NEWS-FINANCE -QUOTE-EDUCATIONAL AND MOTIVATIONAL
Key events
Brentford are another side hoping to bounce back from an opening-weekend defeat. Keith Andrews will come up against Unai Emery today as Aston Villa visit the Gtech Community Stadium.
Dango Ouattara, Brentford’s record signing, could make his debut today following his £42.5m move from Bournemouth this week. Villa, meanwhile, could hand a first start to their £30.5m new forward, Evann Guessand. After being sent off against Newcastle, Ezri Konsa is suspended on his return to his former club.
Brentford predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Henry; Yarmolyuk, Jensen; Carvalho, Schade, Lewis-Potter; Thiago
Aston Villa predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Martínez; Cash, Kamara, Mings, Digne; Tielemans, Onana; McGinn, Rogers, Guessand; Watkins
Will Unwin
It is only the second weekend of the season and Burnley v Sunderland already feels critical in the battle for who stays up. They are separated by a three-point and six-goal gap after the opening weekend saw the Clarets lose 3-0 to Spurs and the Black Cats win by the same scoreline against West Ham.
Home form will be imperative for Burnley if they are to have any chance of staying in the league and they cannot afford to lose against fellow promoted sides. The defensive setup has changed from the one that served Scott Parker so well last season and Richarlison made the most of it. A Kyle Walker home debut should be enough to get Burnley rocking, showing the sort of player they can attract but if without a win, the worries will start to creep in before August is over.
Sunderland will be confident after a busy summer and downing of West Ham. If they double their points tally at Turf Moor, it would see them 15% of the way to the magical mark of 40. Momentum is an blocket in football and building it at this stage is essential, especially with another very winnable home game against Brentford next week that could help define Sunderland’s season.
Perhaps the tastiest offering of the Premier League’s 3pm menu comes at Turf Moor. Burnley, on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline last weekend, and Sunderland, on the right end of one, do battle. Is it too early to call this a relegation six-pointer?
It could not have gone much better for Régis Le Bris and Sunderland against West Ham. Captained by Granit Xhaka, they looked a confident group in what was their first Premier League game since 2017.
Sunderland fan Richard Lapworth is feeling positive: “I think we should take all three points today given we’re a much more feisty team now with more experienced players.”
Speaking of farcical situations, Nuno Espírito Santo is at risk of winning the sack race at Nottingham Forest. He revealed yesterday that his relationship with the owner, Evangelos Marinakis, had broken down:
It’s not good. I think everybody at the club should be together but it’s not the reality. The reality is that [it] is not what it used to be. It was a good, respectful relationship, but was more based on trust and sharing opinions, and now it’s not so good.
Ange Postecoglou is thought to be in the frame to replace Nuno, whose team face Crystal Palace tomorrow. On paper it looks like a good match – the pblockionate support, the Europa League, the Greek connection. But when you consider that Postecoglou is very much a trust-the-process man, mate, and that Marinakis is, well, the opposite, it’s hard to see them getting along. Then there’s the Europa League. Of course, Ange won it with Spurs last season but at what cost to their league campaign? It’s not his second season yet, either.
As for Tottenham, it’s looking fine and dandy on the pitch. The Super Cup performance against PSG was promising (mostly) and the dispatching of Burnley on the opening day was smooth enough for Thomas Frank’s first league match in charge.
But off the pitch, well … Spurs continue to be the butt of jokes. Their pursuit of Eberechi Eze seemed nothing short of a farce. Without James Maddison for an extended period and having missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White as well, you fear they may be lacking in the creative department.
Being able to form a low block against City today may suit them, as it did against PSG, with Frank likely to return to a 3-5-2 formation.
Predicted lineup (3-5-2): Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Sarr, Palhinha, Bentancur, Spence; Kudus, Richarlison
Today’s Premier League fixtures kick off at 12.30pm (BST) with Manchester City v Tottenham.
Pep Guardiola has been playing it down but there must be a sense in the Manchester City camp of wanting to right some wrongs after last season’s humiliating 4-0 home loss to a Spurs side that went on to finish 17th. “It’s just another opportunity – revenge makes no sense,” Pep said this week.
Rúben Dias has signed a new contract through to 2029, Erling Haaland is up and running on the goals front and new signings like the two Rayans – Aït-Nouri and Cherki – are bedding in well. It’s all looking rosy for Pep, you have to say.
Predicted City lineup (4-2-3-1): Trafford; Lewis, Stones, Dias, Ait-Nouri; González, Reijnders; Silva, Cherki, Bobb; Haaland
As for Chelsea, well, things are looking up. But it didn’t look like that for a while. Palmer’s withdrawal from the starting XI was later explained by Maresca as precautionary, with the England international not feeling 100% over the last few days and feeling something in his groin.
Then Robert Sánchez didn’t exactly cover himself in glory for Paquetá’s opener. As good a strike as it was, the Chelsea fans would have had a good grumble behind the goal after seeing Sánchez waft his glove in its general direction. Estêvão, in for the injured Palmer, was chastised afterwards by Maresca for giving the ball away in the buildup to the goal: “We conceded because of him”. It got better, though.
The Brazilian teenager was at the heart of Chelsea’s attacking threat. After João Pedro and Pedro Neto had put them in front, the 18-year-old set up Enzo Fernández’s third with a piercing run through the West Ham defence which, admittedly, was not the sturdiest. After Mads Hermansen did some flapping of his own at two second-half corners, the game was up. Chelsea fans – is this the start of a title charge?
Let’s start with last night, shall we? Chelsea will be waking up this morning feeling a lot better about themselves than after their opening bore-draw against Crystal Palace. Despite losing Cole Palmer in the warm-up and going behind to Lucas Paquetá’s early stunner, Enzo Maresca’s world champions looked very much that, with five goals in reply.
The headlines, though, have been reserved for Graham Potter, whose comeback job at West Ham is not exactly going to plan. The ease with which Chelsea found the net, particularly at set pieces, will no doubt trouble the former Blues manager. The mblock exodus that greeted every Chelsea goal and the boos at full-time of this 5-1 defeat were proof of the (exponentially) growing discontent among West Ham supporters.
Just two games into the season and there is talk of a manager’s job under threat and possible relegation. West Ham fans – where has it all gone wrong already?
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Matchday live, where we will be looking back on last night’s drubbing of West Ham by Chelsea at the London Stadium and building up to Saturday’s games in the Premier League and beyond.
Here are today’s top-flight fixtures in full:
12.30pm Manchester City v Tottenham
3pm Bournemouth v Wolves, Brentford v Aston Villa, Burnley v Sunderland
5.30pm Arsenal v Leeds
There is also a full EFL programme, Scottish Premiership fixtures and the start of Serie A and the Bundesliga.
We would like you to get in touch via our dedicated email matchday.live@guardian.co.uk to share your plans, predictions and thoughts for today’s games. And we’d like to hear from West Ham and Chelsea fans on what you made of events last night – good and bad.
