Big Midweek: Man Utd v Spurs, Villa, Brendan, Darwin Nunez, Arsenal

Anyone who says they know what to expect from Man Utd against Spurs is lying to you. Also: this is a big problem for Brendan, Villa, Nunez and Arsenal in the Europa League…

Game to watch - Manchester United v TottenhamLike most managers taking over a failing team, Erik ten Hag's first job was to shore up Manchester United. If it wasn't already quite clear, defeats at Brighton and Brentford put the focus on priority. With that goal largely achieved, Ten Hag must now get to work on his offensive shortcomings.

United failed to break Newcastle on Sunday in a frustrating final outing for home fans at Old Trafford against stubborn opposition. That's not to say the Red Devils haven't created chances - they missed golden chances in the later stages - but they aren't creating enough of them. And, certainly last week, the ones they cut, they didn't finish.

Ten Hag's men have scored 12 Premier League goals from an xG of 12. They are ranked 11th in goals scored on 90, despite their front line consisting of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Antony. The manager may want to include Antony Martial, but three separate injury issues already this term only reinforce the idea that the flaky Frenchman can't be counted on.

The identities of the forwards don't change the general view that United's advantage is too easy to blunt. Christian Eriksen's absence on Sunday was evident and Ten Hag can only hope the Denmark midfielder recovers from his illness in time to face his former side at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Tottenham itself continues to fall apart. And Antonio Conte has a similar problem with the balance and composition of his forward line. Son Heung-min worked hard for much of the season and Richarlison - injured now anyway - struggled to regain his control after his summer move. Harry Kane has backed Spurs but Conte continues to spoil Dejan Kulusevski's absence.

There is no obvious immediate solution in sight for either boss ahead of the midweek meeting at Old Trafford. But with both defenses generally sound, United and Tottenham's aim will be to fire their forward lines, particularly the hosts, who could fall 10 points behind Spurs if they lose.

Team to watch - Aston VillaVilla had to offer something, anything, against Chelsea to ease the pressure on Steven Gerrard. Have they done enough? Villans didn't make their manager's situation worse, although the 2-0 defeat - caused by individual errors - brought little relief.

Chelsea's visit was not a must for Gerrard, but their trip to Fulham will be seen as a measure of the extent of the problems at Villa. The outcome at Craven Cottage, however they perform, will matter far more when the Villa hierarchy are judging the manager's immediate job prospects.

Many Villa fans have already given their verdict and, despite some cheering in some aspects of their performance, many did not bother to stick around to greet the final whistle with either gratitude or dissent.

What can Gerard do? He can hardly be blamed for Tyrone Mings' inexplicable header which gave Mason Mount their opener, or Emiliano Martinez wandering behind his wall for Mount and Chelsea's second. Villa's attacking shortcomings are also a problem for individuals losing chances, but structurally Gerrard has yet to strike a balance that makes his side a regular and significant threat.

Villa actually had their highest xG of the season against Chelsea, with their most creative influences, Philippe Coutinho and Emi Buendia, both on the bench for the majority of the 90 minutes. In their previous four games, undefeated with three draws and one win, they only recorded an xG over 1.00 once.

It's a balance that Villa have failed to strike all season - and until the last term. Gerrard struggled with the same issue for most of his 11 months in charge. He must find an answer this week.

Coach to watch - Brendan RodgersGerrard wasn't the only manager to come under fire from home fans over the weekend. Leicester were booed after a 0-0 draw with Palace, in which the Foxes felt it necessary to cancel birthday announcements because they were being sabotaged by those urging the club to give up on Rodgers.

We assume the same policy will be in place when Leeds United visit King Po...