Premier League: Five things to look out for

JOE looks ahead to this weekend in the Premier League and considers what matches to watch and avoid, who might surprise and the Irish players to keep an eye on.

By Conor Heneghan

Surprise Package: Blackburn

Manchester United’s current position at the top of the Premier League is something of a travesty. Although Chelsea have hardly set the world alight, United have been dreadfully mediocre in a series of Premier League encounters and have been lucky to escape from most of them with something to show for their efforts.

The worry for the rest of the league is that they will eventually come good, but there has been nothing in their displays to suggest that that will be the case. The return of Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs might be a fillip for the Red Devils, but they need some inspiration sooner rather than later because they can’t keep on playing like this if they have an ambition of maintaining their position at the top.

Blackburn have put a few decent results together of late and could well put it up to their local rivals this weekend. The only danger, of course, is that any team managed by Sam Allardyce could well bow at the feet of a side managed by his good buddy and idol Sir Alex Ferguson.

Game not to miss: Tottenham v Liverpool

The general perception about these two teams is that one - Spurs, are firmly on the way up, while the other, Liverpool are in something of an irreversible decline. This theory is backed up by the fact that Harry Redknapp’s men are now flying in the Champions League, a competition that Liverpool flourished in up until recently, but is now only a distant memory.

For all of their faults this season, however, Liverpool are currently on a run of 13 points in their last six games and a win this weekend will see them go level on points with their opponents and maybe remind some of their critics that while they are not the force they used to be, they have not quite gone away just yet.

Roy Hodgson (above) will have to look for a change in approach, however, because the Reds have been absolutely abysmal on the road, a problem which also affected Hodgson during his time in charge of Fulham. One win, four defeats and only four goals away from home this season tells its own story and White Hart Lane is not the easiest place to pick up points these days, especially considering that Liverpool will be without talisman Steven Gerrard.

Game to miss: West Ham v Wigan

The dismissal of assistant manager Zeljko Petrovic at West Ham earlier this week only served to confirm that there is something horribly wrong at the club. It seems to us that Avram Grant got away with it. Why would you decide to sack an assistant manager rather than the main man when results are poor and the team is badly struggling?

The Hammers have looked limp, disinterested and Scott Parker aside, devoid of leadership so far this campaign. When you have those concerns over a team, questions have to be asked about the man in charge and frankly, Grant seems to be living on a reputation that was forged on one half decent season with Chelsea and a spirited campaign at Portsmouth last year when sympathy towards the affable Israeli manager was in high supply.

At the end of the day, Pompey were relegated and it looks like West Ham are on a similar path, unless something changes drastically. For all of Wigan’s unpredictability, they are currently alongside West Ham in the relegation zone and this could be this season that they finally drop back down to the championship after years of clinging on to Premier League status.

Irish interest:

Jonathan Walters scored two goals in 12 minutes having been introduced as a late substitute in the 3-0 victory over West Brom last weekend and it will be interesting to see if his performance is rewarded with a starting berth against Manchester City this weekend.

Jonathan Walters has impressed since moving from Ipswich to Stoke

Elsewhere, Kevin Doyle will be hoping that breaking his duck against Blackpool last weekend will inspire something of a goal rush, although there are certainly easier places to find the net than against a resurgent Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

What about the rest:

Aston Villa will be hoping for a repeat of the performance, if not the result, they produced against Manchester United at Villa Park when an Arsenal side reeling from two successive defeats come to visit. Blackpool manager Ian Holloway will be hoping his side can stop in-form strike partnership Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander as the Tangerines visit the Reebok Stadium, while Seamus Coleman and his Everton team mates host a West Brom side badly struggling for form and confidence at Goodison Park.

Fulham were awful against Man City last weekend and need a win to steer clear of the relegation zone, although a fixture against a Birmingham side whose defence and goalkeeper were impenetrable against champions Chelsea last weekend mightn’t be ideal to get them back on track.

As for Chelsea themselves, they have a tough away fixture for the second week in a row, this time against a Newcastle side who will be without central defensive pairing Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson after their moments of badness against Bolton last weekend.

Fixtures:

27 November:

Aston Villa v Arsenal 12:45

Bolton v Blackpool 15:00

Everton v West Brom 15:00

Fulham v Birmingham 15:00

Man United v Blackburn 15:00

Stoke v Man City 15:00

West Ham v Wigan 15:00

Wolves v Sunderland 15:00

28 November:

Newcastle v Chelsea 13:30

Tottenham v Liverpool 16:00