What to look out for in the Premier League this weekend
Now entering the home straight of fixtures, Jack Rathborn examines what to expect from a big slate of games
Another engrossing round of Premier League action awaits, headlined by the Manchester derby, yet there are more intriguing contests sprinkled throughout the weekend as the pressure mounts at both ends of the table.
Will Liverpool rediscover edge in time for Atletico?
An alarming crisis, in relative terms given their extraordinary run to this point, has consumed Liverpool suddenly with a four-game blip, which has seen them lose three times. The Reds have failed to score in each of those losses to Atletico Madrid, Watford and Chelsea.
Defeat to the Blues leaves them unable to replicate Manchester United’s famous traditional treble, while they face a small mountain to salvage their hopes of retaining the Champions League against Diego Simeone’s stubborn outfit at Anfield next week.
The baffling decision by Jurgen Klopp to play a weakened side at Stamford Bridge means this game against Bournemouth holds added importance: there will be no rest, surely, for their strongest line-up, despite the near-insurmountable advantage at the top of the table. Klopp must find momentum, most of these players who grew allergic to losing must rediscover their form. Otherwise the Reds could wreck what has been to this point almost an entire season of outstanding work, with their potential to make a clean sweep of silverware meaning there would be a tinge of disappointment to just claim the Premier League title.
Ancelotti inspires Everton resurgence to sniff chance at top four
Carlo Ancelotti will not be on the touchline after his altercation at full-time following the draw with Manchester United, but his fury then will pale in comparison to the delight at how he has inspired Everton since arriving at Goodison.
Only narrow away losses to Manchester City and Arsenal have seen the Toffees trip up in 10 league games under the Italian so far: 18 points in that spell sees them third in the form table during that span, only one point behind Manchester City and 12 points behind Liverpool.
The gap is eight points, down from 13 before his first game in charge and if Ancelotti can mastermind an away win at his former home, the Toffees will be dreaming of Champions League football once again.
Which game will Jose pick?
After the deflating loss on penalties to Norwich midweek, Tottenham’s season is quickly spiralling out of control under Jose Mourinho. So much so that the Portuguese is not prepared to try winning this Premier League game against Burnley and the second leg of the Champions League last 16 tie with Leipzig, with a 1-0 deficit to overcome.
“In this moment I have to think about what’s next,” Mourinho remarked. “To be honest, I have to think and I have to speak with my club because I think some of these boys, to have a chance to fight Tuesday for a Champions League position, they just can’t play Saturday.
“In this moment I am really sad for the players and the fans, but I am thinking already about what next and I am really, really worried about playing in two days. Trying to give my boys a chance to go to Leipzig with a maximum of conditions to fight against a fresh team, a team with incredible solutions and options and rotations.
“I have to think about a Saturday match and a Tuesday match and try to decide which one is the priority and which one is the one where I can give some of my boys under huge fatigue the best possible chance.”
The perpetual excuses coming out of Mourinho’s mouth are growing tired, no matter the arduous task of surviving in the top four race and overturning their deficit against Leipzig without the injured Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Fail to match Burnley’s inevitable fight and the five-point deficit to Chelsea could grow further, heaping more pressure on Mourinho ahead of what will be a pivotal summer to not only prove his worth to Spurs, but convince the world he still belongs at the top of the game.
Arteta desperately searching for consistency
The Mikel Arteta revolution is still juddering from one caprice to another. A Greek tragedy against Olympiakos in the Europa League left the club shellshocked and financially outmuscled. It has also essentially confirmed Arsenal’s greatest fear: that captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will have little choice but to leave this summer. A victory against Portsmouth in the FA Cup at least brought a patch of light into that shadow.
The club’s academy graduates, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson, starring at Fratton Park. But for all the time and patience Arteta has been afforded, the prospect of having no European football at all next season would be catastrophic for the club.
They desperately need to find the consistency which has so deserted them, and with time running out this season, they can’t afford another slip-up against relegation struggling West Ham.
United on the brink of significant progress once more
The atmosphere at Manchester United can never be described as calm. The ugly abuse of Jesse Lingard after the club cruised into the FA Cup quarter-finals encapsulated that. But, at last, the permanent sense of doom and instability around Old Trafford is beginning to fade. It wouldn’t be fair to credit that solely to Bruno Fernandes, who’s arrival has rejuvenated and inspired the entire squad.
Scott McTominay’s return has also provided a much-needed backbone, while Odion Ighalo has provided a true alternative upfront. Finally, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season, it feels as though the club is perfectly placed to push on from what seemed an endless process of finding their feet.
In Sunday’s Manchester derby, they can either solidify that or be faced with the reality of having to start all over again.
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