1
Time for Tonali to take centre stage?
Dilemmas, dilemmas. Eddie Howe has a few in advance of Arsenalâs visit to Tyneside on Saturday as Newcastle aim to correct a run of five league games without a win. Wednesdayâs restorative Carabao Cup victory against Chelsea has surely created competition for places, particularly at right-back where Emil Krafthâs strong performance suggests he should arguably start in front of Tino Livramento. Significantly, with Bruno GuimarĂŁes benched for most of the evening, Sandro Tonali shone at the heart of midfield. Is now the moment to leave the Italy international in the centre and relocate GuimarĂŁes to Tonaliâs right or even start the Brazil midfielder on the bench again? Similarly Joe Willock, once of Arsenal, impressed on the left of that department, pressing well and carrying the ball considerable distances. Can Newcastleâs manager afford to drop Willock? Then thereâs Lloyd Kelly who did very well on a rare left-sided central defensive outing. Should Kelly get the nod ahead of Dan Burn? Dilemmas ⊠Louise Taylor
2
Iraola gets a City audition
While Pep Guardiolaâs future is still up in the air and with RĂșben Amorim not under consideration, despite his Sporting sporting director Hugo Viana heading to City in the new year, many will be wondering who could step into the Catalanâs shoes. Andoni Iraola will likely be on Cityâs radar, as he shares a similar philosophy to the man in the visiting dugout on Saturday. Both are disciples of Marcelo Bielsa; Iraola played under the Argentinian successfully at Athletic Bilbao and has since shown many traits picked up from his former manager in Bournemouthâs high-energy play. Guardiola looks increasingly likely to stay for a further season but Iraola is a patient man, knowing he still has plenty to learn after six full seasons of management. What will help his chances is the ability to go toe-to-toe against City to give the clubâs hierarchy a first-hand idea of what they could expect if Iraola were ever to be appointed. Will Unwin
3
Competition for places hotting up at Anfield
Arne Slot says he is worried about his striking options at present but the violins are not playing yet for a head coach who still has Mohamed Salah, Luis DĂaz, Cody Gakpo ⊠and Darwin NĂșñez at his disposal, 12 wins in 14 matches at Liverpool, a 100% record in the Champions League and a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals courtesy of Wednesdayâs win at Brighton. Gakpo produced two finishes of the highest quality at the Amex Stadium, where Slot started with an innovative front two of Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai. That pairing is unlikely to be repeated when the teams meet again at Anfield, with Salah and NĂșñez rested for 71 minutes on Wednesday, but it will be intriguing to see whether Gakpo retains his place on the left. The competition between the Netherlands international and an in-form DĂaz is growing, although the former has been handed only two starts in the Premier League this season and one of those was after DĂazâs international exertions with Colombia. Both had a telling impact at Brighton and Gakpoâs versatility also ensures Slotâs options remain the envy of most. Andy Hunter
4
A pivotal clash at Portman Road
The meeting between Ipswich and Leicester on Saturday afternoon feels like a tone-setter for the season. Last weekendâs defeats were gut punches: Ipswichâs surrendering of a 2-0 lead at Brentford leaves them winless after nine games, while for Leicester, two wins and five points better off than their opponents, the comprehensive 3-1 home defeat against Forest was a reminder that this is likely to be a long challenging season. The Championshipâs top two last season drew 1-1 in both fixtures in 2023-24, though that does not quite tell the full story. It took an injury-time Sam Morsy equaliser to rescue Ipswich on Boxing Day at Portman Road, and less than a month later Jeremy Sarmiento struck with an 89th-minute equaliser to do likewise at the King Power. Defeat for either side in this one would be tough to take. John Ashdown
5
Southamptonâs search goes on
Southampton are in desperate need of a win. Russell Martinâs side are slowly on their way to keeping company with that Derby team, a sight no fan wants to see. They may be buoyant going into this weekend against Everton, given the visitors are historically weak at St Maryâs and having secured their spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. But they let a 2-0 lead slip against Stoke, after persisting with Martinâs possession-based attacking style, and the manager has made it clear he is unwilling to compromise. âFor us, the challenge and the learning is about trying to remain who we want to be and trying to improve and be better at that and grow under the big spotlight and scrutiny. Then the rest will take care of itself and Iâll be fine and comfortable with whatever happens.â All well and good to say, but they sit bottom with one point from nine games. Evertonâs pragmatic, gritty approach over the past couple of seasons has shown that they are willing to survive ugly. Is it time for the Saints to do the same? Yara El-Shaboury
6
Will Gibbs-White return for Forest?
