MANCHESTER: Liverpool boss Arne Slot faces his first major test with a trip to Manchester United on Sunday, while two of the four sides still with a perfect record meet at the Emirates as Arsenal host Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur also face off on Sunday hoping to dispel early-season doubts over their credentials for a top-four finish.
Slot has made a perfect start to the daunting task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp with two wins from his opening two Premier League games without conceding.
His first chance to seriously impress the Liverpool support comes at one of Klopp’s least favourite grounds as English football’s two most successful clubs face off at Old Trafford.
Despite Liverpool largely enjoying the superior league position during Klopp’s near nine-year reign, he won just two of his 11 away games to United.
That run included a 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final exit and a 2-2 Premier League draw last season that precipitated a Liverpool collapse in his final few months in charge.
Yet the pressure is arguably even more on the Dutch manager in the other dugout.
Erik ten Hag was backed by those at the top of United’s new sporting structure at the end of last season despite finishing eighth — the club’s worst-ever Premier League performance.
Hope of a new dawn for the Red Devils has been diminished in the opening weeks of the new campaign.
Joshua Zirkzee’s late winner on his debut at least ensured a winning start against Fulham, but a 2-1 defeat to Brighton last weekend had many of the same hallmarks that have seen United struggle previously under Ten Hag.
Another damaging defeat at home to fierce rivals will put the former Ajax boss’ future back on the agenda just three games into the new season.
Meanwhile, Brighton have become accustomed to having their best talents picked off by richer rivals in recent years but this time it is the Seagulls who have been one of the biggest spenders in the division.
New boss Fabian Hurzeler has been backed with a nearly £200 million ($264 million) spending spree on eight new signings.
That investment has been met with an immediate reward in wins over Everton and United, but 31-year-old Hurzeler is aware of the step up in class his side face on Saturday.
“They’re one of the best teams in the world at the moment,” said the youngest manager in Premier League history.
“They don’t have a lot of weaknesses, they have quality and solutions for all phases.
“We’re going to need a really good day. We’ll need individual performances, a great togetherness. We go there to win because my squad has the potential.”
Elsewhere, Tottenham’s last two trips to St James’ Park have resulted in 6-1 and 4-0 thrashings by the Magpies.
Both sides have four points from their opening two games but have a point to prove to further their ambitions of returning to the Champions League next season.
Fixtures (all times GMT): Saturday: Arsenal v Brighton and Hove Albion (1130), Brentford v Southampton, Everton v Bournemouth, Ipswich Town v Fulham, Leicester City v Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest v Wolverhampton Wanderers (all 1400), West Ham United v Manchester City (1630); Sunday Chelsea v Crystal Palace, Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur (both 1230), Manchester United v Liverpool (1500).
Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2024