F365's Premier League Starting XI Questions...

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*Is Luiz blessing Torres evidence there isn't a god?
Over 19 hours without a goal and more yellow cards than Premier League strikes for Chelsea.

On 77 minutes in Sunday's match against Manchester United, Torres dithered away a brilliant chance to win the game. According to the commentary team, the striker wanted too much time; you would've thought around 1,140 minutes would be ample.



*Is there a greater sight than Manchester United sensing a comeback?
There's little stopping them when they smell blood. Chelsea went from being a prancing herd of gazelles to a bunch of lumbering wildebeest, wounded by United's persistent predation. It was like watching an Attenborough special at times - there was something so inevitable about the chase; the cruelty of nature in all of its awe-inspiring glory. And what made it worse was that Chelsea were complicit in their own sorry downfall. Everyone knows the herd should stay together, but individual errors from Daniel Sturridge, Branislav Ivanovic and the sleepy-headed David Luiz cost them dearly.

Only time prevented United from taking all three points and now Newcastle, Arsenal and Liverpool will look to feed on the bloodied blue carcass.


*Are Newcastle genuine Champions League contenders?
Winning when not playing at your best is a common characteristic among teams in the top four and Newcastle seem to have adopted the attribute. The Magpies' fluency has been disrupted in the past month by African Cup of Nations absence, injury and suspension, but two wins in a week has seem them maintain their challenge for fourth place.

What must please Alan Pardew the most is seeing squad players take on the challenge of replacing first-team regulars. The wins against Blackburn and Villa were in no small part down to the performances of the much-improved Danny Guthrie. The midfielder buzzed in both games, committed in his defensive duties and excellent when in possession. A key area in which Newcastle have been lacking - despite the brilliant season they're having - is competition for places, but Guthrie's impressive form and the signing of Papiss Cisse has gone a long way to address that.

Cisse looked as though he'd been playing in the Premier League for a decade when he made his debut against Villa. His workrate was exceptional, he wasn't fazed by the imposing physicality (to put it politely) of Richard Dunne and he took his goal wonderfully; patiently controlling the pass instead of swiping at it first time. With the striker looking immediately settled, and Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote soon to return, Newcastle must now focus their attention on the one-point gap between themselves and Chelsea.

They have a fantastic opportunity, while teams around them are perhaps still struggling with the fact that it's only the start of February and they're already out of the title race. Next Saturday's fixture at Tottenham is a test to see how far the Magpies have come.


*Can we not just enjoy a good dive?
After Adam Johnson's inventive interpretation of contact and the sniping at Patrice Evra and Danny Welbeck, the usual drab diving debate is back in the news. But what's so wrong about taking a tumble? If anything, diving can add to the enjoyment of the game. Johnson's tremendous bullsh*ttery after his Robert Pires-esque trip in the Fulham box was one of the most entertaining moments of the weekend.

"Sometimes in normal time, when you are in the moment, you anticipate contact. There is a fine line between diving and anticipating contact but I felt it and went down. These things happen" said the winger. Surely I can't be the only one who chuckled at that desperate attempt to justify his cheating?


*Is 'The Ox' the answer?
Take him to the Euros, make him captain, and if Fabio Capello doesn't like it appoint him manager as well. Problem solved.


*Is the bottom three decided?
After a weekend of disastrous results for Blackburn, Bolton and Wigan, it certainly looks that way.

Blackburn's 7-1 capitulation against Arsenal reeked of resignation; typified by Gael Givet's two-footed lunge. Rovers' form had improved (relatively) in recent weeks, but after Saturday's mauling they're now back to square one. With Chris Samba still refusing to play and Steve Kean's January recruits leaving much to be desired, Blackburn look to be ambling hurriedly towards the trap door.

The way in which Blackburn fell to pieces at the Emirates was quite spectacularly bad, but even though every game counts at this stage, a defeat was surely expected. Bolton and Wigan on the other hand had great opportunities to claw themselves towards survival. For Wigan to conspire to draw against Everton with only seven minutes remaining demonstrates the defensive and mental frailties that have dogged their season.

Considering Norwich's form and league standing, Bolton were always going to find it tough at Carrow Road, but on paper Owen Coyle must surely have marked this game down as a potential three points. With only 14 matches left, Wanderers can't afford to rely on home form, although next Saturday's welcoming of Wigan to the Reebok Stadium is a huge six-pointer.

The biggest concern for the bottom three is QPR's January business and Wolves' resilience. With Mark Hughes now in charge at Loftus Road and a raft of quality signings arriving in the window, the Rs are surely going to start picking up points. While Blackburn loaned Anthony Modeste and Bolton secured Marvin Sordell, QPR went out and bought proven talent in Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora, both of whom have already opened their scoring accounts.

Wolves' acquisition of Sebastien Bassong and Emmanuel Frimpong also showed more ambition than their relegation rivals and Mick McCarthy's team have a battling resolve about them. Indeed with a record of 13, Wolves have secured more points from losing positions than any other team in the league this season. McCarthy's approach may not please everyone, but he sure knows how to hand out a bollocking.


*Has a player ever had a bogey team more than Arsenal are to Paul Robinson?
Seven on Saturday from just eight shots on target was bad, but add those to the previous total and Robinson has now conceded a whopping 60 goals against the Gunners. Probably worth dropping him next time (if there is a next time).


*Did Mark Hughes not warn Djibril Cisse?
Djibril Cisse apologised for his sending-off against Wolves, saying his reaction was due to having two broken legs in the past. Is that understandable? Roger Johnson's tackle isn't the first time the striker will have been roughed up since his last break, and it won't be the last. It's natural for a player to be angered by a challenge and fear injury, but Cisse cost QPR dearly and will be sorely missed in the next three matches.

The striker is known for having a temper and surely Mark Hughes should've warned him about being wound up and how not to rise to it. If the manager failed to do this, the blame for Cisse's costly rush of blood can in part be apportioned to him. Mick McCarthy's Wolves trying to bully the new star signing; is there anything more obvious?


*Does the Premier League have a problem?
After more deplorable boos at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Andre Villas-Boas commented that such behaviour "is a normal situation in the Premiership".

If booing a man because it has been alleged that his brother was racially abused is a "normal situation", then the Premier League needs to address a severe deficiency in its product.

To think we used to look down on La Liga for failing to stamp out racism.


*Is Michael Carrick 'back'? (if he was ever here)
The Manchester United midfielder's return to form has had some clamouring for his inclusion in the next England squad. Indeed, while Carrick has been steadily improving, both in his performances and level of involvement, Gareth Barry's form at Man City has started to unravel.

Carrick's composure in possession and new-found determination to play a forward pass has arrived at the perfect time. Group games against France, Sweden and Ukraine will be characterised by ball retention and patience, and cagey affairs are often the ones in which Carrick proves to be the most useful.

At the start of the season few things would have appeared more mental than tipping Carrick for a Euro 2012 spot, but on current showing he should definitely be considered.


*Will Alex McLeish ever be loved?
With reports that players were answering back to the manager during Villa's defeat to Newcastle, Charles N'Zogbia declaring (briefly) that it's the first time he's been unhappy playing football and the continued ire of the fans, it's a difficult spell for Big 'Eck.

Still, must be better than getting relegated with Birmingham, right?


Matthew Stanger - he's on the Twitter