Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
UNDER PRESSURE? Manchester United manager Michael Carrick and players react after losing their Premier League match against Hull Cit. Pic: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Wire.
Enzo Maresca has a shiny new £85m midfielder he could select for a debut but he may want Ayyoub Bouaddi, at 18 years old, to have a bit of time watching on from the bench to learn about the Premier League from his elders. The Moroccan may not have expected one of those to be a centre-back by trade. Marc Guéhi will be eager to make a triumphant return to Crystal Palace and may well have the opportunity to do so from central midfield, where he played last weekend in the victory over Bournemouth, scoring the equaliser. The centre-back was a surprise selection in the blocker role next to Elliot Anderson, but equipped himself admirably and was not limited to the dirty work, often being found in more advanced positions in open play and happy to have the ball at his feet. His long-term future is unlikely to be outside defence but further proof of Guéhi’s adaptability will be a positive for Maresca, as a long season awaits.
“It is just not personnel,” insisted Andoni Iraola in response to Liverpool conceding two goals to quick Newcastle transitions in his first Premier League game as the club’s head coach. Some long-term faults cannot be rectified overnight – although that did not prevent some hysterical reactions to the performance at St James’ Park – and, with Liverpool prioritising wingers in the final days of the transfer window, the answer to this particular weakness, as Iraola indicated, lies on the training ground. Morgan Gibbs-White revelled in the spaces behind Liverpool’s midfield last season as he – and set pieces – helped Nottingham Forest to a second successive league win at Anfield. Iraola does not want to curb Ryan Gravenberch’s attacking instincts but greater tactical discipline and willingness to do the dirty work from the entire Liverpool midfield will be needed to stop Gibbs-White producing a repeat performance. Forest’s new record signing, Liam Delap, has also been registered in time to play.
There were so many encouraging takeaways for Bournemouth despite an agonising late defeat at Manchester City. The catalyst for City’s turnaround was Marc Guéhi’s 84th-minute equaliser, the England defender heading in unmarked at a corner, after wasting a near-identical earlier chance. For Bournemouth, it was a familiar source of pain; only Liverpool conceded more set-piece goals in the top flight last season (20), with the Cherries and Crystal Palace both conceding 18. Bournemouth sought to address their vulnerability in the summer by hiring their first dedicated set-piece coach in Nicolas Gagnon, who worked with Canada at the World Cup and previously at Southampton and in Saudi Arabia. Only Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa claimed more points away from home than Everton last season and David Moyes’s centre-backs, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski, will be licking their lips if Bournemouth do not sharpen up their act.
Contrasting opening weekends for Coventry and Hull, harsh reality dealt out against the dream scenario lived out. At Arsenal, Coventry were well beaten by the champions, while in East Yorkshire, Manchester United were soundly, deservedly, defeated. Despite contrasting starts, both teams remain warm favourites for relegation. Two defeats in a row for Frank Lampard’s team would dim the optimism of a summer of expectation. Hull seek to extend the reverie of last week though Coventry are unlikely to be caught as cold as United last week, and surely cannot defend set pieces so badly. The last three Championship matches between these two teams ended in draws, last season’s meetings goalless, although both squads have since been upgraded by brisk transfer business. At Hull, much is expected of Lucas Herrington, who missed Australia’s fateful penalty against Egypt at the World Cup. The teenage defender shone against Stoke in the Tigers’ successful midweek Carabao Cup assignment.
It has not taken long for Sandro Tonali to be reunited with his former teammates. After succumbing 3-0 on the opening weekend at Brentford, a home victory will be the minimum requirement for Tottenham. Roberto De Zerbi and his players will be desperate to show that things have changed after a busy summer in the transfer market. Tonali will be a key part of that; he was the only central midfielder who made it past half-time in west London, so at least has minutes in his legs to build on. The Italian will be eager not to suffer at the hands of a team that served him well after bringing him to England. Tonali is supposed to make his new team tick and a rousing home debut would do a lot for everyone’s confidence, while defeat would bring plenty more questions.
This is an important moment in Josh Acheampong’s development. The 20-year-old academy graduate did not have many opportunities last year but he started in Xabi Alonso’s back three when Chelsea beat Fulham on Monday. It was a big vote of confidence from Alonso in the young defender, who played well, and may indicate that Acheampong will stay at Stamford Bridge this season. Several clubs are interested in the England youth international and there is talk of a loan before the transfer window shuts, but Acheampong would strengthen his position further if he is selected again for Sunday’s home game against Brighton.
On Monday night, Jamie Carragher told a Sky Sports audience that he thought Sunderland might be relegated this season. The former Liverpool defender compared Régis Le Bris’s team to the Sheffield United side managed by Chris Wilder that went down in 2020-2021 – their second season after promotion – and suggested Sunderland were “arrogant”. How will Le Bris’s players respond against Fulham at the Stadium of Light on Sunday? Has the moment arrived to end a winless Premier League run against the west London club stretching back 12 years? If there are legitimate concerns about the ability of Le Bris’s players to cope with a Europa League campaign, regular Sunderland watchers struggle to buy into the accusations of arrogance, let alone the analogy with a very different Sheffield United side. Nonetheless, last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Ipswich has prompted a certain anxiety, leaving Wearsiders hoping Nordi Mukiele is fit enough to raise defensive standards.
Subplots abound at Elland Road as Leeds and Brentford meet after two wins apiece from their first competitive matches of the season. There is the goalkeeping beauty contest between Daniel Farke’s showpiece summer signing, James Trafford – who has two clean sheets in his opening games – and Brentford’s Caoimhín Kelleher. Further forward, fans can ponder the question of which centre-forward, the Leeds favourite Dominic Calvert-Lewin or his opposite number, Igor Thiago, will prove the more incisive. Similarly, the technical area tactical duel involving Daniel Farke and Keith Andrews looks extremely hard to call. Away from the pitch, Farke is hoping to win a race with Sunderland to sign Marseille winger Igor Paixão for about £30m as the Leeds manager urges his board to strengthen. “I’m happy with my group and my signings so far,” said Farke. “But we know we can definitely improve our squad. That is what Leeds supporters and Leeds United deserve.”
Manchester United are bloody-nosed and Ipswich definitely delighted after the tale of each team’s results on the opening weekend. At Hull, Michael Carrick’s team played with zero cohesion and conviction and went down to a miserable 2-0 loss. At Portman Road, Gary O’Neil’s side hosted Sunderland and claimed a rousing late 2-1 win, so arrive at Old Trafford with a bounce in the step. Carrick has to lift his men and get a result – preferably victory. A loss, at home, to another promoted team, would begin the latest inquiry into a United manager: a predicament suffered by all of Alex Ferguson’s successors.
At a time when the manner of a player’s departure feels particularly pertinent, especially at Aston Villa, Ezri Konsa can expect a warm reception on his return. Konsa could make his Arsenal debut at Villa Park against his former club, where he excelled across seven seasons. A £12m buy from Brentford in 2019, Konsa surely represents one of their finest signings in the Premier League era. He joined fresh from a single season in the Championship with Brentford and left as an England regular and a Europa League winner. Konsa’s role in Villa’s recent success should not be overlooked. Unai Emery can be judged by Villa’s extraordinary run of league finishes – seventh, fourth, sixth and fourth – but also his track record of turning promising talents, such as Konsa, into fully fledged internationals.
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