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The English Premier League halted momentarily for international fixtures to take place across the globe. While fans were happy to watch Cuba's 4-0 loss to the USA, Spain's five-goal party at Romania's expense, and Northern Ireland's unsurprising 6-1 beating in the hands of Germany, many cannot wait to get back to the twists and turns the most popular football league in the world.
A quick recap
Earlier in November, the most recent EPL round of matches saw Watford pick up the only red card of the week, while Liverpool took home all three points to further cement their position at the top of the table, and Mauricio Pochettino oversaw his last game as Tottenham Hotspurs' manager.
While Pochettino's dismissal and Jose Mourinho's new job at the New White Hart Lane have overtaken sports headlines everywhere, other managers may also be in line to be replaced sooner rather than later. Unai Emery's Arsenal have not won a league match since the 6th of October when they beat Bournemouth 1-0 at home, and in recent games, the Gunners have shown a knack for throwing away important leads with silly defensive errors. Up north at Goodison Park, Everton are also flailing and unable to find their form. While they beat Southampton 2-1 on the road in their last match, losses to Sheffield United, Brighton and Hove Albion, Bournemouth, and Aston Villa have dragged them down to 15th position.
At the very top of the table, Liverpool have an eight-point lead which they have a good chance of increasing when they face Crystal Palace on Saturday. Leicester City, in second place, are arguably one of the best defensive outfits in the EPL this season, having conceded only eight goals in their last twelve games. Chelsea sit in third position, only one point above Manchester City, thanks to the Cityzens' loss at Anfield. Notably, Chelsea have conceded the most goals (17) in the top 9 clubs, alongside Arsenal, but they will be thankful they have an attacking force that keeps churning in goals.
Also read: Mauricio Pochettino's fall from grace signifies the unforgiving nature of modern football
An exciting month ahead
There's bound to be a lot of EPL drama in the coming weeks, and December will certainly have its fair share. Within the next six weeks, will Jose Mourinho carry Tottenham out of their current four-positions-from-relegation slot into a much better standing? Will Liverpool start dropping points and shortening the lead for Leicester or Chelsea to swoop in? How many managers will still have their jobs by New Year's Day?
Some matches have the potential to become a do-or-die affair, and they could certainly lead to winning the league by just one point, or even aiding a board in making the decision to fire a long-serving manager.
Without further ado, let's dive in and take a look at five of those EPL matches you can't afford to miss this December.
5. Southampton v Norwich City: December 4
Both sides have had an abysmal outing so far this season, and while Norwich sit at the very bottom of the league, Southampton's travails just seem worse at first glance.
The Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has led his team to six defeats out of their last seven games, and the appalling 9-0 record loss to Leicester City only adds to their woes. Southampton have conceded the most goals this season, obviously thanks to Leicester, and it's very difficult to see how Hasenhuttl won't get the axe before the New Year comes rolling in.
On the other side, Norwich City started the season in exciting form and they brought about - in a shocking manner - Manchester City's first EPL loss since January. Their main striker Teemu Pukki was in very fine form, and it looked like the Canaries would join fellow promoted team Sheffield United in the upper echelons of the table. Alas, the rigours of the Premier League caught up with the Canaries, and they have been unable to replicate their exciting form ever since.
Both teams will face each other in a couple of weeks and the result of the matchup could mean certain relegation for one side, and perhaps a fighting chance for survival for the other.
4. Everton v Chelsea: December 7
Everton will have their easiest game of the next six weeks this Saturday against Norwich City, after which they will have to face Leicester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal in quick succession. Having lost to a surprising number of mid-and-lower table teams so far during the season, Marco Silva will be anxious to cross the hurdle ahead without losing too many points or dropping even further in the standings.
Earlier this year, the Toffees faced Chelsea and picked up all three points thanks to a 2-0 win, but that won't be so easy this time around against Frank Lampard's current side. Thanks to Tammy Abraham and his 10 EPL goals so far, Chelsea sit near the top of the table in third place.
The Blues have found their attacking edge this season with 27 goals scored in 12 games. Defensively, they have had leakages that seriously need to be fixed, but their attacking quality has successfully covered them up. Chelsea are on a six-match winning streak in the league, and while they face a potential loss against Manchester City this weekend, they could pick up points at Everton's expense in a bid to maintain their position near the top of the table.
Everton haven't been able to manage two wins in a row in the league this season, and it doesn't look like they'll achieve this any time soon. A further drop in the standings could become a deciding factor for Marco Silva's future at Goodison Park, and Chelsea may just be the team that breaks the camel's back.
3. Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur: December 4
Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur will perhaps be the most discussed news in the coming weeks. Mauricio Pochettino stayed with Spurs for five years, but recent poor performances throughout the year and their current 14th position was too much for Spurs chiefs to accept. Mourinho's hiring has come with a lot of discussions about compatibility, transfer policies, and philosophies, but the world will have to wait and see how the Special One will handle what could be his biggest challenge in recent years.
While Mourinho has to face West Ham and Bournemouth at first, his first real test will perhaps come in form of his former employers Manchester United. Jose Mourinho will once again set foot on the grounds at the Theatre of Dreams as an opponent against a team he managed less than a year ago.
Tottenham will have the next two games against West Ham and Bournemouth to revive their abysmal form and perhaps their confidence as well, in order to get a result against the Red Devils.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had a difficult stint at Old Trafford so far, but it looks as though the Old Trafford chiefs are more than willing to give him a chance to change their fortunes on the field. While they would have to play an in-form Sheffield United this weekend, and focus on the Manchester derby after their Spurs game, getting one over Jose Mourinho by beating Spurs will likely be the highlight of United's December.
2. Arsenal v Manchester City: December 15
Arsenal and Unai Emery have had very unstable form throughout this season. Having won their last Premier League game early in October, discussions around Emery's exit have increased among Gooners across social media and blogs. Arsenal's poor defensive output has been a major point of note, and they sit in 6th position only thanks to 8 goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Their last five games have resulted in just one win, but with matches coming against Southampton, Norwich, and West Ham, there's a chance for Emery's squad to gain form.
Immediately after, the Gunners will host current champions Manchester City to a match that could either increase Arsenal's chances of finishing in top four, or see the Gunners sit out of Europe next season. After playing City, Arsenal have Everton, Chelsea, Man United, and Sheffield lined up. A good result against the Cityzens will do a lot of good to their confidence for those later games.
Manchester City, on the other hand, may have to say goodbye this early to the Premier League trophy. Liverpool look set to become winter champions, and could very well take their strong form deep into the second half of the season.
After a shocking loss to Norwich City, the Cityzens have lost to Wolves and - more recently - Liverpool. This puts them in 4th place behind Chelsea and Leicester City, neither of who plan to relinquish their current standings. Liverpool have a nine-point lead over Man City, and while City have capably overtaken such a lead in the past, the Reds may have learnt their lesson from last season.
City have to face Chelsea and the Red Devils before their matchup with Arsenal. Strong showings in both games could see them rise in the standings and give them enough momentum to travel to London and give the Gunners a good beating. The last three instances Arsenal hosted the Cityzens, only the away section of the stadium cheered.
If Pep Guardiola City can begin to find a rich vein of form now, they may have a chance to catch up to the elusive Jurgen Klopp and his unstoppable Liverpool squad.
1. Leicester City v Liverpool: Boxing Day (December 26)
When the Premier League season came to an end in 2016, the whole world was in disbelief: Leicester City had won the trophy, outclassing nearly every team in the league throughout that season. Some important players that brought about that triumph left for greener pastures quickly. Riyad Mahrez moved to Manchester City, N'Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater moved to Chelsea. However, some like Jamie Vardy stayed, and with the influx of quality players like Ben Chilwell, Wilfred Ndidi, and James Maddison, the Foxes are currently sitting pretty in 2nd place in the league.
Vardy, himself, has aged like fine wine. Even with his explosive years seemingly behind him, he currently heads the goalscoring charts with 11 goals from 12 games. With the Foxes playing against Everton, Watford, Aston Villa, and Norwich City before their tough fixtures against Man City and Liverpool, the odds are well in Vardy's favour.
Their defensive output, however, is even better than their attacking output. Interestingly, their attractive attacking style of play has done little to hamper their defensive mentality. The Foxes have meticoulously kept errors within their penalty area at a minimum, and they have been rewarded for it with their current league standing.
Currently, Liverpool are unbeaten this season, and Leicester City look like the only opponents capable of slowing them down even momentarily. The Reds will play Crystal Palace, Brighton, Everton, Bournemouth, and Watford before Leicester invite them to King Power Stadium.
Liverpool have a strong chance of picking up at least 13 points from those games prior to their matchup against Leicester, and that's if they draw any one of those matches. While the game against the Foxes will prove to be a good test for the Reds, they have a good chance of coming out on top, thanks to their world-class quality and sheer confidence.
Liverpool are also well aware of Manchester City's capacity to close down the current gap, and perhaps this will keep them on their toes, even against a tough Leicester side. Whatever the outcome is, Premier League fans across the world are set to watch a daring chase that could see yet another one-point gap by the end of the season.
