Definitely the biggest match this weekend and possibly of the season given the clubs are separated by only one point and first and second in the table. If City are to win the title again they have to beat Liverpool in front of the Kop fans which they have only achieved once in 22 visits.
Big talking point is Mo Salah’s return from injury. He has been out for 12 of the last 13 games and he played 47 minutes against Brentford last weekend, scoring one and making one assist. Mo has scored in five of the six previous Premier League matches between these two sides. Pep Guardiola is hoping that Salah does not make the starting line-up as it will give Nathan Ake an easier time against Harvey Elliott who to be fair has played well on the right wing in the Egyptian’s absence.
For Mo not to play would be the equivalent of Haaland or De Bryune not playing for City, he is that influential and his absence would give City a mental boost. Jurgen Klopp has asked Mo’s national team Egypt not to include him in this month’s international matches because he is still not 100% fit and his muscle injury continues to be a worry. Dominik Szoboszial and Wataru Endo are back to replace the Red’s stand-in youngsters. Diogo Jota, Ryan Gravenberch, Thiago Alcantara and Curtis Jones all remain on the injury list but this game will be exhilarating.
Pep Guardiola will again feature Phil Foden as the focal player upfront with Kevin De Bryune and Rodri feeding him those vital passes. Foden is having the season of his life and will definitely play for England shortly with the England manager Gareth Southgate structuring his attacking midfield strategy around the 22 year old. He suffered a dead leg in the Brentford game but has run it off in training this week. Jeremy Doku did not face Copenhagen during the week after feeling pain in his hamstring. Guardiola will assess his chances of playing against Liverpool but if he is missing either Julian Alvarez or Oscar Bobb could replace him.
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Thomas is back to join the party at Arsenal
Following a successful comeback introduction after 65 minutes, Thomas Partey is looking to partner Declan Rice in Arsenal’s midfield for the home match against Brentford. Mikel Arteta said, “They only played in the Community Shield together in midfield and that tells you how much we have missed Thomas. The impact he can have for the next three months can be really big.” Jorginho has done a very good job holding the centre between Rice and Odegaard but Partey was always Arteta’s preferred option. The coach again defended his strategy of playing without a recognised No9 striker as he pointed out that five of the Gunner’s goals against Sheffield United were scored by different players, Odegaard, Martinelli, Havertz, Rice and White. This week Declan Rice backed up Arteta’s decision not buy a No9 in January. Gabriel Jesus deputised for Martinelli and operated as a more recognised striker however he missed a score of chances and is likely to be a sub this weekend against Brentford who are going through a poor patch and are only six points above the relegation zone.
Both Saka and Martinelli were in the medical room this week. Saka felt ill during the Brentford game and Arteta said he felt sick and not well so was withdrawn. Martinelli sustained a cut on his foot. Both players will be assessed before the Saturday game against Brentford.
Ten Hag’s fight for survival
Erik Ten Hag’s job at Manchester United is hanging by a thread. We are entering the final straight of the Premier League season and United will be hard pushed to win anything. The INEOS boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe has begun his reign and Ten Hag is in the spotlight. Players at the club do not believe Ten Hag will be in charge next season and they still criticise his intense training programme which, they say, leaves them exhausted. They also blame Ten Hag for the 47 cases of injury which they think is due to fatigue after 62 games last season and Ten Hag’s punishing training regime. United legend Paul Scholes agrees with the players that Ten Hag will be gone by the summer. The new man has already brought in management changes and has a short list of potential candidates to take over as coach. The whisper around Old Trafford at the moment is the name of Zinedine Zidane. The former Real Madrid boss accomplished much at the Bernabeu, winning three La Liga titles before falling out with the club’s hierarchy. Ratcliffe is a big fan of Zidane who has been out of work for nearly two years. The problem is that he does not like England and consequently never learned the language properly. However, the appointment of new director Jean-Claude Blanc has caused Zidane to think again. The former Juventus CEO has joined the board of United, he and Zidane keep in touch and I can reveal that he is talking to Zidane about the possibility of him coming to Manchester.
As for Ten Hag: he has to improve United’s results and his overall strategy and if he doesn’t then Ratcliffe will move to replace him.
De Zerbi works with Ferguson
It is often said that a youngster introduced to the Premier League will get a ‘free’ season before opponents work out the way they play and coaches and assistants research their strengths and weaknesses. That applies to Brighton’s Evan Ferguson who is a brilliant prospect and last season he scored 10 goals in 25 appearances but this time has been reduced to six in 32 so far. He is too good not to recover his previous form however Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi has decided that he will spend more time in training with the youngster and perhaps even give him a rest for a couple of games but the manager’s problem is that Brighton are going through a rough patch which culminated in a 3-0 defeat to Fulham. They face a suffering Nottingham Forest team on Saturday which De Zerbi said they will win and keep their 9th place in the table and could, if results go their way, see them climb above both West Ham and Newcastle.
Sheffield’s broken and damaged seniors
It will take a miracle to save Sheffield United and Burnley from the relegation drop.
Sheffield’s coach Chris Wilder admitted that following his side’s 0-6 thrashing to Arsenal at home on Monday evening he is going to bring more youngsters into the team for the rest of the season. Blades supporters started leaving the stadium after only 15 minutes when they were already three goals down to the Gunners! Wilder described his senior players as “broken and damaged”. Three consecutive home defeats by five goals or more has never been seen in professional football before. However, Wilder said his best performers were youngsters Andre Brooks, Will Osula and Oliver Arblaster who will form the backbone of his survival strategy until the end of the season. This is the time of the season that owners of failing clubs usually ring big Sam Allardyce to come and rescue them but it is too late even for that.
Burnley stick by Vincent Kompany
Joining Sheffield United back in the Championship next season will be Burnley, barring another miracle. They are still on five home points and might well beat Sunderland’s dreadful PL record of seven at the Stadium of Light in 2005-06. Burnley are 11 points from safety and only a huge reduction of points for Everton and Nottingham Forest for breaking the profitability and sustainability rules, might save them. The Burnley board of directors have been totally supportive of coach Vincent Kompany and still believe that he is the right man to take the club forward but a rebuild will have to come from the lower league if indeed they are relegated. The board believe the young squad Kompany has built will automatically return to the Premier League as they did last season where they destroyed most of the opposition.
