Tactics to look out for in Matchweek 7

Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies three of the big talking points ahead of Matchweek 7 and discusses how key players and team tactics could prove decisive.

Will Iraola unleash exciting teenage talent?

AFC Bournemouth versus Fulham gets Matchweek 7 under way on Friday night, and it will be interesting to see how the Cherries use the exciting 19-year-old forward Eli Kroupi.

Kroupi came off the bench to grab a dramatic late equaliser at Leeds United last time out, calmly guiding a right-footed volley into the far corner to earn his side a point.

Watch Kroupi's equaliser v Leeds

Kroupi has featured for only 21 minutes across four substitute outings, but after impressing in pre-season he is now pushing hard for more game time.

Signed from Lorient in January, the France Under-21 international was immediately loaned back to the Ligue 2 side, where he finished the campaign with an impressive 22 goals in 30 appearances.

All but two of those strikes came with his right boot, and Iraola must be looking to see how he can integrate this natural goalscorer a little more often.

Scoring plenty of times from inside the six-yard box, but also on three occasions from distance, Kroupi netted on average once every 88 minutes last season.

Evanilson is a firm favourite of the Bournemouth head coach, and the 25-year-old Brazilian offers a great platform for his side to perform.

Yet Evanilson has scored only twice in his last 13 top-flight starts, and just once in 2025/26, despite featuring for all but 11 minutes of the campaign.

Kroupi is likely to start on the bench again, but if Bournemouth are struggling to make headway against a Fulham team who have now gone 13 Premier League away matches without a clean sheet, he could be introduced much earlier.

Last time out he joined Evanilson in a front two, but Kroupi is quietly pushing for a start ahead of the Brazilian.

With Iraola unafraid to throw young talent into the fray, Kroupi looks capable of taking full advantage when his opportunity does come around.

Can Forest cope with Woltemade in the air?

Newcastle United’s new 6ft 6in centre-forward Nick Woltemade has quickly made his height count on the Premier League stage.

Scoring three times in four matches, the first two with towering headers, the Germany international will carry a huge threat at home to Nottingham Forest when his Newcastle team-mates deliver quality crosses into the box.

The 23-year-old German likes to take up positions on the blind side of his markers.

When scoring the winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Woltemade got around Emmanuel Agbadou, climbing above him to head home Jacob Murphy’s teasing delivery.

Last Sunday against Arsenal, Woltemade's initial position from a corner was to stand in front of the goalkeeper, but as soon as Sandro Tonali played the ball short, he moved outside the six-yard box.

Initially he darted in front of Gabriel Magalhaes before back-pedalling behind him at the last moment.

This gave him space to attack the cross, and Woltemade was too strong for the Brazilian, heading home emphatically.

Remarkably, just one of Woltemade’s 17 goals in all competitions for Stuttgart last season came from a header.

As he showed against Union Saint-Gilloise in the UEFA Champions League with the clever flick that opened the scoring, Woltemade is talented with the ball at his feet, but Forest should still be wary of his prowess in the air.

All three of his unblocked attempts for Newcastle have been headers, and defending those situations has been problematic for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Forest have struggled to defend crosses with conviction and have conceded three times from headers, facing the second-highest number of headed shots.

How Forest fare with headed shots 25/26

As you can see from this graphic below, Eddie Howe’s side regularly hit long passes from deep into their new forward.

Woltemade's aerial-duel success rate is not great - just 33.3 per cent - but he can give Nikola Milenkovic and fit-again Murillo problems with his size.

Woltemade passes received 25/26

Newcastle have not found him enough inside the penalty area across three matches, but each time he has been picked out, Woltemade has looked dangerous.

Look out for how hard Forest work to stop crosses in this match, and for Woltemade targeting Murillo instead of Milenkovic, their most dominant defender in the air. 

Nuno has instantly refreshed his midfield

James Ward-Prowse had been a regular in central midfield under Graham Potter, but Nuno Espirito Santo’s first big call was to drop the Englishman from the squad for West Ham United’s 1-1 draw at Everton.

After creating 12 chances this season, it felt harsh on Ward-Prowse, who had a disappointing loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season under Nuno.

Yet that decision opened the door for two new faces to re-energise the Hammers’ midfield, with Soungoutou Magassa and Freddie Potts both getting a taste of the action.

In a 4-1-4-1 formation pictured below, not too far removed from Potter’s 4-3-3, both youngsters performed well enough to be considered for a start at Arsenal this Saturday.

Potts, 22, who has had successful loan spells with Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth, was dynamic in the final 34 minutes.

Winning four of his six duels, plus both his tackles, the defensive midfielder was an assured presence, completing all but three of his passes.

Magassa, 21 and signed from Monaco, also looked solid in the 1-1 draw on Merseyside.

The Frenchman was successful with 28 of his 32 passes in an hour-long display, and also regained possession five times.

Below is Magassa's pass map from Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Both youngsters add athleticism to a West Ham midfield who had looked laboured under Potter.

Together with Matheus Fernandes and Lucas Paqueta, Magassa and Potts provide their new head coach with fresh options and a different feel.

With both considered defensive midfielders, but who can play box-to-box, don't be surprised if Nuno starts the pair alongside either Fernandes or Paqueta at Emirates Stadium.

Although West Ham showed greater fight and aggression against Everton, any tactical amendments are set to be phased in gently by Nuno.

It was noticeable that he brought in Niclas Fullkrug for Callum Wilson though.

The German is a target man No 9 in the mould of Chris Wood, a player who performed so well for the Portuguese at the City Ground.

A change of head coach should help Fullkrug to enjoy a more prominent role for the Hammers.

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