Ten KEY questions for Matchweek 3's fixtures

Can Alonso’s Chelsea prove they are ready to challenge for the title?

Victories in their first two Premier League games under Xabi Alonso have only increased the whispers that Chelsea have a chance to do something special this season.

Alonso is the only Premier League manager other than Mikel Arteta who has won one of the "Big Five" leagues, with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, plus Chelsea do not have midweek European football, allowing them to prepare fully for weekend games.

So, after a strong transfer window in which experience was finally added to a young squad, what’s stopping them from "doing a Conte"?

What does that mean? Well, Chelsea’s last Premier League title was won in 2016/17 by Antonio Conte, who caught the division off-guard in his debut campaign with a 3-4-3 formation, romping to first thanks to free midweeks after the club had finished mid-table the season before.

Sunday’s visit to the champions may tell us whether Alonso can emulate Conte, or can at least put pressure on Arsenal.

It’s an opportunity for Arsenal, too. Arteta’s side have begun the campaign with two clean sheets but Chelsea, who are the joint-top scorers with Brighton on seven goals, are a different kind of proposition. If the hosts can maintain their brilliant defensive record even against Chelsea, their self-belief will only grow.

A decisive victory might even put to bed the idea that their rivals can finish above them, giving Arsenal an important psychological advantage.

Defeat, on the other hand, would emphatically reject the notion that Arsenal could walk to the title this season. Whatever the outcome at Emirates Stadium, the Premier League season will start to take shape on Sunday.

Will Jaissle and Rose emphasise Premier League’s new direction for 2026/27?

It’s a small sample size, but the small amount of evidence so far suggests the Premier League’s focus on set-pieces and slower open-play football last season was perhaps a blip, and that the influx of new direct attacking managers is swinging the competition back towards fast-paced and entertaining football.

There have been 62 goals so far, an average of more than three per game, while "fast breaks" are up from 1.9 per game to 2.5 per game. Last weekend a remarkable 13 of the 32 goals were scored from a quick break triggered by possession changing hands.

Two of the new managers helping revive the Premier League’s end-to-end nature meet at St James' Park this weekend: Matthias Jaissle’s blistering counter-attacks at Newcastle United are already getting the best out of Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa, while Marco Rose’s Jurgen Klopp-inspired football has put AFC Bournemouth third for "fast breaks", with six.

Their head-to-head on Saturday should provide us with an open and exciting game – and further evidence the Premier League is back to its best.

Can Isak help Iraola get his first win as Liverpool manager?

It’s been a slow start for Andoni Iraola, drawing both of his league games so far but he is at least in good company: Klopp also drew his first two matches as Liverpool manager.

Klopp won the third, an emphatic 3-1 victory at Chelsea in late October 2015. Iraola, who failed to win any of his first nine as AFC Bournemouth boss, knows he could do with a statement result like that.

But Ipswich Town are no pushovers, far from it. Manager Gary O’Neil has shaped them into an organised Premier League team in no time at all, beating Sunderland on the opening day and, had it not been for an unfortunate slip by Marcelino Nunez, Ipswich would have gone into half-time 1-0 up at Old Trafford last weekend.

If Liverpool are to avoid frustration and discover the defensive gaps that Manchester United found in the second half of their 5-2 victory over Ipswich, then they might need to call upon Alexander Isak, who has four goals in just two Premier League appearances against Ipswich.

Isak’s last visit to Portman Road, in December 2024, featured him claiming a hat-trick.

Will a new-look midfield help Maresca maintain a perfect start?

A lot has changed in the quarter of a century since Coventry City were last in the Premier League, although nothing quite as much as the fortunes of Manchester City. The last time these two met in the competition, in 2000/01, both were relegated.

Frank Lampard’s side have been unlucky with the fixture list on their return, first travelling to Arsenal and now to a Man City side invigorated by the deadline-day signing of Enzo Fernandez.

Enzo Maresca now has a completely new central midfield through which to define the post-Pep Guardiola era, although so far the defining feature has been Maresca’s suffocating possession following Guardiola easing up on the slow passing in his final years.

Man City lead the Premier League for successful passes (1,315) and have played 94.6 per cent of their passes short, the highest ratio in the league.

Fernandez, whom Maresca managed at Chelsea, is likely to increase those numbers further. It could be a long day of defending for Coventry.

Will counter-attacking Forest continue Spurs’ difficult start?

