Premier League Notebook Heading into Week 37
The absence of Danny Welbeck from Arsenal's visit to Manchester United on Sunday removes another intriguing subplot from the contest, but such games are never anywhere close to meaningless.
The two famous old rivals might be playing for pride more than position at this stage of the season—although United can leapfrog the Gunners, however briefly, with a victory—but a win in these games is always rapturously received by fans.
That was certainly the case in March, when Arsenal came to the same venue in the FA Cup and stole a 2-1 victory that has proved to be the cornerstone of their run to this month's final. That game ended Louis van Gaal's hopes of winning a trophy in his first season at Manchester United—reason alone the Dutchman will be eager for revenge on Sunday.
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That result apart, however, Arsenal have not won at Old Trafford since 2006, a disappointing run that effectively illustrates how United have had the upper hand over the north Londoners for much of the last decade.
"You expect a game of quality first and we want to bounce back from our defeat against Swansea [City] by putting in a good performance in straight away, and getting a good result out of that," Wenger said on Friday, as relayed by ITV.
"Any result will be a positive result. A draw or a win would be great for us."
In the recent past, games between these sides have often had a crucial impact on the Premier League title race, but the exceptional form of Chelsea all season long has rendered these two sides also-rans as we enter the final weeks.
The task now for both managers is to bridge the gap to Jose Mourinho's side next season, and Sunday's game could prove a valuable late-season illustration of exactly which areas they still need to strengthen.
For Manchester United, this has nevertheless been a positive campaign, with a Champions League return effectively already in the bag. But it will not be lost on Van Gaal that the demands of his squad will be far greater next term, as club executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward made clear on Thursday in a statement, per the London Evening Standard's Martyn Ziegler:
"As the season approaches its conclusion, we are pleased with the team's performance in Louis van Gaal's first season as manager and are well positioned to achieve a top four finish in the Premier League and to return to European football next year.
As we look forward to next season, on the playing side we expect to be challenging for trophies in all competitions and on the commercial side we are excited by the numerous opportunities for further growth.
"
Wenger admitted that there will be plenty of transfer competition between his club and United this summer, according to Kevin Palmer of ESPN FC:
United's board has made the case that there is still plenty of room for the club to progress, and Van Gaal has proved this season that he is a manager with the requisite character to take the club forward.
For both managers, this game thus becomes another chance to acquire some sort of psychological advantage. The game may mean little this season, but the result could set a tone for next term, when both squads will strive to be stronger presences in the title race.
“He is a top quality manager,” Wenger said, per Jonathan Green of the Daily Star. “He first had to learn to know his squad and then of course to restore belief in the team.
“To me, he has done that well. He has shown he has the personality to be at a club of that size, which is very important. Overall, he is in a good way.”
Week 37 Fixtures
All games 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET) unless otherwise stated.
Saturday
Southampton vs. Aston Villa (12:45 p.m.)
Burnley vs. Stoke City
Queens Park Rangers vs. Newcastle United
Sunderland vs. Leicester City
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Hull City
West Ham United vs. Everton
Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace (5:30 p.m.)
Sunday
Swansea City vs. Manchester City (1:30 p.m.)
Manchester United vs. Arsenal (4 p.m.)
Monday
West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea (8 p.m.)
1. What to Watch out for This Week
Allardyce Position Boosted by European Hope
West Ham United will surely have wanted to qualify for continental competition through other means, but as things stand, they are on course to reach next season's Europa League thanks to UEFA's decision to award England an extra place in next season's tournament due to its fair-play record.
The Hammers' main challengers for the spot are Everton, and both sides will meet at Upton Park on Saturday—if yellow cards are aplenty, perhaps we will be getting our clearest indication yet of what players really think about participating in the competition.
For West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, however, the possibility of Europa League football is an encouraging one. His contract is up at the end of the season and no new deal in sight, and if West Ham were to qualify for Europe, they would enter it in a preliminary round—the first leg of the first tie scheduled for July 2.
If West Ham are looking at changing their manager in the summer, then that potential fixture vastly reduces the board's recruitment period—perhaps increasing the chances that Allardyce, who survived being fired last summer, engineers himself another stay of execution.
Not that he thinks such an eventuality would be undeserved. Allardyce recently said, per David Hytner of the Guardian:
"I have had a great time here, I have enjoyed myself, I have enjoyed London and I have done what I was asked to do, which was deliver a team that, this time round, has not only been the most successful [of his tenure] but the most entertaining, the most thrilling.
It is the youngest squad we have put together since I have been here. If you want somebody else to do more than I have done then I think you will have to be calling for Houdini.
"
The Hammers are currently in 10th place in the league, three points clear of Everton in 11th.
A Sting in the Tail for QPR?
