After the break for the FA Cup, the Premier League returns this weekend. Here are ten things to look out for ahead of the weekend’s action.
The post-Coutinho era begins against Manchester City
A home game against Manchester City will usher in a new, Coutinho-less era for Liverpool and it’ll be interesting to see how Jurgen Klopp will structure his team against this year’s runaway leaders. He could set his team up with a three-man midfield, featuring James Milner, Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum or he could cause a bit of a shock and pick Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and go for a more attacking approach. Whatever happens, it’ll come down to how quickly Liverpool and regain position from City and their speed and accuracy on the counter. If all of this is done quickly and clinically, there’s a real chance they could be the first English team to beat Manchester City this season.
2015 Player of the Year against the 2016 Player of the Year
Eden Hazard will come up against Riyad Mahrez on Saturday afternoon in what is a clash between the two players most recently awarded the title of Player of the Year. Hazard has undoubted quality, but Mahrez has flown under the radar this season, with eight goals and eight assists. Leicester’s Algerian star is yet to be the subject of a bid from a top club this January, but a good performance against Chelsea could completely change that. Meanwhile, for Hazard, it’s a case of if you stop him, then you’ll stop Chelsea. The Blues are heavily reliant on the Belgian forward.
Can Arsenal be revitalised at the Vitality Stadium?
Keen viewers of Arsenal Fan Tv would remember the Gunners’ trip to Bournemouth last season and Claude’s rant about how his team had gone 3-0 down, before they rallied to draw the game. That result started a dreadful run for Bournemouth, but it’s easy to forget Ryan Fraser’s influence in that match. The Scottish winger ran all over Arsenal 12 months ago and conveniently finds himself in good recent form, scoring twice against Everton in Bournemouth’s last Premier League game. Arsene Wenger sat in the press box for the midweek game against Chelsea and it’ll be interesting to see how much information he gleaned from journalists, after a performance where they offered nothing going forward and looked pretty poor defensively too.
What will Everton do for the rest of the season?
Everton’s poor start to the season means that their chances of qualifying for Europe this season are slim. Their recent form under Sam Allardyce, excluding their last two games, means they’re now well clear of the relegation zone. They’re out of both cup competitions and the Europa League, so this begs the question, what next for Everton this season? Well, Cenk Tosun has arrived for £27 million and he’ll have to hit the ground running. For Allardyce, it’ll be all about getting a team in shape and familiarising themselves with the style of play in preparation for an assault on the European places next year.
Pellegrino under pressure
Following Mark Hughes’ dismissal last week, five of the six clubs who prop up the Premier League table have changed their manager this season. Southampton are the only club not to have done so and Mauricio Pellegrino is now in a precarious situation as the Saints are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. They need to invest the money from the sale of Virgil van Dijk quickly and it should be spent on a striker. Daniel Sturridge is the kind of player they need to go for. If rumours are to be believed, there’s an imminent homecoming for Theo Walcott. Walcott is the kind of player they certainly don’t need. There’s already an abundance of quick, inconsistent wingers playing for Southampton at the moment. As for Pellegrino, his side need to beat a Watford side who are in freefall with five defeats in six games.
Burnley in danger of destroying good season
Sean Dyche has rightly attracted a lot of plaudits for what he and his Burnley team have achieved this season, but with just one win in their last six games and none in five, there’s a danger that their early season promise could flicker out. No one expected them to maintain their excellent start to the season, but for Dyche’s sake, you don’t want to see Burnley finish in the bottom half. The Clarets travel to Selhurst Park this weekend and can take heart from their 2-0 victory in the corresponding fixture last season. A repeat result could give them the boost they need at the start of 2018.
Bottom of the table clash at St James’ Park
Six points separate Newcastle in 13th and Swansea who currently sit bottom of the table, but it’s so tight at the bottom that one or two results for either side can massively change the state of play. Rafa Benitez will know all about Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal, who masterminded two victories with Sheffield Wednesday against the Magpies in the Championship last season. Benitez will also be without key defender and captain Jamaal Lascelles and the stats show that they’re significantly weaker without him, having lost four of the five league matches and conceded an average of three goals when he hasn’t been in the side. Having said all this, the game will probably end as a tight 0-0 draw.
Alan Pardew still without a league win at West Brom
Much like Sunderland last year, you have to feel for the West Brom fans who travel all over the country to watch their side play. Their team haven’t won in 20 league matches, eight of those under Alan Pardew. The new manager has made his side more adventurous and they are creating a lot more chances. If chances weren’t being created, then you’d really worry. They’re lacking a striker to finish them off. What will worry West Brom though is that if they lose to Brighton this weekend, then they’ll be ten points between them and the Seagulls. They’re in a very precarious situation.
Reinforcements have arrived at Huddersfield
There was always a feeling that Huddersfield might surprise a few people and survive and their transfer business this month suggests exactly that. Terence Kongolo has already arrived at the John Smith’s Stadium and former Spurs and Norwich midfielder Alex Pritchard is expected to follow soon. David Wagner and the Huddersfield board have given themselves a real chance at staying up and Saturday’s game against West Ham gives them a great opportunity to do exactly that. The Hammers are without a number of key players due to injury, but David Moyes’ side have a nice set of winnable fixtures coming up. If they go unbeaten or win a few of those games, they could be safe fairly quickly.
Manager-less Stoke go to Old Trafford
After a shocking FA Cup defeat to League Two side Coventry last week, Stoke chairman Peter Coates parted ways with manager Mark Hughes. It’s yet to be seen who’ll be standing in as a caretaker for this game, but you’d think it would be something of a thankless task. It’s a free swing for whoever is in charge (if there’s anyone). No one expects Stoke to get anything from this game, but they showed in their 2-2 draw against the Red Devils earlier this season that they have got some fight.