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Man Utd aim to bounce back as Arsenal face acid test at Liverpool
LONDON, Sept 25, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Manchester United and Chelsea need a
swift response to their title credentials being damaged by home defeats last
weekend, while one or both of Liverpool and Arsenal’s perfect records will
come to an end when they face off at Anfield on Monday night.
Crystal Palace and Everton also have the chance to claim top spot when they
meet at Selhurst Park on Saturday, while the other side with maximum points
from the opening two weekends, Leicester, face a daunting trip to Manchester
City.
Gareth Bale will not be fit to feature to Tottenham when they host
Newcastle on Sunday, but Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are enough for the
Magpies to fear after the England captain set up the South Korean to score
four at Southampton.
Chelsea travel to bottom-of-the-table West Brom, who are still seeking
their first point back in the top-flight.
AFP Sport looks at some of the main talking points ahead of this weekend’s
action. Mayday for Man Utd?
Optimism that United could return to challenging for the title after a 14-
game unbeaten run to end last season was washed away with that unbeaten
record as Palace were good value for their 3-1 win at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men looked desperately short of match sharpness
having had barely two weeks of pre-season training.
A month-long off season was also disruptive off the field with captain
Harry Maguire being handed a suspended prison term in Greece, which he is
appealing, and teenage striker Mason Greenwood being sent home by England for
breaching coronavirus protocols when on international duty.
There is also outcry among the United fanbase at a lack of signings in the
transfer market, while their rivals still spend freely despite the economic
affects of the pandemic.
The Red Devils desperately need three points at Brighton on Saturday to
bring some calm, but the Seagulls have shown enough in their opening two
games to suggest United face a far tougher test than when they won 3-0 on the
south coast in June.
Brighton were the better side for long spells despite losing 3-1 to Chelsea
on the opening weekend and bounced back with a comprehensive 3-0 win at
Newcastle.
United did manage to get past Championship side Luton in the League Cup on
Tuesday despite Solskjaer making 10 changes, but the Norwegian needed to
bring on Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Greenwood in the latter stages
to kill the tie off with Rashford and Greenwood getting on the scoresheet.
“We need to get competitive games and minutes into the legs of our players
because normally we’re in a pre-season after such a short training (period),”
said Solskjaer.
“It’s great for them to get minutes as well but also goals.” More motivated
Everton shine
Everton’s investment in the transfer market is reaping immediate rewards as
they have won their opening two league games of the season for the first time
in seven years.
Carlo Ancelotti has been able to recruit Champions League-winning quality
in James Rodriguez, alongside Brazilian international Allan and Abdoulaye
Doucoure in midfield.
“The players have come back with more ambition and motivation,” said
Ancelotti after finishing 12th last season. “The new signings have helped us
be more motivated.”
Palace will provide an early test of how far Ancelotti’s men can go this
season as they have picked off Southampton and United at ease on the counter-
attack with Wilfried Zaha rediscovering his best form to score three times in
two games. Third time lucky for Liverpool?
Arsenal have got the better of Liverpool twice in recent months, but the
acid test for Mikel Arteta’s side comes at what he described as the “toughest
place to go in the world”, Anfield, on Monday.
The Gunners rode their luck to beat the Reds after Jurgen Klopp’s men had
sealed the title last season, but the Community Shield clash between the two
a month ago was a far more balanced game, which Arsenal won on penalties
after a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal have built on their momentum from winning the FA Cup by beating
Fulham and West Ham to strengthen the conviction that Arteta can lead them
back into the top four this season.
But Liverpool showed in sweeping aside Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge last
weekend that they remain the team to beat and have only strengthened with the
signing of Thiago Alcantara.
Saturday (all times GMT)
Brighton v Manchester United (1130), Crystal Palace v Everton (1400), West
Brom v Chelsea (1630), Burnley v Southampton (1900)
Sunday
Sheffield United v Leeds (1100), Tottenham v Newcastle (1300), Manchester
City v Leicester (1530), West Ham v Wolves (1800)
Monday
Fulham v Aston Villa (1745), Liverpool v Arsenal (1900)
BSS/AFP/GMR/0930 hrs