Aston Villa v Newcastle
Aton Villa picked up a good win against
Stoke last weekend. I’m not sure whether i expected more from Stoke, or Villa
were better than i thought they would be, either way it was an important win
for Villa at a ground i still think most teams will find tough to visit.
However, despite this win, it will take more than just this match to convince
me that Villa have enough to keep them safe from relegation. That win will
really give the Villa fans hope for this game too. Weimann is probably Villa’s
best hope of scoring goals at the moment. With no Benteke they’ll need his hard
work. He seems to be at the heart of most good moves and will chip in with a
few goals and assists but that might not be enough for Villa. Villa will fancy
their chances against Newcastle. On the other hand, after watching their team
put in a hearty performance against last season’s champions, i’m sure Newcastle
fans will fancy three points against Villa too. That’s what makes this fixture
so appealing. I thought Newcastle were slightly unlucky against Man City. They
gave a lot of new player’s debuts and some of those looked like they may pay
off. Cabella looks like he’ll excite the fans. He’s good on the ball, likes to
dribble and take on players and has a trick or two. However, although we all
love to see it when a piece fancy play comes off, the problem is when players try
these tricks they often overcomplicate a move and frequently ruin it. Fans will
not like this especially when a simpler technique would be more effective.
Ayoze Perez came off the bench and almost made an immediate impact. What an
entrance that would have been. He looked lively and seemed to impose more of a
goal threat than Riviere did. Riviere worked very hard, chased a lot of loose
balls seemed to give it his all. However, with all that hard work he did seem
to lack a bit of composure and technique. Maybe this is just early season rust
or nerves. I think getting a goal or two in the next two or three fixtures will
help him a lot and get the fans on his side because even with all the hard work
the fans will like to see, they’ll demand he scores goals too.
Verdict: Got to go for a draw. Both teams
will push for winners and perhaps with Villa picking up that win last weekend
they may try to push that little harder, but ultimately i can see this being
either 0-0 or 1-1.
Swansea v Burnley:
Swansea won the performance of the
weekend in most people eyes. I didn’t give them much of a chance against Utd,
but they really showed a lot of class. I honestly didn’t expect it but they were
solid, organised and still passed the ball around like the Swansea of old. If
they can maintain this sort of form for even half the season, i think they’ll
stay up. Although they lost a few key players, they’ve replaced them with some
guys who are more than capable keeping them safe. Sigurdsson was very good.
He’ll be a key player for them. Ki coming back after such an impressive stint
at Sunderland was a good call too. Those two will provide some real composure
and class in the middle of the field. Bony is a constant threat up front and
can certainly score a goal or two, and they still have Dyer and Routledge on
the wings. These guys work so hard and are real old fashioned wingers. They’re
fast, direct and tricky. To give them some competition they signed Montero who
at times in the world cup looked brilliant. I think he could be real good piece
of business for Swansea. I doubt many full backs will find it easy to defend
against any of them this season. Burnley had the toughest start to the season
by playing Chelsea. Who would have ever thought they would have been winning
1-0? But it didn’t last long and class really shone through. Burnley were
always going to be second best in this fixture so I don’t think we can judge them
too much from this game because they’ll be competing at very different ends of
the table. This was more for the fans and the players. The fans needed to just
enjoy the occasion of being back in the premier league and hosting one of the
biggest teams in the division, whereas, most players in the Burnley team won’t
have played a premier league game in their careers. It wasn’t a total catastrophe
at all. They had some decent moments, but even when they were winning briefly,
they still never looked like they’d get much from the game. As i said last
week, their season will start here, unfortunately, Swansea don’t look half bad
against Utd. This won’t have been what any Burnley fan will have wanted to see.
They would have preferred playing a Swansea team that just got a pasting from Utd.
Verdict: Swansea will be flying high on
confidence after their win. I thought this may have been a closer game to call,
but because Swansea surprised most of us with that win last weekend, i think
they’ll come out on top. Burnley will find it easier than playing Chelsea, but
still won’t come away with anything, 1-0 Swansea.