Morgan Gibbs-White has not played for almost a month through injury. The midfielder has been Nottingham Forestâs standout player since joining the club on their return to the Premier League in 2022 and many feared his absence would be a huge problem for Nuno EspĂrito Santo. Contrary to those worries, Forest have been in fine form, winning the two matches without Gibbs-White pulling the strings. Elliot Anderson has stepped into the void and impressed further up the pitch behind Chris Wood. If Gibbs-White is eventually declared fit, Nuno will have to decide whether he should immediately return the England international to the starting XI or put faith in the players that defeated Crystal Palace and Leicester. It is an indication of the strength in depth Forest accrued over the summer that the manager has various options of how to set up the team and which personnel to use. It is a long season and if Forest are to maintain their top-half position, they will need everyone and there is no shortage of quality to help the push. WU
after newsletter promotion
7
Wolves look to begin turnaround
Wolves remain one of three winless teams but head into the home game against Crystal Palace with a spring in their step after a late fightback salvaged a point at Brighton. Gary OâNeil will hope that draw proves a turning point and he has stayed upbeat despite a demoralising start. Even a fortnight ago, when they had a sole point from seven games, he painted a more positive picture than most, inventing a word along the way. âItâs easily turnaround-able,â the Wolves head coach said. Now his team have two points from nine matches. âWhen we do turn it around, which we will, it will be a real nice feeling that we know we had to dig deep, having gone through a tough moment and come out at the other end.â Defeat by Palace would surely pierce such optimism. Ben Fisher
Timo Wernerâs renewed confidence might just be the spark Tottenham need as they prepare to face an in-form Aston Villa. The German opened his season tally with a goal in Wednesdayâs Carabao Cup win over Manchester City, underscoring his commitment to his instinctive, aggressive runs in the box. The strikerâs scoring has been marred by recent struggles, but Werner seems determined to kick on. âOf course when you are a striker and donât score, you think too much in front of the goal but I never think about not doing the runs to come into this situation. I think it would be stupid to stop those runs only because being scared to score.â Spurs high-risk, front-foot style has at times left their defence exposed. Ange Postecoglouâs side have lost nine of their last 16 league games, with only Wolves losing more since but if Werner can channel his newfound confidence, their chances look slightly more promising against Villaâs clinical attack. YE-S
9
Ugarte to stake his claim
The early stages of Manuel Ugarteâs Manchester United career have been somewhat of a struggle. It is not his fault that he was welcomed in the dying embers of Erik ten Hagâs reign when neither performances nor results were good enough. At 23, the Uruguayan could be at the heart of the United midfield for years to come, so onlookers should accept that this is all part of the learning curve. In Wednesday nightâs Carabao Cup victory over Leicester, Ugarte put in his best performance thus far, providing plenty of energy and bite. It was the morale-boosting game Ugarte required but he knows Sunday will be a tougher test, against Chelsea and Cole Palmer. He has an advantage over his teammates as he knows what RĂșben Amorim wants from his players, having spent time with him at Sporting and will be desperate to be a key individual under the new manager by showing what he can do against one of the Premier Leagueâs elite. WU
10
Bees hope to finally hold on away from home
Brentfordâs last three away games have all ended in narrow defeat after impressive starts. Thomas Frankâs side led against Tottenham, City and Manchester United but were unable to hold out when their opponents stirred. Still, perhaps that had something to do with the standard of the opposition, and the level will not be quite as high when Brentford make the short trip to face Fulham on Monday. Frank will hope his team can defend with more organisation if they go ahead against their west London rivals. That said, Brentford have not picked up a point on the road this season and they will not underestimate Fulham, a highly entertaining team with a fine record at home. Jacob Steinberg
