Manchester
United captain Wayne Rooney believes new manager Jose Mourinho’s methods are
already bearing fruit ahead of his side’s Premier League trip to Hull City on
Saturday.
United have won their two opening games, against Bournemouth and
Southampton, and go into the weekend level on points with Manchester City, Chelsea
and, unexpectedly, Hull at the head of the table.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored
four goals in three games and with world-record returnee Paul Pogba impressing
in the 2-0 win over Southampton, Rooney feels United have hit the ground
running.
“We, as players, have to adapt to what the manager wants us to do in
our preparations throughout the week and, on match-days, we try to take the
game plan of the manager onto the pitch,” he told MUTV.
Manchester
United’s English striker Wayne Rooney (L) celebrates scoring the opening goal
during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and
Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, northwest England, on January 17,
2016. AFP PHOTO / PAUL ELLIS RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with
unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’
services.
Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use
in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / AFP / PAUL ELLI
“It’s what
we’ve tried to do and, fortunately, we’ve started the season well. We’ve
prepared well this week so we’re hoping that continues.
“The signings we’ve
made this season have been really good signings. They’ve settled in really
quickly and you’ve seen the impact they’ve had on the pitch already.”
While
City, United and Chelsea’s presence in the top four gives the lead places in
the Premier League standings a familiar look, Hull’s strong start to the season
has surprised everyone. After Steve Bruce quit as manager and Hull were left
with only 13 senior players, the East Yorkshire club were installed as the
bookmakers’ favourites to go down.
But they defied the odds to stun champions
Leicester City 2-1 on the season’s opening day and followed that up with a 2-0
success at Swansea City.
One of Bruce’s principle reasons for leaving was
frustration over the club’s lack of transfer activity and caretaker coach Mike
Phelan says there will be no new faces on show at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday.
“It’s the same old, same old,” said Phelan, who spent 20 years at United as a
player, coach and assistant manager under Alex Ferguson. “Nobody has yet come
into the building.
We haven’t signed any new players. We are in talks with two
or three new players. “We’ve set our stall out and are pursuing interests, but
at the moment nothing has been delivered.”
– Klopp’s Spurs return – The
identity of the man between the posts for Manchester City will be a hot topic
once again on Sunday when Pep Guardiola’s side welcome West Ham United to the
Etihad Stadium.
Claudio Bravo has completed his move from Barcelona for a
reported initial fee of 13.75 million pounds ($18.2 million, 16.1 million
euros).
But with the Chile international having only just arrived, Guardiola is
expected to restore Willy Caballero to his starting XI, which means Joe Hart
will drop to the bench.
Hart was hailed by City’s fans during Wednesday’s 1-0
Champions League win over Steaua Bucharest, but with youngster Angus Gunn also
pushing for a place, Guardiola cannot even guarantee him a spot on the bench.
“If all four stay here, the best solution is for everybody to be involved in
our idea,” Guardiola said.
“They are going to be in rotation, part of that. So
(if) Joe, Willy and Angus stay, then it won’t be the same one who is always on
the bench.”
Chelsea will look to pursue their renaissance under former Juventus
and Italy manager Antonio Conte when they entertain Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
Burnley stunned Liverpool 2-0 at Turf Moor last weekend, despite seeing less
than 20 percent of the ball, only to then crash to a woeful League Cup exit at
fourth-tier Accrington Stanley.
At White Hart Lane, Tottenham Hotspur host
Liverpool in a clash between two clubs hoping to gatecrash the Manchester
duopoly at the top of the table.
“Both teams have consistency in the squad.
There are of course new players, but not too many changes,” said Jurgen Klopp,
whose tenure as Liverpool manager began with a 0-0 draw at Spurs last October.
“It will be exciting what will happen there.”
Arsenal, meanwhile, visit
Watford. Arsene Wenger’s men remain without a win after two games, but fans
have been placated by moves for Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi and Spanish
striker Lucas Perez.
Fixtures Saturday (1400 GMT unless otherwise stated)
Chelsea v Burnley,
Crystal Palace v Bournemouth,
Everton v Stoke City,
Hull
City v Manchester United (1630 GMT),
Leicester City v Swansea City,
Southampton
v Sunderland,
Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool (1130 GMT),
Watford v Arsenal
Sunday Manchester City v West Ham United (1500 GMT),
West Bromwich Albion v
Middlesbrough (1230 GMT) source
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