Southampton v West Brom
Similar to Swansea, i never really
gave Southampton much of chance against Liverpool. Just like how i thought
Swansea had lost their key players and manager, i thought the same would have
happened to Southampton. Credit where credit is due, Southampton should be
really proud of their performance and they were very unlucky not to take points
instead of just positives from this game. Southampton looked really composed on
the ball, organised and well drilled. You have to give Ronald Koeman the credit
for this. To get this sort of organisation from such a new group of players
demonstrates real tactic awareness and manager prowess. Dusan Tadic looked a
very good player. I think their fans will be looking forward to this fixture
because, no disrespect to Brom, they’ll genuinely expect three points. Koeman
will still be hoping to bring in another one or two players (especially if they
lose Schneiderlin) but Southampton fans should be encouraged from the Liverpool
game. West Brom will be a little disappointed in not beating Sunderland and
their disappointment will stem from two main reasons. Firstly, Sunderland at
home is a game fans want to be winning. Secondly, they never really out played
their visitors. West Brom have a decent team with some good players so they
will have looked at playing Sunderland and then Southampton as a favourable
start to the league, but they need to get more settled. I think using Anichebe
as a target man is a guy who can really hold the ball up will be a good outlet
for them. He can really make life hard for centre backs, but the big question
of his, is can he score enough goals?
Verdict: Another evenly matched game i
think, very difficult to call. Based on the opening day alone, i think
Southampton will just sneak a win here, but Brom will never be out of the game.
1-0 saints.
Chelsea v Leicester
Chelsea got off to great start, well
almost, but they responded quickly to calm any nerves. They looked good in this
game, even if they were playing the team that’s favourite to go down. Fabregas
looked right at home back in premier league and Costa was always a handful. I
think with these two signings, Mourinho knew exactly what he was getting, and
he got exactly that on Monday night from them. Personally, if you take out Man
City’s forwards, Chelsea has the strongest team. They’re spoilt rotten for midfielders.
Finding the right combination, as well as keeping them all happy will be
Mourinhos biggest challenge. They couldn’t have wished for a better start than
playing two of the promoted teams and they’ll expect to put out a marker for
the rest of the season by getting another convincing three points this weekend.
Leicester gave a really good performance against Everton. I fancied Everton to
sneak a winner in this game but the Leicester players really dug deep and
managed to get a good point from the game. I think most fans will be pleased
with what they saw, especially seeing their new signing (Ulloa) scoring on his
home debut. I’m sticking to my initial expectations and think they will
struggle and may lack a little bit of quality through the season. First few
games and especially their first home game back in the top league, players will
raise their levels of commitment but not many teams can compete like this all
through the season.
Verdict: Leicester will come with a game
plan to defend deep, keep it narrow and try to make it hard for the Chelsea midfielders
to get any time and space, but they've got some of the best players in the
world and i don’t think Leicester will be able to stop them. Chelsea 3-0.
Crystal palace v West Ham
Crystal Palace was another team to
surprise people this weekend. Not many people (including myself) gave them much
of chance against Arsenal, but they nearly pulled it off, and didn’t play badly
either. Yes, you can debate that perhaps Arsenal weren’t in great shape
themselves but let’s not take credit away from Palace who were left in a tricky
situation with their manager leaving only two days prior to the game. The home
form of Palace will be key this season. Part of the reason they stayed up last
year was because they try to make Selhurst Park a fortress. The fans will be
right up for this derby too. I still think Palace lack a lot of quality on
paper which is why i think they’ll struggle. Hangeland has been such a good
defender over the last few seasons, but last year he was shaky and that was
apparent again against Arsenal. Yes, he scored a great header, but he was also
perhaps at fault for the Arsenal goals too. However, this game will suit him
more. The Palace defenders won’t have enjoyed technical Arsenal players running
at them all and passing around them day, but they’ll cope better with the direct,
long ball tactics West ham try to employ. West Ham got off to a tricky start.
Losing against Spurs isn’t the most shameful of results, especially when they
missed a clear scoring chance from the spot, but i think they looked poor all
round. They need to get a manager who the fans and the board openly back, and
also need some reinvestiment because they’re squad is not good enough either.
If i was a west ham fan, i’d be worried, there seems a real lack of unity
throughout the entire club and that can lead to serious problems through the
season. Both teams will clearly fancy themselves to win this game. I would say
that both teams are in poor situations and should fizzle out to be draw. It
will be blood and guts in this game as both teams lack some quality and will
rely on hard work and endeavour.
Verdict: Should be horrible game to watch
for the neutral. Just because of the team spirit and the way they set out
against Arsenal, i can see Palace nicking a 1-0 win here. James Collins will be
sorely missed for West Ham, even if he is prone to getting sent off every game!
