Can Wirtz Find His Best For Liverpool?
Florian Wirtz is easing himself into his second season at Liverpool after a forgettable first.
There were signs of promise against Nottingham Forest, where he set up the second equaliser and would have had a goal of his own if not for an offside in the buildup.
It is clear the German needs to become more influential as a No 10 given the quality of players he has around him, especially after the expensive arrival of Bradley Barcola this week.
Bruno Fernandes showed there is plenty of fun for an attacking midfielder to have against Ipswich and Wirtz can follow suit as a protagonist.
Liverpool have drawn both their opening fixtures 2-2 and need something to kickstart their campaign, with a visit tonight to promoted opposition a fine place to start.
Wirtz should cause problems but, if he does not, the internal competition will be after his spot.
*Ipswich v Liverpool (Friday)
O’Reilly To Step Into Rodri’s Big Shoes For City?
Manchester City spent more than £300m on new midfielders in this transfer window, but look light in the No 6 role, with Rodri and Nico González both departing.
Ayyoub Bouaddi, bought as Rodri’s long-term successor, is only 18, so Enzo Maresca’s plan is to ease him into first-team action.
The Manchester City manager deployed Marc Guéhi in a holding midfield role against Bournemouth, and is also confident Nico O’Reilly can switch from left-back to operate there.
O’Reilly may line up at the base of midfield for Coventry’s visit, with City seeking a third straight win. Maresca is also not fazed by Omar Marmoush’s departure on an initial loan to Spurs, with Iliman Ndiaye arriving on deadline day and Antoine Semenyo also an able deputy centre-forward if Erling Haaland is unavailable.
*Manchester City v Coventry (Saturday)
Red Bull Gives You Wings
Verticality, intensity and hard pressing are likely to be the order of the day at St James’ Park, where two German graduates of the Red Bull stable meet on Saturday at lunchtime.
Newcastle’s new manager, Matthias Jaissle, is a former head coach of Red Bull Salzburg, while Bournemouth’s Marco Rose has managed Salzburg and, more recently, RB Leipzig.
“We have the same idea of how we want to play football,” said Jaissle – and Rose knows what to expect from Eddie Howe’s successor. “Matthias and me were several years in the style of Red Bull,” he said.
“Everyone knows how we work. You can see it clearly. He’s a good coach. He’s brought his ideas really quickly into the Newcastle team. They are playing quite intense, they have clear pressing patterns that are different from before.”
*Newcastle v Bournemouth (Saturday).
Six Points, Seven Signings For Happy Hull
They may have nabbed two wins in as many games upon their return to the Premier League but Hull were still not happy with their squad, seven new players arriving in the final week of the window.
That means the Tigers have made 19 signings since promotion, which is an impressive turnover in personnel.
Sergej Jakirovic needs to decide whether to incorporate these potential upgrades into his starting XI as soon as possible or make them earn the shirts from those who have accumulated six points.
No one has let down the head coach or the fans over 180 minutes, so it would be harsh to drop anyone but, equally, having spent so much money on acquisitions, it could be argued that the sooner they get on the pitch, the quicker they will gel.
It is not an easy decision for Jakirovic to make but he values loyalty and will want to challenge the mentality of the new arrivals – no one will walk into the side he has built.
*Hull v Aston Villa (Saturday).
Chelsea Face Litmus Test Vs Arsenal On Sunday
You have to go back to the start of the 2021-22 season, when Arsenal had Rob Holding and Pablo Marí in central defence, for the last time that Chelsea beat their north London rivals, a run of 11 matches in all competitions.
But having come close to ending that sequence in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge last season before things began to unravel for Enzo Maresca, the Italian’s successor, Xabi Alonso, will head to the Emirates to face his old friend Mikel Arteta in a competitive match for the first time as a manager full of confidence after winning his opening two games.
Chelsea’s new-look front three of Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Morgan Rogers can certainly cause Arsenal problems, although the question is whether a defence that has already conceded five goals can keep out the champions at the other end.
*Arsenal v Chelsea (Sunday).
Everton Battles Man U As Fans React To Dismal Deadline Day
There are parallels between Manchester United’s visit to Hill Dickinson Stadium and their 3-0 win at Goodison Park in 2023 in the sense they will face a furious Everton crowd, and for the second time in four seasons the anger will not be directed towards them.
Three years ago it was the Premier League in Evertonians’ sights following the record 10-point deduction that had just been imposed on the club.
This time it is Everton’s owners, the Friedkin Group, in the firing line following the club’s shambolic end to the transfer window.
There will be no flag displays inside the stadium after the group responsible for organising them, the 1878s, withdrew their support and there are calls for a “not a pound in the ground” campaign in response to the owners making a profit on transfers while leaving David Moyes with a weaker squad.
Everton have started the season positively on the pitch, but are now surrounded by problems of their owners’ making.
*Everton v Manchester United (Sunday).
