EPL Preview: Can Wenger's Panic Buys Shine Against the Swans?
Arsenal will be facing Swansea in a much better position than they were a fortnight ago. The 8-2 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United forced Arsene Wenger to dip into the transfer window.
The likes of Per Mertesacker, Mikel Arteta, Andre Santos and Yossi Benayoun would have been the last players Arsenal fans would have been hoping for, but something is better than nothing at this moment.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
These four arrivals significantly strengthen Arsenal, but Arsenal fans will clearly know that the club needs to go a long way before erasing the memories of the Old Trafford match.
However, they can be at least positive about the home match against Swansea, as it provides a great opportunity to go some way into eradicating those memories. Swansea came to the Premier League with great hopes, but they are yet to win a match.
The away fixture against Arsenal would have been probably the last fixture from which Brendan Rodgers was hoping for three points, although a victory is not beyond Swansea given the troubles Arsenal have been facing since the start of the season.
Almost all four new arrivals could start against Swansea, while Swansea's new arrivals Rafik Halliche and Darnel Situ are unlikely to be available.
The subject of ownership has been a hot debate in the last few weeks after Everton were one of the major losers in the transfer window. The departure of Mikel Arteta, Yakubu and Jermaine Beckford seriously weakens a squad that was already small.
However, David Moyes could feature the on-loan signing Drenthe. Everton fans will be protesting outside the ground prior to the game, and sentiments could be further weakened should Everton not start well against Aston Villa. This fixture has been historically a high-scoring game, with most of the recent games ending in nail-biting finishes.
Even so, one can expect a more sedate encounter this time around given that Alex McLeish is not the sort of person who likes to attack, while Moyes will not be overenthusiastic with his approach for the match given their recent form and problems.
Aston Villa have made a decent start to the season, but they need to continue with it in order to banish the memories of the Gerrard Houllier reign. Aston Villa could feature Darren Bent, who missed the international matches due to a groin injury. It will be interesting to see who Moyes starts with upfront.
Both the Manchester clubs have started the season brilliantly, but one can definitely say that it has been Man City who have been the surprising of the two. Manchester United playing an attacking brand of football is certainly not new, but it is really surprising to see Manchester City be more attack minded.
So far, Dzeko has been fantastic this campaign, with Sergio Aguero also proving to be more than a quality replacement for Carlos Tevez, who is expected to once again start on the bench. Man City do not face any top-four side at least for the next five matches, and they will be very keen to take the maximum points possible before facing the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.
Wigan Athletic were one of the clubs expected to be struggling at the bottom of the table, but Roberto Martinez' men have started brilliantly. They are yet to be defeated, although they have mostly faced lower opposition.
This will be one of the first big tests for Wigan, who are not exactly the team that performs best away from home. The likes of Patrick van Aanholt and Shaun Maloney could start against Man City, while Mancini will have to wait on Samir Nasri's fitness before taking a decision.
Stoke were one of the major winners on the final day of the transfer window, but only the actual season will tell if they were really successful or not. Stoke spent around £20 million on the final day of the transfer window, and the match against Liverpool will be the perfect measurement scale to the success of their signings.
Liverpool has certainly made a good start to the season, and unlike the previous seasons, there seems to be a real belief around Anfield that Liverpool can finally win the title. But given the amount of spending undertaken by the two Manchester clubs and the kind of start that they have made this season, it seems to be quite far-fetched now.
However, Liverpool can certainly aim for a Champions League spot, which does not look beyond the reach even at this stage. Both Tottenham and Arsenal are struggling, and Liverpool already have a massive advantage in terms of points over both teams. They can extend it with a victory against Stoke, which is certainly not an easy place to visit, as proven by Chelsea on the opening day of the season.
Chelsea were one of the top favourites for the title prior to the start of the season, but a sluggish start—albeit with two victories from three matches—has now made Manchester City and Manchester United the favourites for the title as of now.
Despite facing lower opposition—at least on paper—Chelsea have been really struggling for form. The return of Petr Cech, though, will be a great advantage for the Londoners, who have certainly missed his presence in the penalty area. Without his presence, Chelsea have been unable to keep a clean sheet in the two matches.
Andre Villas-Boas will also not be having a selection headache for once given that Didier Drogba has been ruled out of the match. It means that Fernando Torres is most likely to start, but Villas-Boas has warned him that he cannot take his place for granted.
Daniel Sturridge could benefit greatly from such an event, as he returns from suspension. For Sunderland, it is all about recovering from the bad start that they have made to the season. Steve Bruce has seen his side win only twice at home in 2011, which certainly does not put his side as a favourite when they take on Chelsea.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have made an excellent start to the season and they can use the home match against Tottenham to further pile the misery on the Londoners.
Harry Redknapp's men have conceded eight goals in two matches so far, while Redknapp has been pointing out to the whole transfer embargo surrounding Luka Modric for affecting his team's preparation at the start of the season.
However, the transfer window has now shut, and all fingers will point at Redknapp if Tottenham do not steer themselves back into contention for the Champions League spot.
Tottenham now find themselves exactly in the position they were in when Redknapp took over a few years ago. It is highly unlikely that they will spend a large chunk of the season in such a position given the strength of the squad that they have now.
Despite making a great start to the season, Mick McCarthy has clearly managed to keep his foot firmly on the ground, as he has clearly stated that reaching the 40-point mark is crucial for Wolverhampton Wanderers this season.
Man Utd will be travelling to Bolton with the emphatic 8-2 win over Arsenal still in their memories, but Sir Alex Ferguson is unlikely to dwell on the result so much so that it affects their performance against Bolton.
However, he is shrewd enough to stress that they can more or less achieve the same result provided they put in the same kind of performance. Man Utd are usually slow starters to the season, but this season has been totally different in the fact that not only are Man Utd getting the results, but they are also playing excellent football.
Bolton, on the other hand, are showing signs of the same inconsistency that they displayed during the second half of last season. They started with an emphatic 4-0 win over QPR on opening day, but they have since suffered two defeats, albeit at the hands of potential Champions League contenders.
Man Utd are going to be yet another tough team, but Owen Coyle will have reasons to be confident after the arrival of Gael Kakuta and Dedryck Boyata. Nemanja Vidic is once again expected to miss the match for Man Utd, but Danny Welbeck returns to the first-team action ahead of schedule.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
