Ten Hag must bear brunt for United
What would it mean if Manchester United grind out another of those fluky wins when they visit Fulham on Saturday? They have barely put together a single convincing performance this season. There was a decent win over Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup but their other victories have been unconvincing. There is no clear gameplan, no philosophy, and that catches up with United in tougher games. Erik ten Hag, who is under increasing pressure after two consecutive 3-0 home defeats, must bear some of the responsibility. It is easy to dig out individuals. The defence is confused, Casemiro is ageing, Bruno Fernandes and Antony are petulant and Mason Mount and Marcus Rashford look lost. But if the manager is unable to implement a structure then players are not going to thrive. It makes it harder for the team to develop. If United are outplayed by Fulham but steal a win because they have superior firepower it would not suggest a corner has been turned. They do not need resilience, they need a performance. Jacob Steinberg
Fulham v Manchester United (Saturday, 12.30pm, all times GMT)
West Ham cross capital to their bogey team
West Ham travel to Brentford seeking to improve on a dire record in London derbies. The east London side have lost more Premier League derbies than any other side but did win an important one in midweek against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup to set up a quarter-final date with Liverpool – a welcome distraction from their form in the league, where they have taken only four points from the last 18 available. Brentford have turned a corner, piling misery on Chelsea with last Saturday’s win at Stamford Bridge, and the underrated Bryan Mbeumo is becoming an influential force for Thomas Frank’s team. Brentford love playing West Ham, having won all four of their games since they arrived in the top flight. Morgan Ofori
Brentford v West Ham (Saturday, 3pm)
Kompany must show return on investment
If Burnley had hoped history would repeat itself, with a newly assembled team gelling quickly under Vincent Kompany, then the gulf between the Premier League and Championship has proved a punishing obstacle. Burnley have made their worst start in 52 years with four points from 10 games; last Saturday’s loss at previously winless Bournemouth was their eighth Premier League defeat. All five league games at Turf Moor have been lost. Kompany retains firm backing from Burnley’s owners, who spent almost £100m on 14 players this summer, but the manager knows signs of progress must soon translate into points. It was around this time last year that Burnley’s performances began to soar after a 5-2 defeat at Sheffield United, although results were already good before that. The visit of a Crystal Palace side shorn of several attacking threats offers an opportunity to repeat one aspect of last season’s title-winning campaign. Andy Hunter
Burnley v Crystal Palace (Saturday, 3pm)
De Zerbi out to dodge another Everton rout
Roberto De Zerbi has had a clear week to prepare for the trip to Everton; a relative luxury for Brighton as they adjust to the demands of European competition. Avoiding a repeat of his previous meeting with Sean Dyche, while improving Brighton’s end product, will have been at the forefront of his mind. Brighton, with one win from seven games in all competitions and without a Premier League win in four, were dismantled when they last met Everton as Dyche’s then relegation-threatened team produced one of the surprise results of last season. Their 5-1 victory at the Amex in May was built on a brilliant counterattacking display that also smothered Brighton’s attempts to play through them. Everton’s defence impressed again in the win at West Ham on Sunday, with the centre-half pairing of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite excelling, and despite the onus being on Dyche to attack at Goodison Park it is De Zerbi who needs to implement change. AH
Everton v Brighton (Saturday, 3pm)
City hit ominous form for Bournemouth visit
Fans of Bournemouth may not wish to hear that Manchester City’s second-half display against Manchester United was probably their finest 45 minutes of the season. At Old Trafford on Sunday, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Julián Álvarez and Erling Haaland performed an orchestrated evisceration of their neighbours in a return to their dominant best. Better news, maybe, for the Cherries is that City could still be seen as recovering from the recent loss of three matches in four, though with Pep Guardiola’s treble-winners, that may be an exercise in straw-clutching. Especially as Andoni Iraola’s side arrive one place and one point above the relegation places. Jamie Jackson
Manchester City v Bournemouth (Saturday, 3pm)
Wilder is not the answer for Blades
