10 things we learned in the Premier League: Week 13 – NBC Sports

We’ve learned plenty from Week 13 of the 2022-23 Premier League season, and there’s still a match between Hammers and Cherries to entertain us on Monday.
West Ham hosts AFC Bournemouth at 3:15pm ET Monday (Watch live on USA Network and stream online via NBCSports.com), the final act of a weekend that saw a stunning stat.
[ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ]
That stat?
Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool combined for a total of three points between them, as Manchester City was the lone “Big Six” team to pick up all three points.
[ VIDEO: PL highlights ]
Or is it “Big Seven” now? Read on…
Here’s a look at 10 things that stood out, as our writers Joe Prince-Wright (JPW), Andy Edwards (AE), and Nicholas Mendola (NM) share their observations from across the most recent PL games.
1. Van Dijk misses big chances as Liverpool definitely out of title race (Nottingham Forest 1-0 Liverpool): Virgil van DIjk tried to set up Roberto Firmino in the first half instead of nodding home from six yards out. Late on he was totally unmarked but Dean Henderson saved his header which was straight down the middle of the goal. Of course, Van Dijk is a colossus of a defender but he had Liverpool’s best two chances and squandered them both. That lack of focus when it mattered most has cost Liverpool dearly this season and even if their levels have only dipped about 10 percent, it makes a huge difference for what Klopp demands from them. Klopp said a few weeks ago they were out of the title race and after a few dogged wins it looked like they could be back in it. But this defeat to Forest proves they will not be title contenders this season. (JPW)
2. Newcastle’s in the discussion (Spurs 1-2 Newcastle): There’s a lot of work to be done and a lot of season to be played but there’s very little in the first three months of the season that shows Newcastle cannot be a serious part of the top seven fight and perhaps even compete for a cup. The club is doing it without Jonjo Shelvey having a kick this season until the final moments of this match and with Allan Saint-Maximin missing for some time. And we know there’s a segment of Newcastle fans just happy to see their Premier League status appear safe in October for the first time in years. With Villa, Saints, and Chelsea the final three fixtures before the World Cup, Newcastle should enter the winter break in the mix. (NM)
3. Early goal remains key for Gunners (Southampton 1-1 Arsenal): Arsenal have set the tone early in games all season long, flying out of the traps and scoring early when they’re on top. The rest then usually takes care of itself as Arsenal can sit back and tempt opponents to take more chances to get back in the game. It is clearly something Mikel Arteta is demanding and this young team is full of energy, pace, and excitement. Sometimes the game is as simple as starting fast and then having the right to control the tempo. However, maybe fatigue kicked in Sunday and the Gunners couldn’t get over the line to make it 10 wins out of 11 to start the season. (JPW)
4. Man City not at its best, but Erling Haaland still is… (Man City 3-1 Brighton): When a side has a goalscorer of Erling Haaland’s quality and consistency, they’ll win more games than not even when they turn in a 5/10 or 6/10 performance (by their own standards). That’s the biggest difference between Manchester City this season and in years past. Saturday’s game is one they might have very well drawn a season (or two or three) ago, as they created just a handful of scoring chances and found themselves uncharacteristically out-possessed and out-passed. As for now? They have the undisputed best striker in the world to make the absolute most of those key moments that too often went against Man City before his arrival, and he’s putting up the most gaudy, absurd numbers we’ve ever seen in the Premier League. (AE)
5. Class of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen gives United sturdy foundation (Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd – Player ratings): The experienced duo of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro got Man United off to a fine start at Chelsea as they ticked things over nicely in midfield and gave the visitors a foundation to get something from the game. It wasn’t their fault Antony and Marcus Rashford missed chances. The way Eriksen and Casemiro were so calm under pressure was incredible to watch up close and their movement off the ball makes everything look so easy when they’re on it. And then of course Casemiro had the quality to finish when it mattered most. (JPW)
6. Everton’s loaded midfield delivers as McNeil flashes off the bench (Everton 3-0 Crystal Palace): On a good day for Everton midfielders, Dwight McNeil flashed for Frank Lampard when he entered the fray with the Toffees holding the lead. McNeil drove the ball into Palace territory before working a very stylish 1-2 with Alex Iwobi to round out Saturday’s scoring. It’s a cluttered midfield for Everton now that Frank Lampard’s helped Iwobi to another level, as Amadou Onana (just 21 years old), Idrissa Gana Gueye, McNeil, and James Garner give him a well-stocked cupboard at a position he knows better than most. (NM)
