FA Cup third round: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Silly goals conceded, chances missed, a lead surrendered and points squandered against relegation fodder. On the face of things, Manchester United have changed manager but nothing else. The reality is different. They started slowly at Burnley, settling into a 4-2-3-1 formation that suits them – and pretty much every other team – far better than Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 before, midway through the first half, they started to play. The deployment of Bruno Fernandes close to the opposition goal, along with a wide player, Patrick Dorgu, playing on his natural side, meant Benjamin Sesko was, for the first time, provided with decent service. Then, following Jaidon Anthony’s equaliser, Darren Fletcher’s side risked defeat by going all out for the win – one nearly achieved through the timely introduction of Shea Lacey, a richly talented 18-year-old. Brighton will present far stiffer opposition but, for the first time in a long time, United are doing what United are meant to do. Daniel Harris

FA Cup fever endures in Macclesfield. Maxonians wishing to attend the visit of the holders were asked to queue for tickets the old-school way. Macclesfield Town reached the third round in 1987-88 as a non-league club, and met Premier League opposition in Chelsea, West Ham, Everton and Bolton when a fourth-tier Football League outfit. Macclesfield FC, the phoenix club formed in 2020, would go further than their forebears by beating Crystal Palace. Oliver Glasner’s team will play on the 4G pitch that has restored the football club to the heart of a community detached during the old club’s dog days. Rob Smethurst, who funded the new club, stepped aside in October, able to give little more both personally and financially. A team 14th in the National League North has more pressing concerns than the FA Cup but Saturday can show how far Smethurst and his cohorts, including the departed Robbie Savage, brought the club from the despair of extinction. John Brewin

Macclesfield won an all-sixth-tier clash with Slough Town to reach the third round. Photograph: Nigel French/PA

Though this season’s third round features four all-Premier League ties, three of which will be televised, Grimsby Town v Weston-super-Mare is really where it’s at. The home side have already enjoyed cup ecstasy this season, eliminating Manchester United from the Carabao Cup in memorably hilarious fashion and, though a trip to Blundell Park to face the team 12th in League Two is presumably not the tie that sixth-tier semi-pros Weston were dreaming of, it offers a genuine chance of progress. The Seagulls are second in the National League South, so will approach the match full of confidence. Their problem, though, is goalscoring with no player registering more than four in the league. But as Milton Graham, Tony Rains, Andy Halliday, Sean Raggett and numerous others can testify, an FA Cup tie is a one-off and thanks, to the inherent chaos and randomness of football giantkilling heroes can come in surprising form. DH

It’s been a poor start to the year for Manchester City, three consecutive draws with just two goals scored allowing Arsenal to build up a head of steam in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola most likely takes the opportunity to rotate against Exeter, whose request for a desperately needed greater share of gate receipts was rejected by City’s impoverished owners. One key player likely to feature is Rodri as he continues his comeback. It is hard to overstate just how much he’s been missed, an obelisk on roller skates who mixes clever passing and soft feet with judicious fouls and tackles. He is a near-perfect midfielder – all the more so given, in true Guardiola style, the defence he protects is iffy at best. It may yet be that City’s attacking quality and variety is enough to win them the big pots, but recent matches suggest not. They need Rodri back to his best immediately. DH

Rodri is still finding his feet after returning from injury. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images

It is impossible to ignore all that is wrong with Chelsea’s appointment of Liam Rosenior in snaffling the manager of a club owned by the same group. Most likely, though, and despite the best efforts of Strasbourg’s supporters federation, that will quickly be forgotten as the football world waits excitedly to see how the appointment works out. Rosenior inherits a talented but incoherent squad which a succession of more experienced managers have struggled to make sense of. In the first instance, it’ll be interesting to see who he rates, which formation he wants to use, and how he inculcates his principles of play. His most urgent task, especially in the absence of a goalscoring centre-forward, is to coax Chelsea’s talisman back into form. The key question is not what Rosenior wants, but what does Cole Palmer need? DH

