Over the weekend, the 21st round of the Premier League is back in the storm, and attentive fans may find that the Premier League has "shrunk" this week, with only 5 games, the four giants have collectively attacked, Liverpool and Arsenal are resting in turn, and Manchester United Tottenham has become the focus. So, the question arises, why are there only half of the games in this round?
As we all know, the Premier League teams have a dense schedule and have always been a concern for everyone. There are two cup competitions in the country, like Manchester United last season, which need to play a total of 12 games to reach the FA Cup and League Cup finals. Moreover, there are two stages of the FA Cup, and there is also a provision for a draw replay, with West Ham, like West Ham, who need to add an FA Cup replay next week because they cannot beat Bristol City in the middle of the Championship.
So, amid the constant skepticism from the outside world, the Premier League has begun to change, adding a winter break in January to give players a short break. This winter break is not really a complete absence of games, but a round of matches is divided into two weeks, with five games per week, so that each team has two weeks off. At the same time, Premier League officials have also called on clubs not to arrange friendly matches on days when there are no games, so that the winter break can become a real rest period.
Therefore, you can see that this round of the competition is the implementation phase of the "peculiar" winter break. Of course, teams like West Ham who need to play in the FA Cup replay will not be able to enjoy this "discount".
This weekend, Liverpool and Arsenal are out of action and can take a break. Among the traditional giants, Chelsea host Fulham, a meeting between two teams fresh from the Carabao Cup. Interestingly, both teams were the losers in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals, and I wonder who will come back with the resentment of defeat in this encounter?
The two Manchester sides split up, with Manchester City away to Newcastle and City winning eight of the last 10 meetings between the two sides. Newcastle are the worst team in the Premier League in recent times, losing five of their six league games, and boss Eddie Howe is under pressure to step down. Pep Guardiola is in full swing, Kevin De Bruyne is back and has provided a brilliant assist right away, Foden and Doku are also getting better, and it seems that Manchester City will not have to worry about scoring goals even without Haaland.
Manchester United host visiting Tottenham Hotspur and with only 23 hours separating Cameroon's opening match at the Africa Cup of Nations with Manchester United's league fixture, it is doubtful whether Onana will stay in the team. Judging from the current situation, Onana has not yet reported to the national team, it is reported that Manchester United and Cameroon have reached an agreement, after participating in the Tottenham game, Onana will rush to the national team to meet. There is even news that Onana may consider abandoning the first group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations due to the rush on time.
Seeing such a situation, it is really quite speechless, as a globally influential club, it can't even give up a goalkeeper, is Onana really that important, Bayndir is also a national goalkeeper, what will he think in his heart? On the other hand, Tottenham, without captain Son Xingmin, believes that it will have a great impact on the attacking end, and Postecoglou is under a lot of pressure.
In addition to Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur will have a rare two-week break after completing this week's fixtures. Coinciding with the opening of the winter transfer window, it is believed that some teams will make small personnel adjustments, and the news of the transfer will become a story that everyone is more concerned about.