7. Coaching change, positional tweaks propel Villa to huge win (Aston Villa 4-0 Brentford): Sure there will have been emotions after Steven Gerrard was fired by Villa, but credit caretaker boss Aaron Danks for making some lineups moves that may’ve been coming from midweek anyway. Leander Dendoncker was immense in place of John McGinn, and playmaker Emiliano Buendia showed why any of his absences from the Starting XI were questioned by supporters. Ollie Watkins was more of a winger on Sunday and Leon Bailey was splendid on the left. (NM)
8. Finishing continues to betray Marsch, taking Elland Road to full boil– (Leeds 2-3 Fulham): Jesse Marsch has not done what he needs to do to inspire confidence out of Patrick Bamford, it seems, as Leeds’ center forward continues to get himself into position for goals but do anything other than put the ball over the line. Bamford had terrific chances in the 1-0 loss to Arsenal and the 2-0 loss to Leicester City, and he missed a prime chance to put Leeds ahead after coming on for scorer Rodrigo. Bamford was 1v1 with Bernd Leno and was denied by the Fulham keeper, and he later just missed reaching a cross from the right that could’ve given Leeds a late lifeline. Instead, Leeds will face another week of questions about their boss. (NM)
9. Quality strikes prove Leicester’s false position (Wolves 0-4 Leicester City): There is so much quality in this Leicester City side that it has been so surprising to see where they are in the league. Youri Tielemans’ strike was incredible and the movement and finish on Harvey Barnes’ effort was Leicester at its very best. And we all know what James Maddison can do. Leicester can carve opponents apart and now they have confidence back and they’re winning games. That will push them up the table very quickly. (JPW)
10. Kieran Trippier is ideal right back for Newcastle (and post-Reece James England) (Spurs 1-2 Newcastle): Who knows how long this can last — he’s 32 but still runs like a 25-year-old — but right now Kieran Trippier looks the perfect mix of adventure, grit, and wisdom in one right back. Eddie Howe’s general leads from the right side. Right now, he looks the top option for start for England at the World Cup following the injury to Reece James. The ex-Spurs back also highlights everything the club is missing on its right flank, but we’ll leave that for the Tottenham fans to lament. (NM)
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Our World Cup player rankings have landed, as we select the top 25 players in Qatar before the tournament kicks off.
Of course, this is going to change a lot during the World Cup and we will be updating this list as all the action happens in Qatar.
[ MORE: Rosters for all 32 teams ]
From Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, there are superstars galore who have the hopes of their nation resting on their shoulders.
[ LIVE: Watch World Cup en Espanol en Peacock ]
Below are the player rankings in full which we will updated throughout the tournament.
[ MORE: World Cup odds ]
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2. Kylian Mbappe (France)
3. Kevin de Bruyne (Belgium)
4. Karim Benzema (France)
5. Neymar (Brazil)
6. Harry Kane (England)
7. Sadio Mane (Senegal)
8. Alisson (Brazil)
9. Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
10. Vinicius Junior (Brazil)
11. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
12. Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
13. Joshua Kimmich (Germany)
14. Luka Modric (Croatia)
15. Casemiro (Brazil)
16. Heung-min Son (South Korea)
17. Jamal Musiala (Germany)
18. Luis Suarez (Uruguay)
19. Pedri (Spain)
20. Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)
21. Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands)
22. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
23. Phil Foden (England)
24. Christian Eriksen (Denmark)
25. Raphael Varane (France)
Next men up: Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Antony, Lisandro Martinez, William Saliba, Marquinhos, Thomas Muller, Memphis Depay, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan
Follow @JPW_NBCSports
England looks to build on its first World Cup semifinal run of the 21st century when it tangles with Iran in Qatar on Monday.
The Group B match will be viewed as a tune-up for England, as will most of the group stage as the Three Lions are heavily favored to advance ahead of the United States, Iran, and Wales.
STREAM LIVE ENGLAND vs IRAN
Harry Kane is coming off a Golden Boot from the 2018 tournament in Russia as England lost to Belgium in group play and then Croatia in the semifinal before losing again to Belgium in the third-place game.
Iran will view the group as its best chance yet to escape the group stage, having failed to play a fourth game in 1998, 2006, 2014, and 2018. Iran went 1-1-1 in Russia, finishing behind Spain and Portugal by just one point.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for England vs Iran.
