Eight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend

Eight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend, featuring Ruben Amorim’s debut at Manchester United and Pep Guardiola’s new deal.

Maresca makes Leicester return

Enzo Maresca makes his first return to Leicester this weekend. The Italian led Leicester back into the Premier League at the first attempt last season, a performance that saw Chelsea court his services in the summer.

His appointment represented a gamble given his lack of top-level experience, but Maresca has made an encouraging start with Chelsea sitting third in the Premier League table.

Leicester – in desperate need of points –  will be keen to throw a spanner in the works of their old boss, even if there is gratitude for his short spell at King Power.

Odegaard invention badly needed for Arsenal

Arsenal are in danger of falling too far behind the leaders with a four-game winless run having damaged their title hopes. The Gunners host Nottingham Forest this weekend in a tricky fixture against a team pulling up trees.

Forest boast one of the division’s meanest defences, ranking second for fewest goals conceded and third for lowest Expected Goals Against.

Arsenal will need to break down a well-drilled defence and will be delighted to call upon the services of Martin Odegaard. The club captain returned from injury with an assist at Chelsea before the break and has the vision and technique to open up the stubborn visitors.

Digne deliveries can boost Aston Villa

Lucas Digne believes he is playing the best football of his career and it’s difficult to argue with that assessment.

The Frenchman has seen off the challenges of Alex Moreno and summer signing Ian Maatsen to nail down the left-back role at Aston Villa. During the international break, he starred in an impressive win for France in Italy. He set up Adrien Rabiot for two goals at the San Siro and saw his free-kick force an own goal from Guglielmo Vicario.

Unai Emery will be delighted with his form as Aston Villa look to end a run of four consecutive defeats. This weekend’s opponents, Crystal Palace, have been warned.

Can Brentford end away-day blues at Everton?

Brentford’s home and away form could hardly be a bigger contrast. Thomas Frank’s team lead the Premier League for points won on home soil having won five and drawn one of their six games at the GTech. However, outside of their West London hive, the Bees have struggled. Brentford have lost all five away games in 2024/25, with only Southampton (6/6) boasting a worse record.

Brentford take on an Everton side who have won just once at Goodison Park this season, in a fixture that offers up the opportunity to snap that streak. Tough trips to Aston Villa, Chelsea and Brighton follow before the turn of the New Year.

Are Fulham better than we think?

Fulham’s days of yo-yoing between the top two divisions seem a thing of the past with Marco Silva having consolidated the Cottagers back in the Premier League. After finishing comfortably clear of trouble in consecutive seasons, Fulham are now nestled in seventh and daring to dream of European qualification. The summer signings of Joachim Andersen and Emile Smith Rowe have added real quality to the ranks of a side that has not skipped a beat despite the sale of Joao Palhinha in the summer.

Fulham are aiming for a third consecutive league win at home to Wolves this weekend and the underlying data suggests the West Londoners are well-equipped for a sustained spell in the top half. Only Liverpool (10.82) have a lower Expected Goals Against (xGA) figure than Fulham (12.39) this season, while the Cottagers haven’t ‘lost’ on xG since the opening game of the season. In all but one game this season, Fulham have created better chances than they’ve conceded.

Guardiola deal will lift the champions

Pep Guardiola ended the speculation surrounding his future this week by penning a new two-year deal at Manchester City. The contract will take the Spaniard past a decade at the club, where he has set records, won every available honour, and overseen one of the greatest Premier League dynasties.

The timing of the deal is curious but perhaps well-timed. City have lost four games in a row for the first time post-transformative takeover and Guardiola has done so for the first time in his managerial career.

With a tough test against Tottenham this weekend, the news of Guardiola’s commitment to the City cause – despite the elephant in the room regarding their Premier League charges – is the lift the champions needed.

Robertson race not run yet

Andy Robertson admitted this week that he has ‘got doubters for the first time in a long time’ after a difficult start to the season at Liverpool. Despite the form of those around him, his level has been questioned with Kostas Tsimikas earning more regular opportunities at left-back.

“The last couple of games I’ve been on the bench and I got doubters for the first time in a long time, the first time at this club,” Robertson said.

“But it suits me in this position. I am trying to prove people wrong again. I tried to do that [against Villa].”

One of the first names on the teamsheet under Jurgen Klopp, Robertson has a fight on his hands to retain that status. However, an encouraging international break saw the Scotland captain impress in big wins for his nation against Croatia and Poland. The latter saw Robertson crash in a last-gasp header to earn a victory in Warsaw and he will hope that can be the springboard back into form at club level.

Is Amorim the antidote for the poisoned chalice?

Manchester United begin a new era this weekend as Ruben Amorim takes charge for the first time. Cautious optimism has greeted the arrival of the 39-year-old, who speaks well and arrives with a proven track record of success in Portugal.

However, arresting a decade of decline will be no simple task for Amorim, with more experienced coaches having tried and failed to revive an English footballing giant.

The challenge has broken bigger names before him but Amorim will be quietly confident, given his work in Lisbon. He led Sporting Lisbon to a first Primeira Liga title in 19 years in 2020/21, added a second last season, and departed with the Portuguese champions boasting a perfect record after 11 games this time around.

However, Ipswich Town side buoyed by a first win of the season at Spurs offers a potential banana skin on debut.

Read – Premier League Awards – The 2024/25 season so far!

See more – Ranked! The five best goals of the Premier League season so far

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