W2W4 previews the weekend's Premier League fixtures and highlights five key storylines.
Could Antonio Conte take a gamble with the Chelsea defence?
It's rather alarming to see just how bad Chelsea's defence is at the moment. With Branislav Ivanovic looking older than his 32 years and Gary Cahill seemingly lost without John Terry, their most reliable defender is currently David Luiz. Given that even the flamboyant Brazilian's greatest supporters would hardly describe Luiz as the most solid defensive rock, it's still a clear indication that things aren't exactly going to plan -- and that Conte is discovering defensive life without Bonucci, Chiellini & Co. is a challenge.
It's also fairly alarming how reliant they seem to be on Terry, who is 35 and of course a man they almost released in the summer, although the good news is that he could be fit again for their trip to Hull on Saturday. If he isn't fit (and perhaps even if he is), then Conte might consider a return to a tactic he has employed in the past.
Some assumed he might have set Chelsea up with a back three as soon as he arrived at the club, but such have been their defensive struggles thus far that he might think about introducing it now. It would undoubtedly be a gamble, since none of his available defenders are used to it, but a game against Hull, levelling out a little after their excellent start to the season, is as good a game as any to try something new. At this stage, Conte might reason it is a risk worth taking.
Is Wayne Rooney's omission permanent?
Jose Mourinho cut a surprisingly downbeat figure after Manchester United's win over Leicester last weekend. Perhaps he was just sick of being asked questions about Wayne Rooney. If so, the best way to maintain a quiet life is to leave his captain on the bench, as selecting him again would simply bring back all the same questions. And of course, more importantly, it would suggest that Mourinho didn't share the majority view that United looked much slicker, more coherent and simply more threatening without him.
So was his omission last week simply a one-off, with Mourinho genuinely adhering to the oldest cliché in the book by taking each game as it comes? Or is it a more permanent decision? We might well find out this weekend.
Will Son retain a central role for Tottenham?
Vincent Janssen was recruited in the summer to take some of the pressure off Harry Kane, Tottenham's overworked and only centre-forward, but now the Dutchman is cast in the role of the talisman's temporary replacement. Or perhaps not. So far, Janssen has looked a little sluggish, not quite up to pace with the Premier League or his teammates, with just one goal (a penalty in the League Cup) to his name.
Conversely, Son Heung-min has started the season in ripping form, finding the net four times in the league already, but crucially, he got the lone goal against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League moments after being switched to a central role by Mauricio Pochettino. With Spurs facing Manchester City on Sunday, could Pochettino repeat the trick in search of a little more incision?
Raheem Sterling is the main man now
He doesn't just look like a different player, but a different man entirely. From the stumbling, confidence-free zone that we saw at the European Championships, we now have a striding and assured figure, whose goal against Swansea last weekend summed up his form and, indeed, his state of mind rather nicely.
After that game, with the news that Kevin De Bruyne could be out for a month with a hamstring injury, Pep Guardiola looked for another man to take the main attacking role behind Sergio Aguero.
"We need to keep going and win the games without him," said Guardiola. "Raheem feels that. He feels that his teammates appreciate his efforts -- the staff, the coaches -- we are so happy about what he has."
The way he is currently playing, there seems no danger of him being overwhelmed by the task.
Will the sadness at Sunderland be lifted?
Already, Sunderland have the strong whiff of a doomed side: Leaky in defence, toothless up front (unless your name is Jermain Defoe, scorer of four of their five goals) and anonymous in midfield. Their manager's hangdog expression and downbeat public statements aren't exactly helping either: Obviously, all that matters is what David Moyes says in the dressing room rather than in front of the cameras, but he's not exactly exuding a positive, optimistic attitude.
"Yes, there is, there's something [wrong]," he said last week. "But I'm no closer to identifying it."
Not especially encouraging. Sunderland are bottom of the table with just a single point to their name, and unless Moyes figures out exactly what's wrong soon, starting with the visit of West Brom at the weekend, then the situation could become irretrievable.