Football365’s Big Weekend: The watcher
Date published: Friday 21st October 2016 8:32
Game to watch – Chelsea v Man United
“When he decided to go to a direct competitor then love stories are over.” That was Jose Mourinho on Frank Lampard, the then-Chelsea manager clearly hurt that his precious boy’s exit to New York had a stopover in Manchester. So if Jose Mourinho’s ‘welcome’ at Stamford Bridge is less than warm, he can have no cause for complaint – no longer wanted by Chelsea, he went to a direct competitor and the love story could be over.
He has already been back at Stamford Bridge once as an opposition manager but that was 2010 and that was Inter Milan; their meeting was a quirk of the Champions League draw. Now he is at Manchester United, another of England’s elite clubs and a fierce rival of Chelsea’s ever since Roman Abramovich rode into town clutching his rubles. After years of plotting to end United’s dominance of English football, he is now plotting to restore it. No wonder Sky Sports have dubbed it THE RETURN.
Six of the Chelsea side that were impressive in beating Leicester on Saturday won the title with Mourinho just two years ago, with several of those players having reportedly turned on their manager in his final months at the club. Yet another said last year, when asked about Mourinho by journalists, that “he is special for you, not for me”. After comprehensive defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte needs a ‘f*** you’ victory against opposition better than Watford or West Ham. Motivation is not in short supply.
Manchester United fans – in the main – accepted the defensive tactics that brought a point at Anfield on Monday as avoiding defeat was paramount against a Liverpool side (largely) sweeping all before them, but will Mourinho be forgiven for parking the bus again? Chelsea have not been playing with the frightening verve of Liverpool so should really be regarded as beatable. Would a 1-1 draw (currently the bookies’ favourite scoreline) be acceptable to United when it could leave them seven points off the top of the table and five behind Liverpool before the clocks change?
Even without the sub-plots, this would be a fascinating clash. Conte’s switch to a 3-4-3 makes them a very different proposition to Liverpool, whose full-backs were pinned back by United’s diligent wing play on Monday. If United try and run Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso out of this game, David Luiz will happily exploit the extra space in the middle. And United – less than three days after facing Fenerbahce – are unlikely to have the same appetite and energy to press as they displayed at Anfield. It all points to a slightly more open game. We hope. Surely.
Player to watch – Jack Wilshere
Those who watch Bournemouth tell us not to be fooled by the lack of goals and assists claimed by Jack Wilshere during his loan spell thus far – his touch, his movement, his awareness, his ability to draw defenders towards him, have all provided the platform for less-vaunted players around him – like Junior Stanislas, Jordon Ibe and Harry Arter – to be the best version of themselves. Wilshere has been the enabler and quietly impressed, even if his performances do not lend themselves to YouTube highlights videos.
This Saturday a wider audience will get a chance to see whether Wilshere really is still one of English football’s most gifted midfielders and crucially, whether he is blowing out of his arse after an hour. That Bournemouth are facing Tottenham and the physicality of Victor Wanyama makes it even more fascinating…
Team to watch – Liverpool
“We need to be angry but at the same time patient,” says Jurgen Klopp, and I think we can all agree that’s a difficult combination to pull off. Unless you’re a woman who remembers exactly what was said in that argument and can patiently wait four or five years to repeat it back to you for maximum effect.
Having failed to shift the cursed Megabus on Monday, Tony Pulis will be riding into Liverpool on an identical vehicle smelling ever-so-slightly of vomit. West Brom’s defence will stay compact, central midfield disciplined, and the wingers will work their socks off, and Liverpool must somehow find a way through. They failed against Burnley, they almost failed against Swansea and they failed against United, and the suggestions that they lack a Plan B are growing with each passing failure. What they need now is to give someone a shellacking rather than endure 90 frustrating minutes. Either way, it could be fun to watch. Just make sure you stay angry but at the same time patient.
Manager to watch – Pep Guardiola
You get the feeling that there were a few people in the media and beyond who are relishing this current Manchester City blip, gleefully suggesting that Guardiola’s phenomenal managerial record owed rather more to his players and predecessors than any managerial genius. Schadenfreude was in abundance after the Celtic draw and there’s now a European schadenfreude mountain like the massive pile of spare butter we used to see on Newsround in the 1980s. After four games without victory, it’s now no longer about the kind of exciting, engaging performance we saw against Everton, but simply about victory. The rot really must stop…which sounds really bloody odd when you are talking about a side currently top of the Premier League.
If City are unable to beat Southampton on Sunday, it will equal the longest winless streak of Guardiola’s top-level coaching career, and that came seven years ago. With Wednesday bringing another meeting with Jose Mourinho – possibly insufferably buoyed by victory at Chelsea – in the League Cup, Guardiola needs the pressure to be turned to OFF.
The good news is that Sergio Aguero should be fresh.
One-on-one battle to watch – Diego Costa v Eric Bailly
This could be an awful lot of fun. We’re contractually obliged to use the word ‘proper’ for this clash between two players who embrace the physical and have all the subtlety of two schoolboy signs saying ‘Kick Me’. Bailly found it all too easy to cope with the elegant but lightweight stylings of Daniel Sturridge, but how will he cope with a brute? How will he cope with being tugged and pulled and abused and challenged? How will he cope with a striker whose phenomenal recent conversion rate means that he cannot be afforded one inch of space? Remember what Costa did to Gabriel when he thought he had settled into English football…
Football League game to watch – Burton Albion v Birmingham City
Stay with us here. Birmingham have a chance to go third if they win at Burton and we’re fascinated to see how any team can ride that high with Lukas Jutkiewicz leading the line; it defies all logic. Also, Gary Rowett is going back to Burton and that might be fun. “I can’t believe they’re in the Championship,” says Rowett, who understandably holds a lot of affection for the club that gave him his first chance in management. Why aren’t Sky Sports dubbing this one THE RETURN?
European game to watch – Sevilla v Atletico Madrid
Oh hello. It’s only 3rd v 1st. It’s only the team that’s won their last five home games v the team that’s unbeaten away from home all season. Sorry (not sorry) but this one is sexy. It’s even got Samir Nasri.
Punt of the week – Man United to win at 11/4
That just seems way too big. But Christian Benteke f***ed us over last week, so what do we know?
Where is Mike Dean?
At Arsenal v Middlesbrough, somehow contriving to be more flamboyant than Alexis Sanchez. Which proves that this petition didn’t work. Which is odd because well, you know, democracy.
Ten live matches to watch (because having a social life is overrated)
Burton Albion v Birmingham City (Friday 7.45pm, Sky Sports 1)
Bournemouth v Tottenham (Saturday 12.30pm, Sky Sports 1)
Liverpool v West Brom (Saturday 5.30pm, BT Sport 1)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (Saturday 5.30pm, BT Sport 3)
AC Milan v Juventus (Saturday 7.45pm, BT Sport 3)
Manchester City v Southampton (Sunday 1.30pm, Sky Sports 1)
Rangers v Celtic (Sunday 2.15pm, BT Sport 1)
Sevilla v Atletico Madrid (Sunday 3.15pm, Sky Sports 5)
Chelsea v Manchester United (Sunday 4.00pm, Sky Sports 1)
Real Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (Sunday 7.45pm, Sky Sports 3)
Editor to watch – Sarah Winterburn
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