Premier League Notebook Heading into Week 15
A brief flurry of excitement about the reopening of the title race was dampened slightly on Wednesday, as Chelsea rebounded from a disappointing 0-0 draw with Sunderland to hammer Tottenham, 3-0, at Stamford Bridge.
Back to winning ways, the Blues return to the north-east of England this weekend to face Newcastle United in Saturday's early Premier League kick-off.
If Spurs have become the west London club's own personal whipping boys in recent times—no matter who the manager is, they're seemingly always eager to give Chelsea the three points—at home, Newcastle are almost the opposite, a team who seem to have grown immune to Chelsea's aura of invincibility and general air of intimidation.
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Alan Pardew's side have won each of the last two meetings against the Blues (2-0 and 3-2) at St James' Park and did not lose at home to Jose Mourinho during his first stint at Chelsea either (one win and two draws). It is a surprising, unexpected run of results, one Mourinho will be hoping to address on Saturday.
"Mentally, we are in a strong position and our confidence is high," Toon boss Pardew said, per Reuters (h/t Eurosport). "We have a good spirit and are learning lessons along the way."
He continued:
"We need to threaten Chelsea because they look terrific. They are a great team who are strong and organised. Somewhere along the line Chelsea will slip up, and hopefully we can exploit any weaknesses they have.
"
As respectful as those comments are, they are somewhat bullish for a manager whose team are about to face a side yet to lose a Premier League game this season (and, to be honest, haven't yet looked close to losing one).
But Sunderland's belligerent display last weekend showed the Blues can be got at—or at least can be defended against—as we enter a period of the season when, with so many games in such a short space of time, rotation becomes a bigger and bigger concern for Mourinho.
As the Portuguese noted, per ChronicleLive.co.UK:
"I feel when the players need a rest. I feel when they are able to answer.
December is a very difficult month and it is almost impossible for a player to play every game in this month. Sooner or later, especially later, when the matches come I have to change some players.
"
Newcastle will be looking to take advantage of that; in Moussa Sissoko and Papiss Cisse, they have two players with experience of producing match-winning performances against the Blues. Of course, both of those games were against Chelsea sides not managed by Mourinho, who brings an extra level of preparation and tactical discipline to the table.
That is part of the reason the Blues are yet to have slipped up and why so many are already speculating they could go the whole season unbeaten.
On that topic, Pardew concluded, per Sky Sports:
"I think it's difficult—obviously Arsenal have done it and Chelsea have come pretty close before.
But not in all competitions—that is impossible and I think Jose has admitted that. But they're making a very good job of it at the moment.
It's the best Chelsea team that I've ever seen and I've watched them since I was about 12 so I know them pretty well. I think Jose is pretty pleased with what he's got.
"
That seems a fair assessment. Unlikely as it may seem, this weekend's game might be one of the more difficult the Blues have to negotiate in their bid to go unbeaten this season—even if that remains nothing more than a secondary ambition for Mourinho and his team.
Week 15 Fixtures
All games 3 p.m. GMT (10 a.m. ET) unless otherwise stated.
Saturday
Newcastle vs. Chelsea (12:45 p.m.)
Hull City vs. West Brom
Liverpool vs. Sunderland
QPR vs. Burnley
Stoke City vs. Arsenal
Tottenham vs. Crystal Palace
Manchester City vs. Everton (5:30 p.m.)
Sunday
West Ham vs. Swansea City (1:30 p.m.)
Aston Villa vs. Leicester City (4 p.m.)
Monday
Southampton vs. Manchester United (8 p.m.)
1. What to Watch out for This Week
Rodgers' Reds Redemption
Back to winning ways with back-to-back successes against Stoke City and Leicester, Liverpool return to Anfield looking to make it three wins from three against Gus Poyet's Sunderland.
The problem for Brendan Rodgers, however, is that his team's decisive Champions League meeting with Basel is looming on the horizon; with that game next up, does he acknowledge its importance and rest a few players for the visit of the Black Cats?
The Northern Irishman can be forgiven if he is wrestling with the issue. Reaching the knockout stages in Europe is obviously a key aim—and only a win against Basel will do—but it is Liverpool's mediocre (at best) form in the league that has done most to contribute to the pressure surrounding him and his job status at the moment.
After finally piecing together a certain amount of form and momentum in domestic action, it would be a bold manager to jeopardise that by resting some of his key players.
Then again, some players (particularly Steven Gerrard) seemed to benefit greatly from a rest. Gerrard sat out the game against Stoke and went on to star against Leicester, so it could well be a method of maximising the team's chances against Basel. Weighing up both aspects will be an important consideration for Rodgers.
Of course, that is what modern managers are paid to do—to make exactly those decisions. Rodgers has struggled with balancing the demands of domestic and European action so far this season; his decisions over the coming days could either compound or erase those earlier mistakes—and perhaps set the tone for the rest of Liverpool's campaign.
Saints Stuttering as United Rediscover Confidence
Frustration abounds at Southampton, following successive defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal.
Suddenly, the ambition of finishing in the top four seems far less realistic than it once appeared; if they succumb to a third successive defeat against Manchester United on Monday, they could well drop out of the top four entirely—perhaps never to return.
