Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
Liverpool face a daunting test against Manchester City, Brendan Rodgers is on the brink and Southampton seek to stop the rot
One “freak” result – as Jürgen Klopp put it – has transformed the mood inside Liverpool after they condemned Rangers to the joint-heaviest defeat in their history at Ibrox on Wednesday. The next, and more onerous, challenge is to ensure an emphatic first away win changes the momentum of an inconsistent season. Manchester City and a rested Erling Haaland pose the most formidable threat but the 7-1 win in Glasgow, or certainly the standard of the second-half display, has to be the benchmark for a team that comfortably beat Rangers at Anfield last week before underperforming in defeat at Arsenal. With 13 points separating the two teams who have dominated the title race in recent years, Liverpool cannot afford another false dawn. Their intensity will be key, according to Andy Robertson. “We need to get consistency back into our game, back into our performance,” said the fit-again full-back. “We have to play with that intensity again. At our best we know we can cause problems to any team. Anything below that and it will be a difficult afternoon.” Andy Hunter
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday 4.30pm (all times BST)
Casemiro began Sunday’s first Premier League start at Everton being mugged by Amadou Onana, whose intervention led to Alex Iwobi’s opener. From this quasi-disastrous moment the Brazilian showed character and class to become Manchester United’s star act in a comprehensive performance that featured tackles, interventions, metronomic passing and the precisely weighted 40-yard ball that created Cristiano Ronaldo’s winner (and his 700th goal in club football). Here was evidence of why the 30-year-old was pivotal in Real Madrid’s five Champions League triumphs since 2013-14 and an encouraging sign of how influential he may prove in Erik ten Hag’s rebuild. Particularly old news is how the 20-times champions have struggled for a generation – since Michael Carrick was signed in 2006 – to sign a midfielder of requisite quality so maybe, at last, Casemiro will be the man. It’s very early days, but after having to wait for his chance due to Scott McTominay’s form it will be a surprise should Casemiro not again be in the XI for the visit of Newcastle United. Jamie Jackson
Manchester United v Newcastle, Sunday 2pm
The internet is renowned as a reliable source of information, Twitter in particular. As such, we have no reason and certainly no desire to disbelieve the story that broke on the platform this week – that Leicester have banned all Tannoy birthday greetings, after requests that regards be passed on to “Zak Rodgers” and “Brenda Nout”. In a sense, though, its veracity doesn’t actually matter, because the reality remains the same: many Leicester fans have lost faith in the man who just last year brought them the only FA Cup win in their 138-year history. Moreover, it is unarguably the case that few managers turn such antipathy around. And it seems likely that, with Leicester bottom of the table and few obvious relegation candidates immediately above them, there are only so many more reverses the club are likely to allow. As such, another against Palace – whose speed and quality makes them a suboptimal opponent for any side, never mind one in desperate need of a win – may mean the end. Daniel Harris
Leicester v Crystal Palace, Saturday 12.30pm
Remember this game in early March? Frank Lampard does. “Lampard’s going down,” taunted the Tottenham support, jumping in two-footed on the Everton manager, whose team were hammered 5-0. To the Spurs crowd, Lampard will always be a villain due to his Chelsea connections. On a lower-profile level, Matt Doherty will remember this game: trusted by Antonio Conte at right wing-back, it was something of a turning point. Doherty was outstanding, providing two assists and revelling in the freedom to get forward. Conte would count on him thereafter – until a knee ligament tear ended his season in mid-April. Doherty has struggled to recover his levels from that purple patch, mainly for fitness reasons. But with Emerson Royal banned after his red card against Arsenal, Conte started Doherty in last Saturday’s win at Brighton, where he was solid. The manager could prefer Ivan Perisic on the right against Everton, which would be a blow to Doherty. What he craves is the opportunity to regain momentum. David Hytner
Tottenham v Everton, Saturday 5.30pm
It doesn’t edify the clubs involved in it, but never has the Battle for the Top FourTM been as intense as this season. Which makes things difficult for Graham Potter who, as well as handling Todd Boehly’s multidimensional ego, must also contend with managers more experienced in life at the top end of the table. But so far, he’s doing a pretty decent job – in large part because he quickly decided that Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are his go-to attackers, so picks them in nearly every game. Villa, on the other hand, are struggling to score, and though Steven Gerrard was right to demand more from his creators, he is also part of the problem, constantly tinkering having built a strong squad with no obvious first team. Now it is time for him to settle on an XI and allow it to groove; the same wrong team playing together every week will be better than playing an altogether different team every week. DHa
