The staggering of fixtures thanks to the Premier League’s inaugural winter break almost felt like no significant football took place in England’s top flight last weekend. There can be no such illusions about this weekend as the race for fourth comes to a head with Wolves hosting Leicester and Chelsea facing off against United at Stamford Bridge. If any team was in need of a break, it was Wolves. This game marks a possible tipping point for Wolves. If they win, then committing to a chase for fourth in the league becomes a genuine objective. If they lose, its probably all eggs in the Europa League basket. Not that the Foxes are willing accomplices. Brendan Rodgers could do with a significant away win after a bit of an underwhelming January for Leicester.
When United beat Chelsea 4-0 on the first Sunday of the season, not many foresaw the Blues being six points ahead of the Red Devils by mid-February. This is not to say that Chelsea have played drastically better than United. In truth, after an excellent couple of months in October and November, Frank Lampard’s men have been as inconsistent as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men. Its only because the bar has been set low for fourth that Chelsea have managed to hold on without much pressure until now. Which makes me think that despite the high stakes around this game, one shouldn’t expect a feast of football; if the history of this fixture is anything to go by, tension is likely to outweigh quality.
Which brings us nicely to the final protagonist in the race for fourth — good old Spurs. In their last two fixtures, Jose Mourinho has pulled of the “masterclass” of being totally outplayed and yet somehow delivering wins against City and Southampton. Considering how Aston Villa tend to play on the front foot at Villa Park, what odds of Spurs doing it for a third consecutive game? Finally, a word about Spurs great rivals. Mikel Arteta has achieved his immediate aim of getting Arsenal to play with intensity and organization. It is a crucial first step. But this is still Arsenal we are talking about. Its time for the Gunners to at least get a convincing victory over a bottom half team. Not that Steve Bruce’s Newcastle are easy to breach, but it would be nice to see Arteta unlocking the potential of his attack and getting them to play with greater fluency.
Wolves 2 Leicester 1
Southampton 1 Burnley 1
Norwich 1 Liverpool 3
Villa 1 Spurs 2
Arsenal 2 Newcastle 0
Chelsea 2 United 1
City 3 West Ham 1
Season Score - 36/73