Premier League: 10 things to watch out for this weekend

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Problems for Klopp and Frank

Liverpool started at the outgoing manager’s least favorite time, this time conveniently with Luton in midweek, and top the division at the cost of a significant number of injuries. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai are the main absentees; both players are likely to miss the Carabao Cup final next week. A recent flu outbreak was also useless for Jürgen Klopp, who in Thomas Frank encounters a manager who is one of the outsiders who will succeed him, even if the coronation of Xabi Alonso seems a fait accompli after Bayer Leverkusen’s performance against Bayern Munich last week . Frank has been the charismatic frontman of a similar regime in west London with considerably fewer resources, with the foundations of his team built on athleticism and standards. That this season’s wobbles have come as a surprise reflects the steps that Frank, a manager who shares Klopp’s qualities, both fiercely passionate and tenderly holistic, has taken over Brentford. John Brewin

Several Burnley will greet Gunners

Mikel Arteta will not have to make any adjustments to Arsenal’s line-up after their excellent 6-0 defeat to West Ham on Sunday, which should mean another deserved start for Leandro Trossard at Burnley. The forward has seized his opportunity in the absence of the injured Gabriel Jesus with three goals in his last four appearances and impressive teamwork in the wins over Liverpool and West Ham. Trossard’s contribution is exactly what Arteta needs from his entire team to sustain a title challenge. However, based on Anfield last weekend, Burnley could be a tougher proposition than Arsenal faced at the Emirates. Vincent Kompany’s side missed a number of good openings at Liverpool and performed with more conviction than their position in the rankings would suggest. They need to improve on the small details to deny Arsenal a fifth consecutive Premier League win. Andy Hunter

The story continues

Watkins needs top-down support

A tentative Villa title talk was quickly scaled back to a more realistic top four talk after a fairly barren festive period for Unai Emery’s men. Now last week’s defeat to Manchester United has cast doubt on Villa’s Champions League qualification credentials. Against a Fulham side that can be hot or cold, a lot could depend on Ollie Watkins who, somewhat ironically for a side with a much better home record, seems to relish playing away from Villa Park. Four of the 28-year-old’s last five league goals have come in away games. So it’s up to Emery to find the right mix of attacking midfielders and wingers behind his frontman. Fans were annoyed when Leon Bailey was substituted against United, while Moussa Diaby has been a puzzling omission from the starting line-up of late. Together with Watkins, the duo can give Villa the attacking prowess they need to win on the road. Dominic Boot

Howe meets his inspiration at the old club

When Eddie Howe was on a sabbatical between leaving Bournemouth and becoming Newcastle manager, he visited Spaniard Rayo Vallecano and shadowed Andoni Iraola. Howe was so fascinated by the hard, pressing play and subsequently took La Liga by storm that he implemented a very similar blueprint when he took charge at Newcastle. In one of football’s many coincidences, Iraola took over at Bournemouth last summer, where he immediately introduced his new signings to the aggressive press. It makes for an intriguing encounter at St James’ Park on Saturday and perhaps explains why the two managers are not as ostensibly friendly as one might expect. “We are friends, but we keep a professional distance,” says Iraola, respecting Howe’s reluctance to forge relationships with Premier League rivals. The Newcastle manager will have to make do without his injured central strikers Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, so eyes will be on Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke, who signed Howe from Liverpool and is keen to move to the North East. Louise Taylor

Moyes under the microscope

It’s almost becoming a running joke at West Ham; David Moyes always seems just a few defeats away from the sack. Even in the seasons in which he finished in sixth and seventh place, some of the Hammers’ support remained dissatisfied with the Scot. Last season’s Europa Conference League victory may have set his Hammers legacy in iron, but it is now a distant memory as the familiar rumblings of discontent resurface. There is little doubt that this visit to Nottingham Forest, which comes before games against Brentford, Everton and Burnley, is the start of a series that will determine Moyes’ future at the club. Whispers of a summer sack will grow louder if Forest triumph at the City Ground. For all the good work Moyes has done – which fans would do well to remember with West Ham still in eighth place – the end may be nigh. D.B