Is Paul Heckingbottom being set up as a convenient scapegoat for Sheffield United’s boardroom problems? It certainly looks that way. There is a lot of talk in South Yorkshire about Chris Wilder potentially replacing Heckingbottom. Yet as United prepare to welcome Wolves to Bramall Lane after a dismal record of nine defeats in 10 Premier League games this season, it is important to remember that the club’s problems extend far beyond the head coach. Granted the Blades have experienced the worst start to a campaign in the division’s history but Heckinbottom was forced to sell the two stars of last season’s promotion campaign – Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge – and has since encountered a growing injury crisis. It is hard to see him as anything other than a victim of Prince Abdullah’s failure to sell Sheffield United. With the club’s financial landscape looking bleak it is hard to see how Wilder would improve the situation. He initially performed wonders at Bramall Lane, elevating the team from League One to the Premier League, but by the end things had gone badly wrong and he subsequently failed to impress at Middlesbrough and Watford. Louise Taylor
Sheffield United v Wolves (Saturday, 3pm)
Newcastle spread thin but dream big
Only one team can still win the quadruple – Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup – this season. That side is Newcastle. In reality, even their most ardent fan would surely concede such a feat is beyond Eddie Howe’s injury-hit, overstretched squad but the possibility is a tribute to both Howe’s coaching and the team’s resilience. Arsenal represent an important test of Newcastle’s standing and it will be interesting to see how Joe Willock – so impressive as Howe’s players won 3-0 at Manchester United in the Carabao Cup – fares against his former club. With Sandro Tonali banned for 10 months and the outstanding Sven Botman and Alexander Isak topping a growing injury list, Newcastle are stretched to the limit at present. Can Arsenal snap the elastic holding them together? LT
Newcastle v Arsenal (Saturday, 5.30pm)
Forest woefully out of form under Cooper
Steve Cooper last tasted victory over two months ago when Nottingham Forest beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Since then they have drawn four and lost twice to leave them 16th in the table. Whisper it quietly but Cooper is under a little bit of pressure, with growing expectations and an expectant owner, Evangelos Marinakis, keen to avoid another relegation battle. Aston Villa are on a polar opposite run of form, having not lost since the first weekend of September, including five wins. Thankfully for Cooper, his teams often come up with big results for their manager when required and he will retain the full backing of a packed City Ground. The majority inside will be imploring Forest to relieve the strain on Cooper because if Forest do not get a result, his future could start to look precarious. Will Unwin
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa (Sunday, 2pm)
Townsend is back in Town
After two cameos since joining Luton on a free transfer, Andros Townsend could make his full debut against Liverpool at Kenilworth Road. He arrived at Luton after 18 months without a first-team appearance because of injury, so has been eased into the side, but he is already having an impact. One thing Rob Edwards’ squad lacks is Premier League experience, something Townsend has by the bucketload. He knows what it is like to come up against Jürgen Klopp’s in-form Liverpool. Staying in the game will be imperative for Luton if they are to have a hope of nicking a point and Townsend’s defensive discipline, in addition to his delivery from set pieces, could be a very useful asset to a team struggling at the bottom and without a win at home. WU
Luton v Liverpool (Sunday, 4.30pm)
Pochettino returns to Spurs with little fanfare
The return of Mauricio Pochettino is only a small distraction for Spurs fans loving life under Ange Postecoglou. The Australian has led Spurs to their best ever Premier League start and, in the space of a few months, refreshed the squad that Pochettino helped to build, instilling the verve and fearlessness that was lacking in the latter stages of Antonio Conte’s reign in north London. Chelsea fans booed off Pochettino’s team during last weekend’s home loss to Brentford and there is not the same goodwill at Stamford Bridge. Reece James is fit, though, and will need to go “a bit by bit” as Pochettino seeks to ensure there isn’t a repeat of Tottenham’s 3-1 victory in February. MO
Tottenham v Chelsea (Monday, 8pm)
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | 13 | 26 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 10 | 15 | 24 |
| 3 | Man City | 10 | 15 | 24 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 10 | 14 | 23 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 10 | 12 | 22 |
| 6 | Newcastle | 10 | 15 | 17 |
| 7 | Brighton | 10 | 4 | 17 |
| 8 | Man Utd | 10 | -5 | 15 |
| 9 | West Ham | 10 | -1 | 14 |
| 10 | Brentford | 10 | 4 | 13 |
| 11 | Chelsea | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton | 10 | -4 | 12 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 10 | -5 | 12 |
| 14 | Fulham | 10 | -7 | 12 |
| 15 | Everton | 10 | -4 | 10 |
| 16 | Nottm Forest | 10 | -5 | 10 |
| 17 | AFC Bournemouth | 10 | -13 | 6 |
| 18 | Luton | 10 | -11 | 5 |
| 19 | Burnley | 10 | -17 | 4 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 10 | -22 | 1 |