Aston Villa v Chelsea, Sunday 2pm
Leeds may have collected only two points from their last possible 15 and could arguably do without facing Arsenal at Elland Road but at least their longer-term future looks bright. They possess one of England’s best academies and already this season Sonny Perkins, Mateo Joseph, Joe Gelhardt, Wilfred Gnonto, Crysencio Summerville and Sam Greenwood have shone for the under-21s. Foremost among that little lot have been Perkins and Joseph: the two 18-year-old strikers cannot stop scoring, with Perkins having registered eight goals in eight games this term and Joseph nine in eight appearances. Gnonto and Gelhardt are currently ahead of that duo on the path towards Jesse Marsch’s first team but Perkins and Jospeh may not be all that far behind. For the moment, though, everything hinges on Patrick Bamford returning to full fitness. It is no exaggeration to say his ability to remain on the pitch could represent the difference between success and failure for Leeds this season. Louise Taylor
Leeds v Arsenal, Sunday 2pm
Of the Premier League’s bottom five, four are from the Midlands – bad for the area but great for those who enjoy the needle, desperation and devastation that only football rivalries provide. Both Forest and Wolves have made the news in the last week: the former handed Steve Cooper a surprise new contract before firing the head of recruitment and head scout, and the latter were rejected by Julen Lopetegui, their choice to replace Bruno Lage. Generally speaking, this is no big deal – no one knows whether he was right for the job – but more specifically, it feels problematic. Given the story broke on Tuesday, it’s now Friday and Wolves remain managerless, the likelihood is that the formulation of a thorough contingency plan was not deemed necessary. Ultimately, both of these clubs look set for a long winter. DHa
Wolves v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 3pm
West Ham made a slow start to the season, winning just one of their first seven league games, but in recent weeks there have been signs of improvement. It’s true that their two victories came in home fixtures against Wolves and Fulham, but they are a much better side now than the one that subsided to meek defeat at Forest in August. Declan Rice looks more like his usual self and Jarrod Bowen has rediscovered the form of last season, while Gianluca Scamacca has settled and Lucas Paquetá is showing the class that prompted his signing. That makes them difficult opponents for a Southampton side that followed victory over Chelsea by scoring just once in the process of losing four on the trot and, while defeat against Manchester City can be excused, consecutive reverses against Wolves, Villa and Everton cannot. Consequently, they now sit 17th, a position it is hard to see them improving this weekend – or in the near future. DHa
Southampton v West Ham, Sunday 2pm
One point from meetings with Liverpool and Spurs probably goes down as par for Roberto De Zerbi’s first two games in charge of Brighton. They were arguably worth more than a narrow defeat in the latter but did not quite click in attack and, in any case, the Italian’s methods will take time to sink in. “He wants us to dictate play from the back and it is all about how we react to the pressure that is coming on us, to make spaces,” said the defender Adam Webster. “We have to take risks but, as long as we’re in the right positions, we can get out.” High risk and high reward have characterised De Zerbi’s career so far; he will hope for plenty of the latter against Brentford, who have won only one in six since demolishing Manchester United. A first win for the new regime would suggest Brighton can stick around in the table’s other reaches and ease any uncertainty about destabilising effects of Graham Potter’s departure. Nick Ames
Brentford v Brighton, Friday 8pm
In August, there weren’t many who expected these sides to still be in the top division come next season, so the current table – in which Bournemouth are eighth and Fulham ninth – is both surprising and affirming. It is not clear whether Bournemouth are a Championship side with Championship players enjoying a new-manager bounce against opponents unfamiliar with what they do, or whether the two wins and three draws since Gary O’Neil took temporary charge is their standard. Fulham, on the other hand, boast individuals whose work may just keep them up. João Palhinha was an excellent acquisition, Andreas Pereira is thriving with regular football in his favourite position and Aleksandr Mitrovic seems, finally, to have cracked the Premier League. We don’t know whether he has recovered from an injury sustained on international duty in time to play – and, with the World Cup imminent, it would be no surprise if he were circumspect – but either way, a reliable goalscorer looks the major point of difference between the sides. DHa
Fulham v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm
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