Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
1) Sentiment shouldn’t cloud Rodgers’ judgment on Gerrard
One expects Steven Gerrard has been busting a gut in training this week to prove that he is fit to lead Liverpool into one last battle against Manchester United. It’s a club rivalry he rates as being bigger than Barcelona v Real Madrid and he won’t want his last appearance against United to be a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford. But in his absence through injury Liverpool’s younger players have grown into themselves. Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho and Joe Allen have joined Raheem Sterling in assuming more responsibility and their healthy blend of mobility and creativity in midfield has been a big part of the club’s resurgence. Emre Can has also become influential in sparking attacks from deep. Liverpool were 10 points behind United after the 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford in December. Thirteen league games later Liverpool top the form charts and have the chance to oust them from fourth place. Within that run the club captain, Gerrard, has featured in only half of the games and the team’s most impressive – and more importantly, balanced – performances have come in games in which Gerrard has been absent. Rodgers would be wise to use him from the bench if he uses him at all. GB
2) Will Oliver pay little heed to pressure again?
While José Mourinho refused to be drawn on whether the club should have been awarded a potentially decisive penalty during the 1-1 draw against Southampton last Sunday – “You will have to control me,” he said, turning to his press officer when journalists asked him about it – his club have had no such qualms. In a tinfoil-hatted article on Chelsea’s website, the club have questioned why they have only been awarded two penalties in the Premier League this season while Manchester City and Arsenal have had seven. Michael Oliver is to take charge of Chelsea’s trip to Hull – he is the referee who wrongly booked Diego Costa for diving rather than awarding a penalty against Burnley in August, the man who rightly failed to give Branislav Ivanovic a penalty against West Ham in December, and the referee who oversaw Chelsea’s League Cup semi-final against Liverpool in which Costa was again denied a penalty but also earned himself a three-match ban for stamping. Oliver’s impressive performance in the FA Cup game between Manchester United and Arsenal included a number of yellows for diving, and two correctly turned-down penalty claims. Could it be that though, that even while Mourinho’s lips are sealed, pressure is still being applied to the referee? TB
Chelsea support Mourinho by querying team’s lack of penaltiesCahill urges Chelsea to rediscover freedom
3) Advocaat in charge of Sunderland
Both West Ham and Sunderland come into Saturday’s late kick-off in similarly poor form. Both have lost three and drawn three of their last six league games. Both have conceded 10 goals in those six matches, and neither have won in the league since January. Sunderland, though, have done something about it. Gus Poyet’s sacking felt long overdue but it remains to be seen whether his replacement, Dick Advocaat, will be from the Tony Pulis school of miracle-makers or the Felix Magath college of bungling. Certainly Advocaat is a disciplinarian which, after the passionate reigns of Poyet and Paolo Di Canio, may be precisely what that club needs. This weekend, he’ll be helped by recent history: West Ham have not beaten Sunderland at home for five years, back in the days when Gianfranco Zola was in charge. Sam Allardyce must do something about records like that if he is to reverse West Ham’s current malaise. TB
4) What Pearson does next
Nigel Pearson has, without a doubt, been the manager of the season. Yes, his side are rock bottom with only four wins. Yes, they’ve yet to win since early January and, yes, they have lost five of their last seven matches. But which other club can boast a coach who has wrestled with another side’s player on the touchline, beensacked and reinstated in a night, picked a fight with Gary Lineker, masterminded the most entertaining match of the season – the 5-3 victory over Manchester United – and who has done what almost every football manager would like to have done at one point or another: called a journalist a “prick”? Leicester City’s fans, of course, are not so entertained and Pearson’s often bewildering tactics have led some to call for Martin Jol to replace him. It is a clamour that is likely to grow stronger against Tottenham. While Leicester might have recorded a last-gasp FA Cup win at White Hart Lane in January, Spurs have not lost at home in the league since November and will be confident of adding to the pressure on Pearson on Saturday. But given that Leicester already seem doomed to relegation, and with Pearson’s record of success in the Championship, would it really be wise to give him the chop (again)? TB
5) West Brom may be more forward-thinking than City expect
On paper, facing West Bromwich Albion at home looks like the perfect opportunity for Manchester City to recover from a wounding run of games in which they have suffered four defeats in their last five and been sent tumbling out of Europe. But West Brom, as you’d expect under Tony Pulis, are no pushovers. They are also more forward-thinking than many would give a Pulis team credit for. It’s perhaps their attacking approach that has led to defeats on the road. Brought in to do a firefighting job at the Hawthorns, Pulis has actually made West Brom more dangerous too. Brown Ideye and Saido Berahino have scored nine between them in the past seven games and by bringing in Darren Fletcher, Pulis has allowed James Morrison more freedom to go forwards from midfield. They are a dangerous side with pace on the break. With only the Premier League left to fight for, and their hopes of retaining their crown becoming ever slimmer, Manuel Pellegrini’s City could have done without facing one of the Premier League’s more threatening mid-table sides this weekend. GB