Kick off: 8am ET, Monday Nov. 21
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Can England, as always, handle the massive weight of expectation hoisted on it by the nation, its media, and the power and prestige of a team largely constructed from Premier League giants? That’s the question for the Three Lions at every single tournament and it doesn’t have to get much deeper than that. Kane and Raheem Sterling are the attacking stars but Phil Foden and Declan Rice have firmly staked their claims as part of the next generation. Will Jordan Pickford prove an effective star between the sticks?
Iran knows how close it came to shocking the world when it beat Morocco and lost 1-0 to Spain before drawing Portugal 1-1 to finish group play. This is the last chance for a number of players from a very good generation that includes Mehdi Taremi, Karim Ansarifard, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh. Watch out for 27-year-old forward Sardar Azmoun (Bayer Leverkusen) and club captain Ehsan Hajsafi (AEK Athens).
Current FIFA world ranking: 5
World Cup titles: 1 (1966)
World Cup appearances: 15
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA
Coach: Gareth Southgate
Key players: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Declan Rice
Current FIFA world ranking: 20
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from AFC (Won Group A)
Coach: Dragan Skocic
Key players: Ehsan Hajsafi, Sardar Azmoun, Mehdi Taremi
Follow @NicholasMendola
Tournament dark horses Senegal will have to do their dark-horsing without Sadio Mane when they meet the Netherlands in a tasty World Cup Group A match on Monday in Al Khor.
Mane requires surgery after suffering an injury with club Bayern Munich, leaving Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gana Gueye, and Senegal to seek a knockout round berth without the runner-up for the 2022 Ballon d’Or.
STREAM LIVE SENEGAL vs NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands is led by Louis van Gaal and boasts a team expected to make a run of its own, though there’s little dark horse about a team with stars like Virgil van Dijk, Frenkie de Jong, and Memphis Depay.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for Senegal vs Netherlands.
Kick off: 5am ET, Monday Nov. 21
Stadium: Al Thumama Stadium, Al Khor
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
The Netherlands missed out on the 2018 World Cup but it have made a living making deep runs at the tournament, playing for a medal on five occasions in eight tournaments. The three-time runners-up last played in a final at the 2010 tournament, reaching the third-place game and winning in 2014. Louis van Gaal’s both playing for now and blooding talent for the future, bringing 24-year-old goalkeeper Justin Bijlow, as well as under-24 players Matthijs de Ligt, Tyrell Malacia, Xavi Simons, Cody Gakpo, Noa Lang, and Kenneth Taylor.
Senegal’s been fantastic in African competition and really looked set to make a deep run in Qatar but there are a lot of questions for Aliou Cisse’s men as they qualified for consecutive World Cups for the first time in history. Who will step up in place of Mane? Is Ismaila Sarr ready for the increased attention? Can Cheikhou Kouyate and Idrissa Gana Gueye prove too steely a midfield for the Dutch and Group A?
Current FIFA world ranking: 18
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 2
How they qualified: Beat Egypt in CAF playoff
Coach: Aliou Cisse
Key players: Ismaila Sarr, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Kalidou Koulibaly
Current FIFA world ranking: 8
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 10
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (Won Group G)
Coach: Louis van Gaal
Key players: Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong
Follow @NicholasMendola
It’s almost here. While there’s long been a debate about whether the 2022 World Cup would arrive in Qatar, the winter tournament is hitting Middle East pitches for the next five weeks.
The mid-season timing has provided for lots of intrigue and injuries but there are still a lot of traditional favorites as Brazil, France, and England duke it out to be named World Cup winners.
[ MORE: Sadio Mane out of 2022 World Cup ]
There are new faces like Canada and (sorta) the United States men’s national team, too, as the CONCACAF neighbors are joined by fellow confederation mates Costa Rica and Mexico.
It’s set to be Lionel Messi’s last World Cup and probably Cristiano Ronaldo’s as well, though the Portuguese is gathering headlines for any number of reasons heading into Qatar.
Our staff of Joe Prince-Wright, Andy Edwards, and Nick Mendola have laid out their group stage, knockout round, and award predictions below, also making some USMNT projections ahead of the Yanks’ Group B fight with Wales, England, and Iran.
