EPL Spotlight: Water under the Bridge? No way...

MATCH TO WATCH: Chelsea v Liverpool (Saturday, Sept 17, 3am)

Saturday early morning football might not quite have the same ring to it thanks to time zone differences. But that won't change the fact that the second Friday night (UK time) football match of this Premier League season should be the one to watch this weekend.

After Manchester City asserted the dominance of Manchester's blue half last week, we have yet another fascinating match between a red and blue side in Chelsea v Liverpool.

With both teams having no love for each other, another feisty confrontation could be on the cards.

Even then, it will be intriguing to see how David Luiz fares on his return to Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian, who still looks like a calamity waiting to happen whenever he steps onto the pitch, will have to fill in for the injured John Terry against Liverpool's talented, if somewhat erratic, attackers.

The thought of the delightful Sadio Mane running rings around Luiz should be enough to make anyone want to stay up and watch this match...

 

 

PLAYER TO WATCH: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland, Sunday 11.30pm)

PHOTO: REUTERS

Criticism of Paul Pogba might be mounting with each passing game that he looks lost in (we'll touch on that later), but it's very clear that Mauricio Pochettino has an even bigger problem to solve in Harry Kane.

While he's been known to make a slow start in front of goal each season, the Tottenham striker is definitely in a rut at the moment.

Despite not finding the net till Sept 26 last season, Kane made his presence felt with his attempts on goal as well as creating goalscoring chances for his team-mates.

Now, the England striker looks to have transferred his abject performances from Euro 2016 to his club form - and that's without him taking awful, awful corner kicks.

Even though he added Spurs' fourth goal during their 4-0 demolition of Stoke last Sunday, Kane looked lost once again as his team slipped to a disappointing 2-1 Champions League defeat to Monaco at Wembley Stadium.

With David Moyes' hapless Sunderland rolling into town, Pochettino must now decide between giving the Englishman a break by taking him out of the firing line or whether to persist and let Kane have another go at finding form against more forgiving opponents.

MANAGER TO WATCH: Ronald Koeman (Everton v Middlesbrough, Sunday 12.30am)

PHOTO: REUTERS

It's hard to imagine that Everton are above Manchester United in third in the EPL table.

No wait, I take that back - it's totally plausible after United's last three seasons of mediocrity.

What I mean is that the Toffees are sitting above Jose Mourinho's United, and that's largely been down to their new manager, Ronald Koeman.

While Everton finally have owners who have deep enough pockets to transform their fortunes, Merseyside's other club now have a proper manager in charge with the Dutchman.

Koeman has been a decisive presence on the touchline for Everton, pulling no punches as he yanked the off-form Ross Barkley at half-time against Sunderland.

The Blues ran out of the Stadium of Light with a 3-0 win.

Following the EPL's blockbuster summer influx of big-name managers, Koeman looks to be the managerial appointment that went under the radar.

Not that the former Southampton boss will care much, especially if he can keep Everton where they are with another win over Middlesbrough.

 

 

 

 

TEAM TO WATCH: Manchester United (v Watford, Sunday 7pm)

PHOTO: AFP

The bubble has popped.

Manchester United fans woke up on Friday morning with their memories refreshed about the concept of gravity while their feet reacquainted themselves with the cold, hard ground.

Defeat to a superior Manchester City side in the derby might have been a bit easier to take thanks to a discernible fight-back and some dodgy refereeing decisions, but being beaten in Rotterdam by Feyenoord in the Europa League isn't as acceptable.

United were flat and couldn't find that something special to break down their opponents.

Even there were other factors that led to their defeat, Jose Mourinho's biggest conundrum surrounds that of Paul Pogba.

The Frenchman's lack of a pre-season due to his protracted world record transfer from Juventus is clearly showing - his performances have generally been disjointed with flashes of quality.

Against Watford, Mourinho will certainly change things up and demand a response from his team.

But the Portuguese will also have to devise a way to get the best out of his summer transfers' crown jewel.

 

 

UNDERDOGS TO WATCH: Bournemouth (v Manchester City, Sunday 9.15pm)

PHOTO: AFP

Jack Wilshere is a Bournemouth player.

It's a statement that needs getting used to just like the phrase "Premier League champions Leicester City" - or even "Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson" for that matter.

Wilshere's signing on loan from Arsenal certainly buoyed the Cherries enough to notch a 1-0 win over West Brom, thanks to a really audacious backheeled flick by Callum Wilson.

Up next? A trip to the Etihad to face Pep Guardiola's tiki-taka City.

Good luck, fellas.