4 things to look out for this weekend – Gameweek 10

By on October 31, 2014

It’s Manchester City, not United, who need to prove themselves
Manchester United’s struggles this season have been those cast into light by the media, largely due to their nature, but coming into the Manchester Derby it’s not them, rather, their cross-town rivals Manchester City who need to prove themselves. While United currently sit in eighth nine league games into the season, they were expected to have a tough start to the season off the back of their worst even Premier League finish since the league’s rebranding in 1992 and having just hired a new manager. City, though, do have expectations as reigning champions, in fact, nothing but a league title would really satisfy. And while they sit third in the league, they are falling far short of their goal.

If the media hadn’t noticed, they have only won four of their last twelve matches, but also lost to Stoke City in that period, while losing to both West Ham United and Newcastle United just in the past week. And even though they are in third, they are already six points behind their biggest title rivals Chelsea. Simply, City don’t look like a team possessed. Manuel Pellegrini’s side seem to have just lost some of that fire in their bellies to go back and keep the title they claimed that season. United have done enough to prove that they are willing to meet expectations this season having drawn Chelsea last weekend, but City are desperately in need for a reassuring reminder that they are still the same side they were last season. Their form of late has been largely fabricated by such wins as their 7-0 routing of Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.

The news that David Silva will be missing for the Derby only puts more pressure on the rest of the squad to perform, and if there would be anytime for City to find their hungry ruthless selves again it would be against United.

Manchester United have loads of world class players and the question now is can these world class players work together – we know their top individuals but they need to gel together and if they can then Manchester United will without question challenge for the Premier League title. Without the added games from the Champions League it will really help them; being able to get fully rested for the weekend game and concentrate on it all were. They were also knocked out of the Capital one cup early as well, I personally think it’s a blessing in disguise for United being knocked out early. – Spencer Donnelly on Manchester United

 

Southampton gunning for top four by Christmas
The table has not really been this tight almost a quarter way through the season in a long long time. Over the past ten years the gap between seventeenth and fifth place has ranged from nine all the way to twelve points, and even the elephant in the room, the 2010/2011 season, where the gap was just six points there was already a three point gap between six of the “top seven” in the league (bar Liverpool, who were in the relegation zone). This year, that gap is just five points, half that of last year’s point gap, but Southampton is one of the outliers, sitting in second place. They are already two points above Manchester City and five or more above five of the other top seven, bar Chelsea, who in turn sit four above them. The gap is in part due to their surprise win over Arsenal, but it will only get bigger before it starts to shrink. They play Crystal Palace this weekend and will fully expect a win – their only defeats this season have come to Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool – while Leicester City and Aston Villa, both sitting on the wrong end of the table, follow. In fact, while they will then face Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United in the span of three weeks, they should have attained just enough of a gap between them and everybody else but Chelsea that with any kind of result when they face the brunt of their fixture list should see them too Christmas, though probably not the New Year (they face Chelsea on the twenty-eighth), within the top four of the table.

Certainly, they will expect a win against Palace, who are winless in their past three games, and may well be able to out-score their opponents in what should be an open attacking affair.

High-scoring bonanza perfect for Balotelli
Historically, Liverpool verses Newcastle has been the joint highest scoring fixtures ever in the modern Premier League, with 129 goals in just 40 fixtures. Their last league meeting ended in a 2-2 draw, producing four goals, and it may we be a tight attacking affair again with Newcastle having beaten both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in their past two matches and Liverpool struggling to keep goals out. Thus, it seems the perfect time for Mario Balotelli to at least kick off his league scoring tally for Liverpool.

A perfect day for football
Though the Manchester Derby is on Sunday this Saturday could not be a better day for football. Having stayed up late on Halloween and sugar-crashed, or something likewise, late at night or early in the morning, to bed, a day sitting around watching the beautiful game doesn’t sound so bad. Better, even, than it usually does.

The question also begs to be asked – will we see any Halloween hangover on the pitch? The only thing that is certain is that Jan Vertonghen won’t suffer.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.