Moving forward we’ll be sending out a weekly news letter, in addition to the other more in depth posts. The intent is to provide a quick summary on the main talking points that occurred in the last week in the English Premier League. We’re calling it: Premier League Rewind.
Omar Marmoush the Hat Trick Hero
Manchester City were back to firing on all cylinders this past weekend in their four nil win over Newcastle United. The talk of the match was the impressive hat trick scored by new signing, Omar Marmoush. He scored three goals within a 14 minute period within the first half, putting the game to bed before the break.
Marmoush only signed for City in the January transfer window, with the Newcastle game being his third in the Premier League – what an introduction to the City fans.
If you rewind back to the 2022/2023 season, Haaland scored his first hat trick for Man City against Crystal Palace in his fourth Premier League appearance. Do we have another Haaland on our hands here or was this just a good day at the office for Marmoush?
It will be interesting to see how Marmoush fits into the City squad for the remaining games. Is he the missing piece to turn this disappointing City season around?
Manchester United, the Low Keeps Getting Lower
After United’s loss to Tottenham and Everton’s tie against Liverpool, Manchester United are now sitting 15th in the Premier League after 25 matches played. It is without a doubt that this 2024/2025 season has been a terrible one for United, but it doesn’t appear that we’ve seen the bottom just yet.
United are currently 12-points clear of the relegation zone. Since Amorim took charge against Ipswich on November 24th, Manchester United have played 14 Premier League games (which is more than Ten Hag managed this season). In those 14 games, United have won 4, dawn 2, and lost 8.
If poor performances continue, could it be possible that Manchester United enter a relegation battle? Could you imagine United in a relegation battle given their rich history, renowned support around the world and financial resources they have? What a sight it would be!
We’d have to rewind to 1973-74, back when it was the Football League First Division, when United were last in a relegation battle. In that season, they finished 21st and were relegated to the second division. Since the Premier League started in the 92/93 season, the lowest they have placed was 8th last season. Any predictions on where they’ll end up this season?
A Tight Grip from Arne Slot
It appears Slot has taken a page out of Thomas Tuchel’s notebook. The Liverpool manager was red carded after Liverpool tied Everton on Wednesday from a firm handshake with referee Michael Oliver (I’d assume the message Slot told Oliver wasn’t too polite either).
Emotions were running high after Everton tied the game deep into stoppage time, which exceed the original injury time outlined after 90 minutes.
If you’ll remember, Tuchel’s firm handshake with Conte at the end of a match between Chelsea and Tottenham in 2022 caused some controversy. The only difference in Slot’s scenario is that his encounter was with a referee, who took the action to be too aggressive and gave Slot a straight red.
At the time of writing, the FA has not posted a decision determining the extent of the disciplinary action for Slot, if any.
Everton’s Impressive Recent Record with Moyes at the Helm
Is second time the charm for David Moyes? Moyes returned to Everton as manager on January 11, 2025, with his previous spell at the club being from 2002 to 2013.
Since returning, Everton have gone on an impressive run, picking up 13 points from 6 matches in the Premier League. His results have included 1 loss (first match in charge vs. Aston Villa), 4 wins and one tie (Merseyside derby as noted above). Everton are tied with Arsenal as the team with the most points picked up in the time since Moyes has joined.
This has propelled Everton to 14th place in the Premier League at the time of writing. Prior to Moyes joining, Everton had only picked up 17 points from their first 19 matches.
So far, Moyes’s previous 11-years at the club appear to be worth their weight in gold. His knowledge of the club, back room staff, its history and fan base have all helped to bring Everton back to some winning ways as of late.
While it is all positive right now, Moyes will have his work cut out for him in the coming months as Everton face a difficult stretch of games in April. Starting on April 2nd, Everton face Liverpool, Arsenal, Forest, Manchester City and Chelsea, which are currently sitting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th respectively in the Premier League. No small task.
Is this recent improvement in form the expected bump that most clubs see when they sign a new manager? Or can we expect this improved form to continue for the remainder of the season?
That’s it for this week’s, Premier League Rewind, stay tuned for weekly updates and subscribe for our newsletter if you’d prefer to see this weekly post sent directly to your inbox.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read these posts!
JC