1) Arsenal must ramp up the pressure
Though a top-four finish remains out of Arsenal’s hands, the thought of them maintaining the comforting status quo with another late spurt of form is no longer so outlandish after Wednesday’s win at Southampton. It is more of an unconvincing crawl than a relentless charge for the finishing line, with the recent defeat at Tottenham brutally exposing this team’s deficiencies, but momentum belongs to Arsenal after their strong response to last month’s humiliation at Selhurst Park. Without playing with any particular coherence since that harrowing defeat by Palace, they have willed themselves back into the race through sheer persistence and, whether by luck or design, Arsène Wenger’s switch to a back three is working. But here comes another test of their infamous mental strength: a trip to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday evening, where Arsenal have not tasted victory since February 2010. As ever, much will depend on Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez, who combined to devastating effect just when it seemed that Arsenal were running out of ideas against Southampton. JS
2) The final game at White Hart Lane and Tottenham’s evolution
Ask a Manchester United supporter for a favourite White Hart Lane memory and they might shoot back with the late Paul Scholes goal that effectively settled the title race in 2003 or John O’Shea’s comedy goalkeeping cameo in 2007. In the spirit of self-deprecation, William Prunier might get a wistful mention as well. Mostly, though, the one people tend to remember first is the afternoon when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side reacted to finding themselves 3-0 down to a Glenn Hoddle outfit at half-time by deciding to score five unanswered goals in the second half. Spurs, it is fair to say, were more Spursy back then. It is difficult to imagine a similar fate befalling a Mauricio Pochettino team now. Not against this version of United anyway; the final ever game at Old White Hart Lane is also the last chance for José Mourinho’s team to score an away goal at a top-six rival this season. Of greater significance than Mourinho’s pragmatism, however, is whether Tottenham are going to show that they have learnt from last season’s capitulation. The title is gone, they can guarantee second place with a win. That would be a fine achievement for this maturing young team. JS
3) Liverpool face a test of patience
West Ham United are unlikely to veer from the approach that proved so effective against Tottenham when they host Liverpool at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon. André Ayew and Jonathan Calleri pressed high, the midfield hustled with impressive intensity and a gnarly three-man defence sat deep, denying Tottenham space in behind and providing a platform for the scheming Manuel Lanzini to instigate dangerous breaks, and there seems little reason for Slaven Bilic to change his tactics against another top-six side. Too much expansiveness, after all, would play into Liverpool’s hands. Jürgen Klopp’s side are at their best when opponents come at them and prosper against the top sides yet are less inspired when they have to be proactive, which is why they remain in danger of blowing Champions League qualification. Last weekend’s goalless home draw with Southampton was the latest in a long line of disappointing results against smaller teams. There is little room for manoeuvre before the trip to east London and Klopp’s record against Bilic – two draws and two defeats – is cause for concern. But while Liverpool have toiled at Anfield recently, they have been better at grinding out wins on the road. Tense one-goal victories at Stoke, Watford and West Brom offer encouragement that they will hold their nerve. JS
4) A Leicester lead in tale of two Citys
Rejuvenated Leicester return to the scene of the finest performance of their title-winning season for Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off and supporters of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool will be united in hoping they can repeat the heroics that earned them an emphatic win in as good a game of football as there was last season. Plenty has changed in the tale of these two Citys in the interim, but under Craig Shakespeare the champions have been galvanised and can at least be relied upon to be competitive when other teams around them have clearly taken early vacation. Possibly still suffering from the debilitating finger injury he suffered during his side’s defeat by Arsenal last month, Robert Huth is unlikely to repeat his goalscoring heroics of last season. Nevertheless, if Leicester can soak up Manchester City’s pressure, catch them on the break and take the lead in this game it would add further intrigue to an already fascinating race for Champions League qualification. BG
5) Will West Brom rouse themselves from end-of-season torpor?
