Big Weekend Preview: Brentford v Liverpool, Man United pressure, Eze’s moment, Thomas Frank and El Clasico drama
As everyone is aware, another exciting football weekend is approaching, and this time, we are all frantically hoping and praying that Brentford will follow instructions and keep the ball on the ground against poor tiny Liverpool.
Please, guys, we beg of you. Not one of those long, ferocious throws. The rest of us should surely respect Liverpool’s dislike of having the ball in the air.
In Other news, Manchester United needs to defeat a recent bogey team if they want to take advantage of their first opportunity under Ruben Amorim to embark on a real solid little run.
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Eberechi Eze will play his old team; and Thomas Frank needs to figure out how to handle Spurs’ suddenly pitiful offence. Yes, and there’s a huge game in Spain as well. Perhaps worth a look.
Team To Observe: Manchester United
Coach: Ruben Almiron
If you watch closely now, United now has the opportunity to go on a brief run, something they haven’t been able to achieve in 11 months under Ruben Amorim, thanks to the incredible ball-in-the-air triumph at Anfield.
They have some decent games in the upcoming weeks, but there are risks associated with it, of course. If Brighton loses this Saturday at home, all the excitement will be extinguished.
United immediately returns to crisis jail after failing. You see, Sir Jim doesn’t get £200.
The main issue here is that Manchester United’s home loss to Brighton is exactly the kind of thing that happens during the Banter Era.
In this instance, both generally and extremely, extremely particularly. In their last three Premier League visits to Old Trafford, Brighton has triumphed each time.
In the last four seasons, United has lost six of eight games against Brighton, and they have lost eight of their 16 league encounters with the Seagulls.
In many ways, it culminates in the worst conceivable match at the worst possible moment.
United will now be expected to win a match that falls just in the sweet spot for resolving crises, but recent history indicates they most likely won’t.
However, there are other factors to take into account because Brighton solely worries about defeating the best this season, which is another fact that cannot be disputed.
They have defeated teams who placed in the top five last season in each of their three Premier League victories this year.
Therefore, a defeat by them is not a disaster; rather, it serves as evidence that United is once again a powerful team.
Because defeating Brighton this season is unquestionably and unmistakably proof that you are bad, perhaps United shouldn’t win and embark on that brief run we stated previously. Perhaps we’re overanalysing this.
Match To Observe: Brentford vs Liverpool
Coaches: Keith Andrews vs Arne Slot
For me, the main deviation was our opponent’s style of play. In the last four or five games we’ve played, we haven’t been able to press the opponent because the ball wasn’t on the ground, so we took some energy from those moments.
It happened in the air. We adore everything about Slot’s quick and comprehensive response to being under pressure for the first time as Liverpool manager.
He pulled out the old Wenger and Klopp playbook and, after weighing all the options, concluded that other teams were to blame for their poor football play.
Even if everything was true, we would still adore it. Even more delightful is the fact that it’s also completely unwise.
We do know, however, that Liverpool will be subjected to an aerial barrage from Brentford this Saturday, and if they are unable to handle it, the manager’s decision to publicly announce that they dislike it will make everything appear quite ridiculous.
While it was always going to be that way, Liverpool now has no option to save face if they can’t find a solution for the night of the long throws.
Because if Liverpool or their manager continue to whine about opposition tactics, no one will care. Choosing a standout game this weekend was actually rather difficult.
There are several intriguing games with a lot of promise, but there isn’t a clear-cut blockbuster.
Since Slot’s strategies have made things so much simpler for us, we personally think they’re really great.
Even while we have resisted the tremendous desire to suggest that Liverpool’s season may be in jeopardy, we will be unable to do so if they have any sort of setback at the Gtech.
Manager To Observe: Thomas Frank
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Frank’s early games as Spurs manager gave the impression that performances weren’t quite catching up with results, but now that the two lines do appear to be convergent, nothing is ruined yet.
