1) Abundant caution does no harm
Spurs’ season has been an odd one – there’s a sense of struggle yet they’re two points from the top four with more than a third of the campaign gone. Perhaps that’s down to the nature of the results rather than the results themselves – the wins have been narrow (all but one by a single goal) and the five defeats either thumping (3-0 against Liverpool, 4-1 against Manchester City) or at White Hart Lane against teams they would expect to beat (West Brom, Newcastle and Stoke). Still, all things considered it’s not going too badly for them and as such Tottenham will feel the need to approach Chelsea with more ambition than Sunderland did at the weekend. But should they? Sunderland have offered Mauricio Pochettino a blueprint to follow and Spurs have the players do to it – Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb offer plenty of bite in midfield and Harry Kane has the energy and eagerness to begin the defending from the front. The idea of Audere est Facere is an admirable one but Wednesday might not be the night for it: the last time Tottenham won at Chelsea was February 1990. Perhaps abundans cautela non nocet would be a better motto for Stamford Bridge. JA
• Mourinho: Uefa’s FFP rules are a contradiction
• Video: Mourinho defends Chelsea after goalless draw
• Tottenham pitch invaders charged over stunt
2) A meeting with Liverpool might be just what Pearson needs
Thanks to Tony Pulis’s escapades with Crystal Palace last season his spectre hovers over just about every manager in the bottom half but just now no one is feeling the shadow of that baseball cap peak more keenly than Nigel Pearson. The defeat against QPR at the weekend means it is now eight games without a win for his Leicester side, who find themselves on the foot of the Premier League as a result. Pearson is now the runaway favourite to become the first manager to lose his job this season. But the meeting with Liverpool offers reason for optimism. Leicester’s better performances this season have come against the Premier League’s bigger beasts – they gave Chelsea a scare, held both Arsenal and Everton, and klonked Manchester United 5-3 – and Liverpool, despite a shaky start, certainly still qualify. The Reds may have pulled themselves out of their own rut thanks to Glen Johnson’s winner against Stoke but there was enough evidence at Anfield to suggest that Brendan Rodgers’ side are not out of their collective funk just yet. JA
• Rodgers: Gerrard weighing up new Liverpool contract
• Gerrard dismisses reported rift with Rodgers
3) Does Alan Irvine deserve more time?
If you genuinely think Georgios Samaras is the answer, a cynic might suggest the managerial questions are getting a mite too difficult, so it was no surprise that the introduction of the Greek striker (no goals and no assists in 171 minutes’ worth of substitute appearances over seven games) prompted howls of derision at The Hawthorns against Arsenal on Saturday afternoon. The natives of West Bromwich are getting restless and it seems time is running out for Alan Irvine.
Whether or not such criticism is fair is a moot point. Critics of Brendan Rodgers have pointed out that a manager is judged on his signings but, if the Liverpool manager’s have underwhelmed, some of those brought in by the West Brom recruitment department have been little short of disastrous. Record £10m signing Ideye Brown remains on the first-team fringes and has yet to score a Premier League goal while Silvestre Varela, Chris Baird, Sebastián Blanco and Jason Davidson have also found opportunities limited after being bought or borrowed in the late, late trolley dash necessitated by a mass summer exodus.
“There were no games to watch them playing in,” said Irvine of many of West Brom’s signings. “With some of the boys we got to see them playing in the World Cup and with others we didn’t get a chance to see them do anything. We were trying to do as much homework as we possibly can and the recruitment department knew a lot of these players from watching them for a long time but it wasn’t something I was doing. I would hope that in future transfer windows there is a much more joined-up approach than was possible in this one.” Quite how much input Irvine, a decent man, had in the recruitment drive he seemed so eager to distance himself from remains unclear but an improvement on one home win for the season, against resurgent West Ham, could help buy Irvine the time he needs to instigate the joined-up January approach of which he speaks. BG
4) Can Palace grab some breathing space?
The first week of December is far too early to talk about relegation six-pointers but with Crystal Palace and Aston Villa separated only by goal difference, the winners of the game in south London can at least secure some breathing space before the busy Christmas period. It was a similar story in the corresponding fixture back in March when a Palace win virtually assured safety for Tony Pulis and left Paul Lambert nervously looking over his shoulder. The Eagles are once again in good form having recovered from a shaky run under Neil Warnock, while Villa have at least stopped the rot with three straight draws. Those of a certain vintage may recall that it is now more than 30 years since a goal from Gary Shaw secured their last win at Selhurst Park on their way to the First Division title in 1980-81. How times have changed. EA
• Warnock: Growing belief drove Palace to draw at Swansea
• Villa’s Cole shows appetite for ‘proper games’
5) Can Sunderland continue run of home wins over the champions?
It is a remarkable statistic. Manchester City have contrived to lose 1-0 on each of their last four visits to the Stadium of Light, a venue that enjoyed little renown as a fortress prior to Sunderland’s splendidly disciplined performance against Chelsea on Saturday. Having conceded eight goals without reply at Southampton not so long ago, Gus Poyet’s men became the first team to keep Chelsea scoreless in 20 matches this season. Attempting to make sense of it all is difficult but, if one is prepared to overlook Sunderland’s aberration on the south coast, they have proved difficult to beat despite occasional lapses into the realm of the slapstick. They are unbeaten in 10 of their 13 Premier League matches and it is toothlessness up front rather than porousness in defence that has cost them but they are likely to face another stern test against champions who were a pleasure to watch in victory against Southampton.
Sunderland’s troops will have been physically and mentally drained by the intensity of their effort against Chelsea but have the luxury of an extra day to recover. City’s players are unlikely to have been too exhausted on the back of their romp against Southampton and one can only surmise that their weird and less-than-wonderful record will play on the minds of their players. The home side are available at odds of 15-2 to win the match and over 20-1 to win it 1-0. IT couldn’t happen again, could it ... is presumably what most right-thinking folk were thinking last season and the one before. BG
• Hart still locked in City contract talks
• Touré determined to ignore his critics
6) Who will buck the trend at Old Trafford?
Manchester United have not won four on the bounce in the league since December last year. Stoke have not gone three league games without a win since February. Something has got to give at Old Trafford (unless it is a draw, obviously, but don’t let the details get in the way of the narrative). It might not be as straightforward for Louis van Gaal’s side as it first appears. Under Mark Hughes Stoke have developed that happy knack of picking up wins just when required and they have already tasted victory once in Manchester this season thanks to Mame Biraf Diouf’s winner at the Etihad at the end of August. And the Potters troubled Manchester United last season, leading twice at Old Trafford before being beaten by a Javier Hernández special, plus, unusually, they have been as good away from home as at the Britannia this season. If one was looking to nitpick, one might suggest that United were the beneficiaries of some ludicrously generous Hull City defending at the weekend but in truth it looks more as if they are beginning to go through the gears and Stoke were unable to hold out against an out-of-sorts Liverpool at the weekend. This should be a pattern-busting fourth win in four. JA
• Carrick wants fear factor back at Manchester United
• United ‘must maintain momentum’, says Van Gaal
7) Ings faces a tough test
- Appearances
- 10
- Goals
- 4
- Shots
- 30
- Shots on target
- 27%
- Offsides
- 6
At the start of November Burnley looked dead and buried: nine games gone, four points earned and favourites for the drop. Two wins and a draw from four games have put them within touching distance of mid-table, with the goal-scoring form of Danny Ings a boon for Sean Dyche’s side. Ings now has four goals from 10 Premier League appearances and is being linked with a transfer already – but can he keep it up? He scored a goal every other game last season but before that his goal-scoring record was nothing to shout about – a previous season high of seven league goals in 26 League One games for Bournemouth in 2010-11 is far from impressive. So, flash in the pan or just a young striker finding his shooting boots? Newcastle have conceded only two goals since the 2-2 draw with Swansea at the start of October, so this home game may provide a good indication of whether Ings can thrive against sturdier opponents or whether teams might do better to scout more seasoned goal-scoring talent. TM
