Liverpool visit Southampton in a late kick-off tonight (1.30am, Sunday morning).
One for the purists, this fixture at St. Mary's promises goals galore, as Southampton's weaknesses were exposed against West Ham last week.
Liverpool's defensive follies have been much documented, but I must commend Brendan Rodgers on two very apt points he made over the week regarding his current Liverpool side.
His first statement was regarding the defensive frailties the team has been showing, insisting that it was not an issue of coaching, rather it was an issue regarding the defenders themselves.
To put it quite simply, Liverpool defenders lack individual quality. Kolo Toure's arrival, a player who changes clubs quicker than Jack Nicklaus, signifies that inability to attract more adept centerbacks, and Southampton could very well punish them in what is sure to be a shootout.
Rodgers' second statement was perhaps more telling on his coaching methods. Reiterating that his Liverpool side will not be like Mourinho's Chelsea - the insistence on playing a certain system and not sacrificing that philosophy (instead of playing reactive football) is sure to resonate well with Liverpool fans.
Their successes in Europe were based on supreme attacking talent coupled with individual quality at the back, not backs against the wall "parking the bus" football that has seen unlikely teams emerge champions of Europe in recent times.
Southampton at home is no cakewalk, and I expect a score-draw which is sure to entertain any individual who happens to switch channels to this match at any point in the evening.
London derby
Chelsea are on the road too, but on a much shorter journey across the road to local rivals Fulham (11pm).
Coming off a very tactically-draining first leg in Istanbul, Chelsea will be disappointed to have only come away with a 1-1 draw. Galatasaray, coached by Jose Mourinho's nemesis of the moment, Roberto Mancini, proved combative enough to stifle a blunted Chelsea attack, Fernando Torres mastering the art of scoring a goal yet failing to impress; an unfortunate result of failing to meet the stratospheric expectations set for him upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge at the end of January in 2011.
The last thing Chelsea need is an away fixture against a side desperately needing three points. A no-nonsense figure, Felix Magath's appointment brings a refreshing attitude to the dressing room which is sure to galvanize struggling Fulham against *pragmatic/tactical/boring (*take your pick) Chelsea.
You have players in the modern game who think themselves more knowledgeable than even their managers just because they earn big money. Hence, the appointment of Felix Magath is shrewd, in that Magath will cut them down to size and instill an "us against them" mentality which is crucial for a team embroiled in a tight race for relegation.
Or, his methods could very well backfire and a player mutiny might be at hand.
Regardless, the players need to stand up and be counted when it matters, and Magath's proven success with VfL Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich should provide them with enough confidence in his methods to put up a stiff resistance against a drained Chelsea side.
The return of the midfield maestro
All eyes will be on the return of Mesut Ozil as Arsenal travel to Stoke City tonight (11pm).
So much, perhaps too much, has been said about Arsenal lately. Arsene Wenger's every word dissected and Ozil's every movement criticised by the "media circus".
A visit to Stoke City at this point of the season should be an easy three points for the Gunners but promises to be a far trickier fixture than it seems.
Mark Hughes has recently adapted the Tony Pulis method (which was successful in guiding Stoke City into the Premiership and subsequently the Europa League through a runner-up finish in the FA Cup final of 2010-11, falling to Manchester City at Wembley).
The battling, better organised side, challenging for every ball is precisely the type of team that can rattle (and shock) Arsenal. In recent years, this kind of matchup has been a classic litmus test for Arsene Wenger's boys - do they have enough steel to take Stoke City apart? We shall see tonight.
Comeback for Martinez
Meanwhile, Everton will be looking to come back from the injury time defeat last week, to take on West Ham United (11pm).
West Ham United's good run of form might come to an end at Goodison Park as they visit Roberto Martinez's Everton. Coming off a painful defeat to Chelsea, Roberto Martinez would feel that his substitutions let him down.
The game plan was to soak up early pressure and bring on attacking options to catch Chelsea on the counter-attack, but the introductions of Gerard Deulofeu and Ross Barkley failed to perform on the night.
One of the major highlights this Premier League season, Ross Barkley's floundering performance was a rare sight. Do expect him and Everton to bounce back with more venom as they face off a squad which will allow them to dictate the tempo of the match far more comfortably than any Jose Mourinho-coached team.
West Ham United seem to have turned a corner this season, racing up to 10th spot on the back of four straight wins (though it must be noted that three of the four victories came against fellow relegation battlers Swansea City, Aston Villa and Norwich City) but the sheer quality and desire of Everton, still very much in the hunt for a European berth next season, should see the Toffees through.
Spurred on against sorry Cardiff
Finally, Tottenham Hotspur will hope to capitalist on the poor form of Cardiff City tomorrow night (12.30am Monday morning).
Following what was a truly pathetic first half performance against Norwich City last weekend, Tim Sherwood's halftime talk only galvanised his team slightly.
Tottenham Hotspur improved to merely being poor in the second half as they dropped three points against opposition they should be brushing aside if a European run is on the books next season. Sherwood has his work cut out for him as they seem to be struggling with two 1-0 away defeats on the trot.
Cardiff City? There was no doubt that the Bluebirds were going to be in a relegation battle at the start of the season, and Malky Mackay's dismissal neither worsened (nor truly improved, for that matter) the situation at hand.
This side simply lacks enough quality to compete in the Premier League right now, and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer will do well to gather a point from this visit to White Hart Lane.
Perhaps it would be a good idea for Tan Sri Vincent Tan to start planning for a potentially expensive summer. – March 1, 2014.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
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