EPL top five talking points: Matchday 2 Cesc, Saints and Big Sam!

Five key issues ahead of Saturday’s English Premier League clashes.

The Premier League is back up and running. Pre-season is now a thing of the past with a league table to study, albeit a ridiculously early one.

Week 2 comes hurtling towards us and it’s a chance to see if what happened on the opening day was a total aberration, a one-off or the type of good impression that could last until May.

Here are five pointers to look out for in Saturday’s 3pm and late kick-offs.

Can Cesc finally make Mourinho’s Chelsea worth watching?

New striker Diego Costa got off the mark in Monday night’s win at Burnley, but it was the artistry of Cesc Fabregas that caught the eye.

The Spaniard immediately settled back into Premier League life after three years at Barcelona and his pass for Andre Schurrle’s goal is surely a contender for assist of the season already.

Chelsea’s strikers took a lot of criticism last season for not pulling their weight, but the supply line was not of the calibre of Manchester City or Liverpool, and home points were dropped against West Ham, Sunderland and Norwich.

With Fabregas, they immediately look more potent, and fans will hope for a commanding and stylish victory over Leicester.

Will Big Sam stick or twist?

After a home defeat on the opening day, Sam Allardyce would approach an away game as ‘must-not-lose.’ In normal circumstances, he would be preaching the importance and value of a clean sheet.

A 0-0 draw would have the team on the board and a platform on which to build. Yet, Allardyce was told in the summer by owners David Sullivan and David Gold that they wanted to see a more entertaining West Ham team.

Does this mean a change in mentality and an idea of going for the win? Don’t bank on it, and don’t expect a game away to Crystal Palace to be one for the purists.

Can Arsenal end their North West hoodoo?

Life is good for Arsenal at the moment. They have the Community Shield in the bag, the FA Cup is still shining, a 100% record in the league and they have safely negotiated the first leg of the Champions League play-off away to Besiktas.

What could possibly burst that bubble of optimism? How about a trip to the North West to play Everton? Last season, miserable visits to Manchester and Merseyside produced a record of played 4, lost 4, scored 4, conceded 15.

That batch of losses crushed their hopes of winning the Premier League. Defeat on Saturday evening, while not season-defining, would certainly be deflating.

Victory, on the other hand, could be an early pointer that Aaron Ramsey and Co. have got the desire and determination to build on that FA Cup triumph in May.

Will the Saints march on regardless?

No Southampton fan going to St Mary’s this Saturday could confidently predict what to expect from their team this weekend.

Having finished eighth last season, their best finish for 11 years, they were proud to see three of their players named in the England squad for the World Cup.

Now, all three of those have been sold on, along with Calum Chambers and Dejan Lovren, and the team and squad is unrecognisable. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has swapped Southampton for Tottenham and new boss Ronald Koeman is tasked with sorting all this out. Seven new players from six different countries have arrived and there is a feeling of transition.

No one expects a high finish this time around, some predict relegation. But they showed good signs despite losing 2-1 at Liverpool last week with new signing Dusan Tadic one to impress.

However, there was no pressure in that game they were expected to lose. West Brom at home is another matter, as it’s the sort of game where three points is so crucial in the ‘other’ Premier League.

If those are secured, maybe life under Koeman won’t look so troubled after all.

Is this the first of 19 long-hauls for Burnley?

A home game against Chelsea’s all-stars was the romantic way for Burnley to begin their adventure back in the Premier League. A long journey to South Wales to take on Swansea doesn’t fall into quite the same category.

Yet both matches offer equal value, if not glamour. In the Clarets’ last top flight campaign five years ago, they had a wretched time on their travels collecting just four points out of 57.

Similar problems this time and they would have to produce miracles at Turf Moor to have any chance of survival.

Everyone expects Burnley to finish bottom, and they know that, but a positive result at Swansea would at least prove to the doubters that they are up for the challenge.