8) Most neutrals will be rooting for Southampton
Five seasons ago Southampton were in League One. Arsenal were well off the Premier League pace with their manager attempting to mollify impatient supporters. While it is heartwarming that one of the two clubs has advanced in leaps and bounds in the interim, having lost three from three in the Premier League against teams who finished in the top six last season, Southampton will be hoping to end their rate of failure against top sides when they travel to the Emirates on Wednesday. A win for Arsenal, by contrast, will make it three on the spin and go some way towards pacifying irate fans until the club’s inevitable return to the edge of the abyss signposted “Crisis”. After a weekend that hinted at a return to the natural order, what with still unbeaten Chelsea being the only club of the Premier League’s generally recognised Big Six not to post a win, the sight of Ronald Koeman’s Saints marching out of the Emirates with a win would gladden the hearts of romantics hoping for a top-four shake-up come season’s end. BG
• Wenger doesn’t suffer fans gladly
• Paul Doyle: Southampton get reality check against City
• Andy Hunter on the Champions League contenders
9) Swansea need to find their shooting boots
Swansea were excellent for long spells against Crystal Palace on Saturday but were unable to transform that concerted pressure into goals. While Wilfried Bony continues to be a menace, he needs more support from those around him. Gylfi Sigurdsson, rejuvenated by his return to Wales, seemed particularly frustrated with his own contribution – missing a couple of half-chances to put the game beyond the visitors. After the game he pointed out that the rest of the squad must start weighing in and, if Garry Monk’s team are to do more than survive, they need the midfielders to find the back of the net – Wayne Routledge, Nathan Dyer, Jefferson Montero and Sigurdsson are all capable of double figures for the season. Luckily Swansea are up against QPR on Tuesday – Harry Redknapp’s team is one of the most open in the division and allowed Leicester 19 shots on goal in their 3-2 win on Saturday. If Monk’s side need some shooting practice QPR are likely to oblige. TM
10) Hull City’s bewildering away form suggests they may get a result
The Hull Daily Mail has called for an Irish solution to Hull’s midfield problem and demanded the introduction of David Meyler and Stephen Quinn to add much-needed steel to a midfield that was overrun at Old Trafford on Saturday when Steve Bruce’s side make the trip to Everton. Hull’s capitulation at Old Trafford in a match that was over as a contest by half-time was unsurprising: in 21 matches against United as a manager Bruce has failed to win a single one.
“I don’t think our season is going to be defined by getting beaten at Manchester United,” said Bruce during a brutally frank post-match interview in which he made no effort to cover up his team’s shortcomings. He did, however, point out that they have also had to face Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle away this season, appearing to imply that the fixture list has not been all that kind.
Strangely, what Bruce did not mention is that Hull emerged with creditable draws from those three games but lost on the road against Aston Villa and Burnley. After four consecutive defeats adding to their sole away win against QPR with victory at Everton would help ease pressure on a manager whose odds against being next for the boot are understandably only marginally longer than those against his club getting relegated. BG
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 13 | 19 | 33 |
| 2 | Man City | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| 3 | Southampton | 13 | 15 | 26 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 13 | 7 | 22 |
| 5 | West Ham | 13 | 5 | 21 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 13 | 6 | 20 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 13 | 0 | 20 |
| 8 | Swansea | 13 | 3 | 19 |
| 9 | Newcastle | 13 | -2 | 19 |
| 10 | Everton | 13 | 2 | 17 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 13 | -2 | 17 |
| 12 | Stoke | 13 | -3 | 15 |
| 13 | Sunderland | 13 | -7 | 14 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 13 | -4 | 13 |
| 15 | West Brom | 13 | -5 | 13 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 13 | -11 | 13 |
| 17 | Hull | 13 | -6 | 11 |
| 18 | QPR | 13 | -11 | 11 |
| 19 | Burnley | 13 | -12 | 11 |
| 20 | Leicester | 13 | -8 | 10 |
