If Manchester City are motivated and Daniel Sturridge is firing we could see a classic Cup final at Wembley, the pressure will all be on Arsenal at Old Trafford, and Sam Allardyce could spring a surprise back at West Ham
1) A motivated Manchester City that are up for the Cup?
In the space of just four days, we have seen the very best and very worst of Manchester City’s attitude towards cup competitions. First they hoisted the white flag against Chelsea before their FA Cup fifth round tie even started. After that embarrassment, an unrecognisable City side all but secured their passage to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with an imperious performance against Dynamo Kyiv. Quite how they’ll treat the Capital One Cup final on Sunday afternoon is anyone’s guess, but despite its dwindling prestige and apparently increasing pointlessness, in a world where actually playing competitive football seems a massive imposition on the time of high profile teams with far more important commercial concerns to worry about, they might as well go all out to win it. “If you’ve come this far, maybe you’re willing to go a little further,” wrote Andy Dufresne to his friend Red in The Shawshank Redemption. With a couple of more important irons in the fire, City’s manager and players might not be too fussed about the outcome of the kick-about to decide the eventual destination of this particular bauble. Here’s hoping that’s not the case, as Liverpool will certainly be going all out to win it and against similarly motivated opposition an absolute belter of a ding-dong Cup battle could well ensue.
2) Sturridge and Sterling fight for headline status at Wembley
The stage is set for a spectacular Capital One Cup final. Jürgen Klopp craves a trophy to signal lift-off in his Liverpool career; Manuel Pellegrini wants at least another one with which to wave farewell to Manchester City; and both managers have teams full of attacking flair and defensive doubts. Goals agogo! Liverpool produced their best performance under Klopp when they tore City apart in November – and Daniel Sturridge did not even play in that game. The England striker’s availability, at the time of writing, spells trouble for his former club. Sturridge is by far the most reliable finisher at Liverpool so if he is back near his best, then Klopp’s team should not be as head-bangingly wasteful as they have been in almost every match since that November annihilation. City, of course, are in mighty formidable form themselves, if one match constitutes form. They were superb against Dynamo Kyiv in mid-week. Raheem Sterling, in particular, was excellent, showing admirable commitment, exceptional skill and a cool intelligence way beyond his years. What a fine time Sunday would be for him to serve another reminder of what a precious talent he is.
3) Ireland’s loss is Palace’s gain where Delaney is concerned
Defender
Damien Delaney
- Appearances
- 20
- Shots blocked
- 24
- Clearances
- 153
Damien Delaney said his international future was “not up for discussion” when asked earlier this week. Alan Pardew, the Crystal Palace manager, believes he is capable of doing a job for the Republic of Ireland at the European Championship and his central defensive partner Scott Dann was also full of worthy praise recently. Not so much Martin O’Neill, who said on Tuesday Delaney is the “wrong side of 30” and intimated a string of injuries would be needed before a recall would be considered. Delaney effectively retired from the international scene via Instagram in August and there’s a long-running history with management that potentially has much to do with a reluctance from both parties. Yet Delaney is Ireland’s most in-form defender, revelling in his second coming at Palace having considered a career in triathlon three years ago, and O’Neill’s point about his age is moot when the first-choice John O’Shea is only a couple of weeks younger. Seamus Coleman and Glenn Whelan are the only Irish players to have played more in the Premier League this season and when the manager’s favoured alternatives are Marc Wilson, who is way down the pecking order at Stoke, and Richard Keogh, struggling along in the Championship, it seems criminal to let previous disagreements get in the way of a stronger team for a daunting group stage in France. Ireland’s loss, though, is Palace’s gain – even if their league form over the past six games is the joint-worst in the division.
4) Allardyce could have the last laugh against West Ham
One of presumably very few West Ham managers ever to have been booed by the club’s fans following a victory, Sam Allardyce returns to the Boleyn Ground for the first time since it was announced that his contract would not be renewed, a minute or two after the final of whistle of the final game of last season. While both Allardyce and the West Ham hierarchy insist there are no hard feelings over the apparently mutual decision to part ways, one suspects it was a lot more mutual on West Ham’s part than it was on Big Sam’s. At Sunderland now, where he appears to be making a reasonably decent fist of maintaining his record of never having been relegated as a manager, even Allardyce would struggle to argue that West Ham have not become an improved and more aesthetically pleasing proposition in his absence. They do, however, remain extremely beatable, in several cases when faced by opposition they might be expected to overcome with a minimum of fuss. Sunderland are one such team, but arrive in London fresh from a week’s warm weather training and having taken four points from games against Liverpool and Manchester United. Should they triumph here, expect the levels of smugness in Allardyce’s post-match interviews to be completely off the scale. Of course no perusal of this fixture would be complete without the obligatory tip of the hat to the good people at BT Sport for making it their Saturday lunchtime kick-off, in the process forcing Sunderland’s devoted travelling fans out of their beds at Ridiculous O’Clock on Friday morning, to make the 278-mile coach journey to east London in time for kick-off. Well done, BT Sport. Well done.
5) Old Trafford pressure on the visitors for a change
Funny how quickly moods swing. Manchester United can ill afford another defeat if they are to reach the Champions League through the Premier League this season, but Sunday’s match at Old Trafford is perhaps even bigger for Arsenal, especially if Anthony Martial, David De Gea and Chris Smalling are all forced to miss out for United. Because to lose to a United side so dismembered by injuries would increase fears that Arsenal do not have the mettle to grasp their big chance to end their wait for a league title. That would puncture the belief generated byDanny Welbeck’s late winner against Leicester, which already seems an age ago in the wake of the blanks against Hull and Barcelona. Including the Leicester game, Arsenal have scored in only three of their last eight matches: if they fail to penetrate a cobbled-together United defence, then alarm bells will ring. And Gooners will wail. Even more so if Marcus Rashford performs as sensationally for United as he did on his debut. Logic points to an away win, but are Arsenal minded to deliver?
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