Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

1) Lukaku needs to take the plank out of his own eye

Everton defended and broke superbly against Manchester United on Tuesday night but, though Ashley Williams’s rash handball attracted most of the attention, the game ought to have been over by then. That it was not was down in significant part to Romelu Lukaku’s chronically poor decision-making, on which numerous breaks foundered and which made his on-pitch dismissal of Williams difficult to understand. Impressed as he is with his own magnificence, in nine games against the division’s top six, Lukaku has mustered three goals, of which one was a late consolation. It is true that a flat-track bully is a useful attribute for any side, even those contesting the title, but he is not as invaluable to Everton as he appears to think. Against Leicester on Sunday his credentials will be examined once more. Though the champions are still only 11th in the table, they have won six straight games and are now the country’s most confident side. Lukaku will have far less space than at Old Trafford, which will test his other principal weakness: his touch. He would do well to improve that before publicly demeaning a team-mate whose contribution far exceeded his own. Daniel Harris

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2) Spurs’ strength in depth should see them roll past Watford

Tottenham were not supposed to be here, still putting pressure on Chelsea. When Harry Kane went off injured against Millwall in the FA Cup on 12 March the perceived wisdom was that Spurs’ title challenge was over. And, considering that Mauricio Pochettino has only Vincent Janssen as a like-for-like replacement – who had not troubled the scorers in the league since October – it was easy to understand why. However, this Tottenham squad is made of stern stuff, which the two away wins at Burnley and Swansea have showed. When the star striker is taken out of action, other players step up. That Dele Alli scores important goals is no surprise but the ability of Son Heung-min to chip in too is perhaps even more impressive considering he does not play as regularly as Alli. When he is given responsibility, though, the South Korean delivers. He now has 16 goals for the season in all competitions, more than any Watford player (Troy Deeney is the highest-scoring player in Walter Mazzarri’s squad with 10). Watford have won only three times on the road in the league this season so it would be an almighty surprise if they ended Spurs’ unbeaten home run in the early game on Saturday. Marcus Christenson

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3) Defeatist Moyes still has a chance against Manchester United

A succession of ludicrous events has befallen the world since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson but none quite so ludicrous as when he decided that David Moyes should succeed him. In order to earn the job himself, Ferguson had overtaken the Old Firm and won a European trophy with Aberdeen, at a time when United were struggling. Moyes, however, was somehow presented with the league champions, a decision still intensifying in peculiarity four years on – all the more so following his inexcusable behaviour earlier this week. On the pitch it is not that Sunderland are going to go down but that they will do so without ever threatening to stay up, without ever appearing to make an effort. There has been no defiant run – at no point this season have they gone more than two games without defeat – which reflects Moyes’ defeatist attitude, and the institutional inertia for which he is such an obliging frontman. Although he inherited a young, shallow squad, he also has a reliable scorer, the single most important ingredient for relegation-avoidance: if Jermain Defoe played for any of their rivals, they would already be safe. However, Sunderland have hope against Manchester United, who are playing without confidence and verve, are regularly criticised by their manager and frequently informed that they are tired and lacking confidence. This does not seem like the best way to resolve these putative problems and, if Sunderland can start quickly and well, they might find some success; United’s 20-game unbeaten run says more about their opponents than it does about them. DH

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4) Crystal Palace v Arsenal has all the ingredients of a cracker

Three points above Swansea with a game in hand, on the face of things Crystal Palace should avoid relegation, and rightly so: with the players they have, they have no business being close to it in the first place. But given that in their final eight games they must travel to Old Trafford, Anfield and the Etihad, with Tottenham, Leicester and Hull set to visit Selhurst Park, suddenly Arsenal at home looks one of their more inviting fixtures. They certainly have the players to discomfit their visitors; if you open your window, you might just be able to hear the faint thrum of vigorously rubbing palms, as Sam Allardyce contemplates the prospect of Emiliano Martínez in the Arsenal goal; the local favourite, Southeastern Rail, will seem like the Great Plains of North America compared with his six-yard box on corners. Palace also have plenty to offer in free play. An in-form Christian Benteke is a menace to any defence, Jason Puncheon’s pace and movement can disquiet the talented but unfamiliar midfield combination of Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny, while Héctor Bellerín can expect to be tested by Wilfried Zaha. Add to that Arsenal’s need to win, the restored confidence of Mesut Özil, the presence of Alexis Sánchez, the evening kick-off and the pressure exerted by the weekend’s earlier results and you have what might be the game of the weekend. DH

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5) Bournemouth could yet play a big part in title race

