Premier League Preview: Match Week 3

Old Trafford will be the site for the 65th Premier League meeting between rivals Manchester United and Liverpool on Sunday. The heated rivalry saw the clubs draw both of their meetings last season. This time the focus will be largely on a pair of Dutch managers. Eric ten Hag was given a lifeline this summer by Manchester United’s new minority owners, but his leash could be short. Ten Hag led the Red Devils to their worst ever Premier League finish before helping to salvage another chance with an unexpected FA Cup win over Manchester City in May.

Manchester United prevailed on the opening weekend of this season at Old Trafford when new transfer Joshua Zirkzee scored a dramatic 87th minute winner. Last week versus Brighton, however, ten Hag’s managerial acumen was again called into question. He withdrew Bruno Fernandes, who was playing as a false nine, in the 79th minute at Brighton to put his team into a defensive shell. Manchester United failed to threaten after that point and the defense was ultimately undone in stoppage time by a Brighton winner. Media reports of Fernandes’ incredulity at his substitution were not helpful to his manager. In fairness, ten Hag has not finished building his roster for this season. In addition to Zirkzee, defenders Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt are still bedding in, and defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte is on the way from PSG to address weakness in the midfield. Goalscoring, where Marcus Rashford continues his inexplicably poor form, remains a problem and this weekend the club will face a Liverpool side that has not conceded a goal through two matches.

New Liverpool Manager Arne Slot, meanwhile, has professed great satisfaction in the squad he has inherited. That is a good thing as Liverpool has not helped its manager with many new signings. The transfer drought seems to have ended this week with the purchase of Federico Chiesa from Juventus. Slot remains on honeymoon with supporters after wins in the club’s first two matches. His first challenge could be brewing, however, with Trent Alexander-Arnold demonstrably pouting after his substitution from Sunday’s win over Brentford.

Another undefeated new Premier League manager,  31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler, takes his surprising Brighton side to the Emirates on Saturday to face Arsenal. Brighton’s late win over Manchester United followed an opening weekend rout of Everton in Hurzeler‘s Premier League debut. In addition to their young manager, the Seagulls have been freshened by the return from injury of star forward Kaoru Mitoma and the addition of six new transfer signings which has pushed their summer spending close to £200m. Ironically, a lack of investment was among the reasons that former manager Roberto De Zerbi departed. Arsenal, meanwhile, impressed with a win at Aston Villa last weekend after an easy stroll past Wolverhampton the week before. The Gunners have now finalized a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino who could be available to face the Seagulls.

Leaving Arsenal is striker Eddie Nketiah whose transfer is being completed this week to Crystal Palace. The struggling Eagles must go to Stamford Bridge this weekend for a London derby versus highflying Chelsea, the Blues having put up six goals last weekend versus Wolves. Crystal Palace Manager Oliver Glasner has pointed to the distraction and worry associated with his team’s actual and rumored transfer departures as contributing to the clubs’ two opening losses. Nketia’s arrival can hopefully raise the Eagles’ spirits as well as increase their goal production. Wolverhampton is another roster hit hard by transfer departures but has done little to fill the resultant vacuum after saying goodbye to defender Max Kilman and midfielder Pedro Neto.

Opponents have scored eight goals to just two by Wolverhampton in two losses to start this season. The bedraggled side now heads to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest which has grabbed four of six available points to date, albeit against less than imposing opposition. A win on Saturday by Forest and Manager Nuno Espirito Santo could force a reassessment of a gloomy preseason outlook for the Tricky Trees.

Everton, meanwhile, has been far worse than expected. The impact of losing midfielder Amadou Onana has been perhaps greater than anticipated with the club in no financial position to adequately replace him. Opponent goals have been flying into the Everton net while the Toffees are still looking for their first score of the season. Everton has had only two shots on target after two matches. Still, it seems ludicrous that Sean Dyche is purportedly on the hot seat after the former Burnley manager worked miracles with threadbare squads the past two seasons amid the club’s financial problems. Keeping the Toffees up could be an even greater challenge this season, but Dyche would seem uniquely qualified to undertake the task. The Toffees host Bournemouth on Saturday with the Cherries still coming to grips with their own heavy transfer loss, the sale of 19 goal scorer Dominic Solanke to Tottenham Hotspur. The Cherries and Manager Andoni Iraola have been able to tread water in the first two matches, each a 1-1 draw, with a possible win against Newcastle snatched away by a controversial VAR review which disallowed a stoppage time goal.

Tottenham Hotspur will be without the services of an injured Solanke when they travel to Newcastle to face the Magpies on Saturday. Richarlison is also a question mark, putting more of the weight on Son Heun-min to spearhead the Spurs attack. Newcastle, meanwhile, has been frustrated by four different offers having been rejected by Crystal Palace for prized center back Marc Guehi. While the focus has been on acquiring Guehi or a “Plan B” defender, the Magpies have also been listless in attack, scoring one goal in each of their two matches. This will be the 59th Premier League meeting between Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur with both clubs standing on 25 victories.

West Ham Manager Julen Lopetegui will have trouble finding his first win at London Stadium when the Hammers host defending champion Manchester City. While Lopetegui nicked his first Premier League win at Crystal Palace last week, the Citizens and striker Erling Haaland present a much more daunting challenge. Reigning Premier League Golden Boot winner Haaland is again leading the pack with four goals after his hat trick against Ipswich Town last week. Manchester City has not lost a Premier League match since December 6, 2023.

None of the newly promoted sides have won a match yet though Leicester captured a point, courtesy of Jamie Vardy on opening weekend. The Foxes host Aston Villa on Saturday. Winless Ipswich is home to Fulham. Southampton travels to Brentford where the Ivan Toney saga dominates the news. The Brentford striker has yet to step on the pitch for the Bees this season as transfer rumors swirl about the England international. Toney, thought close to a move to the Saudi Pro League, has now been linked with rumored interest from Chelsea. The transfer window closes on Friday for Premier League clubs though the opportunity to sell off players to the Saudi Pro League extends three days beyond that.