield, pressing or not, time and again on Friday. Every time Ream or Robinson found themselves in trouble, it was a stinging pass into Musah’s feet that got them out of it. He’s 19 years old and already the safety net for a side that has taken two massive steps toward the knockout rounds.
CM – Weston McKennie: 6.5 – The game’s best scoring chance fell to McKennie midway through the first half, a difficult chance on the half-volley from near the penalty spot. He has a reputation as a big-game player, so he’ll be expected to put that one away next time.
RW/CF – Tim Weah: 7 – Weah’s deployment as a more narrow winger/center forward hybrid gave England fits, occupying both center backs and pinning the full backs deeper defensively than they would have liked. After scoring in the manner he did against Wales, England were forced to respect his speed in behind, which created acres of space between the Three Lions’ midfield and defense for McKennie and Dest to exploit on the right and Robinson and Christian Pulisic on the left.
CF – Haji Wright: 6.5 – Hold-up play and the ability to occupy both center backs on his own were the reasons Wright was picked to start against England, and he provided plenty of both, and it was an incredibly important job that opened up space for the rest of the attack.
LW/LM – Christian Pulisic: 6.5 – Not his best game by any stretch, but he hit the crossbar late in the first half and was somewhat sacrificed in the 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid setup. He crossed the ball seven times, which will have played into England’s hands in keeping him out of the middle of the field, but it wasn’t a lost cause with Wright and Weah in the middle.
Boulaye Dia made the most of a defensive mistake to give Senegal the lead just before half time, then Famara Diedhiou headed home a second just after half time.
Qatar did improve in the second half as Mohammed Muntari scored Qatar’s first-ever World Cup goal but Ahmadou Bamba Dieng struck late on to put some gloss on the scoreline for Senegal.
Too little too late for the hosts but Senegal underwhelm
Hosts Qatar have basically gone out of the tournament without ever really showing up. They went for it in the second half and scored an historic goal and had big chances but Edouard Mendy denied them. Why didn’t they do that more often over the last two games? Qatar’s players have frozen and they seemed to not understand what was being asked of them, which is a big surprise given how long this manager has been with the team and how long they have all been playing together.
Senegal weren’t great though, and of course they aren’t expected to be at their best without their talisman Sadio Mane. Heading into their final group stage game against Ecuador, which is likely to decide which team will go through along with the Netherlands, Senegal boss Aliou Cisse will want so much more from his team. They have been sloppy in possession and although they scored three goals against Qatar, one was from a mistake and another from a set piece. The African champions have to improve if they’re going to get out of the group and do anything beyond that.
Gold Cup leading scorer Almoez Ali came close to scoring for Qatar against Ecuador, so the tournament hosts will know that they can produce chances. Could a quick finish remind Qatar of better days, as they had won four-straight friendlies since October in dispatching Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Albania?
Senegal put a lot on the plate of Ismaila Sarr and the rapid winger did not disappoint, joining Boulaye Dia as productive but ultimately finish-free forwards versus the Netherlands. Cheikhou Kouyate is out injured, while four Premier League stars start for Senegal in Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Nampalys Mendy and Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Current FIFA world ranking: 49
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 0
How they qualified: As hosts
Coach: Felix Sanchez
Key players: Abdelkarim Hassan, Almoez Ali, Hassan Al-Haydos
Senegal quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 18
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 2
How they qualified: Beat Egypt in CAF playoff
Coach: Aliou Cisse
Key players: Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly
Spain demolished Costa Rica 7-0 on Wednesday in a World Cup win as comprehensive as you’ll see in games played between adults in the same stratosphere of men’s soccer.
Ferran Torres scored twice to join Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, Carlos Soler, Gavi, and Alvaro Morata on the score sheet as Spain held a cartoonish 82 percent of the ball that at times was as high as 87.
Spain shows hints of new golden age with comprehensive smackdown
Costa Rica barely touched the ball, didn’t attempt a shot, kept 16 percent of the ball, and registered a 0.00 expected goals for the game.
We knew this could be mad given Los Ticos mix of greying or greyed veterans and inexperienced youth, but this? This was a smackdown.
And it’s difficult not to dream of what Luis Enrique may be building inside of a nation that clobbered the world for the better part of a half-decade earlier this century.
Six of Spain’s starters and all of their goal scorers won silver at the 2020 Olympics, falling to Brazil, and the team’s only loss of 2022 saw it hold 74 percent of the ball in a 2-1 loss to a very good Switzerland side in the Nations League.
Spain goalkeeper Unai Emery (89th minute) has more touches than EVERY SINGLE COSTA RICAN starter. https://t.co/TIMpQesTcq
Spain has a right to dream right now, especially after Japan took down Germany in the opener.
From the possession to the danger to the gaudy goal differential after one match, it’s very difficult to make as bold a visual claim as Spain made to start this tournament.
Enrique left — ready for this? — Thiago Alcantara, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Sergio Ramos, Mikel Oyarzabal, Inigo Martinez, and Sergi Roberto at home.
How to watch Spain vs Costa Rica live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 11am ET, Wednesday, Nov. 23 Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor TV channels en Español: Telemundo Streamingen Español:Peacock (all 64 matches)
Key storylines, players to watch closely
Spain has a lot of familiar faces anxious to etch their names on the country’s celebrated World Cup history. The Barcelona-heavy roster has as many members of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City as Real Madrid, leading to criticism from other parts of the country. The biggest question comes at forward, where Alvaro Morata (30) and Pablo Sarabia (30) are two of eight players over the age of 26.
Costa Rica’s biggest argument for success comes from one of CONCACAF’s best, perhaps the best, ever goalkeepers in Keylor Navas. Ten outfield players have more than 50 caps, but Costa Rica will need a youngster to make its name if it wants a point or more out of the group. Can that be Sunderland teenager Jewison Bennette?
Spain quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 7
World Cup titles: 1 (2010)
World Cup appearances: 16
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Luis Enrique
Key players: Rodri, Pedri, Pau Torres, Jordi Alba
Costa Rica quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 31
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified from CONCACAF via interconfederation playoffs
Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez
Key players: Keylor Navas, Joel Campbell, Celso Borges, Bryan Ruiz
