Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

1) Carvalhal’s first test

The wisdom of appointing Carlos Carvalhal as Swansea’s new manager is, to say the least, questionable: a man who was dismissed on Christmas Eve for underachieving with Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship does not inspire confidence. Still, he may prove successful: many doubted him when he arrived at Wednesday in 2015, and he started well there, reaching the play-offs in his first two seasons. But if he is to change things at the Liberty Stadium, he needs to do it immediately. After Saturday’s game at Watford, three of Swansea’s next four league games are against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool. If they do not beat the Hornets, they could soon be staring down the barrel of being shy of safety by double figures and of relegation looking even more inevitable than it does now. That new manager bounce needs to be pretty high. NM

Carvalhal says he is a ‘football romantic’ as he aims to keep Swansea up

2) Mourinho’s defensive inconsistencies

In most of José Mourinho’s title-winning sides, you could have a pretty good stab at naming their starting defence. In his last full season at Chelsea, for example, two defenders played every game and another only missed five: the consistency in selection was a key part of their defensive solidity, which in turn was a key part of their success. That may be part of the problem with Manchester United: in 20 Premier League games this season Mourinho has fielded 12 different defensive combinations, and no back four (or five) has started more than three games together. Their overall defensive record is pretty good (16 conceded in 20) but this constant chopping and changing (partly forced upon him, partly his choice) was almost certainly a contributing factor to the concession of that late equaliser against Leicester, and of two early goals against Burnley. Mourinho’s best teams are built on the solid bricks of a reliable defence but, as United prepare to host Southampton in Saturday’s late kick-off, the foundation is more like a wobbling Jenga tower. NM

Paul Wilson: Mourinho has a point when he says United are not a big team
Mourinho says ‘£300m not enough’ for his side to compete

View image in fullscreen

3) City would not be the same without Fernandinho

How much you agree with Jamie Redknapp this week really depends on how long your list is. While Fernandinho might sneak into the top 50 signings made by Premier League clubs, he is not yet ready to be mentioned in the same breath as Frank Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo or David Silva. However, that doesn’t mean the 32-year-old is not one of Pep Guardiola’s most important players – it is his tactical awareness and work ethic that gives his manager the confidence to field no other defensive-minded players in midfield. And if when Vincent Kompany gets injured, as at Newcastle? No problem, Fernandinho can slot in at centre-back, just as he did in the Manchester derby earlier this month. Selfless and versatile, he must be a dream to coach. While City will be expected to dominate Crystal Palace on Sunday, the London side’s threat on the counterattack is their greatest weapon with the pace of Zaha and Townsend, and Fernandinho’s presence will again be key. Redknapp’s comment is well wide of the mark but the Brazilian is certainly one of Manchester City’s best signings in the last 15-20 years. MB

Jacob Steinberg: City’s attacking intent too much for Newcastle

4) Can Stoke stop Azpilicueta and Morata?

The most enjoyable attacking combinations to watch are often the ones that remain impossible to stop despite their predictability. It is no secret, for instance, that César Azpilicueta’s accurate deliveries from the inside-right channel have become a highly efficient weapon for Chelsea, but Brighton were still unable to stop the defender from creating Álvaro Morata’s goal with another accurate cross at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. The two Spaniards have developed a brilliant understanding on the pitch, with Azpilicueta providing the assist for six of Morata’s goals this season, and Stoke City will have to find a way to repel them – something Mark Hughes’s side were incapable of doing when Chelsea visited the Bet365 Stadium in September. JS

Sobhi earns Stoke vital point at Huddersfield

5) Fortune could favour Burnley if they are brave

Given that Burnley were minutes away from securing a famous win at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, it does feel slightly unfair to ask whether they could make any tweaks to improve their away form. They have hardly been weak on their travels after all, picking up 16 points from 10 away games. Sean Dyche’s side have produced eye-catching performances at Stamford Bridge, Goodison Park, Anfield and Wembley, and only the top five boast better records than them this season. Yet Burnley are not the most prolific of teams and it is worth pointing out that they have scored only 11 goals on the road. Dyche tends to start with one striker but perhaps he can afford to be a bit more adventurous when Burnley visit Huddersfield. JS

