The title says it all. A fantastic weekend of sport including the return of the Premiership, the top two clash in the Bundesliga, A huge domestic fight in Britain, the return of Manny Pacquaio and if you are into it the Ashes and the last of the Autumn internationals are also taking place in the Rugby. Here is what is on the box this weekend with predictions.
Football:
Everton Vs Liverpool (BT Sport 1 12.45 KO)
Everton's recent run in the Merseyside derby is dreadful and Liverpool have made a great start to the season. Roberto Martinez has mad a decent start to his Everton career and he will look at this as a platform for the rest of the season. I fancy that Everton could give Liverpool a really good game here and might nick the victory especially if they can neutralize the service to Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge and also get the service to their own star striker Romalu Lukakau. A narrow home win.
Prediction: Everton 1 Liverpool 0
Arsenal Vs Southampton (Setanta Sports 1 3.00 KO)
Arsenal will want to bounce back from their disappointing defeat to Manchester United last time out and I think they will although it will be difficult against a Southampton side who are third place in the premiership on merit. Problem is for Southampton away from home especially they have struggled to score goals and that is why I think the might come undone here. Also Theo Walcott and possibly Lukas Poldolski will be back for this game which will be a boost for the Gunners. Another narrow home win.
Prediction: Arsenal 1 Southampton 0
West Ham Vs. Chelsea ( Sky Sports 1 5.30 KO)
West Ham are badly struggling and Jose Mourinho is under fire a little bit for the way he has handled some of his players and also some of the results Chelsea have accumulated this season. West Ham are badly missing Andy Carroll and seem to be lost mainly in what they are trying to do and have been mainly terrible at home. Chelsea should have too much for them but I have been wrong about them before in this blog. Will go for them here though.
Prediction: West Ham 1 Chelsea 2
Sunday:
Man. City vs. Tottenham (Sky Sports 1 1.30 KO)
City have been Jekyll and Hyde this season mainly away from home truthfully. One thing they do not struggle to do is score goals in Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo they have a very potent partnership up front. Spurs this season have struggled to score goals from open play when they have been in the front foot and questions have been asked as to why Jermain Defoe or Eric Lamela have not been given more chances in the first team at the expense of Roberto Soldado who has struggled since he joined the North London club at the start of the season. This game will suit them ore but I see City who are still invincible at home to have too much for Spurs.
Prediction: Man. City 2 Spurs 0
Cardiff Vs Manchester United (Sky Sports 1 4.00 KO)
Man. Utd. have found a way to win under David Moyes. They rely heavily on their two wingers and two strikers to get the goals and be very compact and tight behind them while pressing. This worked very well against Arsenal. Cardiff after their win against Swansea will be in a better place than they were before the Swans game and also should give United problems going forward. I do still see United winning although Robin Van Persie might be out which will be a blow. A tight away win.
Prediction. Cardiff 1 Man Utd. 2
Monday:
West Brom Vs. Aston Villa (Sky Sports 8.00 KO)
A midlands derby of sorts which is very important for both teams. West Brom were rightly aggrieved with the poor penalty decision against Chelsea which cost them two points.Villa have been hit and miss but are better than they were last season. I fancy West Brom to win this and by a couple of goals as they generally do well at the Hawthorns when they are on a run. Home Win.
Prediction: West Brom 3 Aston Villa 1.
Quick Predictions for the rest of the games.
Fulham 2 Swansea 2
Hull 2 Palace 0
Newcastle 3 Norwich 1
Stoke 1 Sunderland 1
Which leaves us then with the big two in the Bundesliga!
Saturday:
Borussia Dortmund Vs Bayern Munich (BT Sports 1 5.30 KO)
Fantastic that this is on and I think this will be a barn burner sorry for the cliche. I do have Munich as slight favourites but this is really hard to predict. Dortmund have serious problems as they have none of their first choice defenders while Munich have Bastian Schweinsteiger (ankle), Claudio Pizarro (thigh), Xherdan Shaqiri (thigh) and Holger Badstuber (knee) on the sidelines. Whatever is left of Munich's attack though should fancy going after the depleted Dortmund;s defence and are favourites to nick an away victory.
Result: Dortmund 1 Munich 2
BOXING:
Saturday:
Carl Froch Vs. George Groves (Sky Box Office Fight approx 10.15 p.m.)
George Groves has given a good account of himself in the thrash talking before the fight but he will he cause a shock on the night? I think Froch will win out because his experience and his jab will counter Groves' power shots and his constant movement which he will try and employ like he did against James DeGale which was Groves biggest fight to date. Froch will eventually find his target and wear Groves Down.
Prediction:Froch by UD 12.
Manny Pacquiao Vs. Brandon Rios (
Even though Rios and his camp have talked up his chances in this fight the centre of attention as always has been on Manny Pacquiao. Does he have enough hunger left and does he have enough in the tank to counter the speed and aggression Rios does have. Rios lost a rematch to Mike Alvarado last time out while Manny was famously knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth bout together.
"The fight should be pretty even for about the first six rounds.
Pacquiao should be able to win early as Rios settles in. Then the
underdog should settle in and start using that power to level things out
heading into the second half of the bout.
From there, Pacquiao's big-fight experience should prove vital. He
knows how to pace himself to go the distance while Rios is going to use a
lot of energy looking for the knockout. Pac-Man should take advantage of that to score a late KO of his own." (Reference: Daniels, Tim Bleacher Report, 20th November 2013).
Prediction Pacquiao by KO 11
Rugby:
Sunday:
Ireland Vs New Zealand (RTE 2 2.00 KO)
Ireland at the moment are in a cross roads so to speak. Difficult decisions need to be made now to benefit the team for later on. Some players are on the last legs including Brian O' Driscoll, Gordon Darcy and Paul O' Connell but also the problem is where are the replacements for these three legends. The other problem is the modern game has passed Ireland by a little bit especially in our forward line. We have players like Sean O'Brien and Cian Healy who are great especially at the breakdown but are not particularly mobile and you have England for an example who have those same type of players but who are also skilled ball carriers who can make huge yards just by running with the ball and help their back line get the ball in more advanced areas. Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood and the captain Chris Robshaw being prime examples. And Ireland's opponents on Sunday who by far and away are the best examples of this with players like Owen Franks, player of the year Kieran Read and longtime captain Richie McCaw.Ireland will no doubt put up more of a fight than they did against Australia but expect the All Blacks to run rampant especially in the second half it won't be pretty.
Prediction: Ireland 9 New Zealand 50
An amazing weekend ahead and I will leave you with the Zlatan and Ronaldo show from during the week in the World Cup Play Offs. To next time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5cT8X-ixKU&hd=1
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Premiership Weekend Preview
Apologies for not posting up positions 11-20 in my mid term review of the Premiership. I will do review of those teams on a future date. After the exciting international break and the layout of who is going to the world cup and the talk of potential winners has already started. Club football returns this weekend hurrah! After Noel King shooting himself in the foot in the post match interview after Ireland's win over Kazakhstan and Roy Hodgson's joke about monkeys which gave the P.R. brigade another chance to spout off the weekend is here and It cannot come soon enough. Also fingers crossed for Iceland in the play offs next month. What an achievement just to get there.
