THE FESTIVE PERIOD is very nearly upon us and that means one thing: football, football and more football.
It’s another big weekend in the Premier League with key clashes at both ends of the table while a handful of managers and sides are facing a make-or-break couple of weeks.
Here are five talking points to digest ahead of the action:
Rooney absence a blessing in disguise?
He may have been set to win his 500th appearance for Man United tomorrow and is now just 13 goals away from becoming the club’s all-time goalscorer but the reaction of fans on social media to Wayne Rooney’s ‘nasty’ ankle injury told its own story.
Louis van Gaal confirmed his captain won’t be available for Saturday’s clash against West Ham due to an ankle complaint he sustained in the draw at Leicester. The United manager also admitted he didn’t know when the striker would be fit to return.
With Anthony Martial the only recognised striker in the squad, you’d think Rooney’s absence would be met with universal concern. In years gone by, it would have – but his form has been hit and miss all season.
It’s a sad indictment of Rooney’s standing at Old Trafford that his unavailability for a home game is met with positivity from some quarters.
Granted, it may force van Gaal’s hand into deploying Martial as the lone striker and Juan Mata in behind but it says a great deal about the current situation at the club that it’s felt the captain won’t be missed.
It’s been said for years that Rooney is a player who will be appreciated more when he retires. On Saturday, it could be a case of ‘you don’t fully appreciate something until it’s gone’ for United fans.
Van Gaal has a couple of injury headaches to deal with. Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera and Phil Jones are unavailable along with long-term absentees Anthony Valencia and Luke Shaw.
Despite their stuttering form, United lie just a point off the summit. Depending on other results, they could end the day on top of the league.
Will the Vardy party extend into Wales?
There will come a weekend when Jamie Vardy doesn’t score in the Premier League but at the moment he doesn’t look like missing. The England striker is in prolific form and last weekend set the Premier League record for scoring in 11 consecutive games.
And you would be a brave man to bet against him finding the net against struggling Swansea City on Saturday. The Welsh outfit are languishing in 15th and although there were signs of encouragement at Anfield last week, Garry Monk’s men need something to kick-start their campaign.
Victory at home to high-flying Leicester would be a good start but their defence will have their work cut out in keeping Vardy quiet. Given his goalscoring exploits, teams are surely looking at ways to stop him and you can bet Ashley Williams will be tasked with, well, dealing with the live wire forward.
With just one win in 10 league outings, the Swans are in desperate need of a result, particularly on home soil. Monk’s future is the subject of constant speculation and he’ll be hoping his misfiring strikers will take centre stage rather than the man at the other end.
Opportunity knocks for Sunderland
It’s taken a little time but Sam Allardyce is slowly beginning to stamp his mark on Sunderland. Back-to-back wins have lifted the Black Cats out of the red zone and infused them with a new-found confidence which was lacking under the previous regime.
Style has gone out the window and it’s now all about the result as Allardyce looks to lift the gloom from over the Stadium of Light. They travel to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday hoping to continue their mini-revival.
And perhaps they won’t get a better chance to topple one of the big boys this term. Arsenal are depleted by injuries and Wenger may be tempted to look ahead to their do-or-die Champions League clash at Olympiacos on Wednesday.
The Gunners are coming off the back of poor results against Norwich and West Brom and haven’t won in the league in three games. Wenger is without a host of key players for Saturday, including Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla.
Arsenal will be determined to return to winning ways although they’ll face a stiffer task than many will imagine.
Villa badly need a win
For the moment, the arrival of Remi Garde hasn’t had the desired effect with Aston Villa still rooted to the bottom of the table. The Midlands club have collected just five points this season and last week’s home defeat to Watford was another stark reminder of their problems.
There have been few signs of encouragement for the Villa Park faithful with each passing game plunging the club further into the mire. With the sides above them gathering points, Villa are in danger of being cut adrift and need to arrest their downward spiral quickly.
Southampton will be reeling from the midweek loss to Liverpool, where they would have had genuine hopes of a League Cup semi-final appearance. St Mary’s is never an easy place to go and Villa will need a huge performance but with a bit of luck and the right attitude, there’s no reason why they can’t come away with a point at least.
The Saints aren’t exactly firing on all cylinders themselves, as evidenced by Wednesday’s thrashing. Ronald Koeman will hope for a response from his players and that could work against Villa but they need to front up or else face the reality of relegation very early in the piece.
Red resurgence to be final nail for McClaren?
Not even the most optimistic Liverpool fan could have envisaged the impact Jurgen Klopp has had in such a short space of time. The German has transformed the Reds and suddenly some are quietly mentioning them and the title race in the same sentence.
There, of course, is a lot of work yet to be done but with Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson back in the fold, Klopp has a strong hand to pick from. They visit Newcastle on Sunday afternoon eyeing a fourth straight win in all competitions.
Liverpool and Klopp mean business all of a sudden but the same can’t be said about Newcastle. Only Villa sit below them in the table and a 5-1 reversal to Crystal Palace last weekend was another damaging result for Steve McClaren.
Confidence appears to be at an all-time low and while the fans will always get behind the team, there are presently few reasons to be hopeful.
McClaren desperately needs his players to stand-up and perform when it matters, otherwise he could be facing an anxious week with the Toon Army growing increasingly frustrated with his approach.
