Florian Wirtz is easing himself into his second season at Liverpool after a forgettable first. There were signs of promise against Nottingham Forest, 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 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 Ipswich v Liverpool (Friday 8pm, all times BST) Verticality, intensity and hard pressing are likely to be the order of the day at St James’ Park, where two German graduates of the Red Bull stable meet on Saturday at lunchtime. Newcastle’s new manager, Matthias Jaissle, is a former head coach of Red Bull Salzburg, while Bournemouth’s Marco Rose has managed Salzburg and, more recently, RB Leipzig. He’s brought his ideas really quickly into the Newcastle team.
They are playing quite intense, they have clear pressing patterns that are different from before.” Louise Taylor Newcastle v Bournemouth (Saturday 12.30pm) Saturday’s meeting between two of the Premier League’s 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 Sangaré 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’s 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’s right flank. How that battle plays out will go a long way towards deciding the game.
Daniel Harris We can be sure any player Brighton buy has delivered the data metrics employed by the owner, Tony Bloom. But Chema Andrés, the 21-year-old midfielder just signed from Stuttgart, also nails the eye test. Signed for £18.9m, it’s already tempting to speculate how sizeable the mark-up will be when Brighton sell him on.
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