The 2022/2023 Premier League season is now into its eleventh game week, and the entertainment continues to be relentless and thoroughly enjoyable.

As a result, we will be breaking down each round of fixtures by picking out 3 of the biggest talking points, covering the biggest results, goals and general talking points from the week. We then will round off by picking our player of the week and game of the week based on what we saw in that round of games.

Let us know over on Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) if you have seen anything in a game that you think we should be talking about, or have anything to share from what you’ve seen at a game that week. Any funny stories, tactical analysis or general comments will be featured.

Dropped Points

This week could have huge repercussions at either end of the table come the summer, as title challengers and those towards the bottom of the table dropped crucial points. Although only at game 11/38 (technically 10 after the postponements), Manchester City stumbled not for the first time as they lost away at former title rivals Liverpool. Despite battling hard and putting in an entertaining performance, the 1-0 loss and dropped points could be huge, considering the early leaders Arsenal have extended the gap by another 3 points. City do seem to perform even better when they are the chasers to the title, however this will perhaps start to worry City fans who probably had expected the title to be a bit of a done deal with the arrival and early form of Haaland, allowing them to push on for the Champions League and possible a trophy-laden season. Despite the incredible form of Haaland, these points that are being dropped more frequently is opening up the league by some way, however it seems like Arsenal are now the team to beat.

Elsewhere in the ‘title challengers’ the aforementioned Liverpool win could well get Klopp’s side to hit a run of form worthy of challenging, however they haven’t really hit their previous title winning form just yet and so I would be hesitant of putting them up there at this point. Man United dropped points after struggling to get a goal against a resolute Newcastle who are doing everything in their power this season to get a European place. Chelsea and Spurs did pick up points this weekend, however I can just see them struggling more this season and I don’t think it’s their year for either side.

Further down the table, we saw Leeds, Forest and Everton lose while other potential relegation strugglers Bournemouth, Southampton and potentially also West Ham managed to take a point in their fixtures which are still key points in the early stages of the season.

Bore Draw

After last weeks high scoring matchups, this weekend felt a bit calmer and more competitive as we had 4 draws including 2 0-0 fixtures. With no side managing more than 2 goals, it was a much cagier weekend with close games and well-fought contests.

These draws were actually quite significant, with Manchester United and Newcastle being a significant 0-0 draw this weekend. We saw from this how Manchester United are still lacking in a young talismanic striker while Newcastle are working wonders in their defence to be so resolute and organised this season, which led to many draws and clean sheets already. This defensive strength will possibly be enough to get them into Europe this season, if they can perhaps find a few more goals at the other end to turn draws into wins.

Give Them The Title Now

With Manchester City dropping points this week, and also seeing Manchester United struggle to find the back of the net against Newcastle, Arsenal’s main title rivals at this still admittedly early stage, keep slipping up and allowing Arteta’s side to capitalise on this. Arsenal secured a fairly confident 1-0 win away at Leeds which can be a tough place for teams to go. With each game this season, Arsenal will grow in confidence, and I can actually see the World Cup break being a bonus for them as Arteta will be pushing his players in the second half to maintain this form, so any players that can use the break to refresh and recover, while those who attend can keep form up whilst not having to play several games a week throughout a busy Christmas break. If they can get through 2022 unscathed, I think they will go on to get their first title in almost 20 years.

What I would prefer however, is for them just to get the title and move on, as I don’t think I can put up with Arsenal fans for months having such success, as they’re already quite insufferable without any silverware.

Matchday 11 Player of the Week: Ivan Toney Bagging a Friday night brace, Toney surely has Gareth Southgate’s attention ahead of World Cup selection, and this performance and win is exactly what Brentford have become synonymous with since their return to top flight football against Arsenal last season. With a brace, 100% shot accuracy, winning the penalty that the then tucked away and 1 big chance created, Toney was truly on top form to pick up the points early in the weekend to give Brentford fans a relaxing Saturday and Sunday.

Matchday 11 Game of the Week: Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City We mentioned this fixture in detail earlier, however it’s made our game of the week in what was admittedly quite a low-scoring round of games. With no team scoring more than 2, it’s been a game of close encounters and competitive action. This was evident with the Liverpool win, and when these 2 teams meet, it’s always a must-watch. This result could have a significant effect on the end of the season standings, and with Liverpool battling for Europe, and City for the title, the repercussions could be huge.

Let us know over on Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) what you made of the eleventh round of fixtures, and what you’re looking forward to in the next game week.