Arsenal host Man City. Are they both in the title race?
Stephen Warnock joins up to give his answer. Then we talk Merseyside derby and his time playing under Big Sam Allardyce.
It's the Merseyside derby this weekend, and we get into that feud a bit with this week's guest. After all, Stephen Warnock came up through the Liverpool academy and has been to Anfield and Goodison Park umpteen times (and to Everton's brand new Hill Dickson Stadium once). But that’s not the marquee match of the round. Neither is Man United-Chelsea.
The big one is ARSENAL vs MANCHESTER CITY at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and it could tell us a lot about whether the Premier League is about to see a two-horse title race, a three-way, or even a foursome if Chelsea get involved. It will certainly have a different feel from those recent seasons where Pep Guardiola got the better of his ex-pupil Mikel Arteta, however, because Arsenal come into this one as firm favorites.
Beyond all that, Warnock also talks about a couple of his more idiosyncratic managers back in his playing days, Big Sam Allardyce and Neil Warnock. He also remembers sharing a flank with streets-won't-forget Barclaysman Morten Gamst Pedersen, and these are the kind of behind-the-scenes stories you'll find — along with some expert insight into the fitness and recovery side of things — on his new podcast, Strain on the Game.
Be sure to check it out, but first, have a listen here:
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A few more matches worth your time this weekend…
LIVERPOOL vs EVERTON
Sat @ 7:45am ET, 12:45pm UK
The Merseyside derby needs no introduction, though we do our best in the episode above! And if that piqued your interest, why not enjoy deeply reported stories from on the ground at Anfield and Goodison Park?
BRIGHTON vs TOTTENHAM
Sat @ 10am ET, 3pm UK
Here’s a clash in the (possible) Top Six race between two teams that have each beaten Man City already in this young season. Spurs are reborn under Thomas Frank, while Brighton have a bit more to prove. Still, the Seagulls just keep regenerating despite losing their best players for dozens of millions of pounds each summer.
MAN UNITED vs CHELSEA
Sat @ 12:30pm ET, 5:30pm UK
This one was once a title clash. Now it’s a club fit for a straitjacket hosting one where they’re really starting to think a lot of themselves. Chelsea may well be a top European side, but they’ve yet to prove it. These are the matches they need to go and win with authority if they want to feature in the title race.
LAZIO vs ROMA
Sun @ 6:30am ET, 11:30am UK
The Derby della Capitale. One of the more explosive encounters across world football, this one has some twisted roots tracing back to Mussolini’s era.
BOURNEMOUTH vs NEWCASTLE
Sun @ 9am ET, 2pm UK
Another top-half clash between two very physical, explosive teams. Expect high pressing, powerful running, and an end-to-end encounter that’s a real advertisement for today’s Premier League. It could be the most entertaining match of the weekend.
LE CLASSIQUE
Sun @ 2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
This is France’s biggest match, the giants of the South — Marseille — against the capital power players of PSG. The visitors are the favorites in every match they play (they are, after all, the European champions), but this is about as stiff a test as they will get domestically.
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BONUS COVERAGE: RASHFORD’S MASTERCLASS SHAMES UNITED
It was genuinely electrifying to watch Marcus Rashford return to England with an FC Barcelona crest on his chest and go supernova. The man came barnstorming onto Tyneside, looking fit and strong and highly dangerous, particularly in that second half. The goals he scored won the match for Europe’s second-most-formidable team in the bear pit of St. James’ Park, and the second in particular was a stroke of lethal genius. He took his time at the top of the box without lingering on the ball, shifted it until he made a tight window of space and smashed a looping missile in off the crossbar.
Manchester United and head coach Ruben Amorim must have looked on with despair. Rashford was exiled from the club where he grew up, first to Aston Villa for the second half of last season and now to — again — one of the very best teams in the world. United are nothing close to that description. They’re in the abyss, drowning in some bog in Middle Earth. The complete mismanagement of one of the world’s largest and most important footballing institutions is gobsmacking — and ongoing.