6) Sherwood hopes to extend Villa revival
There is an argument that, in Garry Monk and Tim Sherwood, Swansea and Aston Villa have two of the most promising English managers in the Premier League. Admittedly, it’s quite a difficult argument, but it’s an argument nonetheless. They meet each other with reputations heading in opposite directions at the moment though. While Monk was impressive in steering Swansea to 12th last season, and though this, his first full season in management, has included two 2-1 wins over Manchester United, his side have only won three of 10 league games this year and shipped 15 goals in that time. That said, Swansea are comfortably mid-table – which is, more or less, where they should be. Sherwood, meanwhile, has turned around a seven-match losing streak in the league at Villa and overseen three wins on the bounce, guiding the club three points clear of the relegation zone and to an FA Cup semi-final. Players are speaking of a newfound positivity at the club but it remains to be seen whether the manager can survive on force of personality alone. TB
7) Arsenal look for another post-Euro-exit boost
Mourinho’s assertion that Arsenal are title contenders was greeted by some as an attempt to troll Manchester City. But Arsène Wenger’s side are the second most in-form team in the Premier League and have not lost to their weekend opponents Newcastle – who can only name 13 fit players – since 2011. The old cliche that Arsenal fade at the end of each season is no longer borne out by the facts: after exiting the Champions League against Bayern this time last year, they lost only two of their 10 remaining Premier League matches and won the FA Cup. After going out – again against Bayern – the year before, they did not lose any of those 10 remaining games. Whether they have the strength to seriously challenge Chelsea for the title is in the balance but they go into their match at Newcastle having won five on the bounce in the league and face a team who have only won once in six games. If ever there was a chance to shake off another Champions League exit and launch a Premier League charge, this is it. TB
8) More of the same (in the league) from Everton
In the win over Newcastle last weekend, Everton showed that they have more than enough at their disposal to escape the troubling league situation they find themselves in. The return, industry and artistry of Leighton Baines helped immensely as did the starting of Arouna Koné, alongside the once marooned Romelu Lukaku. Aaron Lennon, an infuriatingly inconsistent player, showed what he can do when he can be bothered to do it, and the midfield pairing of Darron Gibson and James McCarthy dovetailed brilliantly. McCarthy brought the water and Gibson turned it into wine, or at least decent forward passes that helped leave Newcastle punchdrunk. One of the most pleasing sights for fans, apart from all that, was that Roberto Martínez showed the tactical flexibility he had seemingly eschewed all season. Ironically, now that flexibility has been found it must be abandoned. At once. Send out the same lads again, Roberto, and they will have the intelligence and ability to punish QPR. Despite their position just a few notches above the relegation zone, no one really thinks Everton will be dropped but no one Everton fan can relax just yet. After this match, they should be able to.IMC
9) Bolasie leading Palace’s threat against Stoke
The Crystal Palace physio room is increasingly crowded – Jason Puncheon, Wilfried Zaha, Jordon Mutch, Fraizer Campbell and Marouane Chamakh are all in various states of recovery and the absence of Puncheon, in particular, will hurt the side against Stoke. Meanwhile Mile Jedinak, the club captain, still has half of a four-match ban for elbowing West Ham’s Diafra Sakho to serve and, though he has rarely played in 2015 due to to his absence at the Asian Cup, his grit will be missed as well. It makes Yannick Bolasie Palace’s main threat against Stoke and the winger has been glorious to watch of late. Stoke – who have considerable injury worries of their own – will need to do their best to repress the seemingly irrepressible wide man. TB
10) Will Saints look to Djuricic?
Southampton were excellent against Chelsea last weekend, dogged and determined, their eyes still on a European prize. But Burnley will be a different prospect. Sean Dyche’s side may, at times, lack finesse but they will press and pressure and harry and run and if the Saints want to go marching on, they will need a different approach than the one applied at Stamford Bridge, an approach that would see Steven Davis dropped. Davis is a tidy passer and hard working and adds immensely to the defensive effort, but his major failing is that he offers very little going forward. He has played 2,063 minutes in the league this season – more than any other Southampton midfielder – but has only managed two assists. (Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin have fewer but they are playing much further back.) For this game, Southampton are going to need someone who has the skill, technique and passing ability that can that can unpick a defence and can find the runs of his team-mates. Someone like Filip Djuricic. Sure, the Serbian is young and inexperienced in the Premier League but he has already shown he has a sizeable amount of ability, which could prove very useful in breaking down defences during the chase for that coveted European spot. Burnley are terrible away from home – they have picked up one win on the road all season – and Southampton are very good against the bottom-based sides. Only once have they dropped a point at home against a team lower than 10th and that was way back in August against West Bromwich Albion. The rest have been sucked in and spat out like Augustus Gloop in the chocolate river. This could be just the perfect of game to let Djuricic run wild and show what he can do. IMC
Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
![Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend]()
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