On September 12, Paul Merson updated his column on Sky Sports, looking ahead to this weekend's Manchester derby and commenting on Tottenham's current situation.

I still don't think Man Utd will finish in the top 5 of the Premier League this season.

Man Utd will play the Manchester derby this weekend, and the Red Devils' season is at a crucial juncture. If you beat Man City, you can take off from this point onwards. If you lose to Man City, you have to start from scratch, and coupled with the draw against Everton, you've only picked up one point from two games, while the teams around you have all won.

I've always said that Man Utd's summer transfer window wasn't good, and their squad isn't big enough—far from it. Defensively, they are completely insufficient. Man Utd conceded two goals against Everton—both were poor defensive lapses, one of which came from a shot on the edge of the box when all the Man Utd players had retreated into a defensive shape.

When you're ahead, you should be adding an attacker, not taking one off and bringing a defender on—don't give the opposition a chance. Conversely, if you replace a midfielder with a striker, or make a similar attacking change, the entire complexion changes. If you're managing another team, you think: "Oh no, what do I do now?"

And against Everton, Man Utd invited pressure from their opponents. Don't do that, especially when you're a big club. If you're Coventry playing Everton, of course you'll 100% bring a defender on and try to hold firm. But when you're Man Utd, I don't think that's necessary. When you control the tempo of the game, Everton's goalkeeper won't get that opportunity for a late equalizer from distance.

So I'm concerned about Man Utd—that's why I didn't include them in my top 5 at the start of the season, and nothing has changed since. When you concede a late equalizer, it definitely dents the team's confidence.

Upcoming fixtures will test just how strong Man City really are.

I don't think Man City's recent form has been particularly impressive, but sometimes I notice teams that aren't playing that well but keep winning; they become a real headache for their opponents.

Sometimes wins can mask cracks—but Man City have Haaland scoring goals, and they kept a clean sheet against Coventry in the previous round, which is a positive sign for them. Man City will next face crucial matches against Man Utd and Liverpool, and these fixtures will truly test their quality under Guardiola's management.

If Man City win both of these matches and beat Sunderland in between, they won't be far off the top of the table by the end of the season. But if they don't pick up six points from these two games, then Arsenal could well run away with the title. I predict Chelsea will finish third, but they're genuinely some way off Arsenal.

The home match against Everton is like a cup final for Tottenham.

Tottenham must beat Everton this weekend; it's like a cup final for them—I'd even say it will define the direction of their season.

If Tottenham lose to Everton, you start to worry it will be another difficult season, and Tottenham will have to start from scratch. But if they beat Everton, they'll be unbeaten in two consecutive games with four points, and things could start to build from there. However, right now, I really can't see this Tottenham side putting together five or six consecutive wins.

When you win a game, you naturally expect to win the next one. But if you don't start winning, confidence will disappear.

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