So for the matched this weekend.
Newcastle vs Liverpool (BT Sports Ko 12.45 p.m.)
This will be an intriguing affair. Liverpool riding on a crest of a wave at the moment and Newcastle have been very Jekyll and Hyde. If Suarez and Sturridge click like they have so far in their short run partnership surely they will be too good for Newcastle but if Newcastle can produce a performance like they did against Cardiff last time out and if Remy and Ben Arfa are firing Newcastle can be a threat but I think Liverpool will have to much for them here.
Prediction Newcastle 1 Liverpool 2
Man. Utd. vs. Southampton (Setanta Sports 1 Ko 3.00 p.m.)
If Man. Utd. are serious about about doing anything in the league this season then they have to start winning and performing consistently which they have done yet under David Moyes and Southampton and they way they have started their season will be no easy touch. I expect Southampton to give United a really tough game and will not be surprised if they get a result at Old Trafford.
Prediction: Man. Utd. 1 Southampton 1
Arsenal vs. Norwich (Ko 3.00 p.m.)
What Arsenal were really good at when they were in their pomp were dismissing inferior sides especially at home and if they are to be serious about the title they need to dismiss Norwich and teams like them in similar ilk if they are going to have a tilt at the title. Norwich have very poor away form and if they can't stifle Arsenal early on and stop them getting into their natural rhythm then their is only going to be one winner.
Prediction: Arsenal 3 Norwich 1
Chelsea vs Cardiff (3.00 p.m.)
Chelsea were lucky to win against Norwich last time out but they should be thankful that they are playing a Cardiff side that are in turmoil behind the scenes at the moment. Whatever has happened behind the scenes there is now disharmony between the Cardiff chairman and manager and you get the sense that if you were a betting man than Malky Mackay will be the next one to get the chop. I expect Chelsea to win comfortably here.
Prediction: Chelsea 3 Cardiff 0
Everton vs. Hull (3.00 p.m.)
Hull have been impressive so far this season and Steve Bruce has done an excellent job as manager. Everton lost their unbeaten record last time out against Man. City and want to get back to winning ways as on as possible. Hull will Everton a difficult time but with Lukaku being in the Everton side he can always make a difference and I think he will be difference between the two sides here. Home win.
Everton 2 Hull 0.
Stoke vs West Brom (3.00 p.m.)
Stoke are playing good football under Mark Hughes but are struggling to score goals. West Brom after a shaky start are putting results together again. I fancy that this could be a prime contender for a draw if anyone is backing it.
Stoke 1 West Brom 1.
Swansea vs. Sunderland. (3.00 p.m.)
Gus Poyet's first game in charge for Sunderland is not an easy one against a Swansea side who have been a bit inconsistent probably due to the Sunday-Thursday axis of playing in the Europa League. They though should be too good for Sunderland here who will be trying to find their feet under Poyet.
Swansea 2 Sunderland 0
West Ham vs. Man. City. (Sky Sports 1 K.O. 5.30 p.m.)
West Ham had a terrific result against Spurs last time out and that was without playing any strikers. At home they might get caught out with that system though as they will be expected to be on the front foot a bit more and leaving themselves vulnerable to counter attack. Kompany is out for City again but they should cope without him for this fixture. Away win although I said that for the Cardiff and Villa games and was wrong there. Surely that won't repeat itself here and don't expect it do so.
West Ham 1 Man. City 2
SUNDAY:
Aston Villa vs Tottenham (Sky Sports 1 K.O. 4 p.m.)
Villa can be really good once teams are actually on the front foot against them but are not so good when they are on the front foot. Spurs will be looking to recover from their shock home defeat against West Ham last time out and they should have too much quality from them but they need to start scoring more from open play which for some reason they have struggled to do on a regular basis. Still going for an away win on this one.
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2
MONDAY:
Two other managers who are in the sack race , Martin Jol and Ian Holloway really need a win to keep of the pressure for at least this week. Palace probably bought too many players in the summer and are struggling to integrate them all in while Fulham have some very gifted technical players but at the same time would not run their socks off for the team so to speak. A very high score draw I reckon for this one which neither manager really needs or wants at this stage of the season.
Fulham 2 Crystal Palace 2
And Finally a tribute to one of the greatest Irish players of all time, Ignore some of the spelling mistakes in the links though. Very annoying indeed. Till next time.
So for the matched this weekend.
Newcastle vs Liverpool (BT Sports Ko 12.45 p.m.)
This will be an intriguing affair. Liverpool riding on a crest of a wave at the moment and Newcastle have been very Jekyll and Hyde. If Suarez and Sturridge click like they have so far in their short run partnership surely they will be too good for Newcastle but if Newcastle can produce a performance like they did against Cardiff last time out and if Remy and Ben Arfa are firing Newcastle can be a threat but I think Liverpool will have to much for them here.
Prediction Newcastle 1 Liverpool 2
Man. Utd. vs. Southampton (Setanta Sports 1 Ko 3.00 p.m.)
If Man. Utd. are serious about about doing anything in the league this season then they have to start winning and performing consistently which they have done yet under David Moyes and Southampton and they way they have started their season will be no easy touch. I expect Southampton to give United a really tough game and will not be surprised if they get a result at Old Trafford.
Prediction: Man. Utd. 1 Southampton 1
Arsenal vs. Norwich (Ko 3.00 p.m.)
What Arsenal were really good at when they were in their pomp were dismissing inferior sides especially at home and if they are to be serious about the title they need to dismiss Norwich and teams like them in similar ilk if they are going to have a tilt at the title. Norwich have very poor away form and if they can't stifle Arsenal early on and stop them getting into their natural rhythm then their is only going to be one winner.
Prediction: Arsenal 3 Norwich 1
Chelsea vs Cardiff (3.00 p.m.)
Chelsea were lucky to win against Norwich last time out but they should be thankful that they are playing a Cardiff side that are in turmoil behind the scenes at the moment. Whatever has happened behind the scenes there is now disharmony between the Cardiff chairman and manager and you get the sense that if you were a betting man than Malky Mackay will be the next one to get the chop. I expect Chelsea to win comfortably here.
Prediction: Chelsea 3 Cardiff 0
Everton vs. Hull (3.00 p.m.)
Hull have been impressive so far this season and Steve Bruce has done an excellent job as manager. Everton lost their unbeaten record last time out against Man. City and want to get back to winning ways as on as possible. Hull will Everton a difficult time but with Lukaku being in the Everton side he can always make a difference and I think he will be difference between the two sides here. Home win.
Everton 2 Hull 0.
Stoke vs West Brom (3.00 p.m.)
Stoke are playing good football under Mark Hughes but are struggling to score goals. West Brom after a shaky start are putting results together again. I fancy that this could be a prime contender for a draw if anyone is backing it.