Group A
JPW: Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador, Qatar
Andy: Netherlands, Senegal, Qatar, Ecuador
Nick: Netherlands, Senegal, Qatar, Ecuador
Group B
JPW: England, Wales, USMNT, Iran
Andy: England, Wales, Iran, USMNT
Nick: England, USMNT, Iran, Wales
Group C
JPW:  Argentina, Poland, Mexico, Saudi Arabia
Andy: Argentina, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Poland
Nick: Argentina, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia
Group D
JPW:  France, Denmark, Australia, Tunisia
Andy: France, Denmark, Tunisia, Australia
Nick: France, Denmark, Tunisia, Australia
Group E
JPW: Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica
Andy: Germany, Spain, Japan, Costa Rica
Nick: Spain, Japan, Germany, Costa Rica
Group F
JPW: Belgium, Croatia, Canada, Morocco
Andy: Belgium, Croatia, Morocco, Canada
Nick: Belgium, Croatia, Morocco, Canada
Group G
JPW: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Andy: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Nick: Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Cameroon
Group H
JPW: Portugal, Uruguay, Ghana, South Korea
Andy: Uruguay, Portugal, South Korea, Ghana
Nick: Uruguay, South Korea, Portugal, Ghana
JPW – Round of 16
Netherlands def. Wales
Denmark def. Argentina
France def. Poland
England def. Senegal
Croatia def. Spain
Brazil def. Uruguay
Germany def. Belgium
Serbia def. Portugal
JPW – Quarterfinals
Brazil def. Croatia
Netherlands def. Denmark
Germany def. Serbia
England def. France
JPW – Semifinals
Brazil def. Netherlands
England def. Germany
JPW – Final
Brazil def. England
Andy – Round of 16
Wales def. Netherlands
Argentina def. Denmark
Germany def. Croatia
Brazil def. Portugal
England def. Senegal
France def. Mexico
Belgium def. Spain
Uruguay def. Serbia
Andy – Quarterfinals
Argentina def. Wales
Brazil def. Germany
France def. England
Uruguay def. Belgium
Andy – Semifinals
Argentina def. Brazil
France def. Uruguay
Andy – Final
Argentina def. France
Nick – Round of 16
Netherlands def. USMNT
Argentina def. Denmark
Spain def. Croatia
Brazil def. South Korea
England def. Senegal
France def. Mexico
Japan def. Belgium
Uruguay def. Switzerland
Nick – Quarterfinals
Argentina def. USMNT
Brazil def. Spain
France def. England
Uruguay def. Japan
Nick – Semifinals
Brazil def. Argentina
France def. Uruguay
Nick – Final
Brazil def. Uruguay
JPW
Golden Ball: Vinicius Jr.
Silver Ball: Harry Kane
Bronze Ball: Jamal Musiala
Andy
Golden Ball: Lionel Messi
Silver Ball: Kylian Mbappe
Bronze Ball: Emiliano Martinez
Nick
Golden Ball: Neymar
Silver Ball:  Kylian Mbappe
Bronze Ball: Bruno Guimaraes
JPW
Golden Boot: Harry Kane
Silver Boot: Kylian Mbappe
Bronze Boot: Neymar
Andy
Golden Boot: Kylian Mbappe
Silver Boot: Vinicius Jr.
Bronze Boot: Romelu Lukaku
Nick
Golden Boot: Neymar
Silver Boot: Luis Suarez
Bronze Boot: Richarlison
JPW: Alisson
Andy: Emiliano Martinez
Nick: Alisson
JPW: Jamal Musiala
Andy: Eduardo Camavinga
Nick: Eduardo Camavinga
JPW
Alisson
Trippier, Marquinhos, Van Dijk, Telles
Casemiro, Musiala, Kimmich
Neymar, Kane, Vinicius Jr.
Andy
Martinez
Pavard, Varane, Gimenez, Tagliafico
Casemiro, Bentancur
Vinicius Jr, Messi, Mbappe
Lukaku
Nick
Alisson
Koulibaly, Kounde, Gimenez
Betancur, Camavinga, Mitoma, De Bruyne
Mbappe, Richarlison, Neymar
JPW: Christian Pulisic
Andy:
Nick: Christian Pulisic
JPW: Out in group stage with 3 points
Andy: Out in group stage with 1 point
Nick: Out in group stage on tiebreakers
JPW: Out in group stage with no wins
Andy: Out in group stage with 0 points
Nick: Out in group stage with no goals, one point vs Wales
JPW: Round of 16
Andy: Round of 16
Nick: Round of 16
JPW: Quarterfinals
Andy: Quarterfinals
Nick: Semifinals
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Follow @NicholasMendola

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