AS WE HEAD into the month of March, the Premier League season is beginning to enter the business end of proceedings with the race for the title, battle for the Champions League places and relegation dogfight all hotting up.
This weekend, there are eight crucial games at both ends of the table and here are five talking points ahead of the action…
City can close gap further as Mario reunited with old friends
Manchester City needed no second invitation to take advantage of Chelsea’s slip-up last weekend and now Manuel Pellegrini’s side can reduce the gap at the summit to just two points if they can come away from Anfield on Sunday with three points.
Both sides are coming off the back of disappointing results in Europe with Liverpool’s wounds from their penalty shoot-out defeat to Besiktas still very much fresh. But, the Reds are on an upward curve domestically and are now just two points adrift of United in fourth.
Sunday’s clash will no doubt be decided by Liverpool’s capacity to nullify the threat of the visitors’ potent strike force. Brendan Rodgers’ side have been watertight in recent weeks under a new defensive system but they haven’t come up against an opponent with an array of attacking talent quite like Aguero, Bony, Silva, Nasri and Toure.
The game will also see Mario Balotelli come up against his former employers. The striker wasn’t eligible to play in the corresponding fixture at the start of the season having just signed for Liverpool but he’s enjoyed a mini renaissance of late, making an impact off the bench in games against Tottenham and Besiktas in particular.
With Chelsea not in action because of the Capital One Cup final, this is a golden opportunity for the defending champions to apply the pressure and extinguish the memories of Tuesday. That said, City haven’t won at Anfield since a Nicolas Anelka-inspired triumph in 2003.
Can Everton use their Europa success as a springboard?
It was a bad week for Premier League clubs in Europe as Man City, Arsenal and Tottenham all lost while Liverpool were dumped out of the Europa League. Everton had done most of the work in their first leg tie against Young Boys but ensured their progress to the Europa League Round of 16 with a comfortable win on Thursday.
Roberto Martinez’s side have enjoyed a good European campaign but the same can’t be said about the league. Indifferent form has seen them struggle to put a string of results together and ahead of Sunday’s trip to Arsenal lie 12th in the standings, just six points from safety.
They have won just two of their seven league outings following an European game and will face an Arsenal side smarting from a humiliating defeat to Monaco on Wednesday.
The Thursday/Sunday schedule has clearly not done the Toffees any favours but the Gunners are dealing with their own problems after coming unstuck midweek. The utterances of discontent resurfaced around the Emirates after the 3-1 reversal to the French side with Oliver Giroud admitting he was ‘embarrassed’ by the side’s performance.
The striker spurned a handful of golden opportunities and was hauled off after an hour. Giroud, as much as anyone, will be determined to atone for his performance against Monaco but Everton will be hopeful of building on the momentum they’ve built up in Europe.
Emotional day in store at St James’ Park
There are occasions when football is paled into insignificance and while John Carver and Newcastle will be fully focused on eradicating last week’s ignominious result at City, the compelling narrative of Saturday’s game against Aston Villa will centre around the return of Jonas Gutiérrez.
The Argentinian international has been named in the Magpies matchday squad for the first time since recovering from testicular cancer. Gutiérrez has not played for Newcastle since October 2013 and regardless of whether he makes an appearance or not, it’s sure to be an emotional day at St James’ Park.
The midfielder has been working his way back to fitness after his chemotherapy treatment ended in November and it wasn’t long after he was back on the training pitch.
“Jonás will almost certainly be on the bench on Saturday,” Carver said during his pre-match press conference. “It’s a huge lift for everyone.”
Newcastle could certainly do with one. Last week’s 5-0 thrashing at the Ethiad extended their winless run to three and their season is in danger of petering out into mid-table mediocrity once again.
Tim Sherwood’s reign at Villa didn’t exactly get off to the dream start with Stoke spoiling the party last time out and the former Tottenham boss has a stiff task on his hands to turn the club’s fortunes around as the threat of relegation looms large.
Could RVP’s absence be a blessing in disguise?
The sight of Robin van Persie leaving the Liberty Stadium last week was, according to some quarters, a blessing in disguise for United. The Dutchman has struggled for form for the last few months now and although he’s managed to score ten Premier League goals this term, van Persie’s influence on games has been limited.
He’s managed to find the net just twice in 2015 and it seemed Louis van Gaal was selecting him purely in hope he would rediscover his form as oppose to on merit. The United manager confirmed on Friday James Wilson has recovered from the dead leg he suffered on U21 duty and it’s likely the young striker will be given the responsibility, alongside Radamel Falcao, of leading the line against Sunderland.
But the onus will be on Falcao. His manager admitted van Persie’s lay-off will offer the Colombian another window of opportunity but having scored four Premier League goals, Falcao has a lot to do to convince the Old Trafford hierarchy he is worth the high wage he demands.
Coming up against a leaky Sunderland defence is surely a perfect opportunity to prove your worth and grasp the opportunity van Persie’s absence has afforded him. The Black Cats have won just one of their last nine Premier League games.
United, meanwhile, need to get back on the straight and narrow after last week’s disappointing defeat at Swansea. Southampton, Liverpool and Tottenham are all breathing down their neck and there is no little margin for error. United can’t afford to drop out of the top four before the end of the season because they may not get back in.
Are Southampton starting to run out of steam?
It’s been widely predicted, since the early stages of this season, that Southampton would fall away sooner rather than later. A mid-season wobble during the Christmas period suggested the Saints didn’t have enough firepower to maintain their top four push but they have since proved it was only a blip.
However, a stalemate with West Ham was followed by a disappointing defeat to Liverpool and now the doubts over their Champions League credentials have resurfaced.
But, Ronald Koeman’s side are still very much in the hunt for fourth spot and with United unable to find any consistency, Liverpool facing City and Tottenham not in league action, there’s a chance the Saints could jump back into the top four with a win at West Brom on Saturday.
Recent evidence may suggest the demands of the season are starting to catch up on Koeman’s side as they begin to run out of steam but when they’ve been written off before, the Saints have come back stronger.
A trip to the Hawthorns is never an easy proposition but three points in the Midlands would breathe new life into the Saints’ quest to reach the promise land. Anything less and their hopes will be dented, psychologically as much as anything.
No way Mario starts on Sunday
Stick Rooney up front and Mata in his place in midfield I hope
Hopefully
It would look bad if Rooney clicked up front and Mata was back to his best in midfield…… Would say a lot about LVG.