Liverpool Look to End Dismal Start, Arsenal on the Up

Liverpool have been a shadow of the side that were in with a chance of a historic quadruple last season and are looking for their first Premier League win of the season at home over newboys Bournemouth Paul ELLIS AFP
Liverpool have been a shadow of the side that were in with a chance of a historic quadruple last season and are looking for their first Premier League win of the season at home over newboys Bournemouth Paul ELLIS AFP
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Liverpool Look to End Dismal Start, Arsenal on the Up

Liverpool have been a shadow of the side that were in with a chance of a historic quadruple last season and are looking for their first Premier League win of the season at home over newboys Bournemouth Paul ELLIS AFP
Liverpool have been a shadow of the side that were in with a chance of a historic quadruple last season and are looking for their first Premier League win of the season at home over newboys Bournemouth Paul ELLIS AFP

Troubled Liverpool will be desperate to get their first win of the Premier League season when they face Bournemouth on Saturday.

As the Reds splutter, leaders Arsenal, who host Fulham this weekend, have emerged as the Premier League's only team with a 100 percent winning record after three games, AFP said.

Liverpool must stop the rotJust months after coming within two games of an unprecedented quadruple, Liverpool suddenly look vulnerable after making their worst start for 10 years.

Jurgen Klopp's side were denied the Premier League title by Manchester City on the last day, then lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid, leaving them with the FA and League Cups as consolation prizes for their tilt at football immortality.

At present, Liverpool, beset by injuries, are suffering a heavy hangover from their nearly-historic season.

Unusually error-strewn draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace were followed by Monday's shock 2-1 defeat at Manchester United, who ended their own spluttering start with a dynamic display that exposed the fault-lines in Klopp's team.

The sight of James Milner giving Virgil van Dijk a tongue-lashing after Jadon Sancho scored United's opener was a jarring insight into the stresses of Liverpool's current predicament.

Toothless in attack without Sadio Mane, now at Bayern Munich, and the suspended Darwin Nunez, Liverpool were out-fought in midfield and creaky at the back.

Facing promoted Bournemouth at Anfield offers an opportunity for Liverpool to get back on track, one they must take to avoid falling even further behind in the nascent title race.

Arsenal urged to keep calmAs optimism grows in north London, Oleksandr Zinchenko has warned Arsenal not to get carried away by their surprising surge into pole position.

Ukraine left-back Zinchenko knows exactly what it takes to thrive in the Premier League after his successful spell with champions Manchester City.

Having made the switch to Arsenal in the close-season, Zinchenko and fellow former City star Gabriel Jesus have made an immediate impact on Mikel Arteta's side with their wealth of title-winning experience.

Arsenal have won their opening three matches for the first time in 18 years.

But after last weekend's eye-catching 3-0 win at Bournemouth extended Arsenal's perfect opening, Zinchenko was at pains to urge his team-mates to keep their feet on the ground.

"It's just the beginning of the season. There's a lot of games ahead of us, there's a lot of things to improve," Zinchenko said ahead of Fulham's visit to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

"We need to analyze what we have done well, what we should improve, what we should change and we know the manager is going to tell us. We need to show our best performance every single week."

Tuchel's Chelsea feeling the strainFrom touchline rows with rival managers to blaming buses for defeats, Thomas Tuchel has cut an agitated figure during Chelsea's chaotic start to the season.

Frustrated by Chelsea's failure to kill off Tottenham in a stormy draw, Tuchel earned a one-game ban after twice clashing with Antonio Conte.

A week later, Tuchel was hot under the collar again as the German made the bizarre claim that a travel snafu which forced his coaching staff to travel to Leeds by bus was partially to blame for a dismal 3-0 defeat.

With only one win from their first three games -- and that a narrow 1-0 success at struggling Everton -- Tuchel is showing signs of cracking under the strain.

He risked dressing room discontent with a critical assessment of his team's defending and keeper Edouard Mendy's costly blunder against Leeds.

In the circumstances, Leicester's visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday could be perfectly timed as the Foxes have endured an even worse start.

Brendan Rodgers' winless team are second bottom, with Wesley Fofana left out amid Chelsea's attempts to buy the center-back and James Maddison linked with a move to Newcastle.

Fixtures

Saturday (1400 unless stated)

Southampton v Manchester United (1130), Brentford v Everton, Brighton v Leeds, Chelsea v Leicester, Liverpool v Bournemouth, Manchester City v Crystal Palace, Arsenal v Fulham (1630)

Sunday (1300 unless stated)

Aston Villa v West Ham, Wolves v Newcastle, Nottingham Forest v Tottenham (1530)



Amorim Says He Would Have 63-Year-Old GK Coach on Bench for Man United Rather Than Rashford 

Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim shouts instructions to the players from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage in London on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim shouts instructions to the players from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage in London on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
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Amorim Says He Would Have 63-Year-Old GK Coach on Bench for Man United Rather Than Rashford 

Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim shouts instructions to the players from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage in London on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim shouts instructions to the players from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage in London on January 26, 2025. (AFP)

Ruben Amorim says he would rather have Manchester United’s goalkeeper coach in his squad than Marcus Rashford after appearing to question the 27-year-old’s commitment to the club.

Out-of-favor Rashford has not played for his hometown club since Dec. 12 and seems firmly out in the cold under the United manager after again not making the squad for the 1-0 win at Fulham in the Premier League.

Amorim went as far as saying that 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital is more likely to gain minutes than the England forward.

“It’s always the same reason (why Rashford is not playing),” Amorim said Sunday on the eve of his 40th birthday. “The reason is the training, what I think a footballer should do in training, in life and every day. If things don’t change, I will not change.

“It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum and the right things then we can use every player.

“Today on the bench we missed a bit of pace to change the game but I prefer it like this, I will put (in) Vital before I put (in) a player who doesn’t give the maximum every day, so I will not change in that department.”

Rashford, who campaigned against child poverty during the COVID pandemic, posted “Congratulations on the win lads” on social media.