6) Southampton fans should show Pochettino respect
Mauricio Pochettino thrives on grudge matches and recalls the derbies he relished playing in back in Argentina when his Newell’s Old Boys side took on Rosario Central in clashes so bitter that the players had to lie down on the floor of their coach on the way into the stadium for fear of being pelted by opposing fans. So any hostility shown to him by Southampton fans on Saturday on his first return to St Mary’s since defecting to Spurs is unlikely to bother Pochettino. Far better to greet him warmly for doing well for the club for a season or, if that doesn’t mesh with your concept of fandom, shun him until the final whistle, whereupon, if Southampton have won and thus gone a good way towards finishing above Spurs, the home crowd could point in unison at their former manager and give a Nelson-from-the-Simpsons style “haha”, repeatedly. Whether Southampton will depends to a large degree on how well Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane do against the home side’s defence, which has been the biggest area of improvement under Ronald Koeman this season. If Toby Alderweireld is fit, that would be an obvious boon. And if Roy Hodgson is in attendance, he might like to compare and contrast the performances of the teams’ left-backs and ask himself what he was thinking last month when he seemingly ranked Danny Rose above Ryan Bertrand in the England pecking order.
7) Rodgers must raise Liverpool spirits to avoid clear-out
Perhaps Brendan Rodgers should tell his Liverpool players that this is a meaningless mid-table clash, just in case the pressure of chasing an important win makes them freeze. A dud performance against West Bromwich Albion and a drippy end to the Premier League campaign would, following last week’s anaemic FA Cup semi-final defeat and the chastening league losses to Manchester United and Arsenal, certainly accentuate the sense that the club is not progressing as it should. So if Rodgers wants to make sure that he is not cleared out along with the litter of players who must be discarded in the summer, then he could do with getting his team to produce a strong finish to the season and clinch fifth in the table, which would be a par league performance for Liverpool in their current state.
8) Will Sunderland fans regret their hubris?
It takes a special kind of hubris to fly a jeering banner over the ground of your nearest rivals when you sit six points below them in the table. When you have lost four of your last six, have replaced your manager with another who does not stand much chance of keeping the job for long, there are times when it is best to keep your counsel. It’s why most Sunderland fans were appalled by last weekend’s stunt and have urged focus at Stoke, a side pushing for their highest ever Premier League finish. Stoke’s striker Mame Biram Diouf has scored in each of his last three home games but the team have stuttered somewhat as they near the end of their campaign. Three defeats and two wins in their last six means Stoke could be there for the taking but are Sunderland the team to take them?
9) QPR must battle right to the end
QPR are staring down the barrel of relegation and if the league began in January, West Ham would be in similar strife. This does not have the hallmarks of a classic, rather another feisty London derby for Rangers, who have not played since their late defeat to Chelsea two weeks ago. West Ham’s problems are manifold, not least off the pitch where the Olympic Stadium saga rumbles on and their owners continue to court managers who are not Sam Allardyce. QPR’s troubles meanwhile, are easier to pinpoint, as their former manager Harry Redknapp has done this week – they cannot stop conceding in the latter stages of matches. Since the start of February, late goals against Southampton, Hull, Aston Villa and Chelsea have been costly. Without them, Chris Ramsey’s side would be 16th. A timely boost arrives this weekend however, in the shape of Leroy Fer, who returns to the side after two months out with a knee injury and will add steel to the midfield as well as a goalscoring threat to ease the burden on Charlie Austin. All four of the Dutchman’s league goals this season have directly contributed to points for QPR and having found the net in his most recent outing against Sunderland in February, Ramsey will be desperate his key midfielder picks up from where he left off.
10) Have Hull made use of their fortnight off?
Hull City have not won in six matches and their current form is the second worst in the Premier League. Their manager, Steve Bruce, dropped the goalkeeper Allan McGregor when his side visited Southampton, citing a lack of confidence, and replaced him with a 40-year-old, Steve Harper. Afterwards he bemoaned a bluntness in attack, fretting that the side had created chances but had failed to convert them. So, problems at the back, problems up front, issues with confidence and a side out of rhythm. It doesn’t look good for Hull, who sit outside the relegation zone by dint of a single goal. A win against resurgent Crystal Palace is nothing less than essential as Hull’s run-in is particularly tough. They face Liverpool and Arsenal after Palace, before a crucial match against Burnley is followed by Tottenham and Manchester United. Hull have had two weeks without a match so should return for the last leg of their campaign refreshed. But they will also need to show the same sort of hunger their manager is presumably suffering since his recent promise to go on a crash diet if they are to get out of this mess.
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