Eddie Howe savours the challenge of bringing the big boys down to the south coast and beating them at their own game but the Bournemouth manager faces his toughest test yet on Saturday. After losing to Manchester United on the opening day the Cherries have claimed the scalps of Liverpool, Everton and Leicester at home this season and go into the meeting with Chelsea unbeaten in five Premier League matches. Tottenham – still trailing Antonio Conte’s side by seven points – could manage only a 0-0 draw at the Vitality Stadium back in October and entertain Bournemouth next week, meaning Howe’s team could have a potentially crucial say in the destination of the title. Finding a way through Chelsea’s impressive defensive unit will be no easy task given the way the league leaders shut down the game against Manchester City on Wednesday, although Bournemouth’s attacking approach could give Conte a few more headaches than he is used to. Howe also has the chance to press his case as the most successful English manager in the top flight this season, with Craig Shakespeare’s Leicester currently just a point clear of Bournemouth and Sean Dyche’s Burnley level on points with them. Ed Aarons

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6) Swansea may force Gold and Sullivan to change their way

David Gold and David Sullivan tend to be reluctant to sack managers, even more so during the course of a season. Not since Trevor Francis was shunted out of Birmingham City in October 2001 – after five years in charge - have Gold and Sullivan sacked a manager during the course of a season. They even persisted with Avram Grant until the end of West Ham’s fight against relegation in 2010-11, jilting him only when that fight had been irretrievably lost. West Ham will not be in that situation if they are beaten by Swansea City this weekend but their situation would be serious indeed. They currently lie five points above Swansea and the relegation zone but are in ominous form, having lost five games in a row. The three teams immediately below them in the table have all benefited from changing managers this season, including Swansea. If Paul Clement’s team inflict another defeat on West Ham this weekend, the value of that vote of confidence given to Slaven Bilic by Gold and Sullivan will be sorely tested. Paul Doyle

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7) Stoke’s quality in attack can cause Klopp and co problems

In theory Stoke City are not just Liverpool’s perfect opponents but everyone’s perfect opponents: clear of relegation, nowhere near Europe, out of the Cup and on a run of three straight defeats. But Liverpool have spent this season contriving to drop points in the most unlikely of places and the fact remains that Stoke have some useful players. Most particularly Stoke have some useful players in attack, and Liverpool have not kept a clean sheet since the middle of February. If Stoke can raise themselves – and the home support will certainly expect them to – then there is no reason for them not to cause Liverpool the same problems that most other teams have. As for Liverpool, they ought now to have enough of a cushion to finish in the top four. But they lack, as well as a trustworthy defence, a reliable goalscorer and, with Adam Lallana and Sadio Mané both injured, they will be feeling the pressure. For Stoke this is an opportunity. DH

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8) Guardiola has accepted City’s limitations, for now

If Pep Guardiola’s dogmatism has been much of the reason for Manchester City’s inconsistency this season – some of his players simply are not equipped to carry out the tasks he demands – then perhaps the time for a spot of compromise has arrived. Guardiola felt like “a lucky guy” after watching his team perform admirably in defeat at Chelsea but, with that, there was an acceptance that “football is also about results”. The league title had been a long shot for City for some time but Champions League football is now the big concern and, with Arsenal and Manchester United breathing down their necks despite being heavily flawed themselves, Guardiola needs to make sure City’s focus remains keen. Hull at home looks like the right kind of fixture to get back on track after an unsatisfactory return from their London double-header but nothing can be taken for granted here: Marco Silva’s side, now out of the relegation zone, have drawn only two of their last 16 games in all competitions and at times have played with a freedom that has been rewarded. They will give City chances but they will make some, too, and it should be encouraging for Guardiola if his error-prone defenders can produce an unfussy, no-frills performance. City will undergo major surgery in the summer and surely the priority, ahead of stylistic concerns, must be to secure that top-four finish. Nick Ames

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9) Burnley could win away at last

Aitor Karanka might have felt a sour kind of vindication on Wednesday as he heard news of Middlesbrough’s costly 4-2 defeat at Hull. “You see, that’s why I was so boring,” he might have roared at an effigy of a disgruntled Boro fan. Steve Agnew got Boro playing with a smidgin more adventure at Hull and they scored twice but shipped four. The funny thing is, that result confirmed that Agnew should stick with an adventurous approach from here on in, as the seven-point gap between Boro and Hull means there would be no sense in reverting to the pursuit of low-scoring draws now. This, then, is Burnley’s best chance to get an away win before the end of the season. PD

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10) Penguin v Emu at The Hawthorns

With all due respect to penguins, it is hard to take them seriously. Same with emus. It just does not seem quite right to call them birds. They are, then, the Shane Long and Salomón Rondón of the avian world, birds who cannot fly being akin to strikers who cannot be relied on to score. And yet, in so many ways Long and Rondón are two of the most admirable forwards in the Premier League: strong, smart, dynamic pests to play against and often thrilling to watch. This weekend’s mid-table match between West Brom and Southampton may seem meaningless but, if Long and Rondón happened to end their goal droughts, it would help anyone who wants to define them as strikers. PD

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