Spurs’ pathetic performance against Aston Villa last weekend extended their own poor home record to a now hardly respectable three victories in 18 league games and provided a much-needed boost to Villa’s similarly poor away record.
More of the same was produced during the midweek trip to Monaco; Guglielmo Vicario’s performance was the sole change.
Among the guilty versus Villa, he was a Champions League hero who nearly single-handedly gave Spurs a point they utterly lacked.
With Plans A, B, and C all seemingly amounting to little more than “Get the ball to Mohammed Kudus and await him performing a madness,” Spurs have begun to appear woefully lacking in attacking ideas.
It should undoubtedly be a key component of the Tottenham playbook since he has been outstanding. Not the only one, though.
Spurs still lack cohesiveness; they are a new team learning how to function under a new management, and as of right now, they still appear to be a collection of gifted individuals rather than a cohesive club.
Of course, injuries haven’t helped either. Any one of James Madison, Dominic Solanke, or Dejan Kulusevski would change the erratic and unimpressive work that Frank’s non-Kuduses are now doing.
However, those players will continue to remain out for some time to come. The club and manager cannot afford to wait for their return to give Spurs the spark they are lacking right now.
Given how much the Hill Dickinson Stadium still appears to inspire visitors to Spurs’ own magnificent digs, it at least presents a unique opportunity for Spurs themselves to enjoy the alluring welcome of a brand-new stadium.
Key Player to Observe: Eberechi Eze (Attacking Midfielder)
Team: Arsenal
A matchup between Eze and his old team at the Emirates should be exciting. The player facing Marc Guehi, who very much didn’t, received his move from Selhurst Park.
It’s a crucial matchup in a crucial game, with Palace suffering the slightest of setbacks with a loss to Everton and a last-minute draw with Bournemouth.
Meanwhile, it already feels like this is a crucial point in the season for Arsenal, who face one of the hardest tests in a string of games that do, in fact, present an enthralling opportunity to take a sizable lead at the top of the table given the much more difficult tasks that simultaneously face the less convincing Liverpools and Citys of the world.
If Eze scores this weekend, we might witness the most subdued celebration in Premier League history, as his love for Crystal Palace is evident and profound.
In an even more surprising turn of events, these are the festivities that the Celebration Police ought to be looking into.
Laliga game to Observe: Real Madrid v Barcelona
Coaches: Xabi Alonso vs Hansi Flick
A nice Clasico match is all you could ask for, but if you were avaricious and felt you wanted more, you would request a Clasico in which the top spot in La Liga is up for grabs.
We are horrified and disgusted by your gluttony, but you got what you wanted. There is much more at stake here than simply the usual bragging rights, as Real Madrid leads by two points going into this match.
If you still want a little more spice, consider the fact that this match is being played exactly one year after Barcelona defeated their old rivals 4-0 at the Bernabeu to set an early title marker and establish a dominance that would allow them to win three more all-competition games before the season ended.
They also had memorable victories, with the 4-0 score being the lowest in the group. Before more red cards and drama in a 3-2 Copa Del Rey victory in extra time, and the best saved for last in the return La Liga match, where Real Madrid led 2-0 within 15 minutes but trailed 4-2 by halftime and would ultimately lose 4-3.
Despite Kylian Mbappe completing his hat-trick, there was a wild Spanish Super Cup match that ended 5-2 in favour of 10-man Barcelona. What we’re saying here is that it’s not likely to be boring.
Just keep a close eye on yamal and mbappe, those are the 2 key players of the game.
Football League Match To Observe: Coventry City v Watford
Coaches: Frank Lampard vs Javi Gracia
Frank Lampard has had a fantastic start to the season; they have won their past five league games by a combined score of 16-1 and are still undefeated in the Championship.
One of this weekend’s Saturday lunchtime kickoffs features mid-table Watford visiting Frank Lampard’s Coventry City.
With a win, Coventry City would have the opportunity to put some serious pressure on their rivals on the scoreboard and increase the likelihood that Frank Lampard and his team will be in the Premier League the following season.
