Key events
In Germany we have four matches underway now and Augsburg have taken an early lead against Wolfsburg.
Full-time: Leeds 1-2 Tottenham
It’s full-time at Elland Road and Mohammed Kudus’ second-half goal proves to be the difference. I’ll drop the report from Leeds as soon as I have it.
Daniel Harris
Time to be brave: the tactical tweaks Amorim needs to make at Manchester United
Daniel Harris suggests five changes the beleaguered United manager could make in order to turn his ailing team around.
Tom Garry has filed from Eastlands, here’s his report from City’s 3-2 win over Arsenal:
In my preamble I said Boro would likely need a win to go back to the top of the Championship. Coventry were 2-0 up at that point, they are now beating Sheffield Wednesday 5-0 with a few minutes remaining. Frank Lampard knows what he’s doing in the Championship.
Mikel Arteta has decided West Ham are the team to unleash his fun-time midfield aganst. Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice all start. Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi are sacrificed in the name of adventure. The high point of Graham Potter’s West Ham tenure came at the Emirates last season, can Nuno exploit this Arsenal team?
Amorim has made five changes from the 3-1 defeat at Brentford. The most notable of those is Senne Lammens making his debut in goal. Three games on the bench is enough time to get a grasp of the job between the sticks for this United side, it seems.
Mason Mount, Casemiro, Amad Diallo and Leny Yoro are all picked to start as Altay Bayındır, Matheus Cunha, Harry Maguire, Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte pay the price for their roles in the loss at the Gtech.
Will Unwin
The magnitude of Sunderland’s visit to Old Trafford for Ruben Amorim’s future is not up for debate. Amorim always said a storm would come and the driving rain is providing from the skies, he needs a win, to stop it coming on the pitch.
The Manchester United head coach has failed to turn things around in his 11 months in charge of the club and another defeat, especially one to a promoted team, would be incredibly damaging going into the international break. There are reports of Amorim’s general unhappiness but he will not want to leave prematurely. Admittedly, his record of securing 34 points in 33 Premier League games in charge is dismal, the sort that would put United in a relegation battle.
Whenever the odd green shoot of hope emerges at United, it is quickly stamped out. The Chelsea victory was followed by breezily succumbing to Brentford the following week with a performance of ineptitude. Everyone from the boardroom to the Stratford End is eager for the Portuguese to succeed but, equally, this can’t go on much longer. Amorim, despite the problems in midfield, seems unable to find a role for Kobbie Mainoo in central midfield. The academy graduate is a natural footballer but Amorim feels the experience of Casemiro or chasing of shadows Manuel Ugarte are better options alongside Bruno Fernandes. A more flexible coach would realise Mainoo has the potential to be the future of the club but that is not the attitude offered.
Sunderland, on the other hand, are thriving. They had a very busy summer but Regis Le Bris has managed to create a cohesive unit. Having come up through the playoffs, everyone expected them to go straight back down but through comprehensive recruitment and good coaching, they are showing the potential to defy the odds.
As ever, you can send in your thoughts via the link at the top of the page or below the line.
It’s all over at the Joie Stadium where Manchester City have beaten Arsenal in the WSL. Billy Munday has live reaction here:
Obviously I would love for you to stick around with me but we do have live action in the Premier League, with Leeds hosting Spurs. Scott Murray has that one:
Team news: Arsenal v West Ham
Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Eze, Odegaard; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.
Subs: Kepa, White, Lewis-Skelly, Mosquera, Norgaard, Zubimendi, Merino, Nwaneri, Martinelli.
West Ham XI: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf, Magassa, Fernandes, Bowen, Paqueta, Summerville, Fullkrug.
Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Igor, Wilson, Guilherme, Rodriguez, Scarles, Potts, Marshall.
Team news: Manchester United v Sunderland
Manchester United XI: Lammens, Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw, Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot, Mbeumo, Mount, Sesko.
Subs: Bayindir, Dorgu, Heaven, Leon, Maguire, Mainoo, Ugarte, Cunha, Zirkzee.
Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Mukiele, Alderete, Masuaku, Le Fée, Xhaka, Sadiki, Traoré, Isidor, Adingra.
Subs: Patterson, Ballard, Geertruida, Neil, Rigg, O’Nien, Talbi, Brobbey, Mayenda.
Preamble
A whopping two 3pm (BST) kick-offs in the Premier League has me questioning what’s happened to this country. At least they are two games with plenty of intrigue.
West Ham make a trip on the Overground from Stratford to Highbury and Islington (because all players live at the stadiums they play in) for Nuno Espírito Santo’s second game in charge of the Hammers. Arsenal got a straightforward win in midweek and look built to last. Given Nuno’s preference for pragmatism and Arteta’s priorities usually being control over creativity, this could be a low-scoring affair. That will probably hinge on whether or not West Ham can get to grips with the home side’s set-pieces.
Will the clown show continue at Old Trafford as high-flying Sunderland take on lowly Manchester United? Ruben Amorim’s dogmatic thought experiment in 3-5-2 looks increasingly like it is on its last legs, another defeat would surely prompt another round of high-level discussions from the Ineos brains trust. Sunderland put the (black) cat amongst the pigeons at the City Ground last weekend and have gone about their return to the Premier League with much more purpose than other promoted clubs in the last few seasons
Elsewhere, Middlesbrough will probably need a win at Portsmouth to return to the top of the Championship as Coventry are currently leading at Sheffield Wednesday. Bristol City v QPR is another fixture that catches the eye in the Championship.
There’s an intribung Herts-Beds clash in League One where Stevenage host Luton, with the home side able to jump past Bradford to take over top spot with a win. In League Two, Walsall and Salford will be looking to move up the table with the early pacemakers, Gillingham and Swindon, currently in action.
Further afield, I’ll also be keeping an eye on Borrussia Dortmund’s clash with RB Leipzig.
