Stories By Graham Ruthven

• Sport

  For all three promoted teams, relegation is already looming

  Only once in Premier League have all three promoted teams gone straight back down and that was all the way back in the 1997/98 season when Barnsley, Bolton and Crystal Palace suffered the indignity of an immediate return to the Championship.

• Sport

  Liverpool could be the biggest threat to Man City this season

  No team is currently on a longer unbeaten loss than Liverpool. Indeed, Jurgen Klopp’s team have now gone 17 matches without suffering defeat in the Premier League with five straight wins lifting the Reds up to second spot in the table, just two points behind perennial pace-setters Manchester City.

• Sport

  A derby win would supercharge Spurs’ development even further

  If Tottenham Hotspur hadn’t already been electrified as a club by Ange Postecoglou’s arrival, it certainly was after the comeback win over Sheffield United. The comeback which saw Spurs score two goals deep into stoppage time to win 2-1 was the latest in Premier League history with Dejan Kulusevski’s winner coming in the 100th minute.

• Sport

  Doku’s quick start at Man City could be bad news for Grealish

  Jeremy Doku hasn’t wasted much time to make a good first impression on Manchester City. Indeed, the Belgian winger, who joined last season’s Treble winners from Rennes in a £55.5m transfer this season, scored his first Premier League goal against West Ham on Saturday and also caught the eye on his debut against Fulham before that.

• Sport

  Marcelo Bielsa’s coaching of Nunez could help the striker thrive for Liverpool

  Liverpool were so convinced in Darwin Nunez’s ability they paid a club-record fee of £85m to sign the striker from Benfica. His inconsistent performances last season raised questions over the Anfield club’s investment, but occasional flashes of brilliance reminded Jurgen Klopp of the reason he signed Nunez in the first place.

• Sport

  Maddison suffering for England just like Foden has under Southgate

  There was good reason to believe James Maddison would carry his impressive early-season form for Tottenham Hotspur into England’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine. Indeed, Gareth Southgate’s decision to start the 26-year-old reflected this.

• Sport

  Kane and Bellingham’s success shows why more English players should seek opportunities abroad

  The Spanish media have already given Jude Bellingham a new nickname – ‘The Boss.’ The English midfielder has enjoyed a remarkable start to life as a Real Madrid player, scoring five goals in four games including late winners against Celta Vigo and Getafe.

• Sport

  Son Heung-min is back to his best under Ange Postecoglou

  Harry Kane and Son Heung-min’s partnership was the stuff of Premier League legend. The pair combined for a record number of goals, but with Kane no longer at Tottenham Hotspur Son is having to prove himself all over again.

• Sport

  Caicedo’s challenging start to life at Stamford Bridge

  In paying £115m for Moises Caicedo, Chelsea made the Ecuadorian the most expensive player in Premier League history. The Blues chased Caicedo for close to a year with their first interest in the midfielder registered before he starred at the 2022 World Cup.

• Sport

  Maddison has quickly filled the void as Spurs’ main man.

  James Maddison was Ange Postecoglou’s third signing following his appointment as Tottenham Hotspur manager this summer, but it was the first signing that truly reflected the influence of the Australian at his new club.

• Sport

  Sterling is back to his best under Pochettino

  If the 1-1 draw against Liverpool on opening weekend of the new Premier League season was a tentative step forward for Chelsea, Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham was certainly a step backwards again.

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