Burnley denied victory at Old Trafford by Lingard

6) The sooner Wilshere gets a new Arsenal contract, the better

Arsenal’s win at Crystal Palace was Jack Wilshere’s fourth successive league start for Arsenal – his best run in the side for four years. Alexis Sánchez scored twice but it was the Englishman who ran the game at Selhurst Park, dictating the play and calming things down when Palace equalised before an inch-perfect pass found the Chilean for Arsenal’s third. It is a pass he would never have tried a month ago, and evidence of the confidence that Wilshere is playing with. He feels important again, and he is, particularly when you look at the other central midfield options Wenger has at his disposal: Xhaka was again poor at Palace, Elneny and Coquelin don’t have the required skill set and Ramsey and Cazorla remain injured. All this means that Wilshere will again need to deliver at West Brom on Sunday. Wenger must keep Wilshere’s confidence high, the sooner Arsenal hand him a contract, the better. When he is on this type of form, Arsenal (or England) don’t have a better deep-lying playmaker. MB

Wilshere ‘sure’ of new Arsenal contract after Wenger talks
Jacob Steinberg: Wilshere’s craft gives Arsenal new dimension

View image in fullscreen

7) Calvert-Lewin must make his mark before Tosun arrives

It is a thankless task chasing down loose long-ball clips from Cuco Martina, but somebody has got to do it. The issue is whether is will be Dominic Calvert-Lewin in 2018, as Cenk Tosun’s impending £25m arrival on Merseyside will probably bump him to the Everton bench in the new year. The 20-year-old has had a fantastic breakthrough year for both club and country – even if goals have come harder to come by of late – but the onus is now on Calvert-Lewin to get on the scoresheet and remain at the forefront of Sam Allardyce’s mind. Saturday’s opponents, Bournemouth, are leaking goals at present – seven in the past two home games – and if Allardyce’s tactics are not too miserly, it is an ideal opportunity to cement his place as Everton’s No1 striker, at least until Tosun arrives. MB

Bolasie defends Allardyce over blunt Everton attack

8) Schmeichel’s chance of redemption

There is no doubt that Kasper Schmeichel deserves to be regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League. The Dane was inspired when Leicester won the title and he was probably his team’s most impressive player in the Champions League last season. However he has experienced a slight dip in form in the past fortnight, leaving a big space for Christian Benteke to plant a central header past him in the 3-0 defeat by Palace, failing to reach Juan Mata’s stoppable free-kick in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United and scoring a sloppy own-goal against Watford on Boxing Day. It is far from a crisis but Leicester will need the 31-year-old to return to his reliable best at Anfield. JS

Paul Wilson: Van Dijk could start an era of reliable Liverpool rearguards
Liverpool agree world-record £75m fee for Southampton defender

View image in fullscreen

9) Benítez putting his eggs in one Brighton basket

After Newcastle’s fantastic win at West Ham, in which Rafa Benítez was rewarded for fielding an attacking side, it must have been desperately disappointing for fans to see the Spaniard revert to a conservative approach against Manchester City – the home side had onlu 23% possession (Nicolás Otamendi alone completed more passes than the 13 Newcastle players). By leaving Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie – his two most creative wide players, who were decisive at the London Stadium – on the bench against the league leaders, Benítez appeared to write off the City game on Wednesday to make sure they are at their strongest against Brighton on Saturday, a much more winnable home game. Three points against Chris Hughton’s side and that logic will be justified, but anything else and Benítez’s tactics and selection should be questioned. Home form is crucial in any relegation battle but United have now lost five consecutive home matches – the first time since 1953 – and they can ill-afford another St James’ defeat. MB

Newcastle sunk by Sterling’s strike for City

10) A fine fixture mess

While not all of them are likely to publish articles on their websites about it, some clubs have been left with some curious gaps between fixtures over the Christmas period. Tottenham and West Ham, for example, will both be off this weekend but then play on Tuesday, Thursday and next Sunday in the FA Cup, meaning both will have had six clear days before playing three times in the following six. This was because their fixture against each other was due to be played on Sunday but was moved because of safety and public transport concerns, which could have been avoided if someone had been blessed with the foresight to realise that shifting 70,000-plus people from Wembley on New Year’s Eve might have been tricky. As it is, both teams now face at best a highly unusual schedule which is unlikely to provide a sterling spectacle for anyone. Quite a mess all round. NM

Record-breaker Kane targets trophies for Spurs