Stoke 1 West Brom 1.
Swansea vs. Sunderland. (3.00 p.m.)
Gus Poyet's first game in charge for Sunderland is not an easy one against a Swansea side who have been a bit inconsistent probably due to the Sunday-Thursday axis of playing in the Europa League. They though should be too good for Sunderland here who will be trying to find their feet under Poyet.
Swansea 2 Sunderland 0
West Ham vs. Man. City. (Sky Sports 1 K.O. 5.30 p.m.)
West Ham had a terrific result against Spurs last time out and that was without playing any strikers. At home they might get caught out with that system though as they will be expected to be on the front foot a bit more and leaving themselves vulnerable to counter attack. Kompany is out for City again but they should cope without him for this fixture. Away win although I said that for the Cardiff and Villa games and was wrong there. Surely that won't repeat itself here and don't expect it do so.
West Ham 1 Man. City 2
SUNDAY:
Aston Villa vs Tottenham (Sky Sports 1 K.O. 4 p.m.)
Villa can be really good once teams are actually on the front foot against them but are not so good when they are on the front foot. Spurs will be looking to recover from their shock home defeat against West Ham last time out and they should have too much quality from them but they need to start scoring more from open play which for some reason they have struggled to do on a regular basis. Still going for an away win on this one.
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2
MONDAY:
Two other managers who are in the sack race , Martin Jol and Ian Holloway really need a win to keep of the pressure for at least this week. Palace probably bought too many players in the summer and are struggling to integrate them all in while Fulham have some very gifted technical players but at the same time would not run their socks off for the team so to speak. A very high score draw I reckon for this one which neither manager really needs or wants at this stage of the season.
Fulham 2 Crystal Palace 2
And Finally a tribute to one of the greatest Irish players of all time, Ignore some of the spelling mistakes in the links though. Very annoying indeed. Till next time.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Premiership Review Positions 6-10
Here are the next five continuing from yesterday.
6. Tottenham Hotspur Pts. 13 GS:GA 6:5 Top Scorer Sigurosson (3)
Tottenham with all the quality players they have at their disposal rightly think that they have a chance of not just qualifying for the champions league but to actually go for the league title itself. Until the weekend loss to West Ham the defence was water tight but a second half collapse against the Hammers proved a setback for Andre Villas Boas' team before the international break. They will recover from what happened to them at the weekend but the big problem has been scoring from open play with the two goals scored against Norwich the only two they have scored from open play so far in the league this season. They need more creativity from the midfield and also a settled eleven when it comes to the big games. The players are there for them to mount a title challenge It is up to Villas-Boas to make them believe that they can do it.
7. Everton Pts. 12 GS:GA 10:9 Top Scorer Lukaku (4)
Everton with Roberto Martinez definitely have mad a positive start to the season. Martinez probably would have thought Christmas came early when he got Gareth Barry and especially Romelu Lukaku both on loan on transfer deadline day. Both have had an immediate impact with Barry excelling in a defensive midfield role and Lukaku being the striker that Everton has solely missed over the years already scoring four goals in his first few appearances. Everton did get a marker as to where they are compared to the rest of the big teams when Ma. City beat them at the weekend but under Martinez they should improve throughout the season and a top four place can be within reach for sure.
8. Hull City Pts. 11 GS:GA 6:7 Top Scorer Brady (3)
Hull have surprised many people with the start they have made but in Steve Bruce they have an experienced Premiership Manager who can guide his young squad through all the pitfalls and give them belief that they can be an established Premiership Side. Robbie Brady has made a great start to life in the Premiership and also bring in Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone from Spurs have been great additions to their inexperienced squad and have added a touch of Quality to their side. Whether they can maintain their impressive start remains to be seen but under Bruce's guidance there is no reason why the newly christened Tigers cannot survive and indeed thrive in the Premiership.
9. Manchester United. GS;GA 10:9 Top Scorer Rooney, Van Persie (3 each)
Man. Utd. have had early teething problems under David Moyes but stuff about Moyes out from some sections of United fans and media types is way off the mark. He has two main problems he does not have a probing central midfielder who joins up with his attackers and can contribute to scoring goals as well. Cesc Fabregas would have been the answer but he stayed at Barcelona maybe a raid of the Bundesliga in January might sort that out. The other since he plays 4-4-2 is that generally his wingers which are a huge part of that system have generally been rubbish. So bad in fact that Moyes decided to take a chance on young eighteen year old Adnan Januzaj. Thankfully he delivered to great goals and delivered three much needed points for United before the international break. He will play more often and will be interesting to see how he does now he is under the spotlight. United will eventually click but the question is will it be too late to do anything by the time they do? Will be interesting to watch that is for sure.
10. Astoin Villa GS:GA 9:8 Top Scorer Benteke (4)
Villa are going to have a better season than last. They can be frustrating but also exhilarating. Inconsistency which will carry on but no chance of relegation. With enough attacking talent in Wiemann, Agbonlahor and Benteke they will always been a threat but defensive wise and also if they have to be on the front foot most of the game Villa are found wanting. Villa fans after last season wont be complaining too much if they finish the season around where they are now and maybe a decent cup run as well.
Positions 11-15 tomorrow.
6. Tottenham Hotspur Pts. 13 GS:GA 6:5 Top Scorer Sigurosson (3)
Tottenham with all the quality players they have at their disposal rightly think that they have a chance of not just qualifying for the champions league but to actually go for the league title itself. Until the weekend loss to West Ham the defence was water tight but a second half collapse against the Hammers proved a setback for Andre Villas Boas' team before the international break. They will recover from what happened to them at the weekend but the big problem has been scoring from open play with the two goals scored against Norwich the only two they have scored from open play so far in the league this season. They need more creativity from the midfield and also a settled eleven when it comes to the big games. The players are there for them to mount a title challenge It is up to Villas-Boas to make them believe that they can do it.
7. Everton Pts. 12 GS:GA 10:9 Top Scorer Lukaku (4)
Everton with Roberto Martinez definitely have mad a positive start to the season. Martinez probably would have thought Christmas came early when he got Gareth Barry and especially Romelu Lukaku both on loan on transfer deadline day. Both have had an immediate impact with Barry excelling in a defensive midfield role and Lukaku being the striker that Everton has solely missed over the years already scoring four goals in his first few appearances. Everton did get a marker as to where they are compared to the rest of the big teams when Ma. City beat them at the weekend but under Martinez they should improve throughout the season and a top four place can be within reach for sure.
8. Hull City Pts. 11 GS:GA 6:7 Top Scorer Brady (3)
Hull have surprised many people with the start they have made but in Steve Bruce they have an experienced Premiership Manager who can guide his young squad through all the pitfalls and give them belief that they can be an established Premiership Side. Robbie Brady has made a great start to life in the Premiership and also bring in Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone from Spurs have been great additions to their inexperienced squad and have added a touch of Quality to their side. Whether they can maintain their impressive start remains to be seen but under Bruce's guidance there is no reason why the newly christened Tigers cannot survive and indeed thrive in the Premiership.
