Blackburn: There may be trouble ahead

Yes, it is an embryonic table, but they are already bottom of it; their draw last weekend at Fulham not enough to appease the Steve Kean haters. Indeed, a 1,000-strong protest against the manager is planned ahead of Saturday lunchtime's meeting with Arsenal. Those up in arms feel Kean is the cause of their plight, the club unlikely to generate momentum unless a new boss is brought in. Even compared to the aforementioned Bruce, Kean's win percentage reads achingly worse at 25%. A home match versus the Gunners is not what the doctor ordered.
Or perhaps it is. Arsenal are a wounded animal whose scars have not healed. And it should be noted that Blackburn were unfortunate to lose versus Everton as two missed penalties were punished, while there were some signs - a first point gained, and 11 shots on goal to Fulham's 14 - of encouragement to take from the Craven Cottage stalemate. Furthermore, a centre-back partnership of Scott Dann and Christopher Samba reads well on paper, and it was Kean that targeted and landed the former. Time, though, does appear to be ticking on Kean's time at the helm. Yet to remove him after a home clash with Arsenal would pang of the pointless. The fixture with Newcastle on September 24, which follows a Carling Cup tie against Leyton Orient, will provide a far more realistic barometer of their plight. This week, Blackburn's owners issued a statement pleading for support from the fans, yet, perhaps tellingly, there was no mention of Kean.

Fernando Torres: Firing blanks

This man desperately needs a goal. It doesn't have to be sublime, nor an example of the Torres of old. Just a deflection of his backside would suffice, something that means his record no longer reads: one goal in 23 games for Chelsea. This, remember, for an outlay of £50 million. After being benched against Sunderland came a story this week of Torres allegedly describing some of his team-mates as "slow" - yet it appeared a lot of hullabaloo about very little. And on Tuesday, Torres started in the Champions League, not scoring but at least providing two assists. The foreplay was not, though, what Roman Abramovich splurged eight figures on. This publicised impotency has turned from embarrassment to sympathy.

Swansea: Flying against the wind

Their goals scored column reads zero. But it doesn't deserve to, really. Swansea have not played badly this campaign so far, they haven't looked out of ideas in an attacking sense. They've just lacked composure when the chances have presented themselves, that cutting edge. You fear for them. And the alarm bells will be ringing at deafening levels should they become the first team in Premier League history to fail to find the net in their opening five matches. The chance to avoid such a blemish comes against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.