United 0 Bournemouth 3

For those of a Red Devils persuasion, the galling aspect of this defeat wasn’t so much the ineptitude of the home side, but simply the fact that nobody was really surprised that an excellent Bournemouth side on the up could and ultimately would win at Old Trafford. United’s midfield dysfunction and lack of defensive organization is so obvious, that Andani Iraola’s well-coached Cherries looked a cut above tactically and comfortable in every other facet from kickoff to the final whistle. A 5-0 scoreline wouldn’t have flattered the visitors. And that’s the not the first time someone has said that about an away side playing United this season. How Erik ten Hag fixes this is beyond me. A possibly season-defining double-header against Bayern and Liverpool up next is hardly going to fill the United faithful’s heart with any sense of hope. As for Iraola, he’s only the latest Basque coach to pitch up and show his quality in the Premier League as he gradually leads a classy in-form Bournemouth side up the table.

Palace 1 Liverpool 2

Jurgen Klopp pulled no punches in his post-comments when he said his team were really bad for 76 minutes and then were really good once they had a man advantage. Not for the first time this season on the road, Liverpool lacked control in midfield, causing issues not only when it came to their defensive organization, but also in terms of having any fluency with the ball, lacking clearly defined patterns when it came to attacking Palace. Jordan Ayew’s extremely harsh second yellow provided a timely boost as the Reds naturally found more spaces to run into, delivering yet another comeback win to take them top of the table. Klopp also rightly stated that Liverpool’s substitutes have been the story of the season. While their squad may not offer much in terms of tactical variance, the fact that guys like Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo can come on fresh in the second half of matches means the Reds are always capable of breaching tired defences provided they stay alive in a game. They may not pass the eye test, but momentum for an unexpected title tilt increases as Liverpool now have the opportunity to lay down the gauntlet with back-to-back home games against Manchester United and Arsenal up next.

Premier League Picks Final Tally

Final Round — 7/10

Season — 191/380 (50.26 %)

