West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui is under pressure - but he’s not the only manager in this position.West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui is under pressure - but he’s not the only manager in this position.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui is under pressure - but he’s not the only manager in this position. | Getty Images
This weekend brings us the final Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park, an ‘El Sackico’ classic, and a big-name clash in London.
Everton have plenty of fond memories at Goodison Park, but you have to say that this weekend does not look likely to be one of them. Saturday will be Liverpool’s 122nd and final visit to Goodison (barring a cup competition throwing up a repeat of the fixture) before they move to their new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock for the next campaign.
This will be Arne Slot’s inaugural Merseyside derby and if his starts against other rivals United and City are anything to go by, he’s unlikely to be daunted by the occasion. In the other dugout, Sean Dyche’s record against Liverpool boasts only three wins and two draws but 12 losses.
How will Everton fare against league leaders Liverpool this weekend?How will Everton fare against league leaders Liverpool this weekend?
How will Everton fare against league leaders Liverpool this weekend? | Paul Ellis / AFP via Getty Images
However, don’t count the underdogs out.
After a poor start to the season, the Toffees have managed a few more promising results recently; they were dismantled by Manchester United last weekend, but subsequently put four past Wolves midweek. Best of all, they did so without picking up any new injuries.
Liverpool, on the other hand, are hamstrung by Alexis MacAllister’s one-match suspension from a booking midweek. Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota are not yet ready to return. Clutching at straws? Perhaps. Everton have produced results against their biggest rivals under unlikely circumstances before - but ‘unlikely’ is the operative word.
The Merseyside derby kicks off at 12.30pm on Saturday.
‘El Sackico’ showdown in London
Can we really be on a second ‘Sackico’ of the season in just December? Absolutely we can.
Julen Lopetegui came out victorious in the first one against Erik ten Hag, but he seems to be on his last chance as West Ham prepare to host Wolves at the London Stadium. Since that win over Manchester United, they have managed only one more victory over Newcastle in late November before slumping to a chaotic 5-2 loss to Arsenal and a 3-1 defeat against Leicester in Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge.
There have been chants for Lopetegui’s dismissal and the club have been linked to Graham Potter as a potential replacement. However, it emerged that Spaniard would remain at the helm at least for Monday’s clash - and after that there could well be another club sniffing around for a new manager.
Since Wolves’ victory over Southampton in early November, they have lost three on the bounce and Gary O’Neil appears to be in an unwanted race for the exit with Lopetegui. Reports suggest the Midlands club have begun looking at replacements and that Graham Potter is also on their shortlist - so the fallout from Monday night could be extremely interesting.
Would a win over a fellow struggling team be enough for either club to hold off a managerial change, and risk a rival securing a top candidate’s services instead? Have both Lopetegui and O’Neil passed the point of no return regardless of the result on Monday? Or will both clubs frustrate unhappy fans and bore the rest of the league by sticking with their struggling bosses regardless?
Keep an eye out on Tuesday morning, after West Ham host Wolves on Monday at 8pm.
Postecoglou under pressure
Another manager whose future is looking a bit shaky is Ange Postecoglou, who drew attention for confronting Tottenham fans after the Lilywhites lost 1-0 to Bournemouth on Thursday evening. He marched towards a group of fans in the stands voicing their displeasure at full time before being waved away by a steward, and later addressed the incident in his post-match press conference, saying he’d received some “direct feedback” from supporters.
He said: “I didn't like what was being said because I'm a human being but you've got to cop it. I've been around long enough to know that when things don't go well you've got to understand the frustration and disappointment.
“They're rightly disappointed because we let a game of football get away from us. But that's OK.”
It’s been a campaign that can only be described as Spursy for Postecoglou’s side so far. Tottenham followed a thumping 4-0 victory over Manchester City with draws in the Europa League and Premier League before last night’s loss to the Cherries left them teetering on the brink of dropping into the bottom half of the table.
There’s little respite before they face second-placed Chelsea at 4.30pm on Sunday. This game promises attacking threat - Chelsea and Spurs rank first and third in the league for goals scored so far - but they’re also two of the most defensively stoic sides in the division, with only Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool having conceded less.
Both managers clearly had one eye on the weekend’s clash in midweek, benching some key players partway through - but Spurs having to chase the game meant Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, and Dejan Kulusevski all played for the duration against Bournemouth.
The mental and physical hangover of that clash could be a concern for Spurs, especially with Chelsea having had an extra day to recover.
Newcastle look to leapfrog Brentford
The pick of the midweek fixtures was Newcastle’s 3-3 thriller with leaders Liverpool at St James’ Park, and the Magpies now have the chance to build on that momentum when they travel to Brentford.
They may not have won in their last three games, but the spirit shown on Wednesday night (albeit against perhaps the least impressive Liverpool performance of the season) gives positives for Eddie Howe’s side to build on. The clash carries extra significance as a preview of the two’s meeting in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in two weeks - and because they are level on points.
Brentford are unbeaten at home for far this season, while Newcastle have picked up only two points on the road, so the odds seem to be in the hosts’ favour. Both teams have also scored in 12 of Brentford’s 14 games this season. With a chance to move up the table on the line, expect goals in this one at 3pm on Saturday.
Everyone else...
Ruben Amorim will seek to brush off his side’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Arsenal midweek when the Red Devils host Nottingham Forest (fresh from being the team to end Manchester City’s losing streak) at 5.30pm on Saturday. The Trees tripped Erik ten Hag’s United up last December at the City Ground and will try to draw on that memory this weekend.
Meanwhile, United’s recently departed interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy prepares to face fifth-placed Brighton in his second game in charge at 2pm on Sunday. The Seagulls have experienced something of a dip in form in their last two games and if Van Nistelrooy’s new-manager bounce persists, Leicester could pull off an upset.
Down south, Fulham will host Arsenal at the same time; Marco Silva’s side are only six points behind the Gunners having taken points from Brighton and Spurs already in the past week. The remaining fixtures of the week see Aston Villa host Southampton and Manchester City travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday at 3pm, before Ipswich face Bournemouth at 2pm on Sunday.
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