9. Manchester United. GS;GA 10:9 Top Scorer Rooney, Van Persie (3 each)
Man. Utd. have had early teething problems under David Moyes but stuff about Moyes out from some sections of United fans and media types is way off the mark. He has two main problems he does not have a probing central midfielder who joins up with his attackers and can contribute to scoring goals as well. Cesc Fabregas would have been the answer but he stayed at Barcelona maybe a raid of the Bundesliga in January might sort that out. The other since he plays 4-4-2 is that generally his wingers which are a huge part of that system have generally been rubbish. So bad in fact that Moyes decided to take a chance on young eighteen year old Adnan Januzaj. Thankfully he delivered to great goals and delivered three much needed points for United before the international break. He will play more often and will be interesting to see how he does now he is under the spotlight. United will eventually click but the question is will it be too late to do anything by the time they do? Will be interesting to watch that is for sure.
10. Astoin Villa GS:GA 9:8 Top Scorer Benteke (4)
Villa are going to have a better season than last. They can be frustrating but also exhilarating. Inconsistency which will carry on but no chance of relegation. With enough attacking talent in Wiemann, Agbonlahor and Benteke they will always been a threat but defensive wise and also if they have to be on the front foot most of the game Villa are found wanting. Villa fans after last season wont be complaining too much if they finish the season around where they are now and maybe a decent cup run as well.
Positions 11-15 tomorrow.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Premiership Review Positions 1-5
After another round of Premiership action and with the final round of World Cup Qualifiers coming up now is a good time to see how the table is looking after seven games and see where all the teams are at going into the international break. Starting with the top 5. Positions 6-10 tomorrow
1. Arsenal Pts. 16 GS:GA 14:8 Top Scorer Giroud, Ramsey (4 each)
After the Aston Villa debacle earlier in the season Arsenal have recovered remarkably well and the arrival of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day has given the whole club a lift. After a tough draw against West Brom where they should have lost if Nicholas Anelka's boots were on Jack Wiltshire's deflected goal saved Arsenal's blushes and continued their fine form. After the players come back from international duty the two main concerns are if Oliver Giroud gets injured can anyone replace him (Maybe Ozil as a false No. 9 perhaps) and also they have only kept one clean sheet which needs to improve if they want to keep their title ambitions in check but after the Villa defeat it is a good time to be an Arsenal fan with Aaron Ramsey's, Oliver Giroud, Mathieu Flaimini's and Ozils form in particular Arsenal can be in title contention for sure.
2. Liverpool Pts. 16 GS:GA 11:5 Top Scorer Sturridge (6)
Liverpool have room to improve but like Arsenal they are riding on a crest of a wave at the minute. Brendan Rodgers saying that Liverpool have not hit peak form at the minute is paradoxically a good sign as there is room for improvement in the team. Mainly the problem has been trying to dominate teams for the ninety minutes and finishing teams off. Still with the return of sixteen points from their first seven games is a good return and Liverpool can also say with no irony at all that they have a chance of doing something this season
3. Chelsea Pts. 14 GS:SA 10:4 Top Scorer Oscar (3)
Few teething problems, Mourinho not knowing what his best side is yet. The Juan Mata and striking situations yet after seven games they are only two points behind and apart from the forwards there is strength in depth everywhere else and Juan Mata looks as though he is actually back in the side now as well. After the win against Norwich which was hard fought Chelsea are in good shape and have to be considered to be one of the favourites.
4. Southampton Pts. 14 GS:GA 7:2 Top Scorer Lambert (2)
What a brillant start to this season for Southampton. Very solid base with Arthur Boruc in fine form and a defence of mainly Dejan Lovren, Jose Fonte, Luke Shaw and Nathan Clyne Southampton are a solid team and things can even get better with the developing of the strike partnership of Dani Osvaldo and Ricky Lambert things are good for Southampton. Mauricio Pochettino has been brilliant for them and no disrespect to Saints fans but by the end of the season if this continues he will be head hunted for a bigger job. Until then the Saints should definitely enjoy the ride.
5. Man. City Pts. 13 GS:GA 17:8 Top Scorer Aguero, Yaya Toure (4 each)
Another one of the favourites for the title who have had a bit of a dodgy start. Man. City know where they are at in Europe as Bayern Munich completely outclassed them for ninety minutes. They have had also dodgy results in the premiership away from home as they have lost to Cardiff and Aston Villa. They will figure how to balance defence and attack eventually and a lot of goals have been scored so there is no problem there. Once that balance is addressed and also Joe Harts form needs to be sorted or he needs to be dropped. He has been very poor so far this season. If those problems can be solved then City can still win the title a;though possibly not Europe as the Bayern game proved.
Positions 6-10 tomorrow.
Results from the weekend: Man City 3-1 Everton, Cardiff 1-2 Newcastle, Fulham 1-0 Stoke, Hull 0-0 Aston Villa, Liverpool 3-1 Crystal Palace, Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United, Norwich 1-3 Chelsea, Southampton 2-0 Swansea, Tottenham 0-3 West Ham, West Brom 1-1 Arsenal.
1. Arsenal Pts. 16 GS:GA 14:8 Top Scorer Giroud, Ramsey (4 each)
After the Aston Villa debacle earlier in the season Arsenal have recovered remarkably well and the arrival of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day has given the whole club a lift. After a tough draw against West Brom where they should have lost if Nicholas Anelka's boots were on Jack Wiltshire's deflected goal saved Arsenal's blushes and continued their fine form. After the players come back from international duty the two main concerns are if Oliver Giroud gets injured can anyone replace him (Maybe Ozil as a false No. 9 perhaps) and also they have only kept one clean sheet which needs to improve if they want to keep their title ambitions in check but after the Villa defeat it is a good time to be an Arsenal fan with Aaron Ramsey's, Oliver Giroud, Mathieu Flaimini's and Ozils form in particular Arsenal can be in title contention for sure.
2. Liverpool Pts. 16 GS:GA 11:5 Top Scorer Sturridge (6)
Liverpool have room to improve but like Arsenal they are riding on a crest of a wave at the minute. Brendan Rodgers saying that Liverpool have not hit peak form at the minute is paradoxically a good sign as there is room for improvement in the team. Mainly the problem has been trying to dominate teams for the ninety minutes and finishing teams off. Still with the return of sixteen points from their first seven games is a good return and Liverpool can also say with no irony at all that they have a chance of doing something this season
3. Chelsea Pts. 14 GS:SA 10:4 Top Scorer Oscar (3)
Few teething problems, Mourinho not knowing what his best side is yet. The Juan Mata and striking situations yet after seven games they are only two points behind and apart from the forwards there is strength in depth everywhere else and Juan Mata looks as though he is actually back in the side now as well. After the win against Norwich which was hard fought Chelsea are in good shape and have to be considered to be one of the favourites.
4. Southampton Pts. 14 GS:GA 7:2 Top Scorer Lambert (2)
What a brillant start to this season for Southampton. Very solid base with Arthur Boruc in fine form and a defence of mainly Dejan Lovren, Jose Fonte, Luke Shaw and Nathan Clyne Southampton are a solid team and things can even get better with the developing of the strike partnership of Dani Osvaldo and Ricky Lambert things are good for Southampton. Mauricio Pochettino has been brilliant for them and no disrespect to Saints fans but by the end of the season if this continues he will be head hunted for a bigger job. Until then the Saints should definitely enjoy the ride.
5. Man. City Pts. 13 GS:GA 17:8 Top Scorer Aguero, Yaya Toure (4 each)
Another one of the favourites for the title who have had a bit of a dodgy start. Man. City know where they are at in Europe as Bayern Munich completely outclassed them for ninety minutes. They have had also dodgy results in the premiership away from home as they have lost to Cardiff and Aston Villa. They will figure how to balance defence and attack eventually and a lot of goals have been scored so there is no problem there. Once that balance is addressed and also Joe Harts form needs to be sorted or he needs to be dropped. He has been very poor so far this season. If those problems can be solved then City can still win the title a;though possibly not Europe as the Bayern game proved.
Positions 6-10 tomorrow.
Results from the weekend: Man City 3-1 Everton, Cardiff 1-2 Newcastle, Fulham 1-0 Stoke, Hull 0-0 Aston Villa, Liverpool 3-1 Crystal Palace, Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United, Norwich 1-3 Chelsea, Southampton 2-0 Swansea, Tottenham 0-3 West Ham, West Brom 1-1 Arsenal.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Di Canios sacking the silly season begins.
For all of his faults and Sunderland's poor start to the season Paola Di Canio did not deserve the sack. His poor start is not what allegedly cost him his job it was infact after one too many arguments with his own players they were the ones who said to chairman Ellis Short than the game was up less than six months and thirteen games into his Sunderland tenure it was over.
A lot of people have said that including Hull boss Steve Bruce is that Di Canio's methods were outdated and the modern player does not react favourably to them. The other reason is that Sunderland transfer regime was all wrong in the summer. The clubs director of football Roberto De Fanti made all the signings and signed a whopping fourteen players which was asking for disaster from the start. Of those 14 players only five had previous Premier League Experience and thirteen were foreign and it always takes a bit of time for foreigners to settle into a new league and culture. There was too many signings and the one player Di Canio really wanted Tom Huddelstone ended up at Hull and has made a great start for them.
Player power did win this battle as Di Canio gave one tongue lashing too many but Ellis Short should have realised this could have happened the day he made the appointment back in March. If the results were better at the start of this season and this came up from the players Short probably would have backed the manager and let him continue on but instead the results were poor and the players had had enough of him, Short pulled the trigger and let him go.
Sunderland are in a mess now at the moment and it is their own fault for causing it. Who will take over? Roberto Di Matteo and Gus Poyet are early favourites for the job and neither would be a bad choice. Whatever happens whomever comes in now needs to find a settled team quickly and stamp their authority on the side. Also encourage De Fanti to be patient and try and get the right signings in Quality rather than Quantity in the January transfer window to save their season.
IN OTHER TIDBITS:
Manchester City laid a marker down in their 4-1 victory over Man. Utd. They look a different team when their leader and Captain Vincent Kompany is in the team and he was simply magnificent on Sunday. People are already starting to question David Moyes as his early big game record has been poor. He still needs time and the other thing is when Manchester City are on song they are simply better than Manchester United in most areas. United were always more consistent but that might change this season if Moyes can't figure out how to win the bigger games. They were also missing Van Persie and that was huge as well.
Arsenal top of the league. Mesut Ozil settling in nicely and provided the three assists at the weekend and the continued goalscoring form of Aaron Ramsey is great to see as well.
Brendan Rogers had a day to forget as his action of playing four centre backs backfired and also Liverpool lacked creativity with Coutinho missing. At least for Liverpool Luis Suarez will be back in the Capitol One Cup against Man. Utd. which will lift the Pool again no doubt.
Tottenham were very good against Cardiff and somehow did not manage to score until the last kick of the game but the goal was worth the wait with Paulinho's finish for the eventual winner. Former Spurs keeper Erik Thordvest came up with a great line saying we might have sold Elvis but we bought the Beatles. It is a huge season for Spurs and they definitely have the squad to deliver not just the Champions League Qualification but quite possibly the league itself.
Last but not least the most amazing thing happened, Yes Mario Balotelli finally missed a penalty in Milan's two-one home defeat to Rafa Benitez' Napoli. It was a mixed night for Mario as he missed the penalty also hit a stunner against the crossbar scored Milan's goal that nearly got back into the match late on and finally got sent off after the match for dissent and totally lost the plot by kicking, screaming and taking off his shirt after abusing the ref incessantly. Napoli under Rafa though are a very good side who bought well in the summer and have a hundred percent record so far in the league along with Roma. It has the makings of a good season in Italy.
PL Results: Norwich 0-1 Aston Villa, Liverpool 0-1 Southampton, Newcastle 2-3 Hull, West Brom 3-0 Sunderland, West Ham 2-3 Everton, Chelsea 2-0 Fulham, (Sun) Arsenal 3-1 Stoke, Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea, Man City 4-1 Man Utd, Cardiff 0-1 Tottenham
I will eave you for now with the two free kick crackers Everton's Leigton Baines scored against West Ham. Ronaldo eat your heart out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc3251iMo7I
A lot of people have said that including Hull boss Steve Bruce is that Di Canio's methods were outdated and the modern player does not react favourably to them. The other reason is that Sunderland transfer regime was all wrong in the summer. The clubs director of football Roberto De Fanti made all the signings and signed a whopping fourteen players which was asking for disaster from the start. Of those 14 players only five had previous Premier League Experience and thirteen were foreign and it always takes a bit of time for foreigners to settle into a new league and culture. There was too many signings and the one player Di Canio really wanted Tom Huddelstone ended up at Hull and has made a great start for them.
Player power did win this battle as Di Canio gave one tongue lashing too many but Ellis Short should have realised this could have happened the day he made the appointment back in March. If the results were better at the start of this season and this came up from the players Short probably would have backed the manager and let him continue on but instead the results were poor and the players had had enough of him, Short pulled the trigger and let him go.
Sunderland are in a mess now at the moment and it is their own fault for causing it. Who will take over? Roberto Di Matteo and Gus Poyet are early favourites for the job and neither would be a bad choice. Whatever happens whomever comes in now needs to find a settled team quickly and stamp their authority on the side. Also encourage De Fanti to be patient and try and get the right signings in Quality rather than Quantity in the January transfer window to save their season.
