Will Sancho return? Are Spurs the real deal? Key questions as Premier League starts again (2024)

When the Premier League resumes on Saturday after a two-week international break, there will be lots of fascinating stories to look out for.

Will Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag put their public dispute behind them? Can Tottenham, who are unbeaten and second in the table, cement their exciting start and show they have the capacity to flourish this season as they adapt well to life without Harry Kane? There are subplots to watch at lots of the other clubs aspiring to qualify for the Champions League, too, with Liverpool appearing revitalised but Chelsea still searching for a winning formula under Mauricio Pochettino.

Our writers address the key issues heading into the weekend.

Is there a way back for Sancho at Manchester United?

In the aftermath of Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat byArsenal in their final game before this international break, manager Erik ten Hag said Jadon Sancho had been left out of the squad owing to “his performances in training”. That Sunday evening, Sancho hit back.

Postingon Twitter, he said: “Please don’t believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, I’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair!”

This public falling-out raised questions about the player’s long-term future at the club, as well as the shorter-term issue of what happens next. Will he feature when Brighton & Hove Albion go to Old Trafford on Saturday?

Ten Hag’s current shortage of options in wide attacking areas means it is unlikely a door will be shut on Sancho returning to the matchday squad.

United’s current manager has shown, most obviously with Cristiano Ronaldo, that you should cross him at your peril. But nearly a year on from the Ronaldo episode, the picture is somewhat different.

Antony, the manager’s preferred option to play on the right, will not return to work “until further notice” as he continues to address allegations of assault, which he denies.

Ten Hag could opt to shoehorn Bruno Fernandes into the right-wing position, although Facundo Pellistri will be hoping for a chance to feature. Alejandro Garnacho could also be used on the right.

If there is to be a way back for Sancho, you would expect it to involve an apology to Ten Hag and then a significant improvement on his performance in training. Deleting his pinned Twitter post on Tuesday was surely a step in the right direction.

Dan Sheldon

Are Tottenham the real deal?

Spurs may be second in the table but after a couple of years of watching them play mostly pragmatic, underwhelming football, their fans are just delighted for the time being to “have our Tottenham back”, as they keep singing. Any apathy that developed under previous managers has gone.

They certainly look the part — Tottenham are vibrant, clinical and fun going forward and new signing James Maddison has been a creative revelation. But they’re also better at the back. This isn’t just gung-ho football. Summer appointment Ange Postecoglou is an attack-minded head coach but he’s also a winning one, steering South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, Australia, Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic to titles, and there is a defensive plan to complement the forward forays.

The squad looks a little light in parts, left-back Destiny Udogie and midfielder Pape Matar Sarr have made exceptional starts but are very young and will have dips in form for sure, plus Richarlison can’t score for toffee at the moment.

The much more evident deficiencies of some of their anticipated rivals for a top-six finish, though, offer hope that Spurs are in this season’s European spots to stay. Anything higher remains to be seen, but serial winner Postecoglou is their trump card.

Either way, expect it to be fun finding out.

Tim Spiers

Have Liverpool solved their midfield problems?

The early form of Alexis Mac Allister suggests so, but it would be too soon to answer with a definitive “yes” or “no”.

Only Liverpool’s final Premier League standing next May 19 will tell us whether the decision to recruit multi-functional midfielders this summer rather than specific experts in individual roles has paid off.

With no Champions League football to divert attention and energy after last season’s fifth-place finish, the focus for the months ahead is very much on chasing the title.

Can that be achieved with the midfield players Liverpool have at their disposal?

Mac Allister has certainly impressed in the handful of games so far following his transfer from Brighton, showing both maturity and versatility. There was a clear need for a new No 6 following the exits of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita from midfield over the close-season, and Argentina’s 2022 World Cup winner already looks the part. He may be used in a deeper role more often than first expected.

The surprise signing of Wataru Endo will also bring some resilience in games where Liverpool need to sit deeper and soak up pressure. Whether the Japan captain is good enough for the games that really matter will only be revealed in time.

Liverpool have plenty of other options and look well-equipped to create and cause problems going forward. Young players Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott have talent in abundance, while Dominik Szoboszlai is already turning into a star following his big-money move from RB Leipzig. The late addition of Ryan Gravenberch, a player Jurgen Klopp has tracked for some time, will bring both guts and guile to a midfield blessed with so many qualities.

A quick, tough-tackling, tall midfielder who can sit and protect the defence while also playing out comfortably from the back may still be missing, but those players are few and far between, and very expensive.

Liverpool might not even need one, though. They already looked well stocked.

Gregg Evans

Do Newcastle have issues or was it just a particularly tough start?

All looked rosy for Newcastle after the opening weekend’s 5-1 win over Aston Villa. The subsequent three games have quelled that optimism — but this is not a case of them turning bad again overnight after finishing fourth in May. Their start to the season was more difficult than any other side in the league — facing Villa (seventh last season), Manchester City (champions), Liverpool (fifth) and Brighton (sixth).

A new-look midfield is still gelling as head coach Eddie Howe attempts to tweak his style of play. Summer signing Sandro Tonali has been asked to subtly change his role in each game, but with team-mates Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton out of form, there has been plenty of space left in midfield. Given the quality of Newcastle’s opposition in the fixtures so far, this is asking for trouble.

