Paul Merson has identified three crucial matches this weekend that could shape the trajectory of three major clubs, despite the season still being in its infancy. Writing in his latest Sky Sports column, the pundit argues that Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United all face defining tests that will have significant ramifications for their campaigns ahead.
Spurs travel to face an unbeaten Everton side on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports, in what Merson describes as a watershed moment for the north London club. The fixture takes place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 12 September 2026 at 17:30 BST, with the match being overseen by referee Darren England and VAR official Paul Tierney.
Meanwhile, the Manchester derby unfolds on Sunday as Michael Carrick's inconsistent United outfit take on a City side navigating their first significant examination in the post-Pep Guardiola era under new manager Enzo Maresca.
Everton represents a cup final for Tottenham's season
Merson pulls no punches in his assessment of Spurs' predicament. The club arrives at Goodison Park without a win or a goal in the Premier League after three games, sitting 18th with just 1 point, while Everton have made a strong start and occupy 8th place with 5 points.
Spurs have to beat Everton this weekend. It's a cup final for them - I'd go as far as to say this is their season on the line.
The pundit draws a stark contrast between success and failure at this juncture. Should Tottenham lose, he warns that supporters will begin to fear another gruelling campaign lies ahead. The narrative would shift from optimism to resignation.
If they lose to Everton, then you starting thinking: this is going to be another grind of a season. Here we go again. You would start really, really worrying as a Tottenham fan.
Conversely, a victory would provide genuine momentum. Two games without defeat would lift Spurs to four points, creating a platform from which they could build genuine progress.
But if they go and beat Everton, you start going two games without a defeat, they'll be on four points. Then all of a sudden you can build from there.
Merson acknowledges that while this weekend's encounter carries enormous weight, it does not quite match the intensity of last season's final-day showdown against Everton, when Spurs' survival in the top flight hung in the balance. Nevertheless, he remains unconvinced that this squad possesses the consistency to rattle off multiple consecutive victories.
It's not as big as the Spurs vs Everton game on the final day of last season. If they lost that game, they were going to Lincoln.
But, at the moment, I just don't see this team putting five or six wins on the trot together. So this is a big football match.
The opening three fixtures have proven unforgiving: away at Brentford, home against Newcastle and away to Nottingham Forest. Should Spurs lose to Everton, they would have accumulated just one point from four games—a position from which recovery becomes exponentially harder.
Merson identifies a cascading effect that determines Spurs' immediate future. Victory over Everton would position them favourably for their next assignment, a home fixture against Aston Villa scheduled for Saturday 19 September 2026 at 12:30.
If they beat Everton, then they've got every chance of beating Aston Villa at home next week. If they don't beat Everton, they're not beating Villa. That's how it works. It's a snowball effect.
Confidence, Merson argues, is the currency of football. Winning breeds expectation and momentum, while losing erodes both.
When you win football matches, you expect to win the one after. But if you don't, the confidence goes.
This assessment echoes concerns Merson raised earlier in the season regarding Roberto De Zerbi's management, when he warned the Spurs manager against publicly criticising his forwards and medical staff following the goalless draw with Nottingham Forest.
Manchester United's season hangs in the balance at the Etihad
Merson's verdict on Manchester United is equally unsparing. The derby represents another pivotal moment for Carrick's side, with their campaign effectively balanced on a knife's edge.
Man Utd have got the Manchester derby - and their season is in the balance too. If you beat Man City, you're flying. If you get beat by Man City, here we go again.
A defeat would leave United with just one point from two games, a tally that becomes increasingly damaging as other clubs accumulate victories around them. Merson has harboured reservations about United's recruitment strategy since the summer transfer window closed.
I've said all along: I don't think Man Utd have bought very well. The squad isn't big enough. It's nowhere near enough.
Defensive vulnerabilities particularly concern the pundit. United conceded two goals against Everton, and while both were of quality, one originated from distance, suggesting organisational frailty when the opposition is afforded space.
Defensively they're nowhere near good enough. They let in two goals against Everton - and they were two good goals, but one of them was from the edge of the box. Everybody's behind the ball.
Merson criticises Carrick's tactical approach during the Everton match, specifically the decision to withdraw attacking players and introduce defensive reinforcements when United held an advantage. Such a move, he argues, surrenders the initiative and invites pressure rather than maintaining control.
When you're winning, put another forward on. Don't take a forward off and put a defender on. Don't give that team the opportunity.
The alternative approach—introducing an additional forward or midfielder—would fundamentally alter the dynamic and place the opposition in a reactive position.
Instead, if you put a forward on for a midfielder or a forward, it changes the game completely. If you're the other manager, you think: 'Oh no, what am I going to do?'.
Merson distinguishes between clubs of different stature. A side like Coventry, operating from a position of relative weakness, would be entirely justified in adopting a defensive posture when ahead. Manchester United, by contrast, should dictate proceedings and avoid gifting opportunities to opponents.
Instead, Man Utd just invited pressure on. Just don't do that, especially if you're a big team.
If you're Coventry and you go in front at Everton, you of course put a defender on 100 per cent. But when you're Man Utd, I don't see the need to do that.
Had United maintained their attacking shape, Merson suggests, Everton would not have been afforded the opportunity that led to Ainsley Maitland-Niles' involvement in a goal-scoring chance.
If you're dictating the game, Everton don't get that chance for Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Merson's scepticism regarding United's title credentials remains unchanged since the season's outset. He declined to include them among his five contenders before a ball was kicked, and recent performances have done nothing to alter that assessment.
So I am worried - and this is why I didn't put Manchester United in my top five at the start of the season. Nothing's changed for me since then. When you draw games, it hurts you.
Manchester City face their first genuine test under Maresca
Manchester City have not entirely convinced Merson despite their unbeaten start to the campaign. However, he acknowledges that consistent winning can mask underlying deficiencies, and City possess the attacking firepower to overcome such concerns.
I don't think Man City have been great. But sometimes I look at teams when they keep winning and they haven't played well as a real worry for the other sides.
Sometimes wins can cover cracks - but City have got Erling Haaland scoring goals. And they kept a clean sheet against Coventry last time out, that's a positive for them.
The upcoming fixtures will provide genuine clarity regarding City's credentials under Maresca. The derby against United, followed by a trip to Sunderland on Sunday 20 September 2026 at 14:00, and then a meeting with Liverpool will constitute a defining sequence.
City have got some big games coming up against Man Utd and Liverpool. That's the test to know where City are under Enzo Maresca.
Should City navigate this gauntlet successfully, winning both the derby and the subsequent fixtures, they will position themselves competitively for the season's run-in. Conversely, failure to accumulate at least two points from the United and Liverpool matches could allow Arsenal to establish a commanding lead.
If City win those two games and the match against Sunderland in between, they're not going to be far off the top come the end of the season.
If they don't get at least two points out of those two games, then Arsenal could run away with the league title a bit. I have Chelsea down for third in the league and they're already miles off Arsenal.
Merson's assessment of the title race reflects broader concerns about the depth of challenge facing the traditional contenders. His earlier backing of Arsenal to win by a significant margin, as Gary Neville similarly declared Liverpool and Manchester City lack the standard required to win the Premier League this season, suggests the Gunners remain the team to beat despite the season's early stage.
