1. Will Grealish be given a chance?
TIM SHERWOOD HAS certainly not been afraid of talking up Jack Grealish recently.
The Villa boss, in a recent interview with the club’s website, referred to the Ireland U21 international as a “local hero,” and believes he can go a long way in the game.
Nevertheless, despite all the hype that routinely surrounds him, Grealish has yet to start a Premier League game.
In the same interview, Sherwood indicated that for all his flashes of skill, he needs to start “affecting the football match”.
The former Tottenham boss, who was lauded for his willingness to give young players a chance at White Hart Lane, may consequently view Saturday’s FA Cup tie with West Brom as the perfect chance to allow Grealish to prove his worth.
2. Is Ozil a victim of lazy analysis?
Mesut Ozil is the type of player who seems to invite vitriol, predominantly owing to his conspicuously lazy demeanour.
However, recent stats suggest that the German World Cup winners’ critics — most notably Paul Scholes — have misjudged him.
Not only has he covered more distance than any other Arsenal player since returning to the side from injury, he also has the third best assist ratio in Premier League history.
The natural retort, of course, will be that Ozil never does it in the big games, when Arsenal generally tend to fall flat. However, the 26-year-old attacking midfielder has the perfect chance to silence his doubters on Monday, as Man United take on Arsenal in a crunch FA Cup tie.
3. Big performance needed from United
(Louis van Gaal has come in for some criticism of late)
United’s recent record hasn’t been disastrous by any means. They have lost just once in their last 10 games in all competitions — and picked up a much-needed win over Newcastle during the week.
However, there are still murmurs of discontent around Old Trafford, with former player Paul Scholes especially critical of the Dutchman of late.
Van Gaal will ultimately be judged on United’s league position at the end of the season, but an FA Cup success would do him no harm whatsoever.
After all, as Wayne Rooney noted this week, United “haven’t been to a final for a few years,” with the England striker never having lifted the prestigious trophy in his career to date.
And while the result is all that ultimately matters, winning with a bit of flair — an ingredient invariably missing from United’s game this year — against Arsenal, on Monday, will also surely help get detractors off LVG’s back.
4. Must-win game for Tottenham
Tottenham face QPR in the only Premier League match this week, with the two sides having a game in hand on most clubs.
It is a must-win match for Spurs in particularly — a victory will put them just a point behind Liverpool and three behind Manchester United, who they face next.
However, should Mauricio Pochettino’s side drop points against the Premier League strugglers, their hopes of a Champions League spot will start to look improbable, and a bad fortnight — encompassing losses in both the Europa League and Capital One Cup — will begin to feel disastrous.
QPR, meanwhile, know that a win will take them out of the relegation zone, whereas a loss would put them in a perilous position with 10 games to go, with the latter outcome far more likely given that Chris Ramsey’s men have won just one of their last 10 matches.
5. Can Balotelli impress?
Not for the first time, Mario Balotelli threatened to take the limelight away from his club’s success on Wednesday by posting a cryptic message on Instagram, suggesting that “someone doesn’t like me”.
Yet few would have much sympathy for the Italian international — he has disappointed since his big-money move to Liverpool, struggling to adapt to their high-intensity style and failing to get in their starting XI as a result in recent times.
His agent recently suggested Balotelli has experienced a culture shock since moving to Anfield, telling reporters:
“Right now, I think Mario has a very interesting development for his career. He has found a coach who asks of him things that had never been requested of him until now, including the discipline of running without the ball.”
With Liverpool expected to rotate against Blackburn this weekend, Balotelli should finally get a chance from the start. However, if he can’t make an impact against the Championship club (and that includes running without the ball), his days at Anfield could be numbered.
