Premier League preview- Blackburn Rovers vs Everton
The new premier league season begins tomorrow. The Blackburn Rovers kick things off by taking on Everton at home, in the opening match of the 2010-11 Premier league season.
The home team would obviously be looking to take advantage of their 12th man army and feed off the energy of their diehard supporters. Both teams have tested their respective squads in the pre-season, with Everton giving some very impressive performances. Rovers, on the other hand, had mixed result in their pre-season.
Everton has only been improving their form and becoming stronger with every passing pre-season minute. It would however, be unfair to judge a team off its pre-season, as the premier league is much more difficult than the pre-season contest. The players and managers earn money from the premier league and not the pre-season, which would mean that both teams would be expected to bring their A game tomorrow.
The Rovers had a good close to their previous season, when they defeated heavy weights Arsenal and Aston Villa in consecutive games, which led to them finishing 10th in the league. Defeating Everton would mean three consecutive victories in the league for Blackburn; a feat which they have not accomplished in over two years. Co-incidentally, Everton met Rovers two years back in the opening game of the season, where Rovers pulled a major upset by defeating David Moyes’s men 3-2 at Goodison Park.
However, last season, Everton defeated Rovers on both legs, scoring 6 goals in the process. Everton was just too good for Sam Allardyce’s men and established their superiority over Rovers. Blackburn's Martin Olsson would be unavailable for selection though, as he has been reported injured. The Full back suffered a minor knock on his knee while playing in the pre-season and is expected to be benched for this important clash.
Sam has a habit of employing 4-2-3-1 formations, which gives his squad more flexibility and a more attack oriented football game. With designated positions in the midfield, the Rovers make it hard for the opposition to move forward from the centre, but are vulnerable at the wings.
For David Moyes, the main cause of concern would be the fitness of star midfielder, Tim Cahill. The Australian is reportedly suffering from a calf injury, making him doubtful for the Saturday clash. Victor Anichebe is also expected to miss the match owing to a knee injury although both of them would be given fitness tests before the match.
Moyes is expected to play sole striker Saha upfront, with Pienaar and Cahill expected to assist the player. Both the midfielders have the ability to come forward and score goals. A similar 4-2-3-1 is expected to be played. Howard had an impressive World Cup with USA and would be looking to keep his form going.
For Blackburn, Goalkeeper Paul Robinson would be the key player. He recently rejected an invitation to play for England’s international side and has confirmed his retirement from the international scene. The keeper has been impressive with the Rovers over the years and has opted to concentrate on club football rather than country. With the support of the 12th man behind him, a very solid and strong performance is expected from the 30 year old Englishman.
Everton, on the other hand, would be backing on the Mikel Arteta as their pivotal player. The player recently agreed to a long term deal with the club and was happy with the faith shown by his club despite his injury prone career. Arteta has the ability to turn games around and is a true match winner. The player would therefore be the favourite to open the scoring for the Toffees and lead his team to victory.
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