10 Premier League talking points including Harry Maguire’s reunion and a familiar face at Watford

The international break is over and top-flight English clubs return to action this weekend

1) Friends again?

The early kick-off on Saturday between Liverpool and Newcastle will be the first time that Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have played together since Mane exploded on the Liverpool bench against Burnley – due to Salah’s consistent refusal to pass him the ball in promising positions.

Manager Jurgen Klopp laughed off the incident in the post-match presser, highlighting the fact that both players are competitive goalscorers.

Klopp is renowned for his man-management skills and Liverpool fans will hope there is no lingering tension between their prolific duo against a Newcastle side who are likely to offer the Reds a hatful of chances.

2) Will Maguire recover?

The jury is certainly still out over Harry Maguire’s big-money move to Manchester United, with Roy Keane recently expressing his doubts about the England international’s defensive abilities. Maguire was troubled by Crystal Palace in United’s last match, and conceded a rash penalty on England duty against Kosovo.

He will need to put those displays behind him as he faces former club Leicester at Old Trafford. It will certainly be interesting to see how Maguire deals with the pace of ex-teammate Jamie Vardy.

3) Two up top

In the ‘modern age’ of football, teams have usually strayed away from tactical set-ups that employ two strikers, typically opting for an extra central midfielder or centre-back instead. Sheffield United and Southampton are two sides that are bucking that trend, with Chris Wilder opting for a 3-4-1-2 formation and Ralph Hasenhuttl more recently going with a 4-2-2-2 system.

The Blades’ overlapping centre-backs have been an intriguing watch so far this season, with Jack O’Connell and Chris Basham in particular taking up high and wide positions, often leaving John Egan isolated at the back.

Hasenhuttl’s approach is more of a throwback, with the ‘big man/little man’ combination of Che Adams and Danny Ings operating up top, two wingers, and two central midfielders in front of a back four. The Saints may look to hit United on the counter away from home, with the pace of Ings and Moussa Djenepo capable of penetrating any spaces in behind.

4) Barnes with a point to prove

There were more than a few people suggesting that Ashley Barnes can consider himself unlucky not to have received an England call-up after he carried his strong 2018/19 form into the opening four games of this campaign. Only Sergio Aguero, Mane and Vardy have scored more than Barnes’ 13 Premier League goals in 2019 (equal with Raheem Sterling), yet Gareth Southgate opted for Callum Wilson as England’s third choice striker behind Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford.

Barnes is approaching his 30th birthday, but it seems slightly unfair to ignore his remarkable goal record and the fact that he is far from a target man – unlike others such as Rickie Lambert and Kevin Davies. who received their first caps relatively late in their careers. When the Clarets take on Brighton at the Amex, Barnes may be playing with a bit of extra hunger to prove himself to Southgate and his doubters.

5) Top six-pointer

In their opening four games of the season, Chelsea have so far failed to keep a clean sheet, and have conceded the second-most goals (nine) in the league. With their transfer ban, Chelsea were unable to sign any players, and as a result many have earmarked their place in the top six as there for the taking. They face a Wolves side at Molineux who have been touted as one of the teams to take their spot, despite a winless start to the season that has seen Nuno Espirito Santo’s side pick up three draws and a loss.

Santo has historically favoured a small squad at Wolves, but this may prove to be their undoing as they embark on a season in the Europa League after beating Torino to qualify for the group stage. A home game against Chelsea, with a mostly rested squad after the international break, is the perfect opportunity for Wolves to show that they can break the top-six axis. On the other hand, the fixture is a chance for Frank Lampard to show that his Chelsea side can compete with those around them after an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Man United on the opening weekend.

Harry Kane insists Spurs can still challenge for the title (AP)

6) Spurs struggles

Tottenham Hotspur are another side who have yet to keep a clean sheet this season. Granted, they have played Arsenal and Manchester City away, but you would have expected them to be more solid at home against Aston Villa, where they conceded the first goal despite winning 3-1, and Newcastle, where they lost 1-0.

Davinson Sanchez played alongside Toby Alderweireld in the first three games of the season before being shifted to right-back in the 2-2 draw at the Emirates, and the Colombian has looked untrustworthy in all four games.

Mauricio Pochettino will hope that Jan Vertonghen, recently restored against Arsenal, and compatriot Alderweireld can replicate their Belgium form and improve a defence that has conceded 46 goal attempts in the box – only Norwich (47) have conceded more.

7) The Unstoppable Force

Manchester City have so far scored 14 goals in four games – no side has scored more. They were also top scorers last season with 95 and the season before that with 106. They boast an embarrassment of riches in attacking areas, with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez regularly having to make do with substitute appearances.

On top of that, Aguero and David Silva were fully rested during the international break, a daunting prospect for Norwich, their opponents this weekend.

To make matters worse for the Canaries, they have the worst defence in the league with 10 goals shipped in four games – albeit having faced Liverpool and Chelsea. Fantasy football managers with Man City attacking assets will be licking their lips at the prospect of this fixture.

8) Kean to score

Although he is just 19, much is expected of Moise Kean at Everton after his £25 million move from Juventus, with the Italian international seen by many as the Toffees’ first-choice striker ahead of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun. Marco Silva has eased him into the Everton side, with Kean making substitute appearances in Everton’s first three games before finally being afforded a start in the 3-2 win over Wolves.

Although he has shown flashes of ability, the teenager has looked like a player still adjusting to a new environment, which is perfectly understandable. As a striker, however, he will be keen to get his first goal against on Sunday against Bournemouth after an impressive six goals and one assist in just 533 Serie A minutes last season.

Moise Kean is a new signing at Everton (PA)

9) The Return of Quique​

After winning just one point from four games, Watford were the first side to pull the trigger this season and sacked Javi Gracia during the international break. They replaced him Quique Sanchez Flores, who took charge of Watford in their first season back in the top flight in 2015/16 and guided them to 13th place and an FA Cup semi-final, before being replaced by Walter Mazzarri. Watford’s first game under their manager will not be easy, with Arsenal the visitors on Sunday.

10) The Battle of Claret and Blue

The biggest claret and blue clubs in England are without doubt Aston Villa and West Ham (sorry, Burnley fans), and they will face each other for the first time since February 2016 in Monday night’s fixture. The sides have enjoyed contrasting fortunes so far this season, with Villa picking up just three points and sitting in 18th, whilst West Ham have seven points and are in seventh place.

Dean Smith’s side have played some nice football against the likes of Everton, Bournemouth and Spurs, but nice football by no means translates to points. Villa have conceded 77 shots this year, the most in the league, and need to improve defensively. West Ham will be looking to show they could be rank outsiders for a top-six charge with no real expectations on them this season.