Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest outburst of petulance has cast a cloud over Manchester United ahead of their critical Premier League meeting with Chelsea.
Tottenham have yet to establish they truly belong among the league’s top, but Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez is returning Jurgen Klopp’s faith.
AFP Sport looks at three significant talking themes in this weekend’s action:
Ten Hag lays down law to Ronaldo
No matter what Erik ten Hag manages to elevate Manchester United towards respectability in his first season, the Dutchman is yet to escape the lengthy shadow cast by Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s latest show of disdain for Ten Hag’s authority occurred in the last minutes of Wednesday’s 2-0 triumph against Tottenham when he strolled down the Old Trafford tunnel with the match was still in process.
The 37-year-refusal old’s to wait for the final whistle reportedly came after he told Ten Hag he did not want to come on as a late substitute.
Ronaldo’s temper outburst was not his first this year and, after his failed attempt to arrange a transfer in the close-season, the Portugal striker is clearly irritated at finding himself in limbo.
In response to Ronaldo’s actions, Ten Hag has finally handed down the law and the star, who has scored just twice in 12 games this season, has been dismissed from the team that will go to Chelsea on Saturday.
United will likely attempt to end Ronaldo’s difficult second spell at the club by moving him in the January transfer window, but until then Ten Hag has to deal with the malcontent’s presence in the background.
Nunez resurgence lifts Liverpool
Nunez is rounding into form at just the right time for Liverpool as the Uruguay forward rewards Klopp for his patience.
Nunez was sent off in his debut Premier League game at Anfield against Crystal Palace in August and subsequently went five games without a goal, generating unfavorable parallels with Manchester City’s prolific striker Erling Haaland.
But, with Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz out by injuries, Liverpool boss Klopp wanted Nunez to start proving why he paid £64 million to sign him from Benfica in the close-season.
And the 23-year-old has up to the challenge, with his winner in Wednesday’s 1-0 triumph against West Ham moving him to five goals for the Reds, including three in his previous four outings.
“It is significant, since he has scored in the last few games,” Klopp said. “He arrived 100 percent, and now he has statistics, which is fine.”
Liverpool have won two league games for just the second time this season and will go to struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday in an attempt to tighten the distance on the top four.
Spurs maintain faith despite top-four troubles
Tottenham has yet to hush critics who question their dismal record against the other contenders for a top-four spot, despite being outclassed by Manchester United in a 2-0 loss that could have been much worse.
The performance of Antonio Conte’s squad at Old Trafford was reminiscent of their recent 3-1 loss to Arsenal in the north London derby.
In August, Tottenham needed a contentious stoppage-time goal from Harry Kane to salvage a 2-2 draw against Chelsea.
This string of poor performances when the stakes were highest has prompted some to question Tottenham’s status as a title contender, despite their current third-place standing.
Hugo Lloris, captain of Tottenham, maintains that it is premature to panic.
Before Sunday’s match against Newcastle, Lloris remarked, “It wasn’t all black and all light; it was something in between.”
“It’s too early to analyze because, I know you’re going to say Chelsea, Arsenal, and now Manchester United, and we have to see how it goes when they come to our stadium, but losing a tough game is frustrating.”
Fixtures
Saturday (1400 GMT unless noted) (1400 GMT unless stated)
Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool (1130), Everton against Crystal Palace, Manchester City against Brighton, Chelsea against Manchester United (1630)
Sunday
Aston Villa against Brentford, Leeds against Fulham, Southampton against Arsenal, Wolves against Leicester, and Tottenham against Newcastle (1530)
Monday
West Ham takes on Bournemouth (1900)