Each week, The18 gives you the rundown of the top 5 things to watch in the coming weekend of English Premier League. This week:
1. Can The Villains Keep It Going?
On the eve of the 2014-15 Premier League season, Aston Villa were as short as 3/1 with bookmakers to be relegated. And yet, after just four games, they not only sit second in the table but have already accumulated roughly a third of the points they’ll likely require to stay up.
Paul Lambert, menacingly assisted by Roy Keane’s beard, has taken a team of proven EPL under-achievers and moulded them into a cohesive, well-drilled and hard-working unit that has only conceded a solitary goal thus far.
But how long can it last? Villa boast the lowest average possession (37%) and lowest number of successfully completed passes (68%) in the league, reflecting their “defend in numbers, hit on the break” approach. More worrying for the sustainability of their success, however, is their shooting: Villa have averaged both the lowest number of shots per game (8.3) and the lowest number of shots on target per game (1.5). They’ve scored a paltry four goals in four games, yet have somehow managed to convert that miserly tally into an impressive ten points.
They face another tough test this weekend with the visit of an Arsenal side chastened mid-week by Borussia Dortmund. The stats suggest Villa’s run can’t continue for much longer, but given the paucity of fight within the Gunners’ midfield, this is an eminently winnable game for Lambert’s men.
2. Who, Or What, Will Pardew Blame This Week?
Unless his tracksuit’s made of asbestos, Alan Pardew must be feeling the heat. After their opening four matches, Newcastle are winless and rooted to the bottom of the table, following a miserable 12 points from their last 15 games of last season. They were dreadful against Southampton last weekend, comical in fact: Newcastle’s defense had all the stability of a drunk on a bouncy castle.
Unsurprisingly, Alan Pardew – who is two years into an EIGHT year contract – is the focus of supporters’ ire. Last weekend at St Mary’s, Pardew not only suffered the ignominy of having both sets of supporters sing “you’re getting sacked in the morning,” he also had to walk by a man who’d gone to the trouble of defacing his bed-sheet with the words “Pardew Out”: does anything say commitment more than foregoing the comforting embrace of your nighttime linens?
On the plus side, Pardew can now boast a much-improved internet presence: his litany of excuses for the Magpie’s under-performance is achieving legendary status, including a dedicated Pardew random excuse generator. Nothing is off-limits for our Pards: the length of the grass, the 2012 Olympics, Sovereign Wealth Funds and even London’s Notting Hill Carnival have all been referenced in a desperate attempt to save face. We are overcome with anticipation for what creative blame-dodging this weekend will bring.
3. A New Era, Or Another False Dawn?
Last weekend, Manchester United were back to the sort of dominant, swash-buckling form not seen since 1 BM (Before Moyes). Back to full strength, with players in their favoured positions within a familiar formation, Louis van Gaal saw his side ride rough-shod over Queens Park Rangers.
But therein lays the enormous caveat: Queens Park Rangers. In his long and occasionally distinguished managerial career, Harry Redknapp has never won a single point at Old Trafford. Not one. Although newly promoted, Leicester away will prove a far more telling test of whether last weekend was truly the start a new era or yet another false dawn.
An interesting sub-plot to Sunday’s game at the King Power stadium will be which of United’s array of attacking talent starts on the bench. We noted last week that Mata is already rumored to be nearing the Old Trafford exit, and although he started – and scored – against QPR, it was the Spaniard who made way for Falcao, not Rooney or van Persie. Keeping such a bevy of superstars happy and motivated, in a season with considerably fewer games than previous years, will be a key test for van Gaal.
4. Already A Must-win Game For City?
For everyone who isn’t a Chelsea fan, there’s a depressing sense of inevitability to their relentless march towards the title. Yes, it’s only September, but when a Jose Mourinho team is scoring goals – and lots of them – the rest of the league should be very afraid.
Which is why this weekend’s clash between Chelsea and Manchester City is a must-win game for the lighter of the two blues, not just for their own title aspirations, but for the good of this season’s Premier League as a contest. All four of the other teams who can arguably be considered title contenders – City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool – are already at least five points behind the West Londoners. Yes, there will be bumps along the road between now and May, but Mourinho’s previous title-winning Chelsea sides based their success on a fast start out of the blocks, and this season is looking very much like more of the same.
5. Will Super Frank Play?
The18 hopes that, contrary to reports at the time of his signing, Frank Lampard doesn’t refuse to play against his former club this weekend. Yes, he was at Chelsea for many a year, but the man is a handsomely remunerated professional footballer, and it’s his job to play against whomever his employer sees fit. After all, did Super Frank ever refuse to turn out against West Ham, the club which developed and honed his youthful talents? If Lampard does refuse to be part of the squad this weekend, we’d like to think he’d donate the pro-rata share of his salary to a charity of Manchester City’s choosing.
Being apologetic for turning out against former clubs is something of a developing trend amongst Premier League players, and one which we have little sympathy for. Yes, if you’ve been a club stalwart, and you happen to score against said former club, by all means don’t celebrate. But don’t be apologetic: that’s as much of an affront to your current fan-base as celebrating would be to your former supporters (and, if it wasn’t clear enough, we’re looking at you, Romelu Lukaku).
The18 much prefers the crass and juvenile approach to goal celebrations embodied by Emmanuel Adebayor’s 100 yard dash to celebrate scoring for Man City directly in front of Arsenal’s travelling supporters. You stay classy, Manu.
