Premier League Returns with Drama: Five Key Storylines to Watch This Weekend

The Premier League returns this weekend, providing us with a wealth of stories to delve into as we wrap up another international window.

 

This weekend’s highlights include our first relegation six-point match and Manchester United’s visit to Anfield on Sunday at prime time. We would like to know the answers to the following five questions this weekend:

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When Monday morning arrives, will Slot or Amorim still be under pressure?

When Arne Slot’s Liverpool and Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United meet at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, the heated seats of management will feel even more toasty. 

For a Liverpool team that hasn’t lost to United at Anfield in ten years, this would have seemed like the easiest of home victories a month ago, but three straight losses have handed Slot his first problem since coming to England. 

Even though Liverpool is one point behind the leaders, they haven’t looked convincing in most of their games, with Mo Salah’s play being a key worry.

Teams have started to play differently against his squad, according to Slot, but that’s part of the difficulty of being a good manager. 

A first-season title guarantees you won’t be fired for the foreseeable future, but if Sunday’s performance is underwhelming, there will be doubts about whether the Dutchman has been exposed. 

Amorim is not subject to the same assurances as the other sites. This is the kind of game where you could imagine United winning in some way, but you could also see them losing; if they leave Liverpool after losing 5-0, Amorim’s job might not be viable.

Will Newcastle prove they are a legitimate contender for a spot in the top four?

Newcastle had a lot of positive energy going into the international break after winning the Champions League for the first time this season and defeating Forest 2-0 at home. 

However, in one of the more shocking revelations of the season thus far, they are still inexplicably behind Manchester United in the standings. 

Although their slow start may have been caused by a “disastrous” summer transfer window that was actually very good, Newcastle has to get going now that they are five points off of the top four. 

With Brighton, Fulham, West Ham, and Brentford up next, they have a beneficial schedule, and Nick Woltemade doesn’t appear to be a “idiotic” addition.

The huge German remains Newcastle’s primary goal threat while Yoane Wissa is still out, but Eddie Howe has access to one of the league’s top midfields and a strong defensive line to support them. 

Newcastle’s Champions League ambitions would be enhanced by an away victory because Brighton has so far this season been a bit of a bogey team for top four hopefuls, defeating City and Chelsea while drawing at Spurs.

Does Ange Postecoglou’s future at Forest seem shaky?

For cricket fans, we are approaching the pre-Ashes series period when players from both sides of the Poms/Aussies divide turn to a microphone to utter some remarks that, in their minds, may or may not have sounded funny. 

With his straightforward “mate” attitude, Ange Postecoglou has never had to look for the microphone. 

However, by the time the first ball is bowled in Perth, Ange might be back on that beach he reportedly despises. Life in Nottingham hasn’t started out well.

For a manager who ended 17th last year, seven games with zero wins and five losses might seem typical, but Mr. Marinakis wants the Europa League-winning version of his fellow Greek. 

It’s getting to the point where people wonder how long this can continue if Ange isn’t solely to blame because he was handed a team that was arranged to play nearly exactly the opposite manner he wants to. 

One point separates Forest from the drop zone, and with Burnley, in 18th position, playing Leeds this weekend, there’s a fair probability that Forest will be in the bottom three come Saturday night.

Postecoglou’s Forest will probably need to defeat Chelsea in Saturday’s midday kickoff in order to avoid that. 

The team Postecoglou has lost to all four times he has tried is Chelsea, who defeated Liverpool the previous time out. 

According to reports, Marinakis has other choices in the works, and Postecoglou can lose his job again if his victory percentage stays at zero.

Is Manchester City a serious contender for the championship?

Under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City is currently more confused than ever. You would have staked everything you owned on them winning the title until roughly a year ago, but going into this campaign, there is a lot more fear surrounding them as a result of a Rodri-inspired collapse. 

After losing two of their first three games, that scepticism was validated, but City has since quietly emerged as the league’s top team. 

With Erling Haaland scoring in his previous ten games, having a Norwegian scoring machine up front has helped the team win three of their last four games.

It’s also obvious that City has altered his approach to bring out the best in him. They are no longer opposed to pumping it long to the big guy, unlike in the past when Haaland would have been fed in after a string of quick, complex passes. 

It is now a test to see if this new-look City side can make a significant title challenge, as Haaland’s skill was never in doubt. 

They are currently in fifth place, three points behind leaders Arsenal, and bookmakers still rank them as the third favourite. 

If City wants to establish themselves as serious competitors, they should easily win their next home games against Everton and away games against Aston Villa.

Will Wolves end up in the bottom?

After Wolves lost their first four league games, Vitor Pereira signed a new three-year contract, something that rarely happens when a manager with 0 points is rewarded with a new contract. 

Since then, things have improved, but only by two points, and Wolves now face the serious possibility of becoming the first non-promoted team to be demoted since 2023. 

Wolves supporters have other reasons to be optimistic: Burnley has already played Liverpool, City, and Spurs, and they have a few more advantageous games coming up; West Ham has a new manager; and the Forest collapse will eventually stop.

It seems like an early six-pointer when Wolves visit to Sunderland this weekend. Wolves’ issue is that the Black Cats, who are presently ranked ninth in the league, have not gotten the memo about promoted teams dropping right back down. 

Leeds thrashed Wolves 3-1 at home in their first game against a promoted team, but we are approaching the point in the season where you can start to fall behind. Wolves will remain at the bottom with many eyes on the slide if they lose.