Premier League talking points ahead of the weekend’s action | OneFootball

Ahead of this weekend’s Premier League fixtures, we’ve picked out some of the key talking points.

Slot needs to solve Liverpool’s Salah problem

There are a myriad of issues plaguing Liverpool that we could dive into in depth here, but in the end it always comes back to Mo Salah.

The Egyptian winger has looked very poor so far this season, which has likely arisen from an inability to replicate last year’s incredible performances and the many squad changes over the summer.

The Reds went down the route of continuity when Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp, putting their squad overhaul on hold for another year. It turned out better than expected, with Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk leading them to a second Premier League title in five years.

Liverpool look a long way off the standard they set in 2024/25 after spending a record £449m on new signings. The new, expensive toys have not integrated into the setup as well as hoped as Arne Slot struggles to put the puzzle pieces together.

Florian Wirtz has hardly been a disaster, but he and Salah don’t seem to mesh well. With Darwin Nunez and the late Diogo Jota replaced by Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, there’s less energy in the frontline to offset Salah’s declining workrate. The midfield looks disjointed, despite it containing the same players from last season, which is having a knock-on effect at both ends of the pitch.

The new full-backs haven’t impressed, although Jeremie Frimpong hasn’t been fully fit for much of the first two months. But when we have seen him play it’s not clear how he and Salah are meant to work together.

The right-back position might provide the biggest answer to the question surrounding Salahs form. It’s entirely possible that Alexander-Arnold, with his incredible distribution, was putting the 33-year-old into positions that he can longer put himself into after losing a yard. With Trent now at Real Madrid, there is no providing him with the kind of service he’s been used to for years.

According to FBref, Salah is putting up 0.28 non-penalty xG and xA per 90 in the Premier League, which is way, way down on previous seasons. Fixing that is Slot’s biggest challenge right now and arguably the key to unlocking their flagging attack.

Read – Liverpool boss issues triple injury update ahead of Chelsea clash

Chelsea have one job this weekend

September was largely a month to forget for Chelsea, who managed just two slim victories over Lincoln City and Jose Mourinho’s Benfica while failing to win in the Premier League.

Their poor form can be partly explained by three red cards they received over three matches, precipitating defeats to Manchester United and Brighton as Maresca struggled to adapt to going a man down. They were fortunate that Joao Pedro’s second booking came very late in the 1-0 win over Benfica so it had no effect on the end result.

It has raised questions about a lack of discipline within the Chelsea squad, a charge Maresca denied in his pre-match press conference on Friday. Whatever is behind it, they are cutting themselves off at the knees with these dismissals.

The west London outfit host a vulnerable Liverpool side who are there for the taking on Saturday, but a fourth sending off in the space of five games would be a calamity of ruinous proportions. They will give themselves every chance of getting a positive result if they can do just one thing: keep 11 men on the field for 90 minutes and change.

Read – Chelsea boss makes Liverpool claim ahead of Premier League clash

Ruben Amorim needs a win now more than ever

Most people have stopped guessing when Ruben Amorim will finally the chop from Manchester United, even though his position is untenable at this stage. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS seem allergic to admitting a mistake.

But the international break is right around the corner, a perfect time for owners and boards to consider a change in the dugout after a bad result.

No one would be shocked if the Red Devils fail to beat Sunderland this weekend. Regis Le Bris has so far done a brilliant job with his side, who sit fifth in the Premier League table.

Recent history suggests that United will come away with the victory. They have lost two of their last 30 league meetings with the Black Cats, while the Wearside outfit have just one win from their last 29 trips to Manchester. Their points-per-game rate of 0.24 is the worst of any side to play more than 15 away games against United and City.

United are also unbeaten in their last 24 league games against newly promoted teams, with their last defeat coming against Watford. That embarrassing 4-1 defeat was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s last game in charge. A bad omen for Ruben?

Read – Amorim hits back at Rooney over Man Utd criticism

Ange could be facing the sack already

It only took six weeks but Ange Postecoglou is setting records at Nottingham Forest; the Greek-Australian is the first head coach to fail to win any of his first six games in charge in 100 years.

The last man to do that was John Baynes in 1925, who failed to win any of his opening seven games as manager. Baynes went on to lead the team for another four years, but Postecoglou may not last beyond the international break if the Tricky Trees lose to Newcastle United.

After falling to defeat against Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League in midweek, Forest have now gone eight games in total without a win, their last victory coming on the opening day against Brentford.

Postecoglou, whose last win in management came back in May when Spurs lifted the Europa League trophy, has already lost the fanbase. Supporters could be hearing chanting “you’re getting sacked in the morning” at the City Ground on Thursday.

Ange remains in situ for the moment, but The Times claim that his job will come “under threat” if his winless run continues this weekend.

Read – Tuchel explains Bellingham omission and key England squad selections

Arsenal need to end West Ham hoodoo

Fun fact: Arsenal have not beaten West Ham United on their home patch since December 2022, with the Hammers coming out victorious from each of their last two trips to the Emirates Stadium.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side can become only the second team to win three successive Premier League away matches against Arsenal, after Manchester City beat them six(!) times in a row between 2018 and 2023.

It’s difficult to imagine West Ham doing so given just how rotten they have played this season, although they looked a lot more organised in the new manager’s first game in charge, earning a 1-1 draw at Everton last week.

And yet, Arsenal dropping points against opposition they should really be hammering (pun intended) has put paid to their title ambitions in recent years. A win here should not dismissed as unimportant, given they can jump ahead of Liverpool for at least a few hours and potentially the next few weeks if the Reds drop points at Chelsea.

Premier League fixture list:

Read – Klopp rules out return to football management following Liverpool exit

See Also – Champions League Awards: Liverpool stunned, Olise dazzles

Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok