Premier League: 10 things to watch this weekend

Veltman can lead the Seagulls to second place

Fabian Hürzeler has named Joël Veltman as one of the most underrated players in the Premier League as Brighton prepare to face bottom side Southampton on Friday. “He knows what to do to win games,” Hürzeler said of the Dutch defender, who has started all but one of Brighton’s league matches so far. Veltman – who spent eight years at Ajax before joining the Amex in 2020 for £900,000 – is 11 months older than his manager and his experience has proven invaluable alongside him in the captain’s absence, Lewis Dunk, due to injury. He is expected to return against Russell Martin’s side as Brighton bid to record a fourth clean sheet of the Championship season, not forgetting to take the opportunity to move up to second in the table ahead of the remainder of the weekend’s fixtures -end. Ed Aarons

A new era of the Foxes under Van Nistelrooy?

Without any previous association with Nottingham Forest, Ruud van Nistelrooy would likely be a popular appointment at the King Power Stadium, with all evidence available at the time of writing suggesting the Dutchman’s first game in charge of Leicester could even take place in the improbable fortress which is the Gtech community stadium. During his tenure as interim manager of Manchester United, Van Nistelrooy has made no attempt to hide his enthusiasm for the job and brings trophy experience to Leicester having won the Dutch Cup in his only season at the head of PSV Eindhoven. Tactically flexible with all the players at his disposal, Van Nistelrooy’s preferred style is to combine quick attacking intent with defensive solidity and could quickly endear himself to a fan base that has quickly grown tired of Steve Cooper’s defensive approach. The approach he takes against the team with the best home record in the top flight will be intriguing. Barry Glendenning

Palace want returns to boost their chances

Even though performances have improved, Oliver Glasner will be concerned that wins have yet to materialize for Crystal Palace. The Austrian hopes Eberechi Eze can make his return against Newcastle after a hamstring injury which has sidelined him since the win over Aston Villa in the EFL Cup last month, with Adam Wharton also closing in on a return for a series of difficult matches. over the coming weeks this includes trips to Ipswich and Brighton, as well as home games against Manchester City and Arsenal. A repeat of April’s 2-0 win over Newcastle at Selhurst Park thanks to two goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta would calm nerves in south London, with Ismaïla Sarr likely to start for a fourth successive match after his first goal in Premier League, against Villa. last week. EA

Old school strikers at City Ground

After suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time this season, Nottingham Forest welcome Ipswich to the City Ground and will be hoping to rediscover the defensive mojo that served them so well before their recent setbacks. Having conceded just seven goals in their first 10 matches of the campaign, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have conceded six in their last two and, in Liam Delap, Forest’s central defensive duo of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic will have to face a handful of people. Strong as a bull and a formidable ball carrier who is as fast as he is fearless, the Ipswich striker’s battle against one of the league’s most impressive defensive partnerships this season should be a gripping one. In Chris Wood, Forest have a relatively aged bulldozer of their own and with the two in-form centre-forwards responsible for half of their teams’ combined Premier League goal tally of 28, this could be a classic battle between the big men . B.G.

Cunha gives wolves an enhanced bite

Wolves’ top-flight games have seen 48 goals this season, more than any other team, but more importantly for Gary O’Neil, his side have proven themselves to be real entertainers in recent weeks. Wolves have scored six goals in their last two matches, with Matheus Cunha contributing half of them, but in truth their scoring ability has never been the main cause for concern. Only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka this season have been involved in more goals than Cunha, who has seven goals and three assists. Wolves have kept just one clean sheet in the league and, out of necessity, their captain Mario Lemina dropped to centre-back in the win over Fulham last time out. As Santiago Bueno and Craig Dawson return to form ahead of hosting Bournemouth, Wolves suddenly look up. Andoni Iraola knows this well, since he started the month by beating Manchester City. Ben Fisher

Soler offers ray of light for West Ham

There was no unanimous agreement at West Ham over the decision to sign Carlos Soler on loan from Paris Saint-Germain last summer. Julen Lopetegui wanted the Spanish midfielder but others were not as convinced. Some members of the recruitment department had their eyes on Carney Chukwuemeka, the Chelsea midfielder. Yet Lopetegui succeeded and the first sign he might have made the right choice came in West Ham’s win over Newcastle on Monday. Soler had not admired the pace of the Premier League before. He was taken off at half-time against Manchester United last month, but was impressive against Newcastle. Playing a central role, Soler’s quick thinking in possession made West Ham more adept with the ball. Lopetegui hopes the resurgence continues against Arsenal. Jacob Steinberg

The rotation of egos, a test for Maresca

It’s a delicate balancing act for Enzo Maresca at Chelsea. Enzo Fernández was out for a while, then again. The midfielder has five assists in three games, dampening rumors of a move away from Stamford Bridge. For Maresca, however, it is not easy to satisfy everyone on his team. João Félix looked miffed at not coming off the bench against Arsenal earlier this month. The Portuguese striker made a surprise debut against Leicester last week, with Pedro Neto unavailable, but what about Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk and Jadon Sancho? There have been rumors in recent weeks that Nkunku is frustrated by his lack of playing time. Sancho, meanwhile, has not started in over a month and Mudryk remains an enigma. Will there be any chances against Aston Villa? Maresca has plenty of attacking options and things are going well at the moment, but managing his team’s egos will challenge the Italian. J.S.

Amorim hopes to bloom the desert of purpose

In this third match of a fledgling tenure at Manchester United, Ruben Amorim will hope to see firm signs of the ‘idea’ of playing to which he refers taking hold in his players. The priority in this vision must be to create more chances because United are barren when they advance, a desert in front of goal. Sean Dyche prepares his teams pragmatically, so Everton, just five points behind the hosts, will be a good test. Dyche will be plotting to turn United around on their own turf, and with Old Trafford hoping that, finally, Amorim can be the man, it should be a fascinating watch. Jamie Jackson

It’s time for Forster to shine against Fulham

Tottenham have won six and lost five of their 12 Premier League matches this season, their only draw coming against Leicester in an opening game they could have lost but for two fine saves from Guglielmo Vicario. The Italian goalkeeper will be out for the foreseeable future, with his fractured ankle the big cloud that overshadowed Tottenham’s fine win over Manchester City last weekend. The task of Vicario’s backup will likely fall to Fraser Forster, a situation which has sparked widespread angst over the 36-year-old’s ability – or lack thereof – to play a style of football where he is required to throw shots. short passes. to his defenders. Ange Postecoglou dismissed such concerns, telling reporters it was a skill more about mindset than ability. No doubt aware of concerns about the drop in quality between him and Vicario, now is the time for Tottenham’s imposing back-up goalkeeper to demonstrate that he can also be imposing mentally. B.G.

Highest threat level for Guardiola

Arne Slot brought the Midas touch to Liverpool but, of all the achievements of his remarkable debut, none would surpass the odds of breaking Manchester City’s four-year grip on the Premier League title on the first day of December. The prospect of going 11 points clear of the champions with an 18th victory in 20 matches under Slot makes it a hugely anticipated and consequential moment for Liverpool. Yet the stakes are even higher for City. Five defeats in six games and a late collapse to draw against Slot’s former club Feyenoord have drained the confidence of Pep Guardiola’s players. Without Rodri, they look as fragile as Liverpool did following the loss of Virgil van Dijk to a season-ending ACL injury in 2020. Josko Gvardiol’s error-strewn performances are an additional problem for Guardiola, who must decide whether to risk playing the Croatian against Mohamed Salah. City’s famous rebuilding powers are just an illusion for now. We must find them at Anfield, where Guardiola has never imposed himself in front of an audience. Andy Hunter