Premier League
Olivier Giroud is crucial to Arsenal’s push for third despite his Monaco misses, while Robin van Persie’s absence for United could be a blessing in disguise and surely it is time Mark Noble received an England call-up
1) A Giroud awakening
Nobody has ever claimed Olivier Giroud was a world-class striker. His is not a name one would mention alongside Sergio Agüero, Diego Costa or Luis Suárez. He is a rung below that – always has been, always will be – consistently scoring, but never likely to scorch his way through the division. And when you spend £13m on a striker it would be unfair to expect any more. The days of Arsène Wenger plucking a Thierry Henry from the doldrums and transforming him in to a world beater are long gone – and when he brought in Giroud to replace Robin van Persie in 2012 he acknowledged as much. The Frenchman did not arrive alone – Lukas Podolski also pitched up that summer, their combined fees about the same as the amount Manchester United paid for the Dutchman. Two strikers to replace one world-class departure. None of this is to excuse the series of woeful misses on Wednesday night which condemned Arsenal to one of their more humiliating Champions League defeats. Yes, the defence was poor, and the concession of the third goal having just clawed their way back into the tie was inexcusable, but had Giroud scored the hat-trick of chances presented to him then the match would have turned out rather differently. It was an unusual, and sad sight, to see the big striker lumber off after 60 mintues – it is not often Wenger replaces a player for a poor performance, even more unsual that early in a game. But what now? If Giroud does not lead the line against Everton on Sunday then who will? Podolski is out on loan (and how Arsenal could have done with someone with his finishing ability against Monaco), Joel Campbell and Yaya Sanogo likewise. Danny Welbeck has not convinced when leading the line, Theo Walcott looks short of confidence and fitness, and Alexis Sánchez seems knackered by the relentless season he has had. Arsenal’s form has undoubtedly improved since Giroud returned to the team – he provides a pivot around which the likes of Cazorla, Özil, Sánchez, Welbeck and Walcott can rotate – someone to bounce balls off of and make runs. If they are to keep their campaign for third on track (so as to qualify for next season’s Champions League and another last-16 exit) then Giroud will need to rediscover his confidence, and his scoring touch, very quickly indeed.
2) Can Everton solve their Europa blues?
Everton’s problems this season have been wide and varied, from a regression in their defensive solidity, to Romelu Lukaku’s sometimes erratic form (perhaps brought about by him being worked into the ground), to Ross Barkley not progressing as many thought/hoped he might. However one simple and fairly identifiable issue has been their form in games immediately after Europa League ties – they have won just two of the seven games following their European excursions, and they against Burnley and Queens Park Rangers, hardly the sternest of tests the Premier League fixture list can throw up. Plenty of sides have struggled with the Thursday/Sunday combination but it has added to Roberto Martínez’s already lengthy list of issues this season, and while Arsenal away is not exactly the most straightforward task on Sunday, the Gunners will be dealing with their own woes after their Champions League defeat on Wednesday. This could be a good chance for Everton to set this particular problem right.
3) Robin van Persie’s absence could be a benefit for Manchester United
This season has been a big improvement for Manchester United. Well, as long as you have not actually watched them play, of course. But still, they are three places and five points better off than they were at this stage last term, and that’s worth £150million, right? Of course, that is being facetious, because Louis van Gaal did not take over a team that had just won the league, rather one with confidence at, to say the least, something of a low ebb following David Moyes’s tenure, but Van Gaal’s time in charge has not exactly been flawless.
One of the big strikes against the Dutchman has been that it has often looked like he has tried to shoehorn his countryman Robin van Persie into the team when his form has barely justified such an automatic selection, and while the alternatives (the disappointing/injured Radamel Falcao, the green James Wilson and the not-a-centre-forward Wayne Rooney) are not exactly hugely appealing, that does not mean Van Persie should be the first name on the teamsheet. Van Persie has scored twice in 2015 (in nine starts), one of which was against last-placed Leicester, the other a penalty against Burnley – not a return to get especially excited about. Thus, it could be a positive for United that Van Persie has been ruled out (possibly for a month) with an ankle problem, forcing Van Gaal to confront life without his favourite. One of United’s big problems has been a lack of pace in attack (or anywhere, really), and the young Wilson at least has that, and while a goal or two against Sunderland on Saturday is perhaps unlikely to provide startling evidence for his continued inclusion, he could at least show the manager that there is life beyond Van Persie.
4) Southampton dreamers could face wake-up call from belligerent Baggies
After a disappointing defeat to Liverpool, Southampton need to prove that their season is not going to fade away in the manner many a pundit has predicted. With Arsenal and Liverpool both facing tough matches, Tottenham occupied by the League Cup final, and Manchester United consistently inconsistent a win on Saturday may lift them back in to the top four, and create some distance on those below them in the table. However, Tony Pulis’s familiarly dogged West Brom are unlikely to be acquiescent hosts. Since taking over at the Hawthorns, Pulis has lost just one game –a limp defeat to a Harry Kane-inspired Spurs – and has started to build a sturdy defence, comparable to that at previous clubs Crystal Palace and Stoke. How other relegation threatened sides – Aston Villa, perhaps? – must wish they had taken a punt on Pulis’s brand of managerial rescue act. As it is the Baggies are on course to retain their top-flight status, and will provide a stern test to Southampton’s European ambitions.
5) How will Liverpool’s defence cope with City’s attack?
Statistics are weird, sometimes. For example, after not being breached by Southampton last weekend Simon Mignolet, the man who earlier in the season was deemed an inferior goalkeeper to Brad Jones, took the lead in the clean sheets charts. Weird. While it might seem cruel to remove some of the credit from the Belgian, Liverpool’s run of defensive frugality has neatly coincided with the Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, introducing a new defensive system, the three-at-the-back approach apparently working quite nicely, even when one of those three has been a midfielder and another Dejan Lovren. Still, a good portion of those clean sheets have come against teams whose attacks one could charitably describe as ‘less than potent’ (Sunderland, Aston Villa etc), but it would be a struggle to level that charge against Manchester City. The attacking options Manuel Pellegrini now has available to him are enough to make any defence reach for a nerve-steadying stiff drink, not least with Wilfried Bony now in the mix. While Liverpool have come through some tricky encounters in the last couple of months, their new-look defence facing Agüero, Silva, Touré et al on Sunday will be the toughest yet.
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