Can Wirtz find his best for Liverpool?<\/p>\n
Florian Wirtz is easing himself into his second season at Liverpool after a forgettable first. There were signs of promise against Nottingham Forest<\/a>, where he set up the second equaliser and would have had a goal of his own if not for an offside in the buildup. It is clear the German needs to become more influential as a No 10 given the quality of players he has around him, especially after the expensive arrival of Bradley Barcola<\/a> this week. Bruno Fernandes showed there is plenty of fun for an attacking midfielder to have against Ipswich and Wirtz can follow suit as a protagonist. Liverpool have drawn both their opening fixtures 2-2 and need something to kickstart their campaign, with a Friday night visit to promoted opposition a fine place to start. Wirtz should cause problems but, if he does not, the internal competition will be after his spot. Will Unwin<\/p>\n Red Bull gives you wings<\/p>\n Verticality, intensity and hard pressing are likely to be the order of the day at St James\u2019 Park, where two German graduates of the Red Bull stable meet on Saturday at lunchtime. Newcastle\u2019s new manager, Matthias Jaissle, is a former head coach of Red Bull Salzburg, while Bournemouth\u2019s Marco Rose has managed Salzburg and, more recently, RB Leipzig. \u201cWe have the same idea of how we want to play football,\u201d said Jaissle \u2013 and Rose knows what to expect from Eddie Howe\u2019s successor. \u201cMatthias and me were several years in the style of Red Bull,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone knows how we work. You can see it clearly. He\u2019s a good coach. He\u2019s brought his ideas really quickly into the Newcastle team. They are playing quite intense, they have clear pressing patterns that are different from before.\u201d Louise Taylor<\/p>\n Matthias Jaissle is looking for his first back-to-back league wins with Newcastle. Photograph: MI News\/NurPhoto\/ShutterstockBees plot left-wing raid on Black Cats<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s meeting between two of the Premier League\u2019s best-run clubs, Brentford and Sunderland, promises to one of the best contests of the weekend, with both sides physical, technical and superbly coached. Brentford, in particular, have made a terrific start to the season, the left side of their team looking especially dangerous. Keane Lewis-Potter provides impetus from full-back, with Mamadou Sangar\u00e9 backing up strong ball-winning and carrying with intelligent passing, while Kevin Schade offers a threat in behind and, increasingly, in front of goal. All of which suggests a difficult afternoon for Thomas Meunier, Sunderland\u2019s likely right-back who, at 34, has plenty of experience but might struggle with the athletic questions asked of him. He will, though, be able to rely on assistance from Noah Sadiki, whose nous, work ethic and running power will be invaluable in defending Sunderland\u2019s right flank. How that battle plays out will go a long way towards deciding the game. Daniel Harris<\/p>\n Chema looks another astute Brighton buy<\/p>\n We can be sure any player Brighton buy has delivered the data metrics employed by the owner, Tony Bloom. But Chema Andr\u00e9s, the 21-year-old midfielder just signed from Stuttgart, also nails the eye test. Signed for \u00a318.9m, it\u2019s already tempting to speculate how sizeable the mark-up will be when Brighton sell him on. If we remember we\u2019re talking about a sport, it\u2019s impossible not to be excited about what the former Real Madrid academy midfielder brings to Fabian H\u00fcrzeler\u2019s team. A No 6 of the old school, Chema offers economical movement but extravagant intelligence, evident in his passing and anticipation. Even if this weekend\u2019s game against Leeds comes too early for him to be handed a start, he will make an impact soon enough. DH<\/p>\n Brighton v Leeds (Saturday 3pm)<\/p>\n An early basement battle at the Cottage<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a tricky summer for Crystal Palace despite their Conference League win. Oliver Glasner has gone, with two key defenders in Daniel Mu\u00f1oz and Maxence Lacroix also departing and Jean-Philippe Mateta and Isma\u00efla Sarr trying their best to join them. This upheaval has left Pierre Sage, whose existing relationship with Malick Fofana wasn\u2019t enough to secure the Lyon winger\u2019s signature<\/a>, with major problems. The former Lens coach is seeking to replace the club\u2019s most successful manager while learning what works in a new league, with new players and without three mainstays. It wasn\u2019t especially surprising to see Palace lose their first two matches, while Fulham have also been beaten twice while seeking to bed in a new coach and arrivals. More troubling for both teams is that the promoted sides look competitive. Hull and Ipswich have performed well and won games, while Coventry are better than they\u2019ve shown so far. Though it\u2019s far too early to talk about relegation, this already feels like a game of significance for two sides struggling for momentum. DH<\/p>\n Fulham v Crystal Palace<\/a> (Saturday 3pm)<\/p>\n Graphic showing Fulham and Crystal Palace second and fourth respectively among the favourites for relegation, according to Opta data<\/a>O\u2019Reilly to step into Rodri role for City?<\/p>\n Manchester City spent more than \u00a3300m on new midfielders in this transfer window, but look light in the No 6 role, with Rodri and Nico Gonz\u00e1lez both departing. Ayyoub Bouaddi, bought as Rodri\u2019s long-term successor, is only 18, so Enzo Maresca\u2019s plan is to ease him into first-team action. The Manchester City<\/a> manager deployed Marc Gu\u00e9hi in a holding midfield role against Bournemouth, and is also confident Nico O\u2019Reilly can switch from left-back to operate there. O\u2019Reilly may line up at the base of midfield for Coventry\u2019s visit, with City seeking a third straight win. Maresca is also not fazed by Omar Marmoush\u2019s departure on an initial loan to Spurs, with Iliman Ndiaye arriving on deadline day and Antoine Semenyo also an able deputy centre-forward if Erling Haaland is unavailable. Jamie Jackson<\/p>\n Manchester City v Coventry (Saturday 3pm)<\/p>\n Delap to be thrown in against shaky Spurs<\/p>\n Liam Delap came off the bench against Liverpool and helped create Nottingham Forest\u2019s second goal with quick thinking from a throw-in. The striker cost \u00a345m from Chelsea but missed out on an intense pre-season after Xabi Alonso decided he was surplus to requirements, so needs to build fitness. Considering Tottenham\u2019s major flaws thus far, it would make sense for Delap to be given the chance to spearhead the Forest attack. The former England Under-21 international is the ideal No 9, quick, strong and a capable finisher, but needs to get all these attributes sharpened up. An outing against a fragile opponent could speed up the process. Tottenham are bottom of the league having conceded five and scored none in two games, and compared to Chris Wood or Igor Jesus, Delap is a far scarier foe, as Oliver Glasner will know. WU<\/p>\n Nottingham Forest v Tottenham (Saturday 3pm)<\/p>\n Six points, seven signings for happy Hull<\/p>\n They may have nabbed two wins in as many games upon their return to the Premier League but Hull were still not happy with their squad, seven new players arriving in the final week of the window. That means the Tigers have made 19 signings since promotion, which is an impressive turnover in personnel. Sergej Jakirovic needs to decide whether to incorporate these potential upgrades into his starting XI as soon as possible or make them earn the shirts from those who have accumulated six points. No one has let down the head coach or the fans over 180 minutes, so it would be harsh to drop anyone but, equally, having spent so much money on acquisitions, it could be argued that the sooner they get on the pitch, the quicker they will gel. It is not an easy decision for Jakirovic to make but he values loyalty and will want to challenge the mentality of the new arrivals \u2013 no one will walk into the side he has built. WU<\/p>\n