Ethan Nwaneri has been largely a spectator for Arsenal this season despite a brilliant breakthrough campaign in which he became the second-youngest goalscorer in Champions League history. The 18-year-old scored nine times in 37 appearances last season – including 11 starts in the Premier League – but has not featured at all for Mikel Arteta’s side since being brought on for the last 20 minutes against Club Brugge in early December. Chelsea were interested in signing Nwaneri in the summer before he opted to pen a lucrative new five-year contract at the Emirates. Bournemouth have now expressed an interest in taking him on loan until the end of the season. Yet Arteta is reluctant to allow him to leave this month given Arsenal’s recent injury problems and said last week that “everybody has to be ready to play”. The trip to face Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Sunday should be the perfect opportunity to give Nwaneri some precious minutes. Ed Aarons

Ethan Nwaneri (centre) goes past Gabriel Jesus (left) and Christian Nørgaard in training. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Everton recalled Harrison Armstrong from a successful loan spell with Preston on New Year’s Day and are considering sending him back once their squad is restored to health by the return of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye. Or at least that is the plan for the continued development of the 18-year-old midfielder. David Moyes does not want to restrict Armstrong’s game time but the visit of Sunderland offers the homegrown talent another opportunity to show the Everton manager he is equipped for the Premier League. Stronger and sharper than when last seen at Hill Dickinson Stadium earlier in the season, Armstrong was among Everton’s best performers in the disappointing draw with Wolves. Moyes’s team are struggling for form and options at present. Jack Grealish’s suspension for an FA Cup tie of considerable importance is an added headache but Armstrong’s emergence from an academy that was hollowed out under the club’s previous ownership would be a welcome bonus. Andy Hunter

Do not expect to see Lucas Perri at Derby on Sunday. Daniel Farke suggested he was contemplating dropping the Brazilian longer-term following Wednesday night’s dramatic 4-3 Premier League defeat at Newcastle. It not only endeda seven-match unbeaten run but also featured Perri failing to keep out Harvey Barnes’ late winner. “Of course it was a situation where you should save the ball,” said the Leeds manager, who had also criticised Perri for a mistake in last Sunday’s 1-1 home draw with Manchester United. “I can’t lie and pretend otherwise because he wouldn’t believe me.” A big chance surely beckons for Perri’s understudy, the former Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow. Or might Farke surprise everyone and bring in his third-choice Illan Meslier, once an automatic starter under Marcelo Bielsa? Louise Taylor

Lucas Perri is on shaky ground at the moment. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock

Malick Thiaw has shone at the heart of Newcastle’s defence since arriving from Milan last summer. On Wednesday night he came up against Dominic Calvert-Lewin at St James’ Park and struggled horribly throughout the first 45 minutes. It was no surprise that Eddie Howe withdrew Thiaw at half-time but, with Fabian Schär and Dan Burn injured, the German is likely to start against Bournemouth. On Thursday morning Thiaw felt it necessary to apologise for his performance on social media. If he is not the first high-calibre defender to have foundered in the face of Calvert-Lewin, Thiaw also looked fatigued, begging the question as to whether it might be best for Newcastle if they lost this tie. Howe says a long FA Cup run is “very important”, but can a squad already stretched really sustain a challenge on four fronts? LT

Arne Slot believes this can still be a special season for Liverpool – which is what almost everyone imagined it would be at the outset – with the FA Cup and Champions League offering diversions from a troubled title defence. “There are so many times this club has shown when it didn’t have the greatest form in the league that they were able to win another trophy,” he said this week. To that end, there can be no repeat of the wholesale changes that contributed to Liverpool’s Carabao Cup exit to Crystal Palace in October, even against a Barnsley team languishing 17th in League One. Slot made 10 changes for that 3-0 defeat at Anfield with games against Aston Villa and Real Madrid in mind. Both were won impressively but, in the absence of any long-term gain, and with Anfield’s patience being stretched, the Liverpool head coach is not in a position to rotate heavily once again and should support his view on the importance of the FA Cup with action. AH