IN OTHER TIDBITS:
Manchester City laid a marker down in their 4-1 victory over Man. Utd. They look a different team when their leader and Captain Vincent Kompany is in the team and he was simply magnificent on Sunday. People are already starting to question David Moyes as his early big game record has been poor. He still needs time and the other thing is when Manchester City are on song they are simply better than Manchester United in most areas. United were always more consistent but that might change this season if Moyes can't figure out how to win the bigger games. They were also missing Van Persie and that was huge as well.
Arsenal top of the league. Mesut Ozil settling in nicely and provided the three assists at the weekend and the continued goalscoring form of Aaron Ramsey is great to see as well.
Brendan Rogers had a day to forget as his action of playing four centre backs backfired and also Liverpool lacked creativity with Coutinho missing. At least for Liverpool Luis Suarez will be back in the Capitol One Cup against Man. Utd. which will lift the Pool again no doubt.
Tottenham were very good against Cardiff and somehow did not manage to score until the last kick of the game but the goal was worth the wait with Paulinho's finish for the eventual winner. Former Spurs keeper Erik Thordvest came up with a great line saying we might have sold Elvis but we bought the Beatles. It is a huge season for Spurs and they definitely have the squad to deliver not just the Champions League Qualification but quite possibly the league itself.
Last but not least the most amazing thing happened, Yes Mario Balotelli finally missed a penalty in Milan's two-one home defeat to Rafa Benitez' Napoli. It was a mixed night for Mario as he missed the penalty also hit a stunner against the crossbar scored Milan's goal that nearly got back into the match late on and finally got sent off after the match for dissent and totally lost the plot by kicking, screaming and taking off his shirt after abusing the ref incessantly. Napoli under Rafa though are a very good side who bought well in the summer and have a hundred percent record so far in the league along with Roma. It has the makings of a good season in Italy.
PL Results: Norwich 0-1 Aston Villa, Liverpool 0-1 Southampton, Newcastle 2-3 Hull, West Brom 3-0 Sunderland, West Ham 2-3 Everton, Chelsea 2-0 Fulham, (Sun) Arsenal 3-1 Stoke, Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea, Man City 4-1 Man Utd, Cardiff 0-1 Tottenham
I will eave you for now with the two free kick crackers Everton's Leigton Baines scored against West Ham. Ronaldo eat your heart out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc3251iMo7I
Thursday, September 12, 2013
The Last Trap
So Giovanni, Marco and Manuela have gone and the dust has settled since the back to back defeats against Sweden and Austria with the announcement that Trapattoni has left by mutual consent in this brief blog I want to delve into whether his reign was a success, where the national team is now after he leaves and what does the next manager need to do to try and take Ireland to the next level and qualify for Euro 2016.
I generally believe that with a few quibbles which I will mention Trapattoni did well in general as manager of Ireland in his five and a half year spell at the helm of the national team. Ireland were a Thierry Henry handball away from qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa and then brought us to our first international competition in ten years by bringing Ireland to Poland for Euro 2012. Unfortunately this is where things started to wrong for Trap as his team floundered in what was admittedly a very tough group but in the way we surrendered matter of fact in the defeats to Croatia, Spain and Italy caused a lot of the Irish Public even then for Trap to go. Ireland in this world cup qualification campaign have been essentially a disaster , a team which have no ideas and have meekly surrendered to teams who in essence are not really that much better than us (with the exception of Germany of course) and that if Ireland paid more to their full potential we instead of Sweden would be sitting pretty second in the group.
Trapattoni's critics, me included have said things like the negative play, falling out with certain players, not going to games to see how certain players were doing and all things he should be doing while earning two million a year on his contract which was reduced to 1.2 million by the time the job was finished. My biggest criticism of him as well as the above points I have stated was the fact that he never bothered to learn English properly. I cannot imagine what it would be like on a training ground with all the players speaking English and the coach does not speak perfect English. Team talks would have been more difficult to come across than they should have and I would like to think if the team were struggling in a match how would Trppattoni get across his instructions to the team as to how to come back into a match tactically more than anything else. It was a big failing in my view. Overall though he did get us to the Euros and for that I would like to thank him as it gave me personally my best holiday ever in Poland which will probably never be replicated. Thanks Gio.
Who comes in and what needs to be done? Well there are players that were exiled under Trappatonis reign like Anthony Stokes and Andy Reid that can come into the side. Surely they are better options then for instance Simon Cox or Glen Whelan? The team the new manager will inherit though is not one that would exclude confidence. Shay Given and Damien Duff have retired and there is nothing much behind them. Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne surely are playing their last games for Ireland as well and it is up to the new manager to see who can be unearthed. Of the players that who are there at least Seamus Coleman has made the breakthrough which should have probably happened eighteen months earlier. James McCarthy can flourish at Everton under his boss which he had at Wigan Roberto Martinez and hopefully then can replicate that in the Irish side. A lot to prove from him for sure but it is probably the best we got in that position unless Andy Reid does get that recall. He definitely deserves his chance again after playing really for Nottingham Forest the past twelve months. Wes Houlihan deserves his chance as well. Why Trapattoni stubbornly stuck to his guns and not pick him when it was obvious he should have been in the first team is beyond me but he should get a chance under whomever gets the job. Others like Robbie Brady, Shane Long, Anthony Stokes, Anthony Pilkington, Ciaran Clark and Kieron Westwood and there is still a good basis for a good team that can play decent football is well which would be the other thing that the fans would want if possible as most of the football under Trap's reign was terrible to be fair.
Who is going to get the job? Martin O' Neill is the favourite to get the job and if nothing else O'Neills greatest asset is his man management skills and to convince the team that they can beat anyone and play without fear although the flip side to that is that his Sunderland reign ended in tears and some of the football they were producing was quite frankly terrible,. I would welcome his appointment but would approach with cautious optimism as well. Roy Keane has been mentioned but could he get on with the F.A.I. after their past? Probably not I would reckon. Mick McCarthy has also been mentioned and most Irish fans would welcome Mick back in the fold as apart from the Saipan debacle Mick mostly did do a good job first time around and has experience of getting Ireland to a world cup while playing some good football as well. Brian McCdermott and Chris Hughton are definitely future Irish managers but too soon for both as they have big club jobs at the moment with Leeds and Norwich but their time will come down the line. The bottom line is the team definitely is not as good as it one was but there are still enough good players for Ireland to be a threat to qualify for Euro 2016 and it does help that 24 instead of 16 qualify for the tournament and fans are hoping that we can go to Germany in three years time for another big tournament and to do it in a style that is somewhat pleasing to the eye. Over to the F.A.I. to appoint the right man.
Ill leave you with a montage (of sorts) to Traps reign:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRdobJFHABI
I generally believe that with a few quibbles which I will mention Trapattoni did well in general as manager of Ireland in his five and a half year spell at the helm of the national team. Ireland were a Thierry Henry handball away from qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa and then brought us to our first international competition in ten years by bringing Ireland to Poland for Euro 2012. Unfortunately this is where things started to wrong for Trap as his team floundered in what was admittedly a very tough group but in the way we surrendered matter of fact in the defeats to Croatia, Spain and Italy caused a lot of the Irish Public even then for Trap to go. Ireland in this world cup qualification campaign have been essentially a disaster , a team which have no ideas and have meekly surrendered to teams who in essence are not really that much better than us (with the exception of Germany of course) and that if Ireland paid more to their full potential we instead of Sweden would be sitting pretty second in the group.
