Premier League talking points: Chelsea’s home form and more pressure on Lampard

Chelsea need to be pitch perfect, Manchester United have a new boss to impress and Burnley are hunting down Frank Lampard.

Here, the PA news agency looks at this weekend’s Premier League talking points.

Chelsea’s home discomfort

Thomas Tuchel is not the superstitious type but even he may have to take drastic action to improve the home form that has seen Chelsea lose their last three matches at Stamford Bridge, conceding 11 goals in the process. “If we had a solution, we would switch dressing rooms or take another hotel,” said the Blues boss. “Though this would be more superstition than anything else.” West Ham are the visitors on Sunday with a makeshift defence, so there could be goals in this one, whether the pitch is to blame or not.

United stagger on

Erik ten Hag has been announced as Manchester United’s next manager from the end of the season, when he will be taking over the worst United team in more than 40 years, according to Gary Neville. In the meantime Ralf Rangnick must try to elicit a response from the wretched 4-0 defeat at Liverpool and get his side to stagger across the finish line in a European spot of some description. The trip to Arsenal is a big one in the race for fourth.

Jacko’s not doing bad

The received wisdom was that Burnley had someone already lined up to take over when they made the shock decision to sack Sean Dyche after nearly a decade at the club. But under-23’s coach Mike Jackson remains in temporary charge and has taken four points from two matches against West Ham and Southampton. With Chris Wilder distancing himself from the job and a winnable home match against Wolves this weekend, Jackson may yet have to wait a while before being told to beat it.

Lampard feeling the heat

Burnley’s revival has piled yet more pressure on Everton, which is the last thing Frank Lampard needs ahead of a trip to Merseyside rivals and quadruple-chasing Liverpool. The Clarets are now just a point behind and could well clamber out of the drop zone this weekend, dropping Everton right in it. The relegation battle still has plenty of twists and turns to go, it seems.

Eriksen’s Spurs reunion

The Christian Eriksen story is the most heartwarming of the season and Saturday evening marks another chapter when Brentford host his former club Tottenham. The Denmark international is starting to show glimpses of his old form having returned to action following a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 and you would not bet against him finding the net against his old mates.