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ASTON VILLA SECURE HISTORIC WINNING STREAK: OLLIE WATKINS PRIMED FOR GOAL-SCORING BLITZ AGAINST CHELSEA
Ollie Watkins is "primed" for a scoring spree as 3rd-place Villa prepare for crunch games at Chelsea and Arsenal.
Ollie Watkins, the England striker, seems ready to score a bunch of goals, which could really help Unai Emery's team as they try to win the Premier League.
Let's be honest, this Premier League season hasn't been that exciting so far.
One of the teams in the top five might get on a really good run in the second half of the season, but I doubt it. Arsenal has a lot of points, and they're tough to beat, but they're not exactly thrilling. Mikel Arteta's team works well, but Manchester City depends too much on one big Norwegian dude.
Enzo Maresca has a talented squad, but he seems too focused on messing with the Chelsea owners. Arne Slot at Liverpool has a big problem: even ignoring what will happen with Mo Salah or Alexander Isak's injury, their defence is looking shaky.
Aston Villa has already had a great run, winning seven Premier League games in a row as part of their 10 wins. Winning seven Premier League games straight IS great, but Unai Emery's team hasn't usually crushed other teams, winning most of those games by just one goal.
Some people might say that means they're due for a loss. But another way to look at it is that Villa might get even better.
For example, Watkins is likely to start scoring a lot soon. It's not like he's playing badly. This Villa team could still improve a lot.
If you care about expected goals, Villa would be 15th if that's how the Premier League was decided. That means either Villa is getting lucky, or those expected goals numbers don't mean much.
Basically, Emery has a balanced team with good players who are in their prime. He also has other guys who should become really good Premier League players, such as Donyell Malen, Ian Maatsen, and Evan Guessand, when he gets back from AFCON.
It might not seem like last summer's transfers did much, but they did. By keeping guys like Emi Martinez, Watkins, and Morgan Rogers, the team has been able to build a better understanding.
This Villa team looks like they know what they're doing. They know how to handle problems during games. They're not always amazing, but they're strong and organised.
Sure, the next two games—at Chelsea and at Arsenal—will be important, but they won't decide everything. Arsenal has been great, winning 12 games, but their 39 points are still a little low for a team leading the Premier League after 17 games.
The title race is open, and Villa is a big contender. It's that simple.
ANTOINE SEMENYO CHRISTMAS EVE UPDATE REVEALS ADVANCED TALKS BETWEEN MAN CITY AND BOURNEMOUTH
Antoine Semenyo chooses Manchester City in a 65 million pound move that could send Savinho to Tottenham this January.
Word is, Antoine Semenyo might go to Man City, and that could shake things up for Tottenham and Aston Villa, maybe helping them get the players they want.
David Ornstein from The Athletic said that Semenyo wants to join Man City this January; he has a £65m release clause.
Fabrizio Romano, who knows a lot about transfers, said Man City is trying to wrap up the deal after speeding things up this week.
Romano tweeted that Man City is getting closer to signing Antoine Semenyo soon. The city pushed hard in the last day or so to get talks moving. Semenyo likes Man City the best, even though Man United tried hard, and Chelsea and Spurs are out of the running.
Romano mentioned later that Man City and Bournemouth would talk this week about Antoine Semenyo. The £65m release clause is good until January 10, but Man City will talk to Bournemouth about other ways to structure the deal and payments. Semenyo would rather play for Man City.
If Semenyo goes to Man City, Tottenham might still try to sign Savinho from City, and Aston Villa really wants Brennan Johnson from Spurs.
Man City thought Savinho was worth £61m this summer, but he might not get much playing time if Semenyo comes. Dean Jones told TEAMtalk that Savinho was interested in going to Spurs this summer.
Jones said that Savinho played for 20 minutes against West Ham, but lately, that's about the best he can hope for in the league.
He added that if City signs Semenyo, he thinks Savinho's spot in the team is questionable.
It'll be a tough call because they just gave him a new contract.
Tottenham was interested in him, and he seemed interested because he would be a really good player for them.
The city also has to decide what to do with Oscar Bobb if it gets offers.
But he does think Spurs are still interested in Savinho if they can't get other players like Semenyo, Maghnes Akliouche, and Yan Diomande.
If Tottenham gets Savinho or another winger, then Aston Villa might be able to get Johnson.
TEAMtalk says Aston Villa wants Johnson to add speed and the ability to play different roles to their attack. Harvey Elliott's loan move from Liverpool didn't go well, so it will stop.
Tottenham is okay with selling Johnson permanently or loaning him out. Sources told TEAMtalk that Spurs want £30m-£40m for him.
THE SECRET TEXT MESSAGE MICKY VAN DE VEN SENT TO INJURED ALEXANDER ISAK
Thomas Frank defends Micky van de Ven as Arne Slot fumes over the challenge that left Isak with a broken leg today.
Tottenham's Micky van de Ven said he apologised to Liverpool's Alexander Isak after accidentally hurting him during their game. Isak is out for a while after getting surgery on his leg, which he broke during Liverpool's 2-1 win at Tottenham.
Isak got hurt at Tottenham.
Isak, who came on for Conor Bradley at halftime, scored for Liverpool about ten minutes later. Later, Hugo Ekitike made it 2-0.
Richarlison scored late for Tottenham, but Liverpool won. Sadly, Isak got seriously hurt while scoring.
When Isak shot, Van de Ven tried to block it. He couldn't stop the shot, and Isak's leg got twisted, forcing him off the field.
Van de Ven said he messaged Isak after the game to say sorry and wish him well.
Van de Ven: I didn’t want to hurt him.
Van de Ven told Sky Sports, “I texted him because I didn’t want to injure him.” I was just trying to block the shot. His foot landed awkwardly. I texted him afterwards and wished him all the best. I hope he's back soon. He replied and appreciated the message.
Liverpool's coach, Arne Slot, wasn't happy with Van de Ven's tackle, calling it 'reckless.' Isak had surgery on his ankle, and Slot is sure he'll be back this season, but he's upset about the situation.
Slot said, It was reckless. The tackle of Xavi Simons was unintentional. But Van de Ven's tackle? There’s a good chance of a player getting hurt. It’s a long injury, which is disappointing for him and us.
Frank defends Van de Ven.
Tottenham's boss, Thomas Frank, disagreed with Slot, saying any defender would try to block a shot like that.
Frank said, I don't agree. Van de Ven was trying to stop the goal. He was sprinting back and slid to block the shot. Isak's foot was planted there, making it look worse. Any defender would do that.
If my defender didn't do that, I wouldn't think they were a real defender. He's fair and competitive. Also, the players sorted it out, which is good.
Frank needs to improve things.
Tottenham's boss, Frank, hopes to win again when they play Crystal Palace this weekend. He might be the next Premier League manager to leave after only winning one of their last eight games.
After losing to Liverpool, they're 14th in the league, nine points above the drop zone. Frank needs to turn things around.
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