Unfortunately for Ronald Koeman, beating United looks like it will be a difficult ask, especially considering the injury problems that are now starting to pile up.
Morgan Schneiderlin missed the game against Arsenal, while both Jack Cork and Toby Alderweireld limped off at the Emirates Stadium. It appears the Dutchman will be desperately lacking in central-midfield options on Monday, a weakness United—four wins in a row, it should be noted—will be primed to exploit.
United were one of the teams Southampton were perhaps hoping to trump this season, but if a reminder was needed of the different worlds the clubs currently operate in, one was delivered on Friday.
Reports suggest that Louis van Gaal will be given an unlimited budget to strengthen his squad over the next few seasons.
Southampton, in contrast, have their "way"—which is all well and good, but it does not leave you armed with much when the injuries start piling up. At the moment, Koeman's squad is left lacking in squad depth and, for now, short on confidence.
Of course, riding out rough patches is what every team with aspirations has to learn to do at some point, but it appears to be something United, who have dealt with their own injury issues by digging deeper and deeper into their squad, have already done.
Monday night could see United assert themselves as the third-best side in the league this season (so far) and finally bring to an end Southampton's exciting early start. But maybe the Saints have a few more surprises in store.
Sacked in the Morning?
Since the turn of the millennium (since the start of the 1996-97 season, in fact), the first Premier League managerial sacking of the year has always occurred by December 6 at the latest (Newcastle's Chris Hughton being the unfortunate man to break the "drought" in 2010).
That could change this year if all 20 top-flight managers survive the weekend's matches.
So far, managers have kept on their boards' good sides, but the number who are believed to be under pressure—along with the ever-heightening importance of staying in the Premier League—suggests we are closer to seeing a run of sackings than a continuation of the status quo.
At the time of writing, Alan Irvine, Nigel Pearson and Harry Redknapp are the three favourites to be sacked next, with Paul Lambert and Steve Bruce also believed to be approaching the precipice (even recently appointed Neil Warnock might not be completely safe).
Indeed, the odds of no manager being sacked this season are roughly the same as Alan Pardew's odds of being the next manager dismissed, which gives you an idea of exactly how likely the bookies think it is that no P45s are handed to Premier League managers this term.
This weekend, six of the most under-pressure managers face each other: Leicester go to Aston Villa, QPR host Burnley and West Brom visit Hull City. If there are three losses in those three games, it would not be foolish to anticipate at least one of the managers in question failing to survive beyond Monday.
2. Video of the Week
3. Player to Watch
After injury disrupted his start to the campaign, Ross Barkley seems primed for a consistent run of games in the Premier League, and he will hope to find his best form and start scoring the goals and providing the assists that drive Everton up the table.
Turning 21 on Friday, an age when he leaves boyhood behind, Barkley's first game as a "man" will see him come up against Manchester City, a club some anticipate he will spend the majority of his adult career playing for. City are known to be admirers of the England international, although Everton have so far been reluctant to sell the player.
Nevertheless, it is not hard to see why he will eventually be courted by the very biggest clubs in England. Incisive in the final third and comfortable on either foot, Barkley is as good an attacking talent as England have at the moment (Raheem Sterling excepted, perhaps).
European and Premier League squad rules (which require a certain number of homegrown players) mean there will always be a demand for quality English players—Barkley fits firmly in that bracket.
At the moment, it is City who are believed to be the most determined in their pursuit of Barkley. The man himself will be determined to heighten that interest with a good performance at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.
4. Game of the Weekend
QPR vs. Burnley
A relegation six-pointer in December? Perhaps not, but this appears to be another crucial game for both sides as they look to build some real momentum ahead of the second half of the season.
Fourteen games into the campaign, it is the three promoted sides that occupy the three relegation places, with Leicester City sitting in last place following recent improved runs from Burnley and QPR.
Nevertheless, it looks like all three teams will be involved in a long battle to stay in top flight. If that is the case, then getting all three points when they meet their relegation rivals will be increasingly vital.
Last season, it was Burnley who edged the head-to-head battle between these two clubs, with Danny Ings scoring twice in a 2-0 win at Turf Moor and grabbing another in a 3-3 draw at Loftus Road. Ings has rediscovered his shooting boots recently—scoring a brace against Stoke last month—although he has perhaps been overshadowed by Charlie Austin so far.
We are yet to reach the halfway stage and things are still too tight at the bottom of the table to say with any real certainty that all three promoted sides cannot stay up (a win for either side at Loftus Road could lift them as high as 14th).
However, the odds and early fixtures seem to suggest only one of the promoted teams—at most—will retain their Premier League status; if that is the case, winning the "mini league" between the three of them could be decisive.
Perhaps that is why Harry Redknapp, the QPR boss, has decided not to give his players a Christmas party.
"It's a big month for us," Redknapp said on Thursday, per Sky Sports. "In terms of the fixtures, the teams we've got are down there with us, so it's important we pick up some good points from these games."
A big month it may well be. Even in that context, however, this feels like a particularly big game. After edging Leicester in their last home game, another QPR win would appear to be a big boost in their fight for survival.
