Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend.

October 03, 2014

Charlie Austin’s nascent Earnshaw-itis, the Wayne Rooney non-conundrum and Alan Pardew’s Professional Hell roadshow.

Ten things — Arsenal will have to do something new, Manchester United will be without Wayne Rooney, Charlie Austin must step up and Alan Pardew is under pressure. Photograph: Rex / Getty / Reuters.

1) What have Arsenal got up their sleeves for Chelsea?

“I think we will try new things on Sunday to get a better result than last year.” Careful, Per, or you’ll start getting a few hopes up. Arsenal’s German centre-back may simply have been talking for the sake of it in the mixed zone on Wednesday night, full of the joyous flushes of a healthy win over Galatasaray, but there will certainly be intense scrutiny on Arsenal’s approach at Stamford Bridge.
If “new things” include affording the back four a semblance of protection and allowing the smallest dose of pragmatism to inform their approach against a close rival, Arsenal will already be well set for a better outcome than March’s 6-0 defeat. That match was a nadir, a crystallisation of lessons unlearned, and a remotely similar scenario this time around might drive even the most desensitised neutral to distraction.
Concentration on the fundamentals – compacting the space between midfield and defence, compromising on a high line against a Chelsea side whose transitions have quickened since the addition of Cesc Fàbregas – will be more important than any innovation. But there is reason for Arsène Wenger to be quietly confident of a better display. Jack Wilshere should be fit for a return to the starting lineup, perhaps in place of Santi Cazorla, and Mathieu Flamini is theoretically a more solid fulcrum than the injured Mikel Arteta, who was overrun last time. Danny Welbeck is certainly sharper and quicker than the weary Olivier Giroud of seven months ago, who of course missed a big early chance in that game. Arsenal found a nice balance in front of Flamini on Wednesday night and, while Cazorla, Mesut Özil, Alexis Sánchez and the in-form Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain can surely not all start together at Stamford Bridge, this weekend’s options have a bit more vim about them. None of Wilshere, Özil and Sánchez was at Wenger’s disposal for the humbling that marked his 1,000th game.
Against that, it will only be eight days since Flamini was robbed by Cristian Eriksen for Spurs’ goal in the north London derby. A comfortable night against supine Champions League group opposition has provided many a false dawn in the past; the top end of the Premier League resembles a different sport at times and it is one in which Arsenal have regularly fallen short. They have the in-form attackers to beat Chelsea if “new things” are implemented correctly further back; the true novelty, though, would come if Wenger adopted measures that have long seemed glaringly obvious to the outsider. NA

2) It’s a big afternoon for Irvine and Rodgers

After West Brom’s scoreless draw at Southampton in the second match of the season, Alan Irvine told reporters that almost half his recently-assembled squad had not endured the benefit of a pre-season. They would get results, he insisted, but it might take time.
A Capital One Cup win on penalties against Oxford and subsequent Premier League defeats by Swansea and Everton will have done little to reassure West Brom fans who were decidedly underwhelmed by the Scot’s appointment. But consecutive league wins over Tottenham and Burnley, along with another Capital One Cup victory, over Hull City, would suggest Irvine wasn’t just getting his excuses in early at St Mary’s. Besides, his then unfit team had just drawn a match against a side who went on to win their next six matches.
Even on the evidence of that defensively solid performance, it seemed unlikely that West Brom would be relegated, but the outcome of Saturday’s visit to Anfield will give Irvine and his presumably dwindling band of detractors the best idea yet of just how high above the thick black line they can realistically hope to finish come season’s end. Liverpool are in poor form, defensively suspect and reeling from a dreadful midweek performance against Basel, so their performance against the Baggies will give their manager plenty of food for thought as well. It is a measure of how quickly football fortunes can change that by 6pm on Saturday it could be Liverpool’s fans who are feeling a little underwhelmed with their manager, while Irvine may find himself the toast of those travelling home along the M6. BG

3) Dyche needs to give Burnley fans a crumb of comfort

Sean Dyche has seen his side go five Premier League games without scoring a goal. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images

Goalless draws with Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Sunderland at least suggested that whereas the goals had dried up for Burnley, the solidity of last season – when they had the best defensive record in the second tier – had been maintained, but that came crashing down last weekend when West Brom tore through the Clarets backline four times. It was comfortably their most worrying result of the season (and one that made them look relegation certainties) for Sean Dyche, who will have to cope without the prolific Danny Ings-Sam Vokes strike pairing for another couple of weeks. Lukas Jutkiewicz, Ashley Barnes and Marvin Sordell are all more than capable players, but whereas they are a trio that would strike fear into Championship defences, the Premier League is another matter entirely.
Perhaps the good news then is that this weekend they take on what last season was a Championship defence, albeit one of the best. The bad news, though, is plentiful. Leicester feel like they’ve had a much better start to the season than their 12th place would suggest and, though they were undone in classic Warnockian fashion last weekend at Selhurst Park, Dyche does not quite have the same tools at his disposal as the Palace manager. The King Power Stadium, which tends to generate one of the better atmospheres of the new-build grounds, will be buoyed by the memory of that 5-3 classic with Manchester United last time out. Perhaps most pertinently Leicester’s 2-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor in March confirmed the Foxes as the best team in the Championship by some distance and the gap between the sides has since expanded. So the omens aren’t good for the visitors. Burnley have to stick by Dyche – given the squad he has at his disposal and the injuries, who could do a better job? And, should they find themselves back in the Championship next year, who is better equipped to lead another promotion charge? But he needs to give his suffering supporters something to cheer about. JA

4) Austin’s nascent Earnshaw-itis

The early-season Harry Redknapp reunion tour reaches its third and final leg at Upton Park, with the Queens Park Rangers manager having already reacquainted himself with his former employers at Tottenham and Southampton. Those two trips ended in defeat but with West Ham enduring a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde campaign so far themselves, this perhaps represents the best chance for Redknapp to get one over on an old club. But when the season’s claim to fame thus far is “being the only team to have beaten Sunderland” you know the campaign isn’t really going in the right direction and Redknapp, like a man with a particularly nasty stomach bug, has problems at both ends: QPR are not-so-proud owners of the second-worst goalscoring record in the division and the second-worst defensive record in the division. Redknapp has the wherewithal to fix the leaking backline but the problems up front are a concern. Rangers weren’t exactly free-scoring funsters last season either – the list of teams who outscored them in the Championship in 2013-14 includes Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Bournemouth – and it was an achilles heel that continually threatened to derail their promotion push. In 51 games they scored more that twice on only six occasions.
Charlie Austin still has to prove he’s not suffering with Earnshaw-itis, a condition that afflicts prolific strikers in the Championship who, for reasons never entirely clear, just can’t quite seem to cut it in the Premier League. But he showed just what he is capable of with his stunning goal at St Mary’s last weekend and, although a lack of goals is often blamed on the shortcomings of forwards, Redknapp needs to ensure there is enough dynamism elsewhere in his team to ease the burden on his solitary frontman. JA

5) Points required for Hull

Hull, after 14 goals in theirplast three fixtures, look set to be this season’s mid-table entertainers. But the general joie de vivre of Steve Bruce’s side has rather masked the fact that they have not won since the opening day. Couple that with the disappointingly abrupt end to City’s European adventure and an immediate Carling Cup exit and the start to the season begins to look a little less jolly for Bruce and co. The visit of Palace to the KC represents a chance to put points on the board that City could really do with taking: after this game Arsenal, Liverpool, high-flying Southampton, Tottenham, Manchester United, Everton and Chelsea all feature on Hull’s fixture list before Christmas. It won’t be straightforward, though. Palace did the double over Hull last season, winning both games 1-0. In fact, if you fancy a bit of a history lesson, Palace are unbeaten against City in their past eight meetings, a run that stretches back to April 2008, a season that ended with Hull winning promotion to the top flight for the first time after their play-off win over Bristol City. So there you are. JA

6) Will Manchester United be weakener without Rooney?