Premier League Picks Matchday 38

Palace vs United — Draw

Arsenal vs Everton — Draw

Chelsea vs Watford — Home

Leicester vs Southampton — Home

Brentford vs Leeds — Away

Burnley vs Newcastle — Draw

City vs Villa — Home

Norwich vs Spurs — Away

Brighton vs West Ham — Home

Liverpool vs Wolves — Home

Last round — 0/3

Season — 184/370

Premier League Rescheduled Picks

Villa vs Burnley — Home

Chelsea vs Leicester — Home

Everton vs Palace — Draw

Last round — 2/9

Season — 184/367

Premier League Picks Matchday 37

Spurs vs Burnley — Home

Wolves vs Norwich — Home

West Ham vs City — Away

Watford vs Leicester — Home

Leeds vs Brighton — Home

Villa vs Palace — Home

Everton vs Brentford — Draw

Newcastle vs Arsenal — Draw

Southampton vs Liverpool — Away

Last round — 4/6

Season — 182/358

Premier League Rescheduled Picks

Villa vs Liverpool — Away

Leicester vs Norwich — Home

Watford vs Everton — Home

Leeds vs Chelsea — Home

Wolves vs City — Away

Spurs vs Arsenal — Home

Last round — 5/10

Season — 178/352

Premier League Picks Matchday 36

Brentford vs Southampton — Home

Burnley vs Villa — Draw

Chelsea vs Wolves — Home

Palace vs Watford — Home

Brighton vs United — Home

Liverpool vs Spurs — Home

Norwich vs West Ham — Home

Leicester vs Everton — Away

Arsenal vs Leeds — Away

City vs Newcastle — Home

Last round — 5/10

Season — 173/342

Premier League Picks Matchday 35

Newcastle vs Liverpool — Draw

Watford vs Burnley — Away

Southampton vs Palace — Home

Villa vs Norwich — Home

Wolves vs Brighton — Draw

Leeds vs City — Away

Spurs vs Leicester — Home

Everton vs Chelsea — Away

West Ham vs Arsenal — Away

United vs Brentford — Draw

Last round — 0/1

Season — 168/332

Premier League Rescheduled Pick

United vs Chelsea — Away

Last round — 7/10

Season — 168/331

Premier League Picks Matchday 34

Arsenal vs United — Home

Leicester vs Villa — Home

City vs Watford — Home

Norwich vs Newcastle — Draw

Brentford vs Spurs — Draw

Burnley vs Wolves — Home

Chelsea vs West Ham — Home

Brighton vs Southampton — Away

Liverpool vs Everton — Home

Palace vs Leeds — Draw

Last round — 4/6

Season — 161/321

Premier League Rescheduled Picks

Liverpool vs United — Home

Everton vs Leicester — Draw

Chelsea vs Arsenal — Home

Newcastle vs Palace — Home

City vs Brighton — Home

Burnley vs Southampton — Draw

Last round — 2/6

Season — 157/315

Premier League Picks Matchday 33

Spurs vs Brighton — Home

United vs Norwich — Away

Watford vs Brentford — Away

Southampton vs Arsenal — Draw

Newcastle vs Leicester — Home

West Ham vs Burnley — Home

Last round — 6/10

Season — 155/309

Premier League Picks Matchday 32

Newcastle vs Wolves — Draw

Everton vs United — Home

Watford vs Leeds — Away

Southampton vs Chelsea — Draw

Arsenal vs Brighton — Home

Villa vs Spurs — Away

Leicester vs Palace — Home

Norwich vs Burnley — Home

Brentford vs West Ham — Home

City vs Liverpool — Home

Last round — 1/1

Season — 149/299

Premier League Rescheduled Pick

Burnley vs Everton — Home

Last round — 4/10

Season — 148/298

Premier League Picks Matchday 31

Liverpool vs Watford – Home

Brighton vs Norwich – Home

Burnley vs City – Away

Chelsea vs Brentford – Home

Leeds vs Southampton – Home

Wolves vs Villa – Draw

United vs Leicester – Away

West Ham vs Everton – Home

Spurs vs Newcastle – Home

Palace vs Arsenal – Draw

Last round – 4/4

Season – 144/288

Premier League Picks Matchday 30

Wolves vs Leeds — Away

Villa vs Arsenal — Away

Leicester vs Brentford — Home

Spurs vs West Ham — Home

Last round — 1/3

Season — 140/284

Premier League Rescheduled Picks

Brighton vs Spurs — Away

Arsenal vs Liverpool — Draw

Everton vs Newcastle — Away

Last round — 5/10

Season — 139/281

Premier League Picks Matchday 29

Brighton vs Liverpool — Away

Brentford vs Burnley — Home

United vs Spurs — Away

Chelsea vs Newcastle — Draw

Leeds vs Norwich — Home

Everton vs Wolves — Away

West Ham vs Villa — Draw

Southampton vs Watford — Home

Arsenal vs Leicester — Home

Palace vs City — Away

Last round — 1/4

Season — 134/271

Premier League Rescheduled Picks

Wolves vs Watford — Draw

Leeds vs Villa — Home

Southampton vs Newcastle — Draw

Norwich vs Chelsea — Away

Last round — 8/10

Season — 133/267

Premier League Picks Matchday 28

Leicester vs Leeds — Draw

Burnley vs Chelsea — Away

Villa vs Southampton — Away

Norwich vs Brentford — Away

Newcastle vs Brighton — Home

Wolves vs Palace — Away

Liverpool vs West Ham — Home

Watford vs Arsenal — Away

City vs United — Home

Spurs vs Everton — Home

Last round — 0/1

Season — 125/257

Premier League Rescheduled Pick

Burnley vs Leicester — Home

Last round — 5/8

Season — 125/256

Premier League Picks Matchday 27

Southampton vs Norwich – Home

Leeds vs Spurs – Away

Brentford vs Newcastle – Home

Palace vs Burnley – Draw

Brighton vs Villa – Home

United vs Watford – Draw

Everton vs City – Away

West Ham vs Wolves – Draw

Last round – 2/4

Season – 120/248

Premier League Rescheduled Picks

Burnley vs Spurs — Draw

Watford vs Palace — Home

Liverpool vs Leeds — Home

Arsenal vs Wolves — Home

Last round — 4/10

Season — 118/244

Premier League Picks Matchday 26

West Ham vs Newcastle — Home

Arsenal vs Brentford — Home

Brighton vs Burnley — Home

Liverpool vs Norwich — Home

Southampton vs Everton — Draw

Villa vs Watford — Draw

Palace vs Chelsea — Draw

City vs Spurs — Home

Leeds vs United — Away

Wolves vs Leicester — Home

Last round — 0/1

Season — 114/234

Premier League Rescheduled Pick

United vs Brighton — Draw

Last round — 5/9

Season — 114/233

Premier League Picks Matchday 25

United vs Southampton — Draw

Watford vs Brighton — Draw

Brentford vs Palace — Draw

Everton vs Leeds — Draw

Norwich vs City — Away

Spurs vs Wolves — Home

Newcastle vs Villa — Draw

Burnley vs Liverpool — Away

Leicester vs West Ham — Draw

Last round — 3/9

Season — 109/224

Premier League Picks Matchday 24

Newcastle vs Everton — Draw

West Ham vs Watford — Away

Burnley vs United — Draw

Norwich vs Palace — Home

Spurs vs Southampton — Home

City vs Brentford — Home

Villa vs Leeds — Home

Liverpool vs Leicester — Home

Wolves vs Arsenal — Draw

Last round — 1/1

Season — 106/215

Premier League Rescheduled Pick

Burnley vs Watford — Draw

Last round — 2/10

Season — 105/214

Premier League Picks Matchday 23

Watford vs Norwich — Home

Everton vs Villa — Home

Brentford vs Wolves — Away

Leeds vs Newcastle — Home

United vs West Ham — Draw

Southampton vs City — Away

Palace vs  Liverpool — Draw

Arsenal vs Burnley — Home

Leicester vs Brighton — Draw

Chelsea vs Spurs — Draw

Last round — 1/3

Season — 103/204

Premier League Picks Rescheduled Games

Brighton vs Chelsea — Draw

Leicester vs Spurs — Draw

Brentford vs United — Home

Last round — 1/8

Season — 102/201

Premier League Picks Matchday 22

Brighton vs Palace — Home

City vs Chelsea — Draw

Norwich vs Everton — Away

Wolves vs Southampton — Draw

Newcastle vs Watford — Home

Villa vs United — Home

West Ham vs Leeds — Draw

Liverpool vs Brentford — Home

Spurs vs Arsenal — Home

Last round — 1/2

Season