EPL Game week 24: Five things to look out for this weekend

How will Chelsea play at the Etihad?

After the 0-0 draw against West Ham, Jose Mourinho, the apparent flag bearer of English footballing tradition, labelled West Ham as playing “19^th century football”.

It is so Jose, to do so, because it smacks of a man, who wants to deflect the blame away from his players. And it is not as though, Chelsea have played open, attacking football all the time.

Even with the talents at his disposal, Mourinho preferred to park the bus at both Arsenal and Manchester United, and was more than happy to settle for a draw. His words speak of double standards and show him for the hypocrite, he truly is.

So, it remains to be seen how he lines up against a free scoring City side, who have already scored 42 goals in just 11 home games. Will Mourinho park the bus, or to be more correct, his Lamborghini, or will he go gung-ho and risk falling six points behind Man City?

Will Moyes finally settle on his center halves?

Manchester United already conceded 35 goals and kept just 12 clean sheets in the 35 competitive games they have played this season.

Whilst that might look like a startling statistic, the truth is that injuries, indolence and incompetence has forced David Moyes to come up with eight different center back pairings already this season. That coupled with the fact that injuries to Carrick, Fellaini and Fletcher have meant that United lacked any protection from midfield.

Having said that, the time has come for Moyes to settle down on a center half pairing. And, it looks as though, the two most experienced players available, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand are on their way out. And, given the paucity of numbers in midfield, Phil Jones is likely to slot in midfield until the situation gets better.

With this being so, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans deserve a run out in central defense. Both have shown that they have the raw materials to succeed, but can only do so, if they are given an opportunity.

Which Aston Villa will turn up this weekend?

This season, Aston Villa have become one of football’s great mysteries. One weekend, they look like they are odds on favorites to become relegated and in the next, they look they are good enough to get into Europe.

They have beaten Arsenal and Southampton away from home, but have also treated their home fans to some derisory performances thus far. They have been transitioning from Jekyll to Hyde, all season.

But, they looked to have turned a corner with a victory over West Brom in the Midlands derby. The win also catapulted them into the top half of the table.

Villa return to Merseyside this weekend, having already given Liverpool an almighty scare just two weeks ago. And with the Toffees ever-expanding injury list, it looks as though, they might just continue their run of decent away results.

But then again, it all depends on which Villa turn up at Goodison Park.

Can Solskjaer open his Premier League account against the Canaries?

On his emotional return to Old Trafford as Cardiff’s boss, Solskjaer was unable to come away with anything. The defeat was their third in as many games in the League.

And whilst the Blue birds have reached the Fifth round of the FA Cup, they are currently bottom and have not won in their past seven league matches.

Whilst it is true that of the three games, two were against the Manchester clubs, the visit of Norwich City is precisely the sort of fixture they have to win, if they are to stay in the Premier League.

Following the weekend’s fixtures, they have three more eminently winnable home games, which will now decide their fate. So, it remains to be seen if Solskjaer breaks his duck in his second home match.

Where are Newcastle heading to?

It looked as though only a month or so back, with their run of wins, Newcastle were looking like they might be in with an outside shot of a top four finish.

But, now, with the sale of Yohan Cabaye, their most influential midfielder to PSG a few days back, it looks as though Newcastle United have almost resigned themselves to their fate.

A fate which sees them good enough to not be embroiled in a relegation dog fight, but, not so good as to get into the Europa League, a competition they are very keen to avoid.

And whilst the Magpies looked eager to finish mid-table, one thing they would be keen to avoid is defeat in the tyne-wear derby.

Without the suspended Loic Remy or the now-departed Cabaye, the Magpies will be keen to avoid defeat to a Sunderland side that is now high on confidence after climbing out of the drop-zone for the first time since September.