EPL – unexpected twists and turns in the coming week
After an action-packed start to Premier League the second week starts today but a dismaying performance last weekend this is going to be a new start for some as they will face dire consequences if they fail to pull up their socks.
Here is a list of potential candidates who might be facing the music this weekend.
Roberto Mancini
Last week at White Hart Lane it was very easy to see which players were playing in a team for more than a year and which collection of strangers was chucked together for the first time in competitive action. Mancini himself thinks that it will take a couple of weeks for his newly recruited talent to settle down but a few weeks could be a little too late for him, as the axe was wielded on Hughes only in December after only two loses in 17 games, such is life at Manchester City. City owners are ruthless and do not have any patience, they want success and they want it fast.
Of Course Mancini will not be shown the door if his team loses to Liverpool on Monday but a defeat will not be ideal in any way for the Italian manager. Liverpool is City’s immediate rivals as both the teams are in a transition but Hodgson has time on his side while Mancini doesn’t.
West Brom
A first game thumping against the reigning champions is hardly a humiliation and to be honest Roberto di Matteo might even have written off the opening day visit to Stamford Bridge as a no-hoper.
However if the annual change of divisions is to be avoided, work has to be started and there is no better place than Sunderland to get your first points on the board. The Baggies host the black cats at the Hawthorns on Sunday and after seeing Sunderland giving away a 2 goal lead to draw with Birmingham on the opening weekend they will be confident going into the match.
Also Lee Cattermole will be absent from the match after another of his brain-dead moments in the opening game and there cannot be a better opportunity for the Albions to get their first points on the board.
After this game the next five fixtures for West Brom includes trips to Anfield, Old Trafford and The Emirates while Hawthorns will be visited by Spurs and Birmingham, so this could really be their first and last chance to get 3 points form a game for a long while.
Newcastle
The story for Newcastle is the same as West Brom’s, they lost to Manchester United on the opening weekend and it was by no means a humiliation but the difference he is that their next game is against Villa, who are much bigger threat that Sunderland.
But if toons are to survive in the Premier League they will have to make St James’s Park a fortress, an impregnable fortress and they can certainly start the good work tonight.
Jack Wilshere
It is very easy to forget that Jack Wilshere is only 18 years of age; such is the maturity of the young lad. His physique, talent and skill suggests that he is much older player and for all his footballing ethos and faith in youngsters, Wenger never throws a youngster into the deep end unless he believes they are ready.
Jack was undoubtedly disappointing against Liverpool but perhaps it’s a bit harsh on the youngster to expect him to perform in a midfield that boasts the likes of Gerrard and Mascherano, but nevertheless Jack failed to impose his remarkable talent on the game against 10 men of Liverpool.
With the Frenchman Samir Nasri the latest Arsenal man to get crooked, Wilshere will surely keep his place in the squad against the Tangerines and he can perhaps expect to be better accommodated by Blackpool.
Tags: