1) Kane has earned the right to lead line for England

There was a period, not long ago, when Harry Kane had appeared jaded. Over at Upton Park earlier this month he had looked off the pace, his rhythm slightly disrupted and all that trademark razor-sharp anticipation in front of goal suddenly blunted, as Tottenham Hotspur slipped to a rare defeat. At the time, the worry was weariness to this team’s principal goal threat might scupper an entire title challenge. Those fears have probably now been allayed; Kane’s display against Bournemouth on Sunday saw to that. Some will point to the opponents as still relatively new to life at this level, suggesting Simon Francis and Steve Cook are hardly the most daunting of markers, and arguing this was no real gauge of the condition of either Spurs or their England forward ahead of the final push. Yet Eddie Howe’s impressive team have been one of the form sides of this calendar year, a tight and organised bunch who had not previously succumbed away from home since December, and a back-line and midfield who have made a habit of wrecking reputations.

Spurs and Kane simply did not let them play at White Hart Lane, swarming all over them from the outset and effectively ensuring the last 74 minutes of this match could be played at a stroll rather than a gallop. Kane led the line, linked up the play, stretched his opponents by running in behind, was strong in the air and revelled in his combinations with Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen at his back. He even mustered tackles in his own penalty area, even if it was his brace which drew the focus. A player who had started this term so slowly, with one goal in his first 13 club appearances, is ending it at a gallop. His league tally already matches the 21 from last year, and only four other Englishmen – Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Alan Shearer – can cling to successive 20-goal hauls since the top flight was rebranded in the early 1990s. When the 22-year-old performs this capably, it seems unfeasible that he would not be leading the line when England trot out against Russia at the Stade Vélodrome in their opening fixture at Euro 2016, regardless of the state of Wayne Rooney’s fitness or form. Kane should be as pivotal to his country as he is to his club. Dominic Fifield

2) Pardew needs to focus his energies on arresting slump

It is some time since Alan Pardew verbally abused an opposition manager or physically assaulted an opposition player but that shortest of fuses is undoubtedly still there. It could be seen in the way Pardew reacted in the immediate aftermath of Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on 6 March and by the fact he dedicated a large portion of his programme notes for Saturday’s visit of Leicester City to the contentious penalty which earned the Merseysiders all three points. Two weeks have passed and he still cannot let it go, with Jamie Carragher getting criticised for “stating Christian Benteke was right to go down”. “Would Carragher have had the same opinion if Wilf[red] Zaha had gone down in the box in the 94th minute of a massive match at Anfield?” Pardew went on to ask. “I suspect not, but loyalties can blur opinion at times.” Carragher’s reaction on Twitter to those comments summed up the mood of many – “wow!” – and there is no escaping the sense that Palace’s poor form (Saturday’s 1-0 defeat makes it 13 league games without a win for the London side) is getting to their manager, which could also be seen in his sharp response to an innocuous question from a journalist at the weekend. Asked if the international break offers his players a welcome change from their difficult environment at club level, he snapped back: “There’s nothing wrong with our environment.” Pardew may well have a point regarding Liverpool’s penalty and being tough with journalists is certainly no crime (many would actively encourage it), but the 54-year-old would be better served focusing his energies on halting Palace’s continuing slide towards the bottom three. They looked woefully short of confidence and creativity against Leicester and the manager must rectify that before a daunting set of league fixtures, beginning with a visit to West Ham on 2 April. Pardew has often been criticised for lacking a plan when his teams are struggling. For Palace’s sake he needs to prove the doubters wrong and staying calm and focused will only help in that regard. Sachin Nakrani

3) Manchester City must urgently pick things up for Guardiola

Pep Guardiola did not sign on to Sheikh Mansour’s Manchester City project to manage in the Europa League. Sunday’s dismal 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the 171st derby allowed their cross-town rivals to close to a point, in sixth place – the margin City also now hold over West Ham United, who are fifth. After the international break City have eight games remaining to ensure they finish in a Champions League berth. These are Bournemouth (away), West Bromwich Albion (home), Chelsea (away), Newcastle United (away), Stoke City (home), Arsenal (home) and Swansea City (away). This appears a tricky run-in, especially given this term’s helter-skelter Premier League so far. The challenge for City and Manuel Pellegrini, who is making way for Guardiola in the close season, is to ensure they are not playing in the continent’s second-tier competition next season. The mission might be codenamed ‘Save Pep’ as it will also prevent this prince of coaches from the ignominy of slumming it in the Europa League. Jamie Jackson

4) It is surely too late for both Allardyce and Benítez to stay up

Sam Allardyce bought well in January and his purchases might just be enough to save Sunderland from the Championship. While Jan Kirchhoff – the 6ft 5in former Bayern Munich reserve centre-half whom Allardyce has turned into a quasi-sweeper, patrolling the zone between midfield and defence – was man of the match, Wahbi Khazri also impressed in a left-sided wide role, as did Lamine Koné at centre-half. Those three players largely made the difference in a game at Newcastle that the Wearsiders might well have won. The eventual draw leaves Rafael Benítez’s side in broadly the same boat as Allardyce’s – retaining genuine, if touch-and-go, survival hopes. Should they stay up, it is clear not a single player will enter St James’ Park that Benítez does not want. He and Allardyce may have their differences but, on the subject of recruitment, they are united. What a shame they were not both in charge of Newcastle and Sunderland – and enjoying their current autonomy – from the start of the season. If that had happened, what might the Premier League table look like now? As it stands, one north-east team looks near certain to be relegated. Surely expecting Crystal Palace’s remarkable collapse to continue is too much for the region to hope for? Louise Taylor

5) Rodriguez adds to Southampton’s attacking options

While Graziano Pellè and Sadio Mané were confirming their returns to form at St Mary’s and Shane Long was his usual pesky self, Jay Rodriguez scored a hat-trick for Southampton’s U21s in a 5-0 victory over their Liverpool counterparts. Rodriguez has not played for the first team since injuring his foot in October but is expected to be available for action after the international break, when Leicester City travel to St Mary’s. Southampton’s forwards seem to be regaining their goal touch in time for a late push for a top four finish, and the league leaders will probably need to produce the best performance yet of their run-in if they are to extend their winning sequence. So far the feats of Claudio Ranieri’s team have distracted attention from the fact that Ronald Koeman continues to work shrewdly at Southampton. Paul Doyle

Sadio Mané scores Southampton’s third goal to complete an electrifying comeback against Liverpool. Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Reuters

6) Elneny gives Coquelin an ally in midfield

To the statisticians the most notable element of Francis Coquelin’s performance at Goodison Park on Saturday was the fact he equalled a Premier League record by making 12 interceptions. In the context of a team, however, the most pertinent part was that he had a like-minded ally. Instead of being handed all the defensive duties in midfield, Coquelin had an energetic sidekick in the shape of the exuberant Mohamed Elneny. Together they made Arsenal look more solid and more streetwise. Everton possessed a physically powerful central midfield duo of their own in James McCarthy and Muhamed Besic but Arsenal dominated to such an extent that the Bosnian was removed and the shape changed at half-time. There could be a significance to their embryonic partnership. Coquelin and Elneny had started only one previous league game together, when Arsenal were leading 1-0 at White Hart Lane, until the Frenchman was sent off in what proved to be a 2-2 draw. If they can prove as effective again, it will reduce Arsenal’s reliance on both Coquelin and the injured Santi Cazorla. Since the start of last season Arsenal’s fortunes have depended on having the Frenchman and the Spaniard together. When they were paired, they took 64 points from 30 league games, an average of 2.13. Various other combinations of Coquelin, Cazorla, Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere yielded 62 from 36, an average of 1.72. One is title-winning form, the other the sort of record that tends to result in a team dropping out of the top four. Richard Jolly

7) West Ham look to tie down linchpin Lanzini

Dimitri Payet was at it again for West Ham United on Saturday, creating Andy Carroll’s goal with a lovely pass, deceiving the Chelsea defenders by looking one way and sending the ball in the opposite direction, an assist that came straight out of the Ronaldinho playbook. Yet his excellence should not obscure Manuel Lanzini’s contribution. For all the praise that has rightly been lavished on Payet, who steals headlines with isolated but defining moments of brilliance, Lanzini is the player who gives West Ham balance in midfield, linking the play with his shuffling running style, technical ability and ease on the ball. The scorer of a sumptuous opening goal at Stamford Bridge, a curling shot from 25 yards that gave Thibaut Courtois no chance, the little Argentinian has been one of the finds of the season and it is no surprise that West Ham intend to sign the on-loan midfielder on a permanent basis from Al Jazira. “I would be lying if I said that I was thinking when we got him that he would play like this, so consistent on a high level,” Slaven Bilic said. “On the other hand, he has got that potential. He was my target when I was at Besiktas. He was playing for River and, when a club like River Plate gives you the number eight when you are the age of 18, they give you that for a reason, that you can also take the responsibility and cope with the pressure. So he had it all the time. That’s why we got him, but he clicked straight away, which was also a surprise for me because he is a young lad, 22.” Jacob Steinberg