Trapattoni's critics, me included have said things like the negative play, falling out with certain players, not going to games to see how certain players were doing and all things he should be doing while earning two million a year on his contract which was reduced to 1.2 million by the time the job was finished. My biggest criticism of him as well as the above points I have stated was the fact that he never bothered to learn English properly. I cannot imagine what it would be like on a training ground with all the players speaking English and the coach does not speak perfect English. Team talks would have been more difficult to come across than they should have and I would like to think if the team were struggling in a match how would Trppattoni get across his instructions to the team as to how to come back into a match tactically more than anything else. It was a big failing in my view. Overall though he did get us to the Euros and for that I would like to thank him as it gave me personally my best holiday ever in Poland which will probably never be replicated. Thanks Gio.
Who comes in and what needs to be done? Well there are players that were exiled under Trappatonis reign like Anthony Stokes and Andy Reid that can come into the side. Surely they are better options then for instance Simon Cox or Glen Whelan? The team the new manager will inherit though is not one that would exclude confidence. Shay Given and Damien Duff have retired and there is nothing much behind them. Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne surely are playing their last games for Ireland as well and it is up to the new manager to see who can be unearthed. Of the players that who are there at least Seamus Coleman has made the breakthrough which should have probably happened eighteen months earlier. James McCarthy can flourish at Everton under his boss which he had at Wigan Roberto Martinez and hopefully then can replicate that in the Irish side. A lot to prove from him for sure but it is probably the best we got in that position unless Andy Reid does get that recall. He definitely deserves his chance again after playing really for Nottingham Forest the past twelve months. Wes Houlihan deserves his chance as well. Why Trapattoni stubbornly stuck to his guns and not pick him when it was obvious he should have been in the first team is beyond me but he should get a chance under whomever gets the job. Others like Robbie Brady, Shane Long, Anthony Stokes, Anthony Pilkington, Ciaran Clark and Kieron Westwood and there is still a good basis for a good team that can play decent football is well which would be the other thing that the fans would want if possible as most of the football under Trap's reign was terrible to be fair.
Who is going to get the job? Martin O' Neill is the favourite to get the job and if nothing else O'Neills greatest asset is his man management skills and to convince the team that they can beat anyone and play without fear although the flip side to that is that his Sunderland reign ended in tears and some of the football they were producing was quite frankly terrible,. I would welcome his appointment but would approach with cautious optimism as well. Roy Keane has been mentioned but could he get on with the F.A.I. after their past? Probably not I would reckon. Mick McCarthy has also been mentioned and most Irish fans would welcome Mick back in the fold as apart from the Saipan debacle Mick mostly did do a good job first time around and has experience of getting Ireland to a world cup while playing some good football as well. Brian McCdermott and Chris Hughton are definitely future Irish managers but too soon for both as they have big club jobs at the moment with Leeds and Norwich but their time will come down the line. The bottom line is the team definitely is not as good as it one was but there are still enough good players for Ireland to be a threat to qualify for Euro 2016 and it does help that 24 instead of 16 qualify for the tournament and fans are hoping that we can go to Germany in three years time for another big tournament and to do it in a style that is somewhat pleasing to the eye. Over to the F.A.I. to appoint the right man.
Ill leave you with a montage (of sorts) to Traps reign:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRdobJFHABI
Friday, August 30, 2013
Premiership Preview Super Sunday
I had a nightmare with the predictions last week so hopefully this week ill get back on track!
Saturday
Man. City Vs Hull (BT Sport 1 12.45 ko)
Hull will be buoyed by their battling win against Norwich and with a lot of the game with ten men but they wont be kidding themselves about how hard a task it will be going to the Eithad even though Man City suffered a shock loss to Cardiff last week. City looked ill at ease without Vincent Kompany and also the continuing poor form of Joe Hart who was to blame for at least two of the goals. City should still have too much for Hull at home and go into the international break in good stead.
Prediction: Man City 3 Hull 1
Cardiff Vs Everton (Setanta Sports 1)
Cardiff had an amazing win over Man City last weekend and they should carry that confidence coming into this weekend against an Everton side who have yet their find their feet under new boss Roberto Martinez and the shadow hanging over the potential departures of Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines. They are playing nice football but have yet to to find their cutt9ng edge and if Cardiff especially at set pieces can replicate their win from last week you could fancy them for the win again this time although I think a draw would be more likely.
Prediction: Cardiff 1 Everton 1
Newcastle Vs Fulham
Newcastle need something good to happen and it could happen here. Doubts still linger about whether Yohan Cabaye is going to be at the club by the end of the transfer window but rumour has it he will be playing this weekend and could be the difference here. Fulham have been branded the laziest team in the league. They were very poor against Arsenal but also in Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Bent they could score a lot of goals as well. Think there could be a load of gals here and maybe a point is the best either can expect.
Prediction: Newcastle 2 Fulham 2
Norwich Vs Southampton.
Could be a really good game this one. Norwich were very poor against Hull last week but at home they will get a load of pints. I like the look of Southampton and it will be interesting to see how Osvaldo fits into the picture. He should have been sent off last week and will need to keep his temper in check but there is no denying his talent. I think Southampton will nick this one but would not be one hundred percent confident on it.
Prediction: Norwich 1 Southampton 2
West Ham Vs Stoke
West Ham look a very good outfit and have made a good start without conceding a goal as well which is a bonus. They wont be easy to beat at home but a lot of what they can achieve this season will be the fitness of Andy Caroll. He provides the focal point of their attack and if he is not there I think in certain games West Ham will struggle to score. It will take time for Stoke to adapt to Mark Hughes style of play and early on I fancy they will not take too many points early on in the season and also need a few more bodies up front. I see a comfortable afternoon for West Ham.
Prediction: West Ham 2 Stoke 0
Crystal Palace Vs Sunderland (Sky Sports 1 5.30 ko)
Palace and Sunderland have not made the best of starts to the premiership. Palace under Ian Holloway are already struggling and Ian Holloway has already has his odds slashed to be the first manager sacked in the premiership. It is going to be difficult to get out of the malaise they are already in even if it is two games down. Thankfully they are playing a Sunderland side who are trying to find their feet with all the new players that are in the new squad Palace might be able to sneak three points here.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2 Sunderland 1
Sunday
Liverpool vs. Man. Utd. (Sky Sports 1 1.30 ko)
Big game for both. I do fancy Liverpool in this one. They have made a very good start and I can see them taking advantage of a United side still trying to find their feet under David Moyes. Pressure will be on Moyes more than Rogers and even though Wayne Rooney's performance was a source of relief for Moyes the lack of chances they created against Chelsea would cause alarm bells and I can see Liverpool keeping it tight and catching United on the counter and with Daniel Sturridge on the form that he is in there is no reason why he can't continue his form into this game and get the three points for the Pool.