There were suggestions in some quarters this week that Wayne Rooney’s suspension might liberate Louis van Gaal and his team selection against Everton. It’s a tantalising idea, but it ignores both the fact that the Manchester United manager made Rooney his captain and the strength of character of the Dutchman. Simply, if Van Gaal thought he and United would be better served with Rooney out of the team, then Rooney would be out of the team.
Rather than offering a glimpse of a Rooney-less future for United, perhaps this match will provide some guide as to how, and if, United will benefit from their lack of European football. Generally last season their record after midweek Champions League fixtures was pretty good – P10 W7 D1 L2 – but in April United’s campaign was ended by Bayern Munich on the Wednesday before their trip to Goodison Park where, tired and bedraggled, they lost 2-0. That game proved to be David Moyes’ final match in charge. A show of swagger at Old Trafford this time around, against extremely awkward opponents, would be a statement of intent. JA

7) It’s time for Ashley to do the decent thing

Alan Pardew’s Professional Hell roadshow pitches up at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium on Saturday and nobody other than the most optimistic or delusional Newcastle fan will be expecting anything other than another defeat for a team who looked as uninspired as they did clueless in losing against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium on Monday night. Worryingly, by several accounts, that was one of their better performances this season. Pardew looked visibly shaken and distressed upon being jeered and barracked by Newcastle fans as he made for the sanctuary of the dressing room at the Britannia. When all’s said and done he’s a human being and despite his forbearance in the face of some of the most toxic abuse suffered by a Premier League manager since that Chelsea fan at Stamford Bridge held up the mildly disparaging sheet of A4 paper he’d rolled off the office printer at work for the attention of Rafa Benítez, it is difficult to know how much more this famously volatile manager can take.
We all know why Pardew is hanging in there at St James’ Park and by now it’s come to the point where Mike Ashley almost has a duty of care to his under-fire manager to send him on his way with a golden handshake. Whether or not apparently inevitable defeat at Swansea will be enough to force the Newcastle owner’s hand remains to be seen. With Pardew gone, Ashley would immediately become the target of angry Newcastle fans’ understandable ire. BG

Newcastle fans get their feelings across. Photograph: Paul Greenwood/BPI/REX/Paul Greenwood/BPI/REX

8) Benteke’s return could not be better timed

Aston Villa’s early rise to the top three was always going to be short-lived and, although it would be harsh to judge their level on subsequent defeats by Arsenal and Chelsea, the primary relief among their supporters was that their 10 points put them well clear of a relegation battle that many had dreaded.
A punishing run of fixtures continues against Manchester City, and defeat would shuffle Villa down towards the mid-table pack. Regardless of the outcome, the biggest news for Paul Lambert’s side this week would be the successful return – presumably from the bench at best – of Christian Benteke, who scored a penalty for Villa’s Under-21s on Monday after six months out and is making strides towards full fitness. The Belgian came in for criticism last season, a 12-game goal drought leading some to wonder whether his stunning first year at Villa Park had benefited from the element of surprise. But he still managed 11 goals from 29 appearances for a faltering side and it is encouraging to think that, if Villa have improved in other areas of the pitch without Benteke, they could accelerate yet more upon his comeback. It is also important to remember that he is still only 23.
They have scored just four goals in their six Premier League games, shared between Gabby Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann, and their early form was predicated on a greatly improved defence. Benteke will improve Villa’s productivity from open play and set pieces, and is young enough to keep developing with Lambert’s cheaply assembled side. Villa will soon be back among the also-rans but the man to keep them at a remove from the strugglers is back – and, with City’s defence not enjoying its best days of late, what price a dramatic announcement of his return? NA
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