Senne Lammens directs his defence during a wet afternoon at Old Trafford. Photograph: Colorsport\/Alan Martin\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Liverpool\u2019s curious transfer strategy<\/p>\n
Oliver Glasner said he would celebrate the closure of the transfer window with a pint on Wednesday night. Andoni Iraola would surely be tempted to join his Nottingham Forest counterpart \u2013 perhaps in Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem<\/a> \u2013 were it not for the distance between them. It underlines the strangeness of Liverpool\u2019s recent transfer strategy that the understandable excitement generated by Bradley Barcola\u2019s impending \u00a3123m arrival<\/a> from Paris Saint-Germain is offset by concern over the gaps in Iraola\u2019s squad that have not been filled \u2013 right-wing, right-back and central midfield being the most obvious ones. The need to improve in all three departments was evident as Liverpool had to fight back to salvage a late 2-2 draw<\/a> for the second Premier League game in succession. \u201cWe don\u2019t know what the squad is going to be on 2 September,\u201d said Iraola, surely holding out hope that wingers are not the only incomings before Tuesday. \u201cI think every analysis I can make is when I know and when everything finishes, when I will know who is going to be here all the season or until January.\u201d Andy Hunter<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Alonso brushes off need to keep the ball<\/p>\n Chelsea prioritised control under Enzo Maresca but they have been counterattacking under Xabi Alonso. They have had little of the ball during the Spaniard\u2019s first two league games. Chelsea<\/a> had 38.1% possession during last week\u2019s win over Fulham and 25% when they beat Brighton on Sunday, although Alonso insists this is not a strategy. \u201cYou need context to data,\u201d he said after the Brighton game. \u201cAfter 30 minutes we have scored [to make it] 3-0. Probably, in that moment, we have played too much with the result, instead of keep playing. But it is never that approach, I don\u2019t say today we need to have 60% or 20%.\u201d Jacob Steinberg<\/p>\n Cole Palmer celebrates scoring with Morgan Rogers. Photograph: David Klein\/Reuters<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Armstrong saga sets out battle lines<\/p>\n Deciding not to sell Harrison Armstrong will quell unrest at Everton for now but perhaps not for long. Factions are apparent. David Moyes has been on the defensive since the chief executive, Angus Kinnear, said the Friedkin ownership group saw last season as a \u201cfailure\u201d. Moyes aligned himself with those fans at Bournemouth<\/a> threatening to protest should Armstrong be sold to Nottingham Forest. Selling a local boy for \u201cpure profit\u201d was beyond the pale. \u201cI\u2019d say the manager\u2019s an Evertonian,\u201d Moyes said. \u201cSupporters aren\u2019t always wrong.\u201d His harking back to harmonious working relationships at Preston and his initial spell at Everton was pointed. A manager who faced criticism as Everton slumped in the closing months of the season threw it back to his employers. \u201cI have said we could do with strengthening,\u201d he said, after a performance where the lack of a proper right-back was apparent. The remainder of the transfer window, in which Everton have little wriggle room, may deepen battle lines. John Brewin<\/p>\n Harrison Armstrong applauds the fans who sang for him all match. Photograph: Matt Impey\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Jaissle bedding in swiftly at Newcastle<\/p>\n Matthias Jaissle laughed when asked if he felt a responsibility to develop players who had signed for the club before he had. \u201cThe job of the coach is to get the best out of your players,\u201d the Newcastle manager replied. With all the focus before Saturday\u2019s game on summer spends and squads in transition, Jaissle built victory over Spurs<\/a> with revitalised performances from players written off after poor seasons. Yoane Wissa led the line with ferocious energy, Anthony Elanga took his chance coolly to open the scoring. There was also an energetic showing from Joe Willock, and even an assist for the maligned Nick Woltemade. New signings were impressive too \u2013 notably Nico Gonz\u00e1lez and his range of passing \u2013 with more to be bedded in still. But Jaissle has shown he can build a team from the parts available, an achievement that can make victories feel all the more sweeter. It is notable that the Toon Army seem very much onboard with their German head coach already. Paul MacInnes<\/p>\n Allow Instagram content?<\/p>\n This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Hull keep playing to their strengths<\/p>\n Two games, two wins, two clean sheets: what is the secret ingredient in Hull\u2019s winning formula? They have an eclectic squad and Sergej Jakirovic wants to add at least a right-back and another goalkeeper before Tuesday\u2019s transfer deadline. Jakirovic said his head was exploding due to the hectic window and joked his proposed new three-year contract remains unsigned because the ink in his office has run dry owing to 13 summer arrivals. At Coventry on Saturday<\/a>, Hull registered fewer shots than Frank Lampard\u2019s side and fewer touches in the opposition 18-yard box, and made 182 passes to their opponent\u2019s 501. Liam Millar\u2019s winner was courtesy of a superb counterattack and Hull undeniably played to their strengths. \u201cWe prefer letting the other team have the ball and just defending,\u201d said the striker Oli McBurnie. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen teams dominate the ball in the Championship, come into the Premier League and try to use the same style and it\u2019s really, really difficult. It\u2019s not all about looking pretty and having a million passes.\u201d Ben Fisher<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a>Free newsletter | Every weekday<\/p>\n Sign up to Football Daily<\/p>\n Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Unsettled Palace await crunch week<\/p>\n Crystal Palace are in a tricky spot. Daniel Mu\u00f1oz looks ready to join Nottingham Forest, Galatasaray want Isma\u00efla Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta is injured. Sarr and Mateta, a duo responsible for the large bulk of Palace\u2019s goals last season, missed the defeat by Manchester City<\/a> and their absence was felt in attack. Eddie Nketiah was wasteful and J\u00f8rgen Strand Larsen was ineffective. Pierre Sage, beaten in his first two games after replacing Oliver Glasner as manager, could do with reinforcements arriving before the window shuts. Axel Disasi should make a difference once he slots into a defence weakened by Maxence Lacroix\u2019s departure, but it has been a worrying start for Palace. JS<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n Farke\u2019s nous can match Leeds\u2019 ambition<\/p>\n Premier League managers rarely get the acclaim when things are going well but on Sunday afternoon, it felt right to shine a deserved spotlight on Leeds\u2019 manager, Daniel Farke, after they continued their unbeaten start to the season. Farke\u2019s decision to revert to a back five last November against Manchester City<\/a> was a turning point in Leeds\u2019 season and his own time in charge. It is not an exaggeration to suggest Farke was under extreme pressure at that stage, but his show of flexibility ultimately saved his job. He showed that tactical flexibility again on Sunday. Leeds were outplayed by Brentford in the first half before Farke switched from a five to a four at the back. The result was a much better second-half showing, a deserved equaliser from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and a point Leeds were good value for. Leeds are a hugely ambitious club, and that ambition may rear its head again before the window shuts on Tuesday. The early evidence appears to be they have a manager who can match that ambition. Aaron Bower<\/p>\n Daniel Farke\u2019s tactical change helped spur Leeds on to score an equaliser via Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/p>\n 9<\/p>\n Mukiele proving to be Black Cats\u2019 bargain<\/p>\n Football \u2013 like life \u2013 is full of mysteries. How, for instance, did Sunderland end up paying only \u00a312m to sign Nordi Mukiele from Paris Saint-Germain last summer? And how has the 28-year-old right-back or centre-half \u2013 who spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen \u2013 won only one France cap? Mukiele was deployed in central defense as Sunderland beat Fulham 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday and he proved absolutely outstanding, making a couple of goal-preventing blocks. \u00c1lvaro Arbeloa was left thoroughly dejected after suffering two defeats in his first two matches as a Premier League<\/a> manager. \u201cI was really impressed with Nordi and I told him this,\u201d said R\u00e9gis Le Bris, Sunderland\u2019s manager. \u201cNordi showed us today that he\u2019s a great player.\u201d Sunday\u2019s man of the match ranks as one of the biggest Premier League bargain signings of recent years. Louise Taylor<\/p>\n 10<\/p>\n Davis\u2019s form could catch Tuchel\u2019s eye<\/p>\n Considering the general dearth when it comes to English left-backs, Ipswich\u2019s Leif Davis has spent a long time under the radar. Back in the Premier League and facing some of the world\u2019s best opponents, the full-back looks stylish in both directions. He is competent in defence, diligently holding his position and giving wingers a difficult time but can also push forward, proved by his opener at Old Trafford, in addition to an array of fine passing, long and short. If Thomas Tuchel is short of options over the course of this season, Davis could and should become more prominent in his thoughts if his form continues. WU<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1 Calming influence at Old Trafford Amid the concerns at Manchester United, one player unquestioned is Senne Lammens.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":875303,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":["post-875302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1788201504_382_500.jpg\")
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