United must match ambition with effort
Bruno Fernandes lamented that last week’s Manchester derby defeat came down to “individual quality from the players of City”. Difficult to argue with, but the most frustrating part of United’s loss was the failure to commit for the full 90 minutes. At 2-1 down even some senior players had their heads down and appeared to show a lack of effort in the final 15 minutes. Never mind individual quality, that in itself is unforgivable. And that attitude only drives future opponents on. Jordan Pickford has said he is confident that Everton will outrun Erik ten Hag’s side on Saturday. “For me, I think [with] the intensity and the workrate the lads give out, the running stats. I think we will be able to get after them. We will be able to run all over them.” Yara El-Shaboury
Manchester United v Everton, Saturday 12.30pm (all times GMT)
Luton keen to dash Palace’s expectations
Until they were breached by the unlikely figure of Timo Werner at Tottenham last week, the optimism of Oliver Glasner’s opening win over Burnley had Crystal Palace fans dreaming of achieving Premier League safety with plenty to spare. “A great job over 60-70 minutes,” said the manager. Collapsing to a 3-1 defeat against Spurs, especially considering Burnley’s poor form –retrenched expectations for Palace. Beating Luton can go some way to restoring confidence and pull the rope away from Rob Edwards’ team, whose confidence might be ebbing. Losing to Aston Villa last week after clawing level from two goals down could end up serving as a microcosm of Luton’s spirit in adversity falling short. Defeating Palace in November, a first home league win at Kenilworth Road, was an essential part of Luton’s upturn. It will need to be repeated if Glasner’s team and others can be dragged back into trouble. John Brewin
Crystal Palace v Luton, Saturday 3pm
Hughes will be big loss for Bournemouth
A big story broke at Bournemouth this week, with confirmation their technical director, Richard Hughes, is to move on at the end of the season. Aside from Eddie Howe, arguably no individual has been as influential in shaping the club in the top flight as Hughes, the former midfielder who played under and then worked closely with Howe. It was Hughes who drove the appointment of Andoni Iraola, who has impressed after a tough start, and is the architect behind their recruitment, including the eye-catching arrivals of exciting talents such as Alex Scott, Milos Kerkez and Illia Zabarnyi. Hughes, who is highly respected across the game, will hand over the baton to Simon Francis, another former player, who has worked as his assistant for the past three years. Such joined-up thinking has been in short supply at bottom club Sheffield United for a while. Ben Fisher
Bournemouth v Sheffield United, Saturday 3pm
Small squad hurting Wolves’ big dreams
After three wins on the spin, Wolves suffered a hiccup at Newcastle last time out with a jarring 3-0 defeat. It was the kind of game where almost everything that could go wrong did, with José Sá and Pedro Neto forced off through injury. The good news for Gary O’Neil is that those substitutions were both precautionary but the bad is he is still without a bona fide striker. Nathan Fraser, a 19-year-old academy forward, is their only recognised No 9 with Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan possibly sidelined until May due to hamstring issues. So light are they on numbers, Wolves named the 15-year-old defender Wesley Okoduwa on the bench at St James’ Park. Wolves are targeting a European berth that seemed beyond them at the start of the season but, ultimately, their thin squad may sabotage those plans. BF
Wolves v Fulham, Saturday 3pm
Havertz thriving in Arsenal’s push for summit
Kai Havertz finally seems to have found his place at Arsenal and adapted to the rhythm of the Premier League. Doubts were raised about his ability after an overall underwhelming stint at Chelsea and poor performances early in the season did not help. But Mikel Arteta’s faith never wavered and he’s finally reaping the rewards. In Arsenal’s last three Premier League matches – thumping wins against Burnley, Newcastle and Sheffield United – Havertz has five goal involvements, equalling the number in the previous 32. The German is thriving and he, along with the team, seem to prefer being hunters than the hunted. It was around this time last year where Arsenal, who were top of the table, started to crack. They finally have a chance to go top again and this time they must not let the pressure get to them. With Liverpool and Manchester City playing each other on Sunday, Arsenal can leapfrog the pair with victory over Brentford. YE-S
Arsenal v Brentford, Saturday 5.30pm
A big battle in race for Champions League
When the team news dropped 75 minutes before kick-off at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday, it offered a major indication of Unai Emery’s thinking and quite how significantly he views Tottenham’s visit to Villa Park on Sunday. John McGinn, the captain, in-form forward Leon Bailey and full-backs Matty Cash and Alex Moreno began the game on the bench, with 20-year-old midfielder Tim Iroegbunam given his second start, almost two years after his full debut. Spurs trail fourth-placed Villa by five points but have a game in hand so a home victory would establish a welcome buffer between them and their nearest challengers for a Champions League place. Villa won the reverse fixture in November courtesy of Pau Torres and Ollie Watkins goals and a repeat would be priceless. BF
Aston Villa v Tottenham, Sunday 1pm
New faces waiting in West Ham wings
West Ham have some talented youngsters and it was a shame that David Moyes did not bring any off the bench during his side’s recent win over Brentford. It was 4-1 after 69 minutes and George Earthy, Ollie Scarles and Divin Mubama were waiting in reserve. However Moyes erred on the side of caution. He needed a win after a bad run of results and the closing stages became nervy after Brentford pulled a goal back. However it would be good to see Moyes give his young players a taste of first-team action if West Ham are in a similarly dominant position against Burnley on Sunday. Jacob Steinberg
West Ham v Burnley, Sunday 2pm
Will Clattenburg grab limelight again?
