Arsenal manager Unai Emery has indicated that he has the full confidence on goalkeeper Petr Cech, who started the season opener versus Manchester City. The 36-year-old was impressive with key saves during the 2-0 defeat at the hands of the reigning champions but his poor distribution skills led to fans and pundits alike calling for Bernd Leno to start between the sticks.

However, speaking to reporters, Emery has stressed that he is ‘very happy’ with the performance of the veteran goalkeeper and does not see the reason for a change for the London derby against Chelsea this weekend, he said: “I am very happy with his performance. I think he has experience, quality, and capacity like a first goalkeeper with us - and also Bernd Leno. They are two goalkeepers important for us. Different qualities but for us, like we want to play, the two goalkeepers can play. Saturday the decision is easy, Petr Cech will continue to start the match, I believe in him. If he starts bad, I believe in him also.”

Jamie Carragher believes that the departure of Antonio Conte from the Premier League is a major blow for the division. The Italian will be remembered as a manager who forced almost the entire Premier League to change their formation in order to prevent Chelsea from running away with league titles. At a time when playing for a comeback was the norm, Conte brought in his preferred 3-5-2 formation to great success at Stamford Bridge. This formation yielded a Premier League title and an FA Cup medal in the last two campaigns. However, Conte fell out with Chelsea – much like he has done at his previous clubs – and has been sacked to be replaced by Maurizio Sarri.

Conte won numerous hearts at Chelsea with his passionate display on the sidelines. The Italian still had one year left on his contract and was not ready to relinquish his role – in order to receive a compensation from Chelsea. Now, he is expected to return to Italian football since he has already turned down an offer from Real Madrid. This is unlikely to worry Conte, who may be back in management within the next 12 months. Carragher says that Conte has been an impeccable manager for the Premier League as he has been able to create a new identity.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that his side have got one of the Bundesliga’s best after Naby Keita made the move from RB Leipzig earlier in the summer. The Guinea international joined the Reds for a reported fee of around £48m as part of a pre-agreement, which had been finalised during the 2017 summer transfer window.

In a report covered by The Liverpool Echo, Klopp stressed that Keita was probably one of the best players in the Bundesliga during Leipzig’s maiden top-flight season between 2016 and 2017. The midfielder could not quite replicate a similar showing during the course of the 2017/18 season but Klopp insists the Reds have got a player who has good attributes in both sides of the pitch.

Liverpool great Mark Lawrenson believes Mohamed Salah has a good chance of ending Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance for the Ballon d’Or. Either Messi or Ronaldo have won one of the last 10 accolades but Lawro suggests this trend could end, should Mohamed Salah guide Liverpool to Champions League success.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, he said: “It will be very difficult not to give him the Ballon d'Or' if he delivers the much-coveted trophy for the Reds. I've not seen anything like it. I think about all those top players who have come from abroad and had a brilliant first season in the Premier League - the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Fernando Torres. Salah has been better than all of them. Liverpool knew they had signed a good player last summer but not in their wildest dreams would they have imagined he would contribute this much.”

Manchester City had the most devastating attack in the Premier League last term and managed to put away a record-breaking 106 goals over the course of the campaign. Their closest rivals in the goalscoring ranks, Liverpool, only scored 84, highlighting just how supreme Pep Guardiola’s scoring sensations are. Even so, the elite manager has been linked with a move for Kylian Mbappe this summer. If this signing came to fruition, City could finally have the credentials to go all the way in the Champions League.

Mbappe has spent the last season plying his trade for Paris Saint-Germain, where he became an integral part of the side which stormed to yet another Ligue 1 title. The French giants signed the youngster from Monaco on loan for the 2017-18 season but want to make the transfer permanent after the tricky forward impressed at the Parc des Princes. However, the fee for the man who scored 13 goals and assisted eight in 24 appearances is reportedly around £167 million.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes Antonio Conte won’t remain in-charge at Stamford Bridge next season. The Italian’s future at Chelsea has come under question through the season, and the 3-1 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday is likely to have ended his chances of staying put at the west London club.

Speaking on his very own podcast on Sky Sports, Neville said:"I don't think he's going to be here next season. We've thought it for six or seven months. And that's not because we don't want him here, or we don't think he's done a great job, it's just the nature of the job here. It ends up becoming a bit messy, press conferences become the boardroom versus manager, it's happened here many, many times. In terms of the outcome, you can't complain about what they've done here. But the managers who come here know they've got a short period of time."