BPL blog: Can Wilshere fire up the Gunners?

It’s been nearly a fortnight with no Premier League football, but thankfully the most talked-about league in the world returns this Saturday.

International break has given you enough time to read and discuss Roy Keane and Kevin Pietersen’s controversial autobiographies, but it’s time to put the books down and refocus on the action.

Can Wilshere fire up the Gunners?

The international break was good for Jack Wilshere. He was given two games for England, albeit against modest opposition, and he reminded everyone of his talents.

Roy Hodgson may be experimenting with Wilshere at the base of his midfield diamond, but Wilshere is too good to be restrained by excessive defensive duties.

Now it’s back to domestic work for an Arsenal side that needs to get moving.

Despite ending the nine-year wait for a trophy with the FA Cup in May, they haven’t kicked on this season and have won only five of their 13 games so far in all competitions.

They are already nine points behind Chelsea in the Premier League, so victory over Hull City is essential.

Wilshere was one of five Gunners on England duty, and they need to become the cornerstones for club and country if the next two years are to be successful.

With Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey both injured, Wilshere can, and should, be the man to drive Arsenal on from midfield.

Will David Sullivan’s words come back to haunt West Ham?

During the two-week international hiatus, West Ham co-owner David Sullivan praised his club’s start to the season and his manager Sam Allardyce for rediscovering the ‘West Ham way’.

It is true that the Hammers look a much-changed outfit from last season with new strikers Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho offering a totally different approach to the one seen when Andy Carroll was fit.

West Ham’s performances in drawing at Hull and beating Liverpool were productive in terms of both gathering points and being entertaining to watch.

That was the type of football that Hammers fans have yearned for in the last couple of years. But beware making snap judgements.

We are only seven games into the season, the clocks have not gone back and the Premier League’s newcomers have not yet been exposed to the league’s unique physical demands.

Become the first team to lose to Burnley this campaign and a few of those bubbles will be burst a message you can guarantee Allardyce will have been spouting all week.

Can Chelsea avoid another pitfall at the Palace?

When Chelsea travelled to Crystal Palace in March, the afternoon was season-defining for both sides’ Premier League aspirations.

Chelsea travelled south of the river top of the league and in the middle of a three-way fight for the title with Liverpool and Manchester City.

But with a Champions League quarter-final in Paris a few days away, they took their eye off the ball and were ambushed by a fired-up Palace. John Terry’s own goal was the difference in the Eagles’ 1-0 win.

Jose Mourinho’s side lost control of their own title destiny while Tony Pulis’ men used that as the springboard to go on a five-match winning run on-route to survival. Surely lightning can’t strike twice?

With Manchester United next up at Old Trafford, Chelsea won’t want to drop unnecessary points here. They have terrific early momentum and will want their unbeaten start to continue for as long as possible.

But a combination of unfashionable Selhurst Park, passionate home support and Neil Warnock in the opposing dug-out could make this a tricky assignment.

Which Belgian is better?

Everton versus Aston Villa could be summarised as Romelu Lukaku against Christian Benteke in a battle of the Belgians. These two men occupy the same role up front.

They are both big, strong powerhouses, capable of troubling the very best, yet also of having days of underperforming badly.

Everton invested a club record £28 million most of their summer transfer budget in ensuring Lukaku’s loan move from Chelsea was made permanent. Yet he hasn’t showed the form of last season in the early weeks of this campaign, netting only two goals in some below-par displays. Villa are simply happy to have Benteke back.

He ruptured his Achilles tendon on 3 April and missed the World Cup and only returned to action last time out against Manchester City.

But his club will want the Benteke who took England by storm in 2012/13, scoring 23 goals rather than the more disaffected version of last season.

On his day, he is a matchwinner and he’ll add ballast to Villa’s attack, which has only managed four goals in seven games.

Lukaku had to shoulder the burden for Belgium in the World Cup, as Benteke had been the regular starter in qualifying, although there is little to choose between the pair.

But they’ll be united in a desire to return to top form as soon as possible.

Is David Silva under-rated?

That question seems ludicrous. Of course we all know how good the little Spaniard is. But do we say it often enough? Does he get the headlines that his consistent excellence deserves? No, of course not.

Let’s remind ourselves that Silva is one of the finest players in the Premier League, if not world football, and any team would love to have him.

His misfortune has been to be in the same Spanish side as Barcelona maestros Xavi and Andres Iniesta, thus denying him the praise and attention his quality merits.

At club level, the goals of Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure’s towering midfield displays catch the eye at Manchester City and take the plaudits.

But ask seasoned Spain or City watchers, and they will marvel at Silva’s abilities and his importance to the side. They don’t need to be told what he contributes they already know.

Keep an eye on him against Tottenham. He might not score the winning goal or make a heroic intervention, but he will provide a perfect lesson in touch, technique and finding pockets of space.

Enjoy Silva while you can because you can be certain he’ll be missed when he is not here.