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Five key things you must watch out for

We may be just 270 minutes into the new season but time waits for no man, and that means the pressure is already mounting on clubs, managers and players to deliver the goods this weekend. TODAY columnist Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) runs the rule over five absolute musts to keep your eye on, as the Barclays Premier League makes a welcome return to action after what’s felt like an extremely lengthy international break.

We may be just 270 minutes into the new season but time waits for no man, and that means the pressure is already mounting on clubs, managers and players to deliver the goods this weekend. TODAY columnist Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) runs the rule over five absolute musts to keep your eye on, as the Barclays Premier League makes a welcome return to action after what’s felt like an extremely lengthy international break.

 

ARSENAL MUST ...

... Stand up and be counted against Manchester City in today’s mouth-watering early kick-off. If they roll over and capitulate, the knives will be out for Arsene Wenger and his men.

With memories still fresh of the humiliating drubbings dished out by City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton last term, fans are eager to see a positive, strong-willed reaction in this encounter.

Are they mentally strong enough to cope with the big boys?

With no new defensive midfielder on board, how will Arsenal’s attractive yet potentially frail midfield cope with Manuel Pellegrini’s non-stop bristle-and-brawn City engine room?

If Wenger decides to unleash Danny Welbeck, his deadline-day signing from Manchester United, on the noisy neighbours he’s just left behind, it could be a psychological masterstroke, with the striker on a high after scoring twice for England in midweek.

Arsenal fans need and expect an undaunted performance from their side against a major rival. Should they produce one today, it will jolt their spluttering start to the season rapidly into life.

 

SWANSEA CITY MUST ...

... Retain their fabulous early-season momentum by continuing to play in exactly the same manner at Chelsea as they have so far.

Swansea coach Garry Monk isn’t a glamorous boss and the Swans aren’t the most flashy of clubs, but you won’t find a team that’s been easier on the eye this season.

Being gung-ho is not their style, but it would be a mistake to try to park the bus at Stamford Bridge and hope for a miraculous outcome.

By setting up with a well-drilled defence that stays narrow without the ball, allowing Ki Sung-yueng and Gylfi Sigurdsson to pull the strings, and channelling the ball out wide to wingers Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer, the Swans have a decent chance of getting a result at Chelsea.

The Blues have looked magnificent, but there’s no reason why a confident, slick Swansea can’t cause an upset.

 

ALAN PARDEW MUST ...

... Inspire his Newcastle team to a first win of the season. With fiercely loyal owner Mike Ashley looking to offload the club, Pardew’s position just got shakier. Add to that the revelation this week that a whopping 85 per cent of Newcastle United fans polled in a local newspaper said they wanted their manager replaced, and you can clearly see why not losing, or better still, winning at Southampton today is vital.

Pardew’s record in 2014 is abysmal: 14 defeats from 22 games since Jan 1. While on the face of it two draws and a narrow defeat to the champions isn’t a disastrous start to the new campaign, inspiration itself has been in scant supply.

Loaning out cult hero Hatem Ben Arfa to Hull City — just days after fans were singing his name at St James’ Park — has pushed many over the edge, cranking up the pressure on Pardew. If his Newcastle side can’t dig out something special this weekend, he’s in trouble.

 

EVERTON MUST ...

... Stop conceding goals. Roberto Martinez promised Champions League football when he took office at Goodison Park, but it will remain an empty pledge until the Spaniard sorts out his leaky defence.

To steady the ship and regain confidence, Everton will have to keep it tight at the back against West Bromwich Albion. They’ve been a mess there so far this season. Gifting two scrappy goals to Leicester City, conceding twice from crosses against Arsenal, and shipping six at home to Chelsea, the back four and goalkeeper have played like strangers in blindfolds.

Pretty to watch is good, but when you don’t enjoy the luxury of being able to call on a raft of strikers, as so many of your rivals can, there has to be a greater emphasis on hard work without the ball and sturdiness at the back. To win matches and start climbing the table, Everton have to get back into the habit of keeping clean sheets. Starting today.

 

AND LOUIS VAN GAAL MUST ...

... Work out how on earth he is going to cram £150 million (S$307.5 million) of fresh meat into his starting XI. With all eyes on him at Old Trafford against Queens Park Rangers tomorrow, the Dutch tactician is under some pressure to get this juggling act spot on, or he could look silly.

While I’m as stumped as I am stimulated by United’s choice of signings this window — phenomenal talent but where are the defensive stalwarts they needed? — Van Gaal’s faltering 3-4-1-2 should be the first casualty. It simply doesn’t work, and I don’t believe the Red Devils have the right players to make it function long term either.

If I were in the Dutchman’s shoes and wanted to see all my shiny new additions fit into a side that will lift the fans, this is the way I’d go against QPR (4-1-2-1-2): De Gea, Rafael, Evans, Rojo, Shaw, Blind, Herrera Di Maria, Rooney, Falcao, Van Persie.

It means Juan Mata is the odd man out, and that in it must be a headache Van Gaal doesn’t need.

 

Possible 4-1-2-1-2: De Gea, Rafael Evans Rojo Shaw, Blind, Herrera Di Maria, Rooney, Falcao, Van Persie

 

Adrian Clarke is a former Arsenal midfielder who has played at every level of English football. Now an experienced sports journalist, he writes for publications around the world. Follow him on Twitter @adrianjclarke

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