10 things to watch out for this weekend

Compiled: Getty, Reuters

Palace should do Hodgson’s word on the pitch

Crystal Palace’s “spoiled” supporters will get another glorious treat this weekend with the early Saturday kick-off against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool. The Eagles’ only win in their previous eight games came at Turf Moor against Burnley and since then they have suffered demoralizing defeats to Everton, Luton and Bournemouth. Roy Hodgson took umbrage at fans who jeered his side’s dismal effort against the Cherries on Wednesday. Palace were poor everywhere, could barely put a glove on Andoni Iraola and deserved criticism. Getting into a fight with the supporters is rarely a wise move, regardless of someone’s status at the club. Hodgson has never been favored at Anfield during his dismal, short-lived spell as manager, and his popularity is unlikely to dip to levels in south London. However, if he wants to get the fans back on side, he will need his team to show more fight, regardless of the result. Will win

Hinshelwood shows that Brighton builds to last

Brighton get a lot of credit for their smart recruitment, signing players from all over the world for a good price. What is sometimes overlooked is the fact that they have a thriving academy as part of an impressive infrastructure on the south coast. With injuries taking their toll on Roberto De Zerbi’s side, Jack Hinshelwood has been given more opportunities to show what he has to offer in the Premier League. The 18-year-old has started the last three games in all competitions and scored the winner against Brentford on Wednesday to grab the headlines. He started the match at right back, showing his versatility after previous appearances in midfield. In the modern game, it can pay to be flexible. De Zerbi is the kind of manager who wants his players to operate in a myriad of roles, as James Milner will testify. The most important thing for Hinshelwood is that he builds on his promising start by getting more minutes on the pitch. WU

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Cherries provide a test for United’s revival

A brave new world for Manchester United, or just the last false dawn? Wednesday’s convincing 2-1 home win over Chelsea will be quickly followed by the visit of Bournemouth on Saturday as Erik ten Hag’s men look to move up the Premier League. With Manchester City only playing against Luton on Sunday, United can draw level with the national champions with a win. Asked how they can avoid a costly step back after Chelsea’s victory, Ten Hag urged his players to maintain consistency. “Always make sure you are a team [with] good cooperation, organization, in and out of possession,” he said. “We have brilliant players who can make a difference. We are not robots, but if you don’t play well, you still have to win.” Let’s see if the manager’s players can live up to his talk. Jamie Jackson

The hive must work together to find targets

Injuries are wreaking havoc in the Premier League, but Brentford appear to have been particularly hard hit by the loss of players. The latest to face a problem is Bryan Mbeumo, who limped off in the defeat to Brighton after previously scoring a penalty. Thomas Frank’s side are not exactly scoring freely and the absence of their top scorer would be a blow to Bramall Lane. With Ivan Toney unavailable, Kevin Schade injured and Neal Maupay not the most clinical forward, Thomas Frank will need the entire team to help with the load as he has limited ways to change things in attack. “We clearly missed him [Mbeumo] but it’s no excuse,” Maupay said after the loss to Brighton. “It doesn’t matter who is on the field, we have to be able to create opportunities.” Yoane Wissa would be the obvious replacement for Mbeumo in the starting line-up, but he has scored just three goals in 15 games this season. It’s a team game and Brentford want everyone pulling in the same direction. WU

Gibbs-White could be the man to help Cooper make Wolves’ return

Fans away from Molineux may be surprised to see Steve Cooper in the Forest dugout after what seemed like a farewell at Craven Cottage. His players let him down in the 5-0 defeat to Fulham and it is likely he will make changes again as few deserve to keep their places. Morgan Gibbs-White was left out of the West London line-up, much to the surprise of many. He is a Cooper player through and through, having played under him for England Under-17s and Swansea, and he trusts his manager with all his heart. The midfielder will be doubly motivated against Wolves, eager to prove a point to his former club and help his troubled manager do so. Whatever happens, Cooper certainly won’t last much longer at the City Ground, but deserves a few fleeting moments of happiness before he leaves. Gibbs-White is the most likely Forest player to deliver one on Saturday. WU

