The Premier League is back from the international break, and not a moment too soon. Here is what we are watching this weekend.
Wirtz Has No More Excuses
Two draws to open the season is not a disaster for Liverpool, but it is not exactly the proclamation of intent you want from a side of their quality. Florian Wirtz is the man expected to pull the strings at No 10, and the signs against Nottingham Forest were encouraging: he set up the second equaliser and was denied a goal of his own only by an offside call in the build-up. Promising, yes. Enough? Not remotely.
The pressure has ratcheted up considerably this week with the arrival of Bradley Barcola, a very expensive reminder that competition at Anfield is fierce. Bruno Fernandes showed at Ipswich what an attacking midfielder with freedom and confidence can do, and Wirtz needs to follow that blueprint on Friday night against promoted opposition. Liverpool need a win, and he needs to be the one who makes it happen. If he does not deliver, there are players ready to take that spot from him.
[The summer window brought plenty of movement across the top clubs](/uprise/football/mens-transfer-window-summer-2026-all-deals-from-europes-top), and Barcola's arrival underlines that Liverpool are not standing still.
The Red Bull Reunion and the Weekend's Best Game
On paper, Brentford versus Sunderland might not grab the casual fan. That would be a mistake. Both clubs are well-run and well-coached, and Brentford's left side has been genuinely menacing this season. Keane Lewis-Potter at full-back, Mamadou Sangaré providing physicality and quality with the ball, Kevin Schade causing damage in behind: it is a combination that will test Thomas Meunier severely. At 34, Meunier has the experience, but whether he can handle the athletic demands is the real question. Sunderland's Noah Sadiki will need to be exceptional alongside him.
Up at St James' Park, the narrative is impossible to resist. Newcastle's Matthias Jaissle and Bournemouth's Marco Rose are both products of the Red Bull coaching tree, Jaissle as former head coach of Red Bull Salzburg, Rose having managed both Salzburg and RB Leipzig. "We have the same idea of how we want to play football," Jaissle has said. Rose is equally candid: "Matthias and me were several years in the style of Red Bull. Everyone knows how we work." Expect pressing patterns, verticality and no shortage of intensity. Two managers who know exactly what is coming and have to find a way to beat it anyway.
The Stories Quietly Simmering
Manchester City look light in the No 6 role following the departures of Rodri and Nico González. Enzo Maresca may turn to Nico O'Reilly there against Coventry, having already tried Marc Guéhi in that position. It is a makeshift solution for a side that spent more than £300m on midfielders this window, which tells you something about the planning, or lack of it, in that specific area.
At Nottingham Forest, Liam Delap could finally get his chance to lead the line against a Tottenham side that has conceded five and scored none in two games. [Chelsea's early-season form](/uprise/football/chelseas-perfect-yet-unserious-start-to-the-premier-league-season) has raised questions about what a genuinely competitive top-four race looks like, and a fragile Spurs would do nothing to answer them.
The international break is over. Time to find out who is actually going somewhere this season.