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While there’s a fistful of fanciful fixtures featured in this week’s return from yet another mundane international break, the spotlight returns to an old and battered Premier League institution, Manchester United.
We’ll get to shock leaders Liverpool, staggering Manchester City and ailing Arsenal, but United — languishing in 13th place — sees the arrival of latest messiah, new manager Ruben Amorim, to highlight this weekend’s action.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson left the throne at Old Trafford in 2013, United has employed six managers, all arriving with considerable pomp and the promise of championships. Now number seven arrives in the young, creative Amorim, who had shaken things up in Portugal.
He gets a soft launch with United, playing at feisty-but-outmatched Ipswich, which just returned to the Premier League this season. The hosts won their previous match, an impressive 2-1 result at Tottenham, but sit in 17th spot with just eight points — modest even in comparison to United’s mediocre tally of 13.
Amorim’s tactical CV favours a counterattacking-but-offensive mindset as his Sporting CP were top of the Portuguese table. While his old league is far more imbalanced than the Premier League, Sporting have scored 39 goals — scored 11 more than the next closest teams, Porto and Benfica — and given up just five.
That has to United’s supporters, who are used to an attacking pedigree over their prolific history, and also United’s players, who have struggled in front of goal. In fact, Ipswich’s 12 goals are equal to how many United have scored this season, with the difference being Ipswich has surrendered 22 to United’s 12. Only Wolves with 27 have given up more goals than Ipswich this season.
In Portugal, Amorim favoured a back three of defenders with wingbacks joining a midfield trio to attack.
In images and comments from training this week, it appears United have at least practised this formation with Johnny Evans flanked by Luke Shaw and Leny Yoro. Neither Shaw or Yoro have played at all this season due to injuries and Yoro was the club’s biggest signing in the summer.
While it isn’t the hardest start for Amorim — after Ipswich the Red Devils get 16th-place Everton — they better adapt to this new system quickly. Following that, there’s a trio of clubs in the top five: Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and then the Manchester derby.
Crisis club clash
When big clubs make a managerial change, there’s always an expectation it’s going to take a bit of time to get things right.
Spurs brought in Ange Postecoglu two seasons ago from Celtic and, while the club has played some attractive, attacking soccer, defensively they’ve faced accusations of being irresponsible in terms of tactics.
There was an assumption Spurs would learn and Postecoglu would adjust, but the team seems to lurch from week to week searching for consistency.
This is an intriguing match for a number of reasons. There are rumblings that if Spurs continue to struggle, then they may look at a coaching change. But City has lost two league games in a row and four straight in all competitions — the worst stretch of manager Pep Guardiola’s career with any club.
Guardiola just signed a one-year contract extension, but he has had more trouble with Spurs than any other team. CIty has suffered six losses and surrendered 22 goals against the Londoners — more than any other club to face Guardiola since he has been in Manchester.
Spurs actually sparked this current City skid, knocking them out of the Carabao Cup. While Tottenham remains just three points out of the top four and the lucrative Champions League qualification spots, there’s six teams to climb over and that’s hoping there’s a lot of things would go their way.
There’s no doubt City could easily wipe out the five-point gap between itself and leaders Liverpool in quick succession, especially with their first showdown looming on Dec. 1, but a loss and dropping eight points back begins to look a little different.
Not out of the Forest yet
While City’s slight slip has raised some eyebrows, Arsenal has been even more surprisingly suspect. The Gunners are winless in their last four, alternating two losses with two draws, and are nine points off the top in fourth.
They’re level on points with one of the shocks of the season, Nottingham Forest, but Arsenal was expected to contend while Forest were being picked to be in a relegation battle.
If Arsenal gets a resounding win this weekend, all the drama around their slide will be forgotten, the fairytale start from Forest may be over and there’ll be an expectation they’ll slide back into the mid-table range.
But if Forest can get even a draw, it’s going to pile more questions on Arsenal and float Nottingham into a position people truly believe they belong.
The Gunners have to start firing in this one. Forest has the second-stingiest defensive record in the league, only Liverpool have given up fewer goals than the Tricky Trees.
Following form
In the past under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool would do well in the big games, but have the occasional wobble against the teams you’d expect them to beat easily. The only game the Reds have lost this year is to Nottingham Forest — and even that is framed better today with Forest’s success so far.
With a host of players returning from all corners of the world after an international break and a showdown next weekend against Manchester City, you might expect Liverpool to be caught off guard this weekend.
But it looks much more defensively solid under new manager Arne Slot and return to action this weekend against Southampton, the worst team in the league. Liverpool have given up six goals all season while Southampton has scored just seven.
The loss to Forest came in the first game back after an international break, which was another hallmark under Klopp, and Southampton had nowhere near the amount of players away with their national teams and will be better rested.
But the extra day, having the game on Sunday, to allow players to travel home and acclimate before travelling to the south coast. No excuses for Liverpool before their title test against City next weekend.
This weekend’s slate
Saturday: Leicester v. Chelsea; Arsenal v. Nottingham Forest; Aston Villa v. Crystal Palace; Bournemouth v. Brighton; Everton v. Brentford; Fulham v. Wolves; Manchester City v. Tottenham Hotspur.
Sunday: Southampton v. Liverpool; Ipswich v. Manchester United.
Monday: Newcastle v. West Ham.