Wolves calculate the cost of high-profile injuries

Wolves have never had two players reach double figures for goals in a single Premier League season. But with Hwang Hee-chan making ten league appearances during the season and Matheus Cunha making nine, they are on the verge of breaking new ground as Gary O’Neil’s vibrant team continues to turn heads this season. It was no coincidence that, with Cunha limping off after 20 minutes against Brentford and Hwang not deemed fit enough to feature in the matchday squad – he had suffered a few “niggles” while on duty in the Asian Cup for South Korea – Wolves fell. flat last weekend and were defeated 2-0. A front three of Hwang, Cunha and Pedro Neto represents a pipe dream for Wanderers fans at the moment, although injuries mean they are unlikely to see this at Tottenham this weekend. O’Neil may therefore have to opt for the more pragmatic approach on Ange Postecoglou’s side. D.B

Foden continues to shine for City

Having played 251 career games with 74 goals to his name, with five Premier League winners’ medals, a Champions League, four League Cups and two FA Cups all at the age of 23, there really shouldn’t be any more discussion about the world of Phil Foden. class status. Rio Ferdinand felt compelled to wade into the debate after another mesmerizing Foden display in another win for Manchester City in the knockout stages of the Champions League. The case against Foden appears to center on his return to England: he scored four goals in 31 caps, while often playing on the fringes for the Three Lions. For City, however, he is a cold-blooded killer. That Foden has stolen the plaudits now that Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne have returned to the team and are back in form is a sign of his quality. He should be everyone’s definition of world class. D.B

Blades look to Archer to follow up

Sheffield United may be bottom of the Premier League and seven points adrift of safety, but they won their first away game of the season against previously emerging Luton last weekend. With Chris Wilder at the helm as manager, they are not about to give up hope of survival. Although the South Yorkshire side’s concession of 31 goals in twelve top-flight games this season – the worst record at this stage in Premier League history – hardly helps their cause, Brighton have failed to score one of their last winning six league matches on the road. . Something has to give. Much depends on whether Cameron Archer – a goalscorer in that 3-1 win over Luton – can find his shooting boots. The former Aston Villa striker, who excelled on loan at Middlesbrough last season, has scored just four times since joining the Blades and has a lot to prove. Louise Taylor

Ten Hag must maintain the momentum

The defeat to Sheffield United last week meant Luton failed to live up to the new expectation of being favorites to win a match. They won’t have such status against United – not even against United – because Erik ten Hag’s side are having their best results this season. Last week, dominant possession prevented Luton from using the speed of Chiedozie Ogbene or Carlton Morris, and Ross Barkley eventually conceded the ball for the final goal of a 3-1 defeat. A first league match at Kenilworth Road since a 1-1 draw in 1992 – goalscorers Lee Sharpe and Mick Harford – will cap a week in which United’s news has come off the pitch, in the form of the ratification of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority stake and the approval of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority stake. Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth and Southampton football director Jason Wilcox are being brought to justice. If Ten Hag wants to be part of that fresh corporate structure next season, he cannot afford for his team’s winning run to end in Bedfordshire. JB

Hodgson’s health is the most important thing

It would be inappropriate for Crystal Palace to sack Roy Hodgson while their manager is ill in hospital, and it would also be a sad way for the 76-year-old to presumably end his career as a manager, but the wheels are clearly in motion for Oliver Glasner. take over at Selhurst Park and lead the club’s fight against relegation. The appointment of the former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach may not come before Monday’s visit to Everton, where Hodgson’s assistants Ray Lewington and Paddy McCarthy are expected to lead the team in extremely complicated circumstances. Both sides are in desperate need of a win amid poor form – Everton have won just once in eleven games, against Palace in the FA Cup, while the visitors have three wins in nineteen – but really that’s secondary to Hodgson’s health . his prospects for full recovery. AH