8) It is hard to say how but Swansea are safe

Swansea, by hook or by crook, have all but secured their Premier League status for another season. Quite how is something of a mystery, given they have been so uncharacteristically poor for so much of this troubled campaign. They looked doomed after losing at home to Sunderland in January but 17 points from the next 10 games has lifted them well clear of the drop zone. Yet much better results have not been a product of much better performances. Ashley Williams offered a brutally honest assessment of their season after Saturday’s 1-0 home win over Aston Villa, when Swansea were woeful. Williams, the Swansea captain, said that desperately poor display against the Premier League’s bottom club summed up their campaign, which he described as a “grind” and “not enjoyable”. Swansea, without question, need to make major changes in the summer to get back on track. Francesco Guidolin will surely depart and a new manager come in, but the first-team squad also needs a complete overhaul. A proven goalscorer should be a priority, with Bafetimbi Gomis certain to leave and Alberto Paloschi the only other frontline striker among their ranks, and just about every other department needs strengthening – in particular the attacking wide positions and at full-back. There was a feeling at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday night that Swansea have got away with it to an extent this season (it should be said that Alan Curtis deserves a huge pat on the back for his part in their survival), but some serious investment needs to go into the playing squad this summer or it will be another tough campaign for the Welsh club. Stuart James

Federico Fernández’s goal earned Swansea a win that moved them 10 points clear of the relegation zone. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

9) Norwich are united in battle against the drop

At 34 Alex Neil is young enough not to know everything, and old enough to understand as much. So the Norwich City manager showed the good grace and common sense to invite his players to have their say when they went away on a bonding trip recently and was gratified to hear his squad’s views were not so different from his own. The technical input has triggered slight tactical tweaks in how they defend – basically asking the far-sided full-back to tuck in alongside the centre-halves - but more important was the ownership that he shared with the players. “We had a discussion about our best style of play, how we go about things, certain games we need to adapt for,” he said after a victory at West Bromwich Albion built on a second clean sheet markedly increased their chances of staying up. “It’s to make them feel invested in it too. Success is going to be much more likely if you’ve got everybody buying into what you’re trying to do. That’s the important thing. We’ve got a group buying into what we do and we’re confident. I’ve got a clear vision about how I want us to play. If I’m being honest they didn’t disagree with anything so it made the meeting really easy. It’s just about trying to get the players involved in it, making sure they have a clear idea of what we’re doing.” There is a humility about Norwich, who responded to their last relegation with an immediate return to the Premier League, that serves them well as they enter the final run-in, even if their depth of quality is questionable. “That’s the one benefit we’ve got over other teams about us,” the Premier League’s youngest manager said. “Our players have never turned against each other. The squad has always been solid with one goal. We’ll take strength from that.” Peter Lansley

10) Watford need to evolve as upward mobility stalls

Putting Leicester to one side for a moment, Watford spent the first half of the season rivalling Crystal Palace as standard bearers for the lower order’s upwards mobility but their home defeat by Stoke brought up a statistic not a million miles from the miserable slump endured by Alan Pardew’s side. This was their third league defeat in a row, and they have won only twice in their last 13. There is little danger of being sucked into the relegation battle and there is, for the next few weeks, the pleasant distraction of an FA Cup semi-final clash of the movable objects against – yes – Palace. But you get the impression that Watford, all but seven of whose goals have come from the strikers Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney, will need to evolve if they are to cement themselves as a top-flight mainstay. Ighalo has not scored in the league since 23 January and Deeney’s consolation on Saturday was only his third in that time. It is due to a mixture of wayward finishing – particularly in Ighalo’s case – and restricted supply lines but perhaps the pair are entitled to expect more movement around them. Watford’s midfield has looked rather flat and pragmatic of late, although José Jurado – who returned against Stoke – does add some threat between the lines. The prospect of a famous achievement at Wembley lies within reach but Quique Sánchez Flores could do worse than look at the variety instilled by Mark Hughes at Stoke when he and the Pozzo family work on their summer recruitment. Nick Ames