Premier League Resumes: Key Discussion Points

The Premier League is set to resume this weekend, marking its initial uninterrupted stretch of the current season. Prior to the recent international hiatus, Liverpool had increased their lead at the top of the league standings. Elite club football experienced pauses for international breaks in September, October, and November, with the subsequent break not scheduled until March. This period aligns with the demanding festive fixture schedule in the upcoming month. BBC Sport examines five key topics as the Premier League recommences. Under Arne Slot, Liverpool is performing exceptionally, leading both the Premier League and Champions League tables, having only failed to secure maximum points in two matches this season. They hold a five-point advantage over Manchester City, who have suffered four consecutive defeats across all competitions—a sequence unprecedented in Pep Guardiola’s managerial career (excluding penalty shootouts). Notwithstanding this recent form and discussions regarding the Spaniard’s future, Guardiola this week signed a new one-year contract, extending his tenure at Etihad Stadium to 10 years. This provides a crucial lift for City, who face another challenging fixture at home against Tottenham on Saturday (17:30 GMT) as they aim to prevent a fifth successive loss. This marks the sixth instance a team has held a five-point lead after 11 games; in the previous five cases, the leading team ultimately became champions. However, City has secured the last four Premier League titles, having been more than five points behind the leaders at some point in each of those campaigns. Liverpool and City are scheduled for one Premier League match each before their anticipated clash at Anfield on Sunday, 1 December. Arsenal, who finished as runners-up in the last two seasons, are four points adrift, level with Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, and Brighton. The Gunners and Forest will compete on Saturday at 15:00 GMT at the Emirates. A new figure will debut in the Premier League this weekend: Ruben Amorim, Manchester United’s new manager. The agreement for the Sporting manager was finalized on 1 November, but his Portuguese club requested he delay his move until after the international break. Ruud van Nistelrooy had served as interim manager following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal; however, the club’s former striker also departed, as Amorim did not wish him to be part of his coaching staff. Amorim will lead his new squad to Ipswich on Sunday (16:30 GMT) for a Premier League fixture. He is anticipated to implement the 3-4-3 formation he favored in Portugal, representing a significant shift from the conventional four-man defense employed under Ten Hag. Nevertheless, he may only have his complete squad assembled two days before his inaugural match due to players participating in international games globally. United will be hoping Amorim’s initial Premier League outing mirrors his first Portuguese top-flight game as a manager, when his Braga team secured a 7-1 victory against Belenenses in January 2020. Following eight matches, four teams were winless; however, three games subsequently, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace, Wolves, and Southampton have each secured a single victory. Everton and Leicester, having achieved two wins this season, maintain a three-point buffer above the relegation zone. Opta assigns the Saints only a 5.2% chance of survival, despite their current position being just four points from safety. “Hopefully I’ll be talking to you in two weeks,” Saints manager Russell Martin informed journalists prior to the international break. “If not, we’ll see.” He will, however, remain at the helm for Saturday’s home fixture against league leaders Liverpool. Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis is expected to be in high spirits, having scored on his England debut against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday. The season is nearing its initial phase where managers will need to rotate their senior squads due to an accumulating fixture list. Four teams are scheduled for nine matches in December. The Carabao Cup quarter-finals are also set for the week preceding Christmas, and European competitions will persist throughout December under their revised formats. Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Manchester United each face nine games in December, averaging one match every 3.4 days. Conversely, some clubs, such as Nottingham Forest and Brighton—currently positioned fifth and sixth in the league, respectively—have only six fixtures in the concluding month of 2024. Nevertheless, rest intervals between rounds 17 and 20 this year have been extended to guarantee no club competes within 60 hours of another game. Last season, Chelsea played three matches within a 142-hour period. Furthermore, there will be no winter break during this campaign, implying clubs will compete almost continuously until the initial World Cup qualifiers and subsequent Nations League matches occur in March. This leads to the topic of injuries. Nine players withdrew from the England squad for the recent Nations League double-header, a number that prompted concern among supporters and even Three Lions captain Harry Kane. Updates on the fitness of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale, Levi Colwill, and Jarrad Branthwaite for this weekend’s matches will be provided during managers’ news conferences on Thursday and Friday. Liverpool has not yet confirmed if goalkeeper Alisson Becker will return after six weeks sidelined due to injury; however, his potential return could conclude Caoimhin Kelleher’s period in the team. Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will be unavailable for an extended period, having received a seven-match domestic ban from the Football Association for using a racial slur directed at teammate Son Heung-min. He remains eligible for Europa League fixtures but will not be available in the Premier League until 26 December.