Everton v Arsenal
I think most people will have fancied
Everton to beat Leicester last weekend, but this result certainly wasn’t a
failing on Everton’s behalf. Give credit to Leicester, especially to come back
from behind shows courage. Not many signings in the preseason so far from
Martinez but that can sometimes help a team start the league, because they
already know each other, their styles of play and the manager generally doesn’t
have to try new things to find his best tactics. Everton looked the same decent
team as last year, however, the news that Barkley could be out for a while is a
blow. I think all Everton (and England) fans will have wanted to see more of
him this season. My biggest concern for Everton is in two areas. Firstly, who
else can challenge Lukaku for the starting spot? What if he loses form or gets
injured? And because he is such an important part of their play, his form is
key for Everton. Secondly, do they have the correct cover for the centre backs?
Although Distin has been one of the premier leagues most consistent centre
backs, he is getting older. This match should provide some really nice, short
sharp passing. In oppose to the Palace v West ham match, this should be a very
technical and easy on the eye match. Despite winning the match, Arsenal didn’t
turn up against Palace. They’ll need to up their performance this weekend for
sure. I was extremely surprised to see Sanogo start instead of Giroud. Giroud
had a good year last season, even if the goals seemed to dry up a little. He’s
a great target man, whereas, Sanogo seemed a little lost up front and never
really threatened the Palace defence. All eyes were on Sanchez and he done ok.
He got on the ball and i still think he’ll be class act this season. I would
like to see him through the middle a little more though. Every now and then for
Barcelona we would play this position and he looked really dangerous. From the
middle he can often drift out wide and almost has a free role, a little similarly
to how Henry used to find himself on the left. The return of Ozil and
Mertersacker for Arsenal this weekend will be pleasing for fans too. Think this
will be a really close game to call.
Verdict: Can’t call this one easily. If
arsenal don’t improve from the Palace game they’ll lose against Everton who
will be rallied by a home crowd. Ultimately i think it’ll end 1-1 because Arsenal
will mildly improve.
Hull v Stoke
Hull will be happy at beating QPR
last weekend. Although it’s always nice to beat the big teams, there’s nothing
more convincing and more important than beating the smaller teams who are
expected to struggle. It’s important to beat the teams who are predicted to
finish around the same positions as you so both these teams will going all out
looking for a win here. After selling Long Hull will need a new striker but
what is encouraging is that Steve Bruce has openly came out and said that and
seems to be actively searching for one. I’d be confident they’ll get one too.
Other than a striker, i don’t think Hull will be looking for much else and i
don’t think they’ll need to either. Playing in Europe can really hinder teams
progression but if they manage the players they have appropriately, they can do
ok in Europe and still survive in the premier league. I think Steve Bruce knows
how important survival is too and he won’t sacrifice one for the other. I think
Stoke will be disappointed in not beating Villa and they’ll be looking to put on
a better display here. I can’t emphasis enough how important it is to get
points against teams in the same bracket as you, and when you’re at home you
really need to raise your game and win them. It’s when you lose these sorts of
games you find yourself fighting relegation so it’s important Stoke don’t get
into a habit of losing these sorts of fixtures. Despite the fact that Stoke
lost, it’s too early for them to lose moral so they’ll be pumped up for it and
will certainly make it an entertaining fixture. It seems to have gone slightly
dead on the transfer front for Stoke so perhaps they’re business is concluded,
but don’t rule out a cheeky loan signing on deadline day, this is where most
business is done when teams and managers being to panic.
Verdict: One paper this game should be close
and both teams may go out with some free flowing stuff. Again, to close to call
so i’ll say a 1-1 draw. However, you’d be crazy to rule out a single goal
winner from either side.
Sunderland v Man Utd
Sunderland seems to enjoy playing Man
Utd of late and they’ll be looking forward to this game too. Not that i’m
expecting Sunderland to guarantee a home victory at all, but Man Utd are a
wounded animal at the moment and another week has gone by where they have
failed to sign any players (although it is looking increasingly likely they’ll
get a few in). Sunderland got off to a good start last week. Despite the fact
they didn’t win the game against Brom, they looked like the better side and
still got a point away from home which i think is very encouraging. There’s no
pressure on the Sunderland players for this game either. Go out and enjoy
playing against them, exhibition stuff. The same cannot be said for Utd. After
the result last weekend, and more so the performance, the pressure is really on
already and the fans will be demanding a win in this game. Van Gaal seems to
look like he’ll handle pressure well but the only way to ease that pressure is
to win games, and they’ll only do that when they sign some key players.
Somehow, the side from last week looked even weaker than it did last season so
it needs to happen fast. I honestly think Man Utd will not find this game easy
either. Sunderland is different team to last year and Poyet has been making his
mark on them. They play decent football and are much more organised than
previously. As well as a few good signings, Man Utd needs Van Persie back soon
too. If i was Sunderland i wouldn’t be
worried about playing Man Utd this weekend, i’d be excited because they’ll
fancy getting a result here. That fear factor has gone with Man Utd and that’s
a huge thing to lose when you’re a big team in the league.