Only four times in their history, and not since 1979/80, have Tottenham Hotspur lost their first three league games of a season. Roberto De Zerbi, at the beginning of a bold new era and after a summer of significant signings, will be desperate to ensure his side do not become the fifth.

The fixture list has not been kind in that regard. Nottingham Forest have won their last four Premier League matches against Spurs, but more importantly Oliver Glasner’s counter-attacking football is well-suited to getting behind their high line.

It’s a certainly a significant clash of styles: Forest have played the most long passes (146) in the Premier League this season, while Spurs have made 68, the second-fewest.

Glasner’s side will sit behind the ball, draw Spurs on, and seek to exploit the gaps they leave behind – which is just how Newcastle broke forward to success at Spurs last weekend.

Will Villa’s rebirth begin – or is this the perfect opportunity for Hull?

Both Hull City and Aston Villa will see Saturday’s game as an opportunity.

For Hull, after winning their first two Premier League games of the campaign, they could not have asked for a better time to face Villa, who are caught in transition and may need time to settle all their new signings following their busiest summer in living memory.

If there was ever a time to dishevel Unai Emery it is now.

But Villa, of course, will welcome the chance to play a promoted side after their losing start at Brighton & Hove Albion and unfortunate 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal on Monday.

Although Emery won’t see it this way, Villa fans know their season should begin properly after the first international break, at which point all their new signings will have had chance to settle and Brian Madjo, Joao Gomes, and Johan Manzambi will be ready to play again.

We don’t yet know how Villa will cope with such a major overhaul of their first XI this season. Victory at Hull is not essential, but it would certainly ease any anxiety building at Villa Park.

Just how improved are Moyes’ Everton?

The loan signing of Jack Grealish completed a strong transfer window for Everton, who after winning four points from their first two Premier League games suddenly look ready to challenge for the European places.

Certainly, they look very settled in their system under David Moyes. No side have had more direct attacks than Everton's six, while only Hull (2.3 metres/second) and Liverpool (2.05m/s) have had a higher direct speed than their 2.04m/s.

This kind of counter-attacking ability could be the perfect way to play Manchester United, who were caught out in the first half by an Ipswich side that perhaps should have scored more than one, and who fell to defeat to Hull in similar circumstances.

A major scalp like Man Utd’s would give Everton one of their best starts to a season in years. Anything less than a win for Michael Carrick’s side would mean a similar start to 2025/26 under Ruben Amorim.

We might only be three weekends in, but already matches like these have potentially season-long significance.

Which club will end their zero-point start to the season?

Arguably the biggest match of the weekend is at Craven Cottage, where two clubs without a single point so far go head-to-head.

Fulham have only twice ever lost their opening three games of a top-flight campaign, in 1951/52 and 2020/21, while Crystal Palace last did so in 2017/18.

Of course, what makes avoiding defeat even more essential for both clubs is that they are both at the beginning of new eras: Alvaro Arbeloa and Pierre Sage would not have anticipated losing all of their first three Premier League matches in charge.

For Palace especially, this would conjure memories of Frank de Boer’s infamous 2017/18 campaign, which began with four straight losses.

Hitting the ground running is essential, especially after a summer of major change. Neither Fulham nor Palace can afford to lose.

Are we seeing a more open and attacking Brentford?

Only Man Utd (54) have had more shots than the Brentford this season (48), and both of their matches rank in their top seven for most shots ever in a Premier League game: Spurs (26) and Leeds United (22) both saw their goal peppered with shots.

That could signal a chance of approach for Brentford, whose ability to attack with venom will only increase with left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf arriving.

Brentford also scored six goals at Birmingham City in the EFL Cup, although whether or not this trend will continue in the Premier League is up for debate. The visit of Sunderland, who have only conceded two goals so far, should provide us with an answer.

How high can Brighton go this season?

Following their 4-0 win against Villa on the opening weekend, Brighton are hoping to win both of their opening two home games in a league season for the first time since 2016/17 - and for the first time ever in the top-flight.

Fabian Hurzeler’s side were impressive, too, in the 4-3 defeat at Chelsea, a game from which they can take great heart as they prepare for a second-ever campaign in Europe.

Last season, Brighton finished just seven points off the UEFA Champions League places, and with so many Premier League clubs in transition this season – including Liverpool, Bournemouth and Villa, three of the clubs who finished above them – Hurzeler may feel there is an opportunity in 2026/27 to steal into the top five.

For that to happen Brighton will need a very good home record and they will need to win virtually all of their home matches against sides who finished in the bottom half last season, like Leeds.