Paul Merson: Tottenham's Everton clash is a 'cup final' and Man Utd's derby is season-defining
Paul Merson has described Tottenham's Premier League meeting with Everton as a "cup final" and claimed Manchester United's derby against Manchester City will define their season, in his latest Sky Sports column. Spurs are without a win or a goal after three games and face an unbeaten Everton on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports.
- Fixture: Tottenham vs Everton, Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports
- Fixture: Manchester United vs Manchester City, Sunday, Manchester derby
- Spurs' start: No win or goal in three Premier League games; they have played Brentford away, Newcastle at home and Nottingham Forest away
- Everton: Unbeaten; they drew 2-2 with Man Utd last time out
- Man Utd: One point from two games; drew with Everton
- What's at stake: Merson says both Spurs and Man Utd face season-defining matches early in the campaign
What was said
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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 start Spurs have had is Brentford away, Newcastle at home and Nottingham Forest away. If they lose to Everton and have one point from four games, you start to worry."
"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."
"When you win football matches, you expect to win the one after. But if you don't, the confidence goes."
"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."
"It would be one point from two games including the Everton game. And other teams are winning around you."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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?'."
"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."
"If you're dictating the game, Everton don't get that chance for Ainsley Maitland-Niles."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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 verdict is uncompromising. He frames Tottenham's campaign as being on the line already, with a trip to face an unbeaten Everton side representing a genuine fork in the road. For Man Utd, he doubles down on his pre-season skepticism, pointing to a squad he believes is too small and a defence he says is not good enough.
The pundit also reserves praise for Man City's resilience, noting that winning without playing well is a warning to rivals. But he insists their upcoming run - against Man Utd and Liverpool, with a game against Sunderland in between - will reveal whether they are genuine title contenders under Enzo Maresca.
Why Spurs need a snowball effect
Tottenham's fixture list has been unforgiving, and Merson is clear that the sequence matters as much as the individual results. Brentford away, Newcastle at home and Nottingham Forest away have yielded no wins and no goals. Defeat to Everton would leave them with one point from four games and a psychological hill to climb.
Victory, however, would change the mood instantly. Merson argues that beating Everton would give Spurs momentum for a home game against Aston Villa next week. He describes it as a snowball effect: win, and you expect to win the next one; lose, and confidence drains. The implication is that Tottenham's season could tip either way inside 90 minutes.
Man Utd's derby test and Merson's tactical concern
The pundit is worried about Manchester United, and he does not hide it. He claims the squad is not big enough and the defence is nowhere near good enough, citing the two goals conceded against Everton - one from the edge of the box with everybody behind the ball. He also criticises the in-game management, arguing that when winning, United should put another forward on rather than take a forward off and bring on a defender.
Merson believes that inviting pressure gave Everton the chance for Ainsley Maitland-Niles to score, something he says would not have happened if United had kept dictating the game. It is a pointed critique of defensive substitutions from a big team, and it feeds directly into his warning that United's season is in the balance ahead of the Manchester derby.
Man City's defining run
For Manchester City, Merson sees a team that has not been great but keeps winning. He notes that sometimes wins can cover cracks, yet Erling Haaland is scoring goals and a clean sheet against Coventry last time out is a positive. The bigger test comes now.
City face Man Utd and Liverpool in quick succession, with a match against Sunderland in between. Merson says those two games will show where City are under Enzo Maresca. If they win, they will not be far off the top come the end of the season. If they take fewer than two points from the two, Arsenal could run away with the title, with Chelsea already miles off in his view.
Talking points
- Is Merson right to call Spurs vs Everton a cup final in September? Three games without a goal suggests panic, but beating an unbeaten Everton could transform their season.
- Man Utd's squad depth is the issue Merson keeps returning to. If the derby goes wrong, will the manager pay for a summer of what the pundit calls poor buying?
- Merson's criticism of defensive substitutions is specific: United invited pressure and Everton scored through Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Should big teams always stay on the front foot?
- City have not been great but keep winning. Is that sustainable, or will Man Utd and Liverpool expose the cracks Merson mentions?
What happens next
Spurs face Everton on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports, before hosting Aston Villa next week. Man Utd host Man City in the Manchester derby on Sunday. Man City then face Liverpool after a game against Sunderland, a sequence that will define their title credentials under Enzo Maresca.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tottenham vs Everton a cup final for Spurs?
Yes, according to Paul Merson. He says it is a cup final for them and that their season is on the line, with Spurs without a win or a goal in three Premier League games.
What did Merson say about Man Utd's defence?
He said defensively they are nowhere near good enough, pointing to the two goals they conceded against Everton, one of which came from the edge of the box with everybody behind the ball.
Who is Man City's manager according to the article?
Enzo Maresca is named as Man City's manager in Paul Merson's Sky Sports column, which describes the upcoming games against Man Utd and Liverpool as the test to know where City are under him.
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