Online Reporter
LIVERPOOL and Arsenal aim to strike first blood in the English Premier League football title race as last season’s top two face off at Anfield tomorrow after a summer of heavy spending.
Manchester United’s investment in a new forward line is yet to reap any reward, heaping the pressure on Ruben Amorim to deliver when Burnley visit Old Trafford.
However, it is West Ham’s Graham Potter and Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo who have the shortest odds on being the first Premier League manager to be sacked ahead of their meeting at the City Ground.
Liverpool and Arsenal are two of the only three sides, alongside Tottenham, to take maximum points so far, but have done so in drastically different fashion.
The defending champions have survived rollercoaster rides against Bournemouth and 10-man Newcastle thanks to late winners.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot is yet to strike the right balance as his side have conceded twice in each of their opening three games in the Community Shield and Premier League.
But the Reds are blessed with an array of attacking match-winners.
By contrast, Arsenal continue to build on their solid defensive foundations.
The Gunners are yet to concede this season and will hope their own new forward options can expose Liverpool’s defensive deficiencies.
Viktor Gyokeres netted his first two Arsenal goals in the 5-0 thrashing of Leeds last weekend, while Eberechi Eze could make his debut.
Mikel Arteta’s men have not lost against Liverpool, Manchester City, United, Chelsea or Tottenham for 22 games, stretching back to May 2023. However, Arsenal have not won at Anfield since 2012.
After splashing a combined £550 million in the transfer market to try and gain an upper hand, both clubs must show their worth on the field.
United suffered the latest humiliation of Amorim’s reign with defeat to fourth-tier Grimsby in the League Cup on Wednesday.
A return of one point from two Premier League games is also not what the Portuguese needed after the Red Devils’ worst campaign since being relegated in 1974 last season.
Despite spending £200 million on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, United are yet to click as an attacking force.
Their only Premier League goal of the season so far was turned into his own net by Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz in last weekend’s 1-1 draw, while Cunha and Mbeumo missed crucial penalties in the embarrassing defeat to Grimsby.
The visit of newly-promoted Burnley offers the perfect chance to rectify that record and improve on Amorim’s paltry seven wins from 29 league games.
Anything other than victory and another change of management could be on the cards during the upcoming international break.
“I think something has to change,” warned Amorim after United’s first-ever defeat to League Two opposition.
West Ham are rooted to the foot of the table after shipping eight goals in comprehensive defeats to Sunderland and Chelsea.
After a 3-2 defeat to Wolves in the League Cup on Tuesday, captain Jarrod Bowen was involved in an angry exchange of words with travelling fans, which he later apologised for.
“Everyone is hurting, rightly so because we haven’t had the results we’d like,” said Hammers boss Potter, whose position is looking increasingly perilous.
The former Chelsea manager has won just five of his 22 games since taking charge in January.
Results have been the least of Forest boss Nuno’s concerns as his future is tied to an internal power struggle.
The Portuguese coach said last week his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis has deteriorated rapidly.
The Athletic reported the root of the unrest is a clash between Nuno and new sporting director Edu, who Marinakis poached from Arsenal to much fanfare.
On the field, Forest have backed up their seventh-placed finish last season with four points from their opening two games.
Meanwhile, Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has had a knee operation, but the Premier League giants are upbeat about the Germany international’s prospects of a swift recovery.
Havertz (26), missed Arsenal’s 5-0 thrashing of Leeds at the Emirates last Saturday with an injury he sustained following the Gunners’ opening-weekend victory at Manchester United.
He has now undergone what Arsenal said on Thursday was a “minor surgical procedure”, with the north London club understood to believe Havertz will be missing for weeks rather than months.
“Further to sustaining a knee injury after our recent game against Manchester United on August 17, subsequent assessments and specialist reviews with Kai confirmed that surgery would be required,” said an Arsenal statement.
“Today, Kai underwent a successful minor surgical procedure. He will shortly begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme, with everyone fully focused on supporting Kai to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.”
Havertz’s injury came shortly before Arsenal scuppered Eberechi Eze’s proposed move to arch-rivals Tottenham by signing the England international from Crystal Palace for an initial fee of some £60 million.
Eze was presented to the Emirates crowd before Arsenal’s victory over Leeds and is set to make his debut against Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield tomorrow, with the Gunners desperate to end their 22-year wait for an English top-flight title.
As well as being without Havertz for the trip to Merseyside, manager Mikel Arteta is also unable to select Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard after they sustained hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively, against Leeds.
Christian Norgaard and Ben White are also doubtful while Gabriel Jesus remains a long-term absentee with a knee injury.
Fixtures
Today: Chelsea v Fulham (1:30pm), Man Utd v Burnley, Tottenham v Bournemouth, Wolves v Everton, Sunderland v Brentford (all 4pm), Leeds v Newcastle (6:30pm)
Tomorrow: Nottingham Forest v West Ham, Brighton v Man City (both 3pm), Liverpool v Arsenal (5:30pm), Aston Villa v Crystal Palace (8pm) – AFP Sport.