Whether Mark Clattenburg emerges into the Amex Stadium mixed zone, handily placed next to its dressing rooms and press conference facilities, may depend on whether Nottingham Forest feel they get a fair toot of the referee’s whistle at Brighton. After last week’s 99th-minute concession to Liverpool, the Gladiators TV star’s appearance in the City Ground’s mixed zone raised the eyebrows of even the most time-served reporters. A role as Forest’s “referee analyst”, appointed by the owner, Evangelos Marinakis, after a friendship struck up when the Durham card-waver was working as the Greek Super League’s referees chief appears the latest – and not necessarily welcome – development in modern football’s determination to re-referee each match. That Clattenburg and other former officials have such colourful post-reffing careers and live increasingly public lives is another dimension to the Premier League’s extended universe. Add all that to the growing pile of unforeseen circumstances the introduction of VAR has brought to the game. JB
Brighton v Nottingham Forest, Sunday 2pm
Will City banish their Anfield demons?
Anfield gets to Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, and Anfield knows it. The all-conquering City manager has won only one of his eight visits since taking over at the Etihad in 2016 and that 4-1 rout, while a significant moment in wrestling the title back from Liverpool in 2021, was played against the backdrop of an empty stadium due to the pandemic. In a full, frenzied arena, as will be the case on Sunday, Guardiola’s record at Liverpool reads: lost, lost, lost, drawn, lost, drawn, lost. It is a place where Liverpool pressure, refereeing decisions, missed penalties and spells of unrewarded dominance have broken Guardiola’s temperament, and where his reputation for unnecessary tinkering has had foundation. The City manager has spoken of the need for his champions to focus only on what they can control in their pursuit of an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in succession. A cold-eyed approach in the white heat of Anfield, where Jürgen Klopp’s leaders are unbeaten in 29 matches in all competitions, would not only tilt the title race in City’s favour but would represent a departure for them. Andy Hunter
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday 3.45pm
Newcastle’s leaky defence faces stern test
Newcastle’s previous trip to London did not go well, a 4-1 drubbing by Arsenal exposing a multitude of flaws and leaving Eddie Howe open to questions over his future. But the response has been decent. Newcastle reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup by beating Blackburn on penalties and they will hope that last weekend’s emphatic 3-0 win over Wolves is a sign of things to come. To secure European qualification for a second consecutive season, though, the consistency of old has to return. Newcastleare still conceding too many goals. They have only kept three clean sheets since the turn of the year and will be without Kieran Trippier against Chelsea, who remain dangerous in attack despite being weighed down by weaknesses in other areas. JS
Chelsea v Newcastle, Monday 8pm
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 27 | 39 | 63 |
| 2 | Man City | 27 | 35 | 62 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 27 | 45 | 61 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 27 | 22 | 55 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 | 16 | 50 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 27 | -2 | 44 |
| 7 | West Ham | 27 | -4 | 42 |
| 8 | Newcastle | 27 | 12 | 40 |
| 9 | Brighton | 27 | 5 | 39 |
| 10 | Wolverhampton | 27 | -3 | 38 |
| 11 | Chelsea | 26 | 1 | 36 |
| 12 | Fulham | 27 | -3 | 35 |
| 13 | AFC Bournemouth | 26 | -12 | 31 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 27 | -15 | 28 |
| 15 | Brentford | 27 | -11 | 26 |
| 16 | Everton | 27 | -8 | 25 |
| 17 | Nottm Forest | 27 | -15 | 24 |
| 18 | Luton | 26 | -17 | 20 |
| 19 | Burnley | 27 | -35 | 13 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 27 | -50 | 13 |
