Is It The Kindest Thing For Rafa To Go?

Rafa Benitez
More than one newspaper report this week suggested that if things go badly for Chelsea against Wigan at the weekend, then Rafa will be no more.

It might be the kindest thing, really. Whatever the reasons for Chelsea's failing season, they have gone backwards under Benitez - from four points off the top when Roberto di Matteo was sacked, they're now 16 behind Manchester United just 13 games later.

Roman Abramovich cannot possibly keep Benitez in place beyond the end of this season, so it may be just as well to make the break now.

Of course, he might turn the season around, but the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge seems poisonous. Abramovich has sacked managers for much less than losing to Wigan before.


Lewis Holtby
I made my feelings on Lewis Holtby perfectly clear after his performance against West Brom last weekend, and the two key pieces of 'feedback' from F365's always constructive readership was that I clearly had a bit of a crush on the young German (difficult to deny) and that it was a knee-jerk piece based on only 90-odd minutes of football for Spurs.

The latter point is slightly unfair because it's also based on a few excellent seasons in Germany, but it's true to say your correspondent has joined many Tottenham fans in taking a rather rapid liking to young Mr Holtby, and there certainly is a danger in placing too much hope on some boyishly handsome shoulders.

Part of the reason for the excitement is that he does represent half a solution to a problem Spurs didn't solve in the transfer window - namely their failure to sign a striker. Holtby's presence behind whoever is fit enough to play up top for Andre Villas-Boas (at the time of writing it looks like Clint Dempsey, or if Villas-Boas is feeling fruity, perhaps Gareth Bale) could provide them with enough attacking threat to lessen the impact of a missing/out-of-form centre-forward.

Holtby will almost certainly start against a resurgent Newcastle on Saturday and plenty will look to the blonde-haired dreamboat for more than mere eye candy.


Newcastle
And Newcastle are resurgent, though beating Aston Villa is a little like winning a sprint against Mike Ashley, while Chelsea are obviously rather prone to the sort of disaster that unfolded last weekend.

That's not to say that Newcastle shouldn't be given credit for those two wins, but if they beat a Spurs side who have lost just once in the last 13 then that would be truly impressive.


West Ham
The win at home to Swansea last time out was a welcome development after a few weeks of ropey form, but their away form is still a mess. They have just one point from the last available 21 on the road, scoring just three goals in those seven games and shipping 16.

They travel to Aston Villa on Sunday. If they don't get something there, they'd be well-advised to never leave Upton Park again.


Liverpool
You could call it a statistical quirk, you could call it a weakness in the make-up of their team, but Liverpool are yet to beat a team currently in the top half of the Premier League.

They will surely not have a better chance to get that particular chimp off their backs than against West Brom, currently clinging on in ninth place but having lost five of their last six.


Norwich
Only Aston Villa are in worse form than Norwich, who haven't won since the middle of December and must be looking around nervously as Newcastle, Reading and Southampton improve.

"Even though we are not picking up three points we are off the back of two decent draws, but I know you have to get wins in this division," said Chris Hughton this week.

"The value of a gap to us and the bottom three is very important. We still have to go to Arsenal away and the two Manchester clubs and they are going to be tough. But we have to look at it that we can get points out of every game."

That last point is a valuable one, because with such tough away assignments coming up, it makes getting a win this weekend all the more important. The visitors to Carrow Road are Fulham, who have basically been terrible away from home since the time of Johnny Haynes. With their upcoming fixtures in mind, this is a game Norwich absolutely have to win.


Manchester City
It's 'Operation Positive Mental Attitude' at Manchester City this week. The title race is not over. Repeat; the title race is not over.

Joe Hart said on Monday, when asked if he was confident of winning the league: "We have got to be. There is no point turning up otherwise. We have got to win every game and look not to drop any points. It is a good challenge for us."

And Yaya Toure said after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations: "We are further behind than we'd like, of course, but all we need to do is think about last season to know what is possible...

"United have a strong squad and, on paper, they have an easier run in than we do but the title race is a long way from finished. It only takes a couple of results to go our way and we're right back in it - I'm sure we'll come back."

It's true that, of course, City can still overhaul the nine-point gap between them and Manchester United, but they really can't afford to slip up at any stage between now and May.

And Roberto Mancini agrees: "I don't think this is finished but probably now we have to win all the games but if not then 11 or 12 games. But in football this can happen sometimes."

If they slip up in Southampton on Saturday evening, even Joe, Yaya and Roberto will surely have to admit it's all over.


QPR
Draws are encouraging of course, but draws won't help QPR out much in their relegation scrap. They need wins, and reasonably sharpish too. Since the last edition of this column they have actually lost ground on fourth-bottom Reading, now six points behind and effectively in exactly the same position as they were when Redknapp took over.

Last week I estimated that QPR needed 21 points from their last 14 games, so following that tally they now require 20 from 13. The task is getting tougher every week.


Swansea
Harry's boys are obviously in need of a goal or two, but perhaps so are their hosts. With the departure of Danny Graham (more specifically, the departure without being replaced), Michael Laudrup's men are likely to be even more reliant on Michu's goals, with the Spaniard responsible for 13 of their 34 league strikes.

The problem is Michu hasn't found the net in his last six games. Swansea undoubtedly took a gamble in letting Graham go without bringing another forward in, presumably hopeful that their Iberian bargain would continue his early-season form, but he can't do everything. A few others could do with stepping up.


Reading
How about a nice, calm 2-0 win, with no late comebacks and no heart-bothering last-minute scrambles, eh chaps?

Nick Miller - on Twitter, where he mostly kvetches about Billy Davies