Having been relegated in abject fashion, it will be interesting to see how Queens Park Rangers react to that demotion in their final home game of the campaign on Saturday against Newcastle United.
The QPR fans, unlikely to have been amused by the 6-0 loss to Manchester City last time out, are equally unlikely to welcome the team with any particular affection. With a summer of upheaval now almost certain, you would hope that Chris Ramsey's squad will try to go out with some sort of positive impact.
From Newcastle's point of view, they will be hoping QPR's relegation has left them completely drained of motivation, allowing John Carver's side to pick up the points they still need to secure their own place in the division next season.
After coming from behind to get a draw against West Bromwich Albion last week, the Magpies' confidence will undoubtedly be higher.
"The spirit has been good, it's been upbeat, but we are not taking our eye off the ball because we haven't done a job yet," Carver said, per Craig Hope of the Daily Mail. "There's a huge job in front of us, starting with Saturday and then the following Sunday, so we need to stay focused."
Rotation or Continuation?
For the teams with little to play for, it will be interesting to see how much the managers rotate their starting lineups in Week 37—perhaps looking toward next season.
Sergio Aguero has been in supreme form for Manchester City in recent weeks, but he already has the league's top goalscorer award effectively sewn up. Would it not make more sense for Manuel Pellegrini to start Wilfried Bony against former club Swansea City on Sunday instead of the in-form Argentinian?
The Ivory Coast international desperately needs playing time to integrate into his new team, and giving him that now would seem to make long-term sense for both the player and the club.
That is a situation reflected at many clubs around the league, especially those with youngsters who are capable of making an impact next season. Should Jerome Sinclair get the chance to start for Liverpool? Will DeAndre Yedlin have the opportunity to line up for Spurs?
Which youngsters are given the chance to play and which ones remain sidelined will be interesting to see.
2. Video of the Week
3. Player to Watch
Did you know that Saturday will see Steven Gerrard's final competitive appearance at Anfield? The coverage of the veteran's Liverpool exit has been impossible to ignore recently, with his final run-out in front of his own fans likely to be the most poignant moment of what has been an extended farewell tour.
Gerrard's Premier League career will not end with a trophy, that we already know, but in another way, that only clears the stage for the fans to give him the send-off he fully deserves.
Gerrard will be the centre of attention when Crystal Palace—a team that, more so than his infamous slip against Chelsea, cost Gerrard his elusive league winners' medal last season—come to town, providing a chance for Reds fans to remember all those dominant performances and crucial goals.
Speaking to Paul Joyce for Bleacher Report, Gerrard said:
"When you are a Liverpool player, there is a big pressure on you to help deliver what other top players and top teams have produced before you. And now, sitting here at this age, I just feel really proud that I have added more history to this great club. But now it is other people’s responsibility to do that and to try to follow suit.
I think it has been a match made in heaven really. I have contributed really well to the club and given Liverpool a big chunk of my life. They have been a great support for me. I don’t think the club owes me anything, and I don’t think I owe the club anything. We have dreamt together, chased those dreams together and achieved most of them together.
If you had said to me when I was a young boy that I would have contributed to this club’s history, then that is all I would have wanted. That can’t be changed. The club has helped make me.
"
If Gerrard scores on Saturday, it will be the third game in a row in which he puts his name on the scoresheet. The outgoing Reds skipper is currently the club's top goalscorer in the Premier League this season with eight.
4. Game of the Weekend
Sunderland vs. Leicester City
With so little still to be decided in the Premier League, few games now have real stakes. That cannot be said of Saturday's game at the Stadium of Light. The two teams are acutely aware that a victory will effectively secure their Premier League status for another season.
Leicester City go into the game with both an additional point and a superior goal difference, so they arguably have less pressure on their shoulders. Therefore, Nigel Pearson's side is perhaps in a situation where it would reasonably settle for draw.
For Sunderland, however, the dynamic is more delicate. With their final games coming against Arsenal and Chelsea, can they really afford anything other than a victory in this one?
Of course, last season's miraculous escape was built on such unexpected triumphs against the league's heavyweights, but that is surely not a pattern that can be repeated indefinitely. Leicester might be one of the form sides in the league, but Sunderland will surely have to enter this one with a do-or-die mentality.
“It’s a pressure but mentally going for titles is a nicer pressure," Sunderland defender John O'Shea told Paul Fraser of the Northern Echo on Friday. "These games are all tension filled. There will not be much of a teamtalk needed for a game that can almost guarantee survival."
"You want to be a Premier League player, a Premier League team," the Irishman continued. "It’s a game against a rival in the table and it boils down to wanting to stay a Premier League player. We have to do it ourselves and not think about others."
Sunderland are currently in 16th place, two points clear of the drop zone with a game in hand.