• What’s wrong with Newcastle? Part one: New midfield and intensity issues
• What’s wrong with Newcastle? Part two: Transfer strategy, Pope’s struggles, and pressure on Howe

They were also without centre-back Sven Botman for the 3-1 defeat in Brighton — the poorest performance of the campaign so far — while goalkeeper Nick Pope is going through a slump of his own. When Botman returns, Pope gets back to his usual standards and the midfield begins to hum, this is still a side who should be able to compete for European football again come the spring.

Gregg Evans

How long will it take Pochettino to turn Chelsea into a winning team?

There are signs that Chelsea 2023-24 should be a winning team already; according to FBref.com data, they have the fourth-best expected goal difference in the Premier League after their first four matches, rank fifth in the division for expected goals (xG) and are third behind only Manchester City and Arsenal, last season’s title winners and runners-up, in expected goals against (xGA).

Chelsea have been failing to take their chances but their expected goal difference is among the best in the league

The problem is they have scored 3.3 fewer goals than expected, while conceding one more than the analytics suggest they should have. Enzo Fernandez’s saved penalty away to West Ham United contributes to that, as well as Nicolas Jackson’s gilt-edged miss at home to Nottingham Forest — Chelsea lost both games.

It may be tempting to look at last season’s scoring problems and conclude this is simply who Chelsea are, but summer appointment Mauricio Pochettino is building his team from virtually a brand-new squad. His attacking options do look a little thin without injured forwards Christopher Nkunku and Armando Broja but newcomer Jackson is a livewire presence and Raheem Sterling has started the season well.

Despite the injury issues, there does appear to be scope for Chelsea’s finishing to improve enough for Pochettino to make them a winning team soon.

Liam Twomey

Can anyone stop Manchester City?

Teams can definitely beat Manchester City this season, but it’s probably not advisable to play them at their own game in trying to do so.

Sheffield United showed it is possible to bunker in and hang on, even if they did need seven saves from Wes Foderingham to keep them in the game, and ultimately lost out to a thumping finish from Rodri. City will struggle to break down low blocks if they are solid enough, particularly without the incision of the departed Ilkay Gundogan and injury victim Kevin De Bruyne in these early months.

Teams such as Brentford and West Ham — so geared towards efficient, counter-attacking play and able to squeeze every last drop out of set pieces — can certainly cause a threat if they hold out for long enough.

In terms of the title, it’s more a question of another side keeping up an 85-point pace. Only three other teams have broken that threshold since Pep Guardiola came to Manchester in the summer of 2016 — City have done it in all but one of his past six seasons in charge.

Barring a disaster, City will end up there again.

Contenders almost have to ignore the Guardiola juggernaut, and focus on picking up the points for themselves.

Thom Harris

Are Everton better than their results suggest?

Marginally, yes. Against Fulham and Wolves, two home fixtures where they lost 1-0, Everton should have taken more.

Despite injuries and (before signing Beto three games into the season) having no proven striker, they managed to create enough chances to win those matches.

Ifs and buts will not prevent another dismal season of looking over their shoulders at the trapdoor to the Championship, yet the Portuguese striker’s arrival from Udinese has had a galvanising effect.

At Sheffield United, the only league game Beto has been involved in so far, Everton took their first point of the campaign, scoring their first league goals too, and the big centre-forward’s presence was pivotal in that 2-2 draw.

They must still erase the flashes of defensive fragility that let opponents such as Wolves take full advantage and, against better teams, as seen away to Aston Villa, there is still a tendency to implode. But Sean Dyche and the long-suffering fanbase will cling to the dual positives of a return to fitness of last season’s top scorer Dwight McNeil, along with Beto’s bright start.

If another new signing, Jack Harrison, can hit the ground running when he is fit, they can claim their poor start was not reflective of their overall quality.

Greg O’Keeffe

Played 10, won none — are the promoted clubs out of their depth?

It has been an ominous start for the three newcomers, with Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town all yet to win.

There are extenuating circ*mstances for Luton, with work on Kenilworth Road meaning they have only played three games and just one at home.

After losing 4-1 to Brighton and 3-0 away to Chelsea — there were glimpses of hope at Stamford Bridge, particularly in the performance of former Manchester United midfielder Tahith Chong — manager Rob Edwards then watched his side put in their best shift to date, against West Ham. Their 2-1 loss felt inevitable, which is problematic, but when Mads Andersen brought it back to 2-1 with four minutes of stoppage time to play, there was a mood shift. Maybe Luton can pick up points. Had James Ward-Prowse’s late handball given them a penalty, they might have got off the ground. It does feel like their biggest chance of picking up points will be at home.

Given the fashion in which Burnley stomped back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, it seemed like they would have the best chance of staying up of the three promoted teams. But a tough start, with games against champions Manchester City, European qualifiers Aston Villa and second-placed Tottenham, has left them pointless and looking vulnerable at the back.

Burnley have already lost as many times in the league this season as they did across the 46 games of the previous one, but manager Vincent Kompany is sticking to his principles.

As for Sheffield United, they at least have something to show for their return to the top flight, a single point earned in their most recent game against Everton. It could, and probably should, have been more but they came up against some Jordan Pickford heroism in the dying seconds.

United have come close to more too. After a narrow 1-0 opening-weekend defeat to Crystal Palace, the unlucky theme of losing by a single goal continued. Chris Wood scored a Nottingham Forest winner in the last minute of normal time and then, just as United clutched at a point against imperious Manchester City, Rodri struck in the 88th minute to quickly cancel out Jayden Bogle’s equaliser.

They are getting closer and will hope for an upturn in fortunes at Spurs on Saturday. No easy feat.

Caoimhe O’Neill

(Top photos: Getty Images)