Football writer Alex Keble identifies five areas in which the final fixture of Matchweek 10 could be won or lost.
Team analysis: Sunderland v Everton
Sunderland host Everton this Monday night, hoping to build on their phenomenal start to the campaign at the Stadium of Light, as Regis Le Bris made clear in his pre-match press conference.
“We know the dynamic is really positive,” he said on Friday. Consistency is probably the main word. You can be competitive over a short period but over the full league is totally different. So this will be our next challenge.”
But the visitors may prove to be stubborn opposition despite their recent dip in form. Victory at high-flying Sunderland could relaunch their season.
Sunderland’s home form contrasts with Everton’s away-day struggles
The form guide points to a Sunderland win and arguably the most important aspect of Monday night’s match is the contrast between the hosts’ superb beginning at the Stadium of Light and Everton’s difficulties when playing away from home.
Every other point of analysis, every other area of the pitch, is likely to be affected by the psychological battle that frames this match.
Sunderland have won 10 points from a possible 12 at home so far this season, only dropping points in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa in which they played with 10 men from the 33rd minute.
The Stadium of Light is not an easy place to visit. The fans create a raucous atmosphere that helps the players in the physical battle, as we’ll get on to.
However, the fixture list has been kind to Sunderland. Their home wins have been against West Ham United, Brentford, and Wolverhampton Wanderers; Everton might fancy their chances of playing better than that trio.
They’ll need to improve to do so. Everton have secured just one victory from their four away matches so far, losing the other three. David Moyes’ side won at Wolves but were defeated at Leeds United, Liverpool, and Manchester City.
Sunderland’s energy versus Everton’s physicality should create an intense battle
Probably the most noticeable thing about Sunderland this season is their physicality and their energy, which is not to diminish their technical quality, but to say that Regis Le Bris’ team are consistently out-battling their opponents.
In the 2-1 victory over Chelsea last weekend, they won an incredible 63 per cent of their aerial duels, and each week opposition managers are struggling to work out how to compete to win the second balls.
To illustrate the point, midfield pair Granit Xhaka (101.8km) and Noah Sadiki (100.1km) were the first two Premier League players to top 100km total distance run in the division this season.
Moyes will certainly think Sunderland will meet their match in his Everton side on Monday in what could be a full-blooded game.
In fact, going into the weekend, the Toffees topped the Premier League charts this season for duels won:
Grealish's form gives Le Bris a decision to make at right-back
Jack Grealish is, of course, the Everton player who Sunderland need to watch most.
Almost everything seems to flow through Grealish, who has hit the ground running under Moyes to become their main creative outlet, assisting four goals and scoring one himself.
Before MW10, Grealish ranked second in the Premier League for chances created (20) and for take-ons attempted (51), highlighting his influence from the left. He will look to take on the right-back and deliver a cross into the box.
That gives Le Bris a decision to make. It seems unlikely the more attack-minded Lutsharel Geertruida will get the nod on the right, given the threat of Grealish.
This leaves a toss-up between Trai Hume – ever-present in the EFL Championship – or Nordi Mukiele, a new signing from Bayer Leverkusen more comfortable at centre-back.
Mukiele is the more defensive option, but then again Hume has more experience in the position. It is a tough choice that could decide whether or not Grealish gets his own way.
Certainly Everton’s left flank is where the game’s key battle will take place.
Everton’s struggling strikers are up against a mean defence
Moyes’ side have only scored four goals in their last six Premier League matches, which explains why they have dropped off so significantly following a strong start to the campaign.
Seven points from the first four games had pundits purring over a new-look Everton led by Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, but four points from the five matches since puts a new spin on things.
Beto has scored one Premier League goal this season from 568 minutes, while Thierno Barry is yet to score from 250 minutes on the pitch.
It goes without saying that at least one of Everton’s strikers needs to start scoring more regularly.
Beto and Barry's PL attacking stats this season
Such have been their difficulties, Moyes even hinted in his pre-match press conference that he could start neither.
"If I'm not getting what I want then I will look to see what else there is,” Moyes said. “But it gives you less focal point and changes how you have to play. We won't bury our head in the sand and will certainly think about it.“
Whoever starts, they will face a mean defence on Monday. Going into the weekend, only Arsenal (three) had conceded fewer Premier League goals this season than Sunderland (seven), and it’s the same story when isolating home form.
Sunderland have conceded just twice at the Stadium of Light, and only once with 11 players on the field.
Adingra and Isidor connection could begin on Monday
Sunderland’s main attacking threat has been striker Wilson Isidor, who has already scored four Premier League goals.
Meanwhile their most exciting player has arguably been Simon Adingra, who impressed in his four Premier League starts prior to sustaining an injury earlier this month. He could make his return on Monday.
However, only one of Isidor’s goals have come when Adingra was on the pitch, partly because the two players are yet to be given much time together.
That single goal was in the 2-1 victory over Brentford, when Adingra and Isidor came off the bench at the same time, in the 65th minute.
Only two Premier League clubs attack down the left more than Sunderland’s 41 per cent. If Adingra and Isidor start together, it could be a fruitful route to goal.