Verdict: Sunderland may pull something off
here, perhaps getting a draw. Even though Man Utd is struggling at the moment
they’ll need to perform to a high standard throughout the whole game,
unfortunately i can see Man Utd snatching a win in an unconvincing manner. This
may relieve some pressure, but i can’t see a good enough performance to
completely ease the fans concerns.
Tottenham v QPR
Spurs are a team i
just can’t put my finger on at the moment. In previous seasons they’ve looked
almost certain to finish around the 5th-7th positions,
but i’m not sure how it’ll go this season. Whatever happens, they need to stand
by Pochettino. He’s a good manager and will need a little time even if it is
next season when they begin to move up. I’d still eb concerned if i were a Spurs
fan as they seem to have barely anything upfront. I wouldn’t rely on Adebayor.
At times he can be a world beater, but when he’s bad, he’s dreadful. When
you’re pushing for places at the top you need a striker that will be a hell of
a lot more consistent than him. Unfortunately they haven’t got much better off the
bench at the moment either. As good as what he was in Spanish football with
Valencia, Soldado just hasn’t adapted to English football and doesn’t seem to
be improving a great deal. He requires balls being whipped into the box and a
fast pace, but the way Spurs play with a patient build up doesn’t suit his assets.
Confidence is everything to a forward. When you have it, it makes you look like
a totally different player and i’d be concerned that Soldado’s has gone
completely. The only way to get it back is by scoring goals and he isn’t going
to do that on the bench. It’s a tough situation for Pochettino, personally i’d
go out and buy another striker, perhaps Remy. Lamela was another player tipped
for things almost as big as his price tag, and he hasn't adapted either. Last
week he didn’t have a good game either. No doubt, Spurs will fancy this match. Spurs
fans always travel in numbers and at a London derby they’ll get right behind
them. I still fancy QPR to struggle. On paper, they’re not good enough and
Harry being Harry won’t start and do his business until around 11:00pm (British
time) on the 31st of August. Dunne and Ferdinand at the back could
struggle a little this year too, they’ve been fantastic in the past but neither
is exactly mobile these days and they’ll rely on the youth and physicality of
Caulker. They don’t particularly convince me of any position on the field and i
think they’ll need a number of players to come in to help them out. Losing
against Hull won’t have helped last weekend either.
Verdict: Spurs fans will be demanding three
points this weekend. I imagine QPR will be hoping for a draw out of this game so
they’ll try to be solid and hard to break down. Looking at last weekend, West
Ham was the same and Spurs only just got a winner in the last minute. If Spurs
can get a good performance from Adebayor they’ll win, but if he fails to show
up then a QPR could get a 0-0 draw. I’m still going for a 1-0 Spurs win.
Man City v Liverpool
First big game of the season! Last
years top two teams. Liverpool will be looking to get revenge, whereas, City
will want to prove they really were the best. City weren’t overly convincing
against Newcastle at the weekend, i don’t want to take anything away from a
hearty Newcastle performance but City should be playing better with the squad they
have. When Zabaleta and Aguero come back in they’ll improve again. Aguero is
one of, if not the best striker in the league, he’ll improve any squad in the
world. Again, i think Cities business is done and they have a good team to
really compete in the league and Europe in my eyes. Liverpool also didn't really impress much against Southampton, who similar to Newcastle, really
performed well. To get anything from this game they’ll need to play well but
Liverpool are capable of it. They have some good players and i think Sterling
could be immense for them. He’s so quick and energetic he’ll give defenders a torrid
time but with all that energy, he’s also got talent. At times last year he
looked a little raw but he’s improved a lot on the technical side of things. Sturidge
scored the winner, but he didn’t seem the same lethal force as he was with
Suarez next to him. As good as what Suarez was that shouldn’t be a surprise. I
still think he’ll score a few goals this year, but they’ll need another guy to
help with a few goals too. Hence the return of Mad Mario. For £12m he could be
a decent signing. If they can keep him happy he shows real class and had a
great season for Milan last year, but try keeping him happy. What is important
for both these teams is that despite not playing well, they both managed to get
three points and being able to win when you don’t play well is a trait clubs
that win leagues have.
Verdict: Excellent game, really looking
forward to it, should be really entertaining. I think it’ll be a close game but
city may just come out on top because of the strike force they have. They also
have a phenomenal home record. City to win 2-1.
No comments:
Post a Comment