English Premier League Preview, Fixtures, Picks: Forget Wayne Rooney, Let Manchester City, Arsenal Bring Us Back To The Pitch

It will be nice to be overwhelmed by football, something that (thankfully) happens each weekend. After a five days of reading the demands of pampered prodigies, I want to see Drogba back for Chelsea. I want to see Fàbregas try to pass his way through a Sky Blue phalanx. I want to see what Nani's continued ascension. I want to see Tottenham and Everton.

Still, let this be a lesson to an English press who, over the last year, have done so much to promote Rooney as the elite world talent their football culture so painfully wants. Not only has his play on the pitch wilted, but their previous idolatry leaves most in the English press utterly unqualified to offer valid analysis of Rooney's descent. Off the pitch, as Rooney is showing himself more John Terry than Ryan Giggs, we've failed to see the papers achieve January's moral outrage, though that would be apropos. The failure of Rooney is also the failure of an English media left ill-equipped to cover their false icon.

And now Rooney's hijacked this preview. I didn't want it to come to this, I swear, but it now seems unavoidable. This was Wayne Rooney's week, from his advisers feeding stories to the papers to that coverage framing the weekend's matches. All I'm left with is this: Give me back my football, Paul Stretford. Give me back my fixtures, reporters who are taking his calls. Give me back my soccer, Wayne Rooney - your majesty. To bring the league back into focus, I will kiss your ring, even if your employer will not.

• This weekend should see the return of two of the league's three best players, with Didier Drogba scheduled to suit-up for Chelsea while Cesc Fàbregas returns for Arsenal.
• Roy Hodgson faces a must-win match against Blackburn on Sunday. If he fails to get three points, his position becomes untenable.
• West Brom is still sixth. Sixth! This is a club defined by being promoted and relegated, yet Roberto di Matteo has given us reason to believe this start is real.
• Already mentioned, but it bares repeating: Nani is on the cusp. We've already reached the point where United's highlights are must-watch just to see what he's done.
• Carlos Tévez, however, is already there, with the Argentine arguably the league's best player. He is the third in that group with Drogba and Fàbregas. There's a little part in all of us that hopes Tévez continues to show Roberto Mancini can win with a one-man attack.
• And there's Everton - those languid Toffees, seemingly intent on again taking themselves out of Europe before the calendar turns. Things are just easier that way, aren't they? And yet, having won two in a row without playing particularly well, it's as if Everton's been granted six points and the right to be relevant again.

10. West Ham United versus Newcastle, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, Upton Park (London) - Didn't these two play last week at St. James's? What, that was Wigan, not West Ham? This match is similarly enticing, which is to say: not enticing at all.

9. Chelsea versus Wolverhampton Wanderers, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, Stamford Bridge (London) - There's always value in watching Chelsea, but we've read this script too many times. Yes, the protagonist is compelling, but the plot isn't.

8. Birmingham City versus Blackpool, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, St. Andrew's Stadium (Birmingham) - It's strange to say this about a match you're ranking eighth out of ten, but this may be high. There is, however, intrigue in seeing if Brum will battle relegation one season after their shock top-half finish. And it's not like Blackpool will disappoint.

7. Sunderland versus Aston Villa, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, Stadium of Light (Sunderland) - This match is listed seventh, but it could just as well be third depending on Steve Bruce and Gerard Houllier view their opponents. There's a chance each will see the other as vulnerable. There's also the chance each will be guarded. I'm ranking this match seventh. You figure out which scenario I'm predicting.

6. West Bromwich Albion versus Fulham, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, The Hawthorns (West Bromwich) - A month from now, Mark Hughes may be lamenting last week as the turning point in Fulham's season. Whether he will depends on whether West Brom is as good as their standing (sixth). If they're not, the Cottagers can have the Baggies.

5. Wigan Athletic versus Bolton Wanderers, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, The DW Stadium, Wigan - Trust me, this will be an entertaining match. The clubs' names are not romantic, and neither team has a player that's truly cared about outside of Houston or Seoul, but Roberto Martínez and Owen Coyle pride themselves on their football. While that's not uncommon in a league that's incorporated a surprisingly high number of progressive managers, it will still make for a great match.

4. Liverpool versus Blackburn, Sunday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, Anfield Park (Liverpool) - This match, on the other hand, will not be pretty, but the tension will be wicked thick. If Liverpool loses, Hodgson walk past the locker room, get in his car, and drive back to London. When Liverpool gets off to their soon-to-be trademarked lackadaisical start and the Kop starts grumbling, the drama will be irresistible.

3. Stoke City versus Manchester United, Sunday, 8:30 a.m. Eastern, The Britannia Stadium (Stoke-on-Trent) - Can't you already hear the pundits talking about how this was a trademark Manchester United performance? And only Alex Ferguson, in the face of adversity, can lead his team to anything. Nevermind United's the superior team and Stoke has nobody to stop Nani from tearing through them. And never mind the only things bringing this match into doubt are a few aberrational events in United's preceding matches. While they could end up drawn 1-1, if Manchester United wins 1-3 it will be less about Ferguson and Rooney and more about United finally getting a result commensurate with their form.

2. Tottenham Hotspur versus Everton, Saturday, 4:45 a.m. Eastern, White Hart Land (London) - On form, this is a close but easy pick: Tottenham wins. There is, however, this feeling that Everton is bubbling, a volcano about to go. Having won two in a row, their top has blown. Steam floats from their summit. It's inevitable - the thing's going to erupt. Now it's about whether they go off this weekend.