The Premier League resumes: Jose Mourinho is back | Pressure on City | Man Utd seek consistency
Written by News on 25/11/2019
Jose Mourinho’s return to management is the Premier League’s headline act, on what could be another crucial weekend in the title race.
While all eyes will be on Mourinho as Tottenham travel to West Ham in urgent need to arrest the shocking slide of form which saw Mauricio Pochettino sacked, Liverpool’s trip to Crystal Palace and Manchester City’s meeting with in-form Chelsea may well prove to be of greater significance.
Victory for Chelsea would propel them into the title reckoning, and potentially deal City a fatal blow, if Liverpool were to win at a Palace side who have mastered the art of giant-killing in the Premier League.
The Saturday Night Football clash at the Etihad feels like a triple-header, with repercussions on Merseyside, Manchester and London.
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It’s a Premier League weekend so packed full of storylines, you need two sets of eyes.
Mourinho’s back
It’s unfamiliar territory for Mourinho, joining a side halfway through the season and playing catch-up with the rest of the league. He takes over with Spurs in 14th place, and without a league away win since January.
Having been sacked at Chelsea and Manchester United, there’s excitement and apprehension in equal measure among Spurs fans of Mourinho’s shock appointment, but he himself is convinced the 11-month break has done him good.
“I think I am new and improved. I have to believe so,” Mourinho said. “I always thought that these 11 months were not a waste of time.
“They were months to think, to analyse, to prepare, to anticipate things. You never lose your DNA, you never lose your identity, but I have time to think about many things. I am humble, humble enough to try and analyse my career.”
Will he change tack? Time will tell. One thing is for sure: it will be fascinating viewing. It always is when Jose is around.
That’s the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday, and you can follow all the action and live coverage of Mourinho’s post-match press conference on the Sky Sports website and app.
- Get a Sky Sports Day Pass for £9.99
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- Grab a NOW TV Sky Sports Month Pass for just £20 p/m for 6 months (usually £33.99 p/m)
You’ll be able to see highlights of how Jose and Spurs get on from 5.15pm on the Sky Sports website, app and YouTube channel, and remember you don’t need to be a subscriber to watch them.
Oh, and the Premier League title race…
If Mourinho’s return wasn’t enough, his former side Chelsea go to the Etihad in arguably the biggest game of the season so far on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports.
If Manchester City lose and Liverpool win, the gap will be 12 points. That chasm has only been recovered once in Premier League history – when Manchester United chased down Newcastle in 1995/96.
Chelsea are looking for a club-record eighth straight away victory that would take them four points clear of City. Suddenly, a title challenge enters the conversation for Frank Lampard’s side.
Events elsewhere have given Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool some welcome respite from the limelight; they go to Crystal Palace at 3pm on Saturday, looking to quietly sneak a victory and put pressure on City.
You can watch Manchester City vs Chelsea on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm on Saturday (kick-off 5.30pm), with in-game clips in our dedicated blog. Follow all of Saturday’s football on the Sky Sports website and app, with highlights from 5.15pm.
United at United: Consistency needed
Pochettino’s departure can be looked at in two ways at Old Trafford. Is it attention off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for a few days at least ahead of a huge test at Sheffield United? Or is it pressure on, given the former Spurs boss is a credible candidate should Solskjaer fall?
For now, United need a run of results. They haven’t won consecutive league games since March, and their Premier League results this season read: WDLDWLDLDWLW.
There have been signs of improvement, winning five out of their last six in all competitions, but sitting nine points off the top four, it’s time for the league form to pick up. They face a Sheffield United side who have shown zero respect to the so-called bigger sides this season, and have made themselves a top-six candidate in the process.
You can watch Super Sunday on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 4pm (kick-off 4.30pm), with in-game clips in our dedicated blog on the Sky Sports website and app.
Elsewhere..
It’s becoming must-win for Unai Emery at Arsenal, and they have a winnable clash with Southampton at the Emirates, while Leicester, who start the weekend second in the table, will look to keep up their superb form, travelling to Brighton having won six of their last seven.
Steve Bruce returns to Aston Villa with Newcastle on Monday Night Football, Everton look for their first back-to-back wins since April as they host struggling Norwich, Watford host Burnley having won their first league game of the season before the international break, and Wolves go to Bournemouth with nothing between them in mid-table.
How to watch
Sky Sports will provide in-depth coverage of all 10 Premier League games this weekend, with highlights free to all on the website, app and YouTube channel.
For non-subscribers, this weekend’s three live games are accessible through a NOW TV pass for £9.99 per day. Grab a NOW TV Sky Sports Month Pass for just £20 p/m for 6 months (usually £33.99 p/m).
- Man City vs Chelsea – Premier League, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event; kick-off 5.30pm
- Sheff Utd vs Man Utd – Premier League, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event; kick-off 4.30pm
- Aston Villa vs Newcastle – Premier League, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event; kick-off 8pm
Sky Premier League subscribers will also be able to tune in to watch the channel’s coverage on Sky Go.
- iOS users: Download the Sky Sports app from the App Store
- Android users: Download the Sky Sports app from the Play Store
You can also watch Soccer Saturday from midday on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports News.
(c) Sky Sports 2019: The Premier League resumes: Jose Mourinho is back | Pressure on City | Man Utd seek consistency
