Key occasions
“A whole lot of chat about Liverpool’s contract state of affairs,” says DDJ Stephens, “loads about how Slot’s fashion is comparable however extra calm and affected person… all good, however why is no person speaking about Nunez not getting any sport time below Slot but, regardless of his professed want to make him the massive 9 for Liverpool?” I feel he did come on for the final 20 minutes or so towards Brentford, however level taken.
Newcastle held on to beat Spurs 2-1, whereas Chelsea may solely draw 1-1 at dwelling to Palace. Newcastle go fourth for now, behind Arsenal and Brighton on aim distinction, however Liverpool want solely a draw to leapfrog them. If Liverpool win, they may be a part of Man Metropolis as the one golf equipment with a 100pc file after three video games. Chelsea, for all their targets at Molineux, are eleventh, two locations and one level above Man United, who, in the event that they win, will soar to seventh.
“You’re proper concerning the lack of potential game-changers on United’s bench,” says Jon Collins, “nevertheless it actually is an indictment of their switch coverage, and his performances in a United shirt, that Antony – a £86m winger – is neither a starter nor a helpful substitute. Presumably he has little or no resale worth, so are they caught with him until his contract runs out?”
There’ll certainly come a second when he’s determined for sport time. A chunk within the Sunday Instances right now posits a easy rationalization for his struggles: within the Eredivisie, groups don’t double up on wingers, so at Ajax Antony usually discovered himself one-v-one and capable of reduce inside and rating. Within the Premier League they do double up, to allow them to block off that avenue, and his lack of a powerful proper foot makes it arduous for him to go spherical the surface.
In right now’s different large sport, Newcastle have simply gone forward towards the run of play for the second time. Do be a part of Taha Hashim for the ultimate act of that drama.
The primary e-mail of the day is available in from Rick Harris. “Dutch managers of English PL golf equipment could not have lifted the title,” he says, “however they’ve received the FA Cup – Gullitt and Hiddink with Chelsea. Van Gaal and Ten Hag with United.” Very true. I’m wondering if that’s partly as a result of they remembered watching the Cup last n the Netherlands after they had been youthful. Earlier than this 12 months’s last Erik ten Hag talked about that and the impression it made on him.
Groups in full
United’s bench is a curious one, with two goalkeepers and no full-backs. The one sub of theirs with the air of a game-changer is Amad, whereas Liverpool have some critical firepower in Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.
Man United (doable 4-2-4-0) Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Mainoo; Garnacho, Fernandes, Zirkzee, Rashford.
Subs: Bayindir, Heaton, Maguire, Evans, Collyer, Eriksen, Amad, Antony, Wheatley.
Liverpool (possible 4-2-1-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai; Salah, Jota, Diaz.
Subs: Kelleher, Bradley, Quansah, Gomez, Tsimikas, Endo, Elliott, Nunez, Gakpo.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Groups briefly: Liverpool unchanged
After a serene August, Arne Slot sticks with a successful workforce in September. Even the bench is similar because it was towards Brentford – no signal of Federico Chiesa but.
Groups briefly: Maguire dropped!
As anticipated, Erik ten Hag carry Joshua Zirkzee in to switch Mason Mount. As not so anticipated, he replaces Harry Maguire with Matthijs de Ligt. When he did that final weekend with a substitution, United had been abruptly disorganised. And there’s a 3rd change as Alejandro Garnacho is available in on the suitable wing for Amad, who ejected Liverpool from the FA Cup together with his last-gasp winner.
Preamble
Afternoon everybody and welcome to the largest sport of the weekend. Man United v Liverpool is a rancorous outdated rivalry that, even within the age of Man Metropolis, nonetheless pits the membership with probably the most league titles (United, 20) towards the one with the next-most (Liverpool, 19). The Outdated Trafford crowd could discover a approach of mentioning that.
Right now’s sport shall be identical to many a gathering between the 2 sides and, in a method, fairly completely different. It seems to be the primary big-six assembly ever involving a Dutch supervisor on both aspect. You wait many years for a giant English conflict between two Dutch managers after which discover that really there are 4 of them, as Erik ten Hag now has two extra as his right-hand males – Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has managed PSV Eindhoven, and Rene Hake, who, like Ten Hag, has managed Go Forward Eagles.
Once they shake arms, Ten Hag and Arne Slot will look interchangeable with their shaven heads and pleasant faces, however as Premier League managers they’re already chalk and Dutch cheese. Slot has immediately established himself as a reluctant shopper and a thought-about strategist with a transparent fashion. With out precisely renouncing Klopp-ball, he has added a twist of endurance and gained extra management.
The upshot, in his first two Premier League video games, has been a pair of 2-0 wins. That’s as many as United managed in the entire of final season. It’s not simply the outcomes that hassle United followers: as Ten Hag hangs on for a 3rd autumn in Manchester, it’s nonetheless arduous to say what his fashion is.
Whereas Liverpool invested in only one participant over the summer season (Federico Chiesa, for £10m, a 3rd of his market worth in line with Transfermarkt), Ten Hag and his new colleagues purchased 5 for about 18 occasions that. The newest recruit is Manuel Ugarte – sure, Man U have introduced in a person known as Man U – however he wasn’t registered in time to play right now. The one attacker among the many 5, Joshua Zirkzee, could get a primary begin as Mason Mount is injured once more and Scott McTominay, to the frustration of many supporters, is now not there.
No Dutch supervisor has ever received the Premier League, and even come second. For all his success within the home cups, it’s arduous to image Ten Hag altering that. Slot has a extra practical likelihood, although he could have to attend till Pep Guardiola will get bored of giving us his ideas on hat-tricks from Erling Haaland.
United overperformed towards Liverpool final season, someway contriving to win as soon as and draw twice whereas going out of their option to concede as many pictures as doable. Right now feels as if it’d simply be payback time. But it surely’s a derby, so something may occur, or nothing.
Supply hyperlink
