The EFL season enters it’s second week, and already big narratives are forming.
While the league table means nothing at this stage, results on the opening weekend have made a big difference to how supporters view their team. Indeed, throw some of the League Cup shocks into that melting pot, and this weekend is crucial.
If you’re a side that got off to a bad start, and this weekend to get another bad result, fans can turn very quickly. For some managers, it might be a pressure they can’t bear; we’ve already seen one manager lose his job in the Championship, so how soon before another goes?
All across the second tier, there are games worth watching to see if unfolding stories go the way we expect. We’ve decided to pick out two huge matches to watch this weekend and had an EFL expert, Gary Hutchinson, offer an opinion on the outcome.
West Brom v Leeds United
Leeds were everyone’s favourites for the title this season, but they’ve had an indifferent start. Their opening-day draw with Portsmouth was regarded as a poor result, while they were utterly humiliated by Middlesbrough in the League Cup.
Meanwhile, West Brom will be aiming for the top six this season, and a Josh Maja hattrick ensured they got off to a flyer against QPR last weekend. They’ll be looking to put the cup humbling at the hands of Fleetwood behind them quickly, and this early-season clash has a real smell of ‘promotion six-pointer’ around it.
Gary: This is an intriguing clash between two promotion hopefuls, and if it were towards the end of the season, it would be seen as a huge encounter. West Brom have the advantage of the opening day win, and playing at the Hawthorns.
However, Leeds will be like a wounded animal, and while fans are already on Daniel Farke’s back, he’s going to be desperate to get a result. They have quality in the squad, and despite the midweek encounter, they will pose West Brom plenty of problems.
West Brom 1-1 Leeds United
Plymouth Argyle v Hull City
Ryan Lowe lost his job last week, and he beat another man to first sacking; Wayne Rooney. Rooney is new at Plymouth, but many have him down as a possible casualty before Christmas, and a poor result against Hull won’t help. His side were woeful as they were thrashed 4-0 by Sheffield Wednesday, ensuring there’s no honeymoon period to his tenure at Home Park.
As for Hull, they ruthlessly fired Liam Rosenior last season, and their draw with Bristol City last weekend wasn’t the most inspiring. Tim Walter will surely see this as a good chance to get three points, and put last weekend’s lacklustre draw behind them.
Gary: Both managers need a result from this game, and on last weekend’s showing, neither will be confident of getting one. The difference is Hull feel like there’s quality in the squad, and they might need time to click, whereas Plymouth looked utterly ragged from front to back in their game against Sheffield Wednesday.
Rooney struggled at Birmingham last season, and his appointment doesn’t feel like the right fit for Argyle, who have benefitted from some good managers over the past few seasons. Ryan Lowe might be out of work now, but as a former Plymouth man, he’ll be keeping a keen eye on proceedings on the Devon coast, as he’d surely be a front-runner should the Rooney experiment fail.
Plymouth Argyle 0-2 Hull City
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