Seamus Coleman or Mason Holgate?
It will be interesting to see how Mason Holgate fairs as a young player making a name for himself in the Premier League. He has many elements to his game including the ability to move forward and he also loves to defend, but in terms of understanding the Premier League he probably has a little bit to learn. He is a very good player but I expect Seamus Coleman to come back into the fold having returned from injury for Republic of Ireland earlier this week. I will be surprised if he doesn’t start and what you have in Coleman is an all-round full-back who is incredibly competitive.
World Cup finalist
Maarten Stekelenburg was Ronald Koeman’s first signing and he obviously has a lot of faith in him. At 33 he has a lot of experience and he’s also played for Fulham and Southampton in the Premier League, and he seems to have settled well on Merseyside playing the opening three games. At the other end we have Jordan [Pickford] who is at the opposite stage of his development, so it will be interesting to watch the youth of Jordan and the experience of Stekelenburg, who of course played in a World Cup final.
Swan on song
Ashley Williams is a player who has often been linked with a move to Sunderland. He is very composed on the ball and very confident. He likes to play out from the back and the fact he’s moved for such a large amount at his age is a compliment and a testament to how well he’s performed over the last few years. He was a pivotal part of what Swansea have achieved in the last few seasons in the Premier League but he’s also been fantastic for Wales during what has been a brilliant couple of years under Chris Coleman.
Out to impress
Idrissa Gueye signed from Aston Villa in the summer; he’s very physical, he loves to press and he will run around until he’s dead on his feet. After a tough season at Villa Park he will be desperate to impress and show the Premier League what he can do. He was ranked second-highest in interceptions and tackles last year behind N’Golo Kante so that tells you something about the player. People will argue that Leicester didn’t have to defend as much as Villa and that Kante produced more attacks, particularly on the break, but Leicester counter attacked much better than Villa and now Gueye has those players – Yannick Bolasie, Kevin Mirallas and Gerard Deulofeu – to make it count in the final third.
Big-money move
We all know about Yannick Bolasie after what he tore us apart and scored a hat-trick a couple of years ago. He tormented us throughout the game and ahead of Monday I’ve researched him heavily, and it’s interesting to see how he’s transformed from being physically light to having a physique of a sprinter while also having brilliant endurance. There will of course be pressure on him due to the amount of money he’s moved for, but coming back here will bring back good memories and he will be hoping to add to them on Monday. Now he has to step up and, if he can, add a few more goals to his game, but he has the players around him to do that and in my opinion you’re worth whatever a club wants to pay for you.