Prediction: Liverpool 2 Man Utd.1
West Brom Vs. Swansea
West Brom have made an indifferent start to the season and missing the presence of Lukakau has hurt them for sure but with Nicolas Anelka and Matej Vydra available for this game against Swansea they might get their first win of the season. Swansea have struggled so far this season but it has been a difficult start for them but I see West Brom picking up the three points here.
Prediction: West Brom 1 Swansea 0
Arsenal Vs. Spurs (Sky Sports 1 4.00 ko)
Spurs have spent around 100 million as of today. They broke their transfer record for the third time this summer with the signing of Eric Lamela from Roma. It will be too late for him to play in the derby but that and also the impending arrival of Christian Eriksen from Ajax and AVB has built up a formidable squad for the forthcoming campaign which rightly has Arsenal fans worried. Arsenal still need to add but Arsene Wegner's press conference ahead of this game he seemed relaxed and the belief is he will get signatures before the transfer window closes which will strengthen the squad which is needed badly. This game will have loads of goals as usual but I do give Arsenal the edge simply because of the previous two games between these two at the emirates have finished 5-2 to the home side and the crowd will probably carry Arsenal through on this one as well.
Prediction: Arsenal 3 Tottenham 2
Next blog has the review of the weekends action and also a review of the super cup between Bayern Munich and Chelsea which should be a fasinating match between the two best friends of the world Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
Goal of the Week: Daniels Sturridge's effort was probably a better goal for Liverpool against Aston Villa but I love chips over the keeper and Danny's effort for Zenit St. Petersburg against Pacos Ferreira was one of those sweet efforts you can replay again and again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3sC7D4r0S4
Talk next week enjoy the weekend!
Saturday
Man. City Vs Hull (BT Sport 1 12.45 ko)
Hull will be buoyed by their battling win against Norwich and with a lot of the game with ten men but they wont be kidding themselves about how hard a task it will be going to the Eithad even though Man City suffered a shock loss to Cardiff last week. City looked ill at ease without Vincent Kompany and also the continuing poor form of Joe Hart who was to blame for at least two of the goals. City should still have too much for Hull at home and go into the international break in good stead.
Prediction: Man City 3 Hull 1
Cardiff Vs Everton (Setanta Sports 1)
Cardiff had an amazing win over Man City last weekend and they should carry that confidence coming into this weekend against an Everton side who have yet their find their feet under new boss Roberto Martinez and the shadow hanging over the potential departures of Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines. They are playing nice football but have yet to to find their cutt9ng edge and if Cardiff especially at set pieces can replicate their win from last week you could fancy them for the win again this time although I think a draw would be more likely.
Prediction: Cardiff 1 Everton 1
Newcastle Vs Fulham
Newcastle need something good to happen and it could happen here. Doubts still linger about whether Yohan Cabaye is going to be at the club by the end of the transfer window but rumour has it he will be playing this weekend and could be the difference here. Fulham have been branded the laziest team in the league. They were very poor against Arsenal but also in Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Bent they could score a lot of goals as well. Think there could be a load of gals here and maybe a point is the best either can expect.
Prediction: Newcastle 2 Fulham 2
Norwich Vs Southampton.
Could be a really good game this one. Norwich were very poor against Hull last week but at home they will get a load of pints. I like the look of Southampton and it will be interesting to see how Osvaldo fits into the picture. He should have been sent off last week and will need to keep his temper in check but there is no denying his talent. I think Southampton will nick this one but would not be one hundred percent confident on it.
Prediction: Norwich 1 Southampton 2
West Ham Vs Stoke
West Ham look a very good outfit and have made a good start without conceding a goal as well which is a bonus. They wont be easy to beat at home but a lot of what they can achieve this season will be the fitness of Andy Caroll. He provides the focal point of their attack and if he is not there I think in certain games West Ham will struggle to score. It will take time for Stoke to adapt to Mark Hughes style of play and early on I fancy they will not take too many points early on in the season and also need a few more bodies up front. I see a comfortable afternoon for West Ham.
Prediction: West Ham 2 Stoke 0
Crystal Palace Vs Sunderland (Sky Sports 1 5.30 ko)
Palace and Sunderland have not made the best of starts to the premiership. Palace under Ian Holloway are already struggling and Ian Holloway has already has his odds slashed to be the first manager sacked in the premiership. It is going to be difficult to get out of the malaise they are already in even if it is two games down. Thankfully they are playing a Sunderland side who are trying to find their feet with all the new players that are in the new squad Palace might be able to sneak three points here.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2 Sunderland 1
Sunday
Liverpool vs. Man. Utd. (Sky Sports 1 1.30 ko)
Big game for both. I do fancy Liverpool in this one. They have made a very good start and I can see them taking advantage of a United side still trying to find their feet under David Moyes. Pressure will be on Moyes more than Rogers and even though Wayne Rooney's performance was a source of relief for Moyes the lack of chances they created against Chelsea would cause alarm bells and I can see Liverpool keeping it tight and catching United on the counter and with Daniel Sturridge on the form that he is in there is no reason why he can't continue his form into this game and get the three points for the Pool.
Prediction: Liverpool 2 Man Utd.1
West Brom Vs. Swansea
West Brom have made an indifferent start to the season and missing the presence of Lukakau has hurt them for sure but with Nicolas Anelka and Matej Vydra available for this game against Swansea they might get their first win of the season. Swansea have struggled so far this season but it has been a difficult start for them but I see West Brom picking up the three points here.
Prediction: West Brom 1 Swansea 0
Arsenal Vs. Spurs (Sky Sports 1 4.00 ko)
Spurs have spent around 100 million as of today. They broke their transfer record for the third time this summer with the signing of Eric Lamela from Roma. It will be too late for him to play in the derby but that and also the impending arrival of Christian Eriksen from Ajax and AVB has built up a formidable squad for the forthcoming campaign which rightly has Arsenal fans worried. Arsenal still need to add but Arsene Wegner's press conference ahead of this game he seemed relaxed and the belief is he will get signatures before the transfer window closes which will strengthen the squad which is needed badly. This game will have loads of goals as usual but I do give Arsenal the edge simply because of the previous two games between these two at the emirates have finished 5-2 to the home side and the crowd will probably carry Arsenal through on this one as well.
Prediction: Arsenal 3 Tottenham 2
Next blog has the review of the weekends action and also a review of the super cup between Bayern Munich and Chelsea which should be a fasinating match between the two best friends of the world Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
Goal of the Week: Daniels Sturridge's effort was probably a better goal for Liverpool against Aston Villa but I love chips over the keeper and Danny's effort for Zenit St. Petersburg against Pacos Ferreira was one of those sweet efforts you can replay again and again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3sC7D4r0S4
Talk next week enjoy the weekend!
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