Since securing safety with a victory over Arsenal at the Hawthorns in mid-March, West Brom have picked up only two of 18 available points, scored just twice and endured a goal-drought of 531 minutes in duration. With that in mind, it’s difficult to know whether Tottenham Hotspur supporters hoping the Baggies can keep the the title race open by beating Chelsea on Friday night are simply optimistic or delusional. Tony Pulis has promised he and his players are “doing our damnedest to make it a competitive game and a good game” but their actions will inevitably speak louder than his words. During his time as a Premier League manager at Stoke, Crystal Palace and West Brom, Pulis has consistently preached the importance of reaching the 40-point mark and without exception, his teams have tended to down tools and admire their handiwork once that target has been reached. Pulis has yet to hit the 50-point barrier as a top-flight manager and had a great opportunity to do so this season, but his players appear to lose all motivation once their Premier League futures are assured. Still, footballers are by their nature competitive animals, so it is conceivable West Brom’s will rouse themselves from their end-of-season torpor to give Chelsea a good game just for pig iron. Conceivable but extremely unlikely. BG
6) Nerves at Selhurst Park
It is less than a month since Sam Allardyce was basking in his own magnificence after Crystal Palace’s win over Liverpool. He should have known better – subsequent defeats by Tottenham, Burnley and City have plunged Palace back into trouble. But, well, y’know. Still, Allardyce remains the ultimate survival expert and he will surely have his team properly prepared for the visit of Hull, who are yet to win an away game since Marco Silva’s arrival in January. Then again, Burnley were winless on their travels before pitching up at Selhurst Park a fortnight ago. Don’t go pouring any pints of wine yet. JS
7) A win for form team in Royals’ play-off with Fulham
Form, rather than league position has long been touted as the key to winning Championship play-offs and Reading fans could be excused for swallowing nervously when they discover that in the past 20 years of Championship play-offs, only seven teams who finished third in the table have won promotion. Teams who have finished sixth have gone up by winning the play-off final four times. To get to this year’s nerve-jangling winner-takes-all Wembley showpiece, Reading must overcome Fulham, who finished five points and three places behind them by winning seven of their last nine matches, losing the other two. Curiously, Reading’s record over the past nine games is identical, so if they do fail to win promotion it won’t be for reasons of poor form. BG
8) Swansea cannot underestimate Sunderland
Perhaps it will work to Swansea City’s advantage that Sunderland are on a hot one-game winning streak before their meeting at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. Hull City made the mistake of underestimating Sunderland last weekend, reasoning that David Moyes’s relegated rabble would be easy prey, and they ended up paying the ultimate price. Swansea can consider themselves forewarned. There can be no complacency if they are going to press home their advantage over Hull in the battle to beat the drop. Newcastle made that mistake when they drew 0-0 at Aston Villa, whose relegation had already been confirmed, so Paul Clement must make sure his players are in the right frame of mind. If they are, then Clement can trust in them to do the necessary. JS
9) Have Wednesday got the wood on Huddersfield?
As if play-offs weren’t tense enough, this semi-final comes with the added spice of being a Yorkshire derby. Sheffield Wednesday finished the season equal on points with Huddersfield and ahead of them on goal difference, but have an excellent recent record against the Terriers. Wednesday are unbeaten in the past seven meetings of the two sides and under Carlos Carvalhal have beaten Huddersfield four times, conceding only one goal in the process. Whether or not this will count for anything in their next two meetings remains to be seen, but Huddersfield’s form has been patchy since their win over Reading in February. In 14 Championship games since, they have registered more defeats than victories and the early and mid-season momentum that propelled them to such dizzy heights under David Wagner has evaporated. A big fan of squad rotation, the German attracted opprobrium for resting his best players once the play-off place was guaranteed. He will need them if they are to get past rivals who have won six of their past seven games. BG
10) Puel needs a win and a goal from Gabbiadini
While Southampton are safely ensconced in mid-table, whispers about Claude Puel’s future refuse to go away. Despite leading Southampton to the League Cup final in his first season at St Mary’s, the Frenchman’s position is far from secure and the board is likely to conduct a review soon. With that in mind, Puel could do with throwing a bit of caution to the wind at Middlesbrough on Saturday. Southampton are goalless in four of their past five matches, a run that has done little to silence complaints by supporters that Puel’s style can be unjustifiably cautious, and the previously prolific Manolo Gabbiadini has not found the back of the net since returning from injury last month. Southampton played some neat football in their defeat to Arsenal, but they lack punch in the final third and are not creating enough chances for their Italian striker. JS
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