Alex Keble looks at the main talking points for the weekend's matches.
New-manager bounce at Forest?
The outpouring of affection for Steve Cooper following his dismissal this week is testament to the extraordinary job he did at Nottingham Forest.
On his arrival in September 2021 Forest, rotting away in their 14th-straight season in the Championship, were bottom of the table with one point from seven matches. Less than eight months later they were a Premier League side again.
But football churns relentlessly, and there is barely time to say goodbye before Nuno Espirito Santo kicks off the new era this weekend.
Nuno is remembered for a disastrous four-month spell at Tottenham Hotspur, but he was very successful at Wolverhampton Wanderers before that and certainly from a tactical perspective he is a good fit for the Nott'm Forest squad.
Influenced heavily by playing under Jose Mourinho when Porto won the UEFA Champions League in 2004, Nuno deploys a conservative shape, focusing on defensive solidity and rapid counter-attacks.
Forest have the attacking talent – Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi – to play that way, and indeed AFC Bournemouth are ideal first opponents.
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Andoni Iraola’s side will be happy holding possession and, pressing hard, could be vulnerable to sudden changes of tempo and fast breaks from Nuno’s side.
But having been in the job for just a couple of days, Nuno’s main hope will be for a new-manager bounce.
With Forest only five points above the relegation zone, and having played a match more than 18th-placed Luton Town, as well as being winless in six matches, he’s going to need it.
Will Liverpool stabilise title hopes or fall behind?
A huge top-of-the-table encounter has more riding on it than your usual six-pointer. For Jurgen Klopp’s side, it is a vital test of whether "Liverpool 2.0", as he brands them, is really ready to challenge Arsenal.
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Liverpool’s 0-0 draw with Manchester United was a disappointing result that asks serious questions of their title credentials. Not for the first time this month Liverpool looked a little out of sorts, making poor decisions in the final third and lacking fluency through midfield.
Arsenal, by contrast, look more solid and self-assured than ever. Thanks to Declan Rice they are averaging 0.88 goals conceded per match, down from 1.13 last season, and as Kai Havertz clicks with Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal are in full flow going forward, too.
There is no doubt Mikel Arteta’s side will go the distance this time. But Liverpool look more vulnerable, open both to chaos (such as the 4-3 win against Fulham) and a difficult slog, with the 1-1 draw with Luton a case in point.
Klopp needs a statement performance here to prove his team are capable of winning the title - and to prove that the 0-0 against Man Utd was a one-off.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +62 | 91 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +62 | 89 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +45 | 82 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
Can Kudus & Paqueta trouble Man Utd?
The 0-0 draw with Liverpool offers brief respite for Erik ten Hag but the tactical battle plan that worked at Anfield simply cannot be deployed against West Ham United: there is no chance David Moyes will allow Man Utd to sit deep and absorb pressure.
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Instead, it will be a return to the higher-tempo, high-pressing ideals that Ten Hag had been attempting in 2023/24 prior to the sudden change of tack against Bayern Munich and Liverpool. The pattern on Saturday will, without a doubt, be Man Utd possession versus West Ham counter-attacks.
The hosts will fancy their chances. Man Utd have won only two of their last six away matches against West Ham and were beaten 1-0 at London Stadium in May. They have also failed to score in three of their four matches in December so far.
West Ham, then, should be able to stand firm against any Man Utd pressure before breaking quickly via Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta: in-form wingers who will enjoy cutting inside to target the visitors’ vulnerable central midfield.
Sofyan Amrabat has struggled to settle, which unfairly puts pressure on the talented 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo. Moyes will instruct Kudus and Paqueta to move infield and hit the half-spaces around these two, combining with centre-forward Jarrod Bowen to hit Man Utd on the break.
There is every chance it will work, and yet Ten Hag cannot afford to lose. A record of just four points from the previous five Premier League matches doesn’t bare thinking about.
Can Spurs cope with Everton’s physicality?
Just when Ange Postecoglou thought things were back on track, another problem comes along. Yves Bissouma’s second red card of the season means he will miss the next four Premier League matches, effectively ruling him out until after the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
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Bissouma has attempted more tackles and made more interceptions than any other Spurs player, with 50 and 20 respectively, and he has also won 69 per cent of his aerial duels, a team-leading total.
That last statistic is particularly pertinent for the visit of Sean Dyche’s Everton, who tend to pump long passes up towards Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the hope of winning the second-balls.
Fortunately for Spurs, Abdoulaye Doucoure, who is Everton’s top scorer with six in the league this season, is sidelined with a thigh injury. James Garner and Amadou Onana are, however, sure to lurk in precisely the areas where Bissouma’s absence will be felt.
Only Spurs, with 18, have collected more away points this season than the 16 of Everton, who have also won their last four consecutive Premier League matches.
Here is a huge early test of how a Bissouma-less Spurs will get on in the month ahead.
Will Luton capitalise on Newcastle’s tired legs?
Newcastle United look exhausted. Two more players, Fabian Schar and Joelinton, hobbled off with soft-tissue injuries within the first 40 minutes of their 3-0 victory over Fulham last weekend, which incidentally was the Magpies' only win in their last five matches in all competitions.
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Eddie Howe’s side have been leggy of late, which has contributed to a run of only one win from their last 10 Premier League away matches.
Newcastle have been beaten in each of their last two, 3-0 at Everton and 4-1 at Spurs, and haven’t lost three in a row since January 2021.
Luton must capitalise on this weakness. Kenilworth Road has proved to be a tough place to visit recently, with Arsenal scraping a 4-3 win following Liverpool’s 1-1 draw and Crystal Palace’s 2-1 defeat, the Hatters' first home victory in the Premier League.
But for Rob Edwards’ side to press home their advantage over these tired Newcastle players, they will need to show greater focus across the 90 minutes.
Luton have conceded a league-high 75 per cent of their goals after half-time (24/32), while nobody has scored more in the second half of matches than the 23 goals of Newcastle.
Jimenez absence to give Burnley chance of rare win?
The good vibes brought on by consecutive 5-0 victories against Nott'm Forest and West Ham were smashed to the ground by Raul Jimenez’s flying challenge against Newcastle last weekend.
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Jimenez’s goals were a big part of Fulham’s revival and they are likely to struggle over the next three matches without him, which hands Burnley the rare chance of away points.
And the Clarets desperately need them.
Vincent Kompany’s men have picked up a meagre two points from 15 matches against sides who were in the top flight last season. More damning still, Burnley’s eight points after 17 matches is their second-worst points tally in the Premier League.
It won’t be long before serious questions are asked of the manager.
How does Pochettino avoid backward step?
For Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea, this campaign has been a never-ending sequence of one step forward, one step back. Only twice in the whole of 2023 have Chelsea won back-to-back Premier League matches.
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The 2-0 victory over Sheffield United last weekend was an important one, but it will count for little if it is followed by a fourth consecutive away defeat.
Worryingly, Wolves, who beat Chelsea 1-0 back in April, are unbeaten in their last six at home, winning three and drawing three, and have scored in each of their last 15 league matches at Molineux.
It’s been a miserable 2023 for Chelsea supporters but it could yet end with a bang. Should they win on Saturday, Pochettino will hope they can ride that momentum at home to Palace and at Luton in their final two matches of the year.
Three wins from three and suddenly things will feel very different at Stamford Bridge.