Premier League players to watch in GW12: Will Salah or Evanilson make history? | OneFootball

The 2024/25 Premier League season is entering its 12th gameweek, and certain players are starting to stand out. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Erling Haaland leads the scoring charts but recently experienced an unexpected drought that has seen his scoring rivals close the gap somewhat.

Meanwhile, an in-form Liverpool forward is on the verge of equalling an impressive league record, while an underrated forward has the chance to make club history this weekend.

Cunha-dependencia

Certain players are important to a team’s effort. Sometimes, it can be extreme and border a sense of dependence. There’s no better contemporary example than Wolves and their Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha, who, since the start of last season, has been involved in 39% of the club’s total output (17 goals and nine assists).

To put this in some context, only three players have been involved in a higher proportion of their side’s goals in the Premier League during this period. If that’s not impressive, with 23 goal contributions in his last 28 Premier League starts, he stands among the elite, and he is only surpassed in consistency by six players from top-six teams.

His shot rate of 3.2 per 90 minutes surpasses notable players like Mohamed Salah and Ollie Watkins. Cunha has also netted in his last three away league games, and he’ll fancy his chances against Fulham this weekend.

Can Mbeumo break his Everton duck?

Right now, only the indomitable Haaland (12) has scored more in the Premier League than Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo (eight) this season. Furthermore, only Mohamed Salah (14), Haaland (12), Cole Palmer (12) and Bukayo Saka (10) have been directly involved in more English top-flight goals this season than him (nine – eight goals and one assist).

Despite this run of good form, there is trepidation with Everton next up for Thomas Frank’s men. There is no fear of getting a result, but Mbeumo has struggled against the Toffees, the one club he’s played more minutes against without a goal involvement (528 – 13 shots and five chances created).

Evanilson looking to go one better than Solanke

After the season he enjoyed, Bournemouth knew they would not keep hold of Dominic Solanke if one of England’s big clubs made a move. Tottenham got their man, and he’s settled in relatively okay with four goals. He’s not exactly pulling up any trees.

However, it’s the same amount registered by Solanke’s successor Evanilson, who is on the cusp of doing something the England international never managed while representing the Cherries, and that is scoring in four consecutive Premier League games.

Indeed, this particular feat was only achieved in September 2019 by Callum Wilson, with Solanke’s best run coming in December 2023 (three consecutive matches).

Kulusevski and City meet again

“I love playing against City. I love facing the best players in the world. I love playing against the best teams. If you beat those teams then you know you can be there.” Tottenham midfielder Dejan Kulusevski told Fotbollskanalen earlier in the week.

When looking at his record against the English champions, you can understand the Swede’s bullish nature. He’s produced seven goal contributions in seven appearances against Pep Guardiola’s team, including grabbing two assists in Tottenham’s 2-1 EFL Cup triumph last month.

Kulusevski became the first player to score and assist in multiple Premier League games against Guardiola’s side at the Etihad Stadium, where Spurs will be this weekend. There’s a good chance of Kulusevski being involved as no player has created more chances either overall (30) or from open play (25) in the Premier League this season than him.

Salah matching Rooney

An early contender for Premier League ‘most valuable player’ would be Mohamed Salah, who has returned to his lethal best. Salah is four behind Haaland in the Golden Boot race while he’s created one fewer goal than Saka, who sits atop the Playmaker Award standings.

It’s hard to imagine where Liverpool would be if the Egyptian forward had left in the summer as some feared. Across his opening 11 outings, this season’s Salah has failed to score or assist in two matches (which saw the Reds yield three points from six available).

In four games, including last time out against Aston Villa, he’s netted and created a goal. This means he’s done so on 35 occasions during his Premier League career, just one shy of Wayne Rooney’s record of 36 games.

All eyes on Fernandes

Manchester United embarks on a new chapter as they prepare to play under their sixth permanent manager since the departure of the iconic Sir Alex Ferguson over a decade ago. Ruben Amorim has been entrusted with reviving the club’s diminishing prestige. Currently positioned in 13th place, United finds themselves just four points shy of the Champions League spots.

While the personnel remain the same, Amorim’s preference for a 3-4-3 formation suggests a substantial tactical shift, raising concerns about the integration of Bruno Fernandes, the team’s captain and key player. His role within this new system is not immediately clear, yet excluding him would seem illogical.

Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation typically features two wingers operating as inside forwards to assist the centre-forward, making Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and Amad Diallo suitable candidates for these roles. Nevertheless, he might consider a slight modification to his formation, positioning Fernandes as a No 10 who can manoeuvre laterally, as demonstrated in matches against Chelsea and Leicester, with a direct runner occupying the spaces.

This tactical adjustment would represent a significant change; however, Amorim is likely aware of the considerable risk of excluding his captain, the squad’s most progressive and creative player. This is underscored by his impressive tally of 137 passes that have successfully breached the opposition’s offside line in the Premier League this season, surpassing any other player by at least 15 passes.

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