Shooters are put to the test at Villa Park Fort

A battle between title contenders awaits in Birmingham on Saturday evening. There is rightly a lot of hype surrounding Villa after their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday. Unai Emery’s side were extremely dominant against weak opposition but the focus will be on Arsenal as they travel to the top of the Midlands. The Gunners have a solitary goal lead in their last three games, including late winners against Brentford and Luton. The mark of champions, we are told, is that you can win even when you are not at your best, but they will have to reach new heights at Villa Park, where the home side have won fourteen games in a row. If Arsenal can find an improvement to see off such an in-form team, it will be another huge milestone in their bid to secure their first title since 2004. Some might argue that it has never been harder to win the Premier League; Getting a result in games like this could be key for Mikel Arteta’s men. WU

Chelsea’s resources offer them no excuses

Mauricio Pochettino blamed a lack of preparation time for Chelsea’s defeat at Manchester United, mentioning (several times) that his team had less time to recover from their weekend match than Erik ten Hag’s side. The manager’s apology was yet another indication of how far and how quickly Chelsea have fallen since the days when two games in four days was a normal, acceptable demand from a richly matched squad competing in the Champions League. Yes, Chelsea have injuries and several young players, so inconsistency is to be expected, but there is also no doubt that a team that can deploy a £200 million-plus central midfield and a creative forward at Old Trafford is underperforming. Pochettino is again in need of a response at Everton, who played a day later than Chelsea and have fewer players to rotate – but won their midweek match. Andy Hunter

Jiménez finds form at free-scoring Fulham

Fulham has gone goal-mad. After initially struggling to fill the void left by the departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic last summer, Marco Silva has finally found new ways to attack. Willian remains an effective outlet on the left and Alex Iwobi, who is developing a good rapport with Andreas Pereira, has gone from strength to strength since joining from Everton. But what really made the difference in Fulham’s 5-0 win over Forest was a clinical performance from Raul Jiménez up front. The striker has not been the same since suffering a horrific head injury while at Wolves. Yet he remains a smart player and scored two nice goals in the midweek victory. Fulham’s rise from danger will continue if the Mexican continues to play well, so Silva will hope Jiménez is in the mood when West Ham visit Craven Cottage in search of another London derby win. Jacob Steinberg

Rodri needs help in midfield to get City going again

Every time Manchester City have lost in the league this season, Rodri has been absent due to suspension. He is their key figure in midfield, the barrier that protects the defensive unit and provokes attacks with his simple use of the ball, and was sorely missed against Aston Villa. There is little doubt that City need the Spaniard to play as many minutes as possible for the rest of the season if they are to win the title again, but he will still need further support in midfield. Last season, Rodri picked up his fifth league booking at the end of April, while this time he already has five yellow cards and one red to his name. This suggests he is more in the spotlight in his position and – after a grueling season in pursuit of the Treble – could be tired. Rodri and City still lack the influence of Ilkay Gundogan, while summer signings Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes are struggling to fill the gap. Pep Guardiola must find a way to help Rodri get City back on track. WU

Romero and Tottenham walk a tightrope

Tottenham fans had some fun on social media after the home defeat to Aston Villa. They noticed how Cristian Romero, in his civvies while serving a suspension, shot Matty Cash a death glare after the Villa defender had knocked out Rodrigo Bentancur. Cash’s teammates escorted him off the pitch at half-time, presumably concerned about an intervention from Romero, while the Spurs support were said to be speculating about which games their centre-back would miss following the red card he receives for arranging the return of Cash in the Villa Park. . It plays on Romero’s reputation as a hard man, yet he was the first to realize he had let his team down by being sent off against Chelsea. From 1-0 that evening they fell to a 4-1 defeat and took only one point from the next three games, while Romero was suspended. His performance against West Ham showed his good and bad sides as he headed Spurs into the lead but was met with a late booking in frustration as his team slid to defeat. He is vital to Spurs’ defence, but controlled aggression is required. David Hytner