Talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend | OneFootball

Our talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend, featuring an unlikely managerial rivalry and Liverpool’s need to stop the rot.

Fulham failings going under the radar?

As the promoted sides each sit clear of relegation trouble, the talk has turned to the crisis clubs in danger of losing their top-flight status. Winless Wolves have been in the headlines, while the unrest at West Ham haunts the London Stadium. One side that has slipped somewhat under the radar is Fulham. The Cottagers are stuck in 17th and have lost four consecutive Premier League games.

Perhaps, of course, it’s because performances have not been as bad as results suggest. Marco Silva’s side lost narrowly to Arsenal before being sunk by a last-gasp Bruno Guimarães goal at Newcastle last weekend.

Fulham, however, hover just above the drop zone ahead of an important run of games. Fellow struggles Wolves (H) and Everton (A) are up next, before newly-promoted Sunderland arrive at Craven Cottage. Marco Silva will need his side’s points return to be significantly improved by the end of that run.

Amorim out to prove point to Dyche

Sean Dyche was one of the names to pile on Ruben Amorim’s struggles last season, as Manchester United limped to a 15th-place finish and Europa League final defeat. Dyche criticised Amorim’s persistence with his system, insisting he would win more games as Manchester United manager with a 4-4-2 formation.

Amorim now comes face-to-face with the no-nonsense Dyche, as Manchester United travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The former comes into the contest amid his best run of form at Old Trafford, with three successive wins lifting his side into the top five. Another at the City Ground, against a Forest side winless since the opening weekend, will be the latest evidence that the Red Devils are, finally, flourishing under his plan.

Spurs seek return of home comforts

Tottenham can be pleased with their start under Thomas Frank, despite the inconsistency in their performances this season. The North Londoners are third in the table, a marked improvement from last season’s dismal 17th-place finish under Ange Postecoglou.

Frank has impressed in making Spurs tougher to beat, though the club’s home form remains an issue. Spurs have taken just one point from their last three home games, while their only win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came against Burnley on the opening weekend.

Next up is Chelsea, in a London derby that rarely disappoints. Frank needs his side to turn their home ground into a fortress, with 77% of their Premier League points won on the road this season.

Refreshed Reds must deliver ahead of crunch run

Liverpool’s torrid run of form continued in midweek with elimination from the Carabao Cup. A 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Anfield was the first time Liverpool had lost a domestic cup game by three goals without scoring on home soil since February 1934.

It was also a sixth defeat in seven for the Premier League champions, who look a pale imitation of last season’s title winners. The midweek defeat at least had the caveat of a rotated team, as Slot made 10 changes, played three teenagers, and handed out two debuts.

The mass changes handed a much-needed rest to Liverpool’s big names, ahead of a run of fixtures that could define their season. Already seven points behind Arsenal, the Reds host Aston Villa this weekend, before a trip to Manchester City on November 9th. Sandwiched between is a blockbuster Champions League clash with Real Madrid at Anfield.

Slot’s struggling side need to find their form, quickly.

Liverpool: Slot depth comments won’t wash after summer spend

Bournemouth out to prove Champions League credentials

Bournemouth will not be getting carried away after nine games, but the Cherries sit second in the table heading into the weekend. Andoni Iraola has overseen mass change while still pushing his side forward, with Bournemouth unbeaten in eight since losing to Liverpool on the opening weekend.

Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabaryni, and Milos Kerkez may have moved on, but new gems have been unearthed with Adrien Truffert, Veljko Milosavljević, and Eli Junior Kroupi excelling on the south coast.

Bournemouth’s bid to extend their unbeaten run faces a tough test this weekend, with a trip to face Manchester City at the Etihad. Currently above the Citizens, a positive result would be a big argument in favour of their top-four credentials. As Liverpool, Chelsea, and others struggle for consistency, Bournemouth are eyeing an upset of the establishment.

Pickford aims to stop buoyant boyhood side

Jordan Pickford will return to Sunderland for the first time as an opposition player on Monday night as Everton visit the Stadium of Light.

The goalkeeper came through the ranks in the North East and was part of the Sunderland side relegated from the Premier League in 2016/17. A move to Everton followed, where Pickford has cemented a place as England’s number one, winning 80 caps for the Three Lions.

He has retained an emotional connection with his boyhood side and was in attendance when Sunderland beat Coventry in last season’s play-off semi-final. Speaking after the club’s promotion, he said he can’t wait to return.

“It’s great for a club the size it is and how big it is as a club,” Pickford said on the club’s return to the Premier League after a nine-year absence.

“To see them back in the Premier League is going to be amazing. I can’t wait to get up there and play them at the Stadium of Light, it’s going to be a great moment for me.”

The 31-year-old might just find himself busy in the visitors’ goal, with Sunderland having exceeded all expectations to sit fourth in the table.

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