The Premier League is back! Here are 10 big questions for the weekend

By Mirror Football in Mirror Football Blog

Published 12:39 09/09/10

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England's international fixtures have provided unexpected delight, but they're no match for the thrills and spills of our domestic fixtures. Here are 10 reasons why Mirror Football's Karl Sears is glad to see the Premier League back.

1) Will Rooney see red at the Blues?

Everton fans didn't need any more reasons to shout abuse at Wayne 'once a blue always a blue' Rooney, but one more won't hurt. Rooney's sex scandal is sure to be the focal point of Goodison glee this weekend, but how will his infamously volatile - though admittedly improving - temperament cope? The perfect antidote to the boo-boys would be another bright start like Tuesday's, although there's also a good chance that could make things even worse...

2) Which of the late buys will stand out?

The drama of deadline day now seems like years ago, but here's our first chance to see what the last-gasp signings are made of. The most intriguing story  will be whether Sunderland's new record signing Asamoah Gyan can form a partnership with Darren Bent. But can Eidur Gudjohnsen roll back the years for Stoke? Will Alexander Hleb recapture his Arsenal form for Birmingham? And, after his hilarious strop for Holland in midweek, does Harry Redknapp dare to sub Rafael Van der Vaart for Spurs?

3) Will Gallas star or sulk for Spurs?

With Michael Dawson injured for the next couple of months, Harry Redknapp will be forced to thrust new signing William Gallas into first-team affairs. But how will Spurs fans take to the ex-Arsenal defender, who is known for being a disruptive influence in the dressing room? The Tottenham faithful can be a critical bunch, but you get the feeling that if Gallas plays reasonably well, helps keep a clean sheet at West Brom on Saturday and avoids either an on-pitch sulkathon or threats to score in his own net, than his career from 2006 to last May might just be forgotten.

4) How many of City's England six will play?

England finished the Bulgaria match with six Manchester City players on the pitch - Joe Hart, Joleon Lescott, Shawn Wright-Phillips, Adam Johnson, Gareth Barry and James Milner. But will City field six Englishmen against Blackburn on Saturday? With Roberto Mancini announcing at the beginning of the season that he'd be adopting a rotation policy, no player other than Hart seems assured of a starting place. Lescott has barely figured so far, while Wright-Phillips and Johnson have split playing time (and the latter was dreadful in the defeat to Sunderland). Many City fans will be keen to see their super six, but with air trolley victim Jerome Boateng finally ready to make his debut and a squad full to the brim of top-quality players, it remains to be seen how many Mancini will decide to include.

5) Can West Ham upset form book against Chelsea?

Saturday sees a clash between two teams with 100% records. Chelsea have won all of their games convincingly. And poor old West Ham haven't won at all. Will the pre-international break form continue? And if so, is there any hope of a happy finish for Avram Grant?

6) How will Gerard Houllier's Aston Villa look?

Whether the Holte End like it or not, the Frenchman is now the boss at Villa Park. Despite the Villa faithful's caution, Houllier's five-trophy haul at Liverpool isn't too shabby (he didn't do too badly at Lyon either) and just one piece of silverware would win over a fanbase starved of success since the League Cup in 1996. A Monday night fixture gives him a bit of extra time to work with his players - but Stoke are tricky customers, especially on their own patch.

7) Will Bolton rattle Arsenal again?

While acknowledging that the Premier League table is a little misleading at the moment (Wolves are seventh after all), Saturday's 2nd vs 5th clash between Arsenal and Bolton at the Emirates looks intriguing. After evenly-split battles of attrition during the Allardyce era, the Gunners have dominated this fixture recently, winning eight and drawing one of the last nine. But Wanderers appear to be playing a lot better this season under Owen Coyle and could well get something from this.

8) Will Spurs and City bounce back or rest up?

The international break is a real pain for any team, or fan of a team, who had a disappointing result last time out. Rest assured that top four hopefuls Spurs and Manchester City will be desperate to erase memories of their horrible defeats to Wigan and at Sunderland. But with Europe looming on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, will Harry Redknapp and Roberto Mancini risk more dropped points by keeping their stars fresh?

9) Are Liverpool one game away from a crisis?

In Liverpool's recent league games they've scraped past the Baggies, got hammered by the Blues and have been held by the Gunners. While their start so far has been steady, they are one, maybe two defeats away from it being dreadful. A tough away game against Birmingham will go a long way to deduce just how Liverpool's season may pan out.

10) Can Carroll continue his hot streak?

Andy Carroll's four goals in two games prior to the international break left many bemoaning his omission from the England side. Fabio Capello's England team are evolving and nobody is assured of a place in the team anymore, which is a perfect incentive for a player like Carroll. The Newcastle striker will be desperate to keep his name in the hat for a future call-up and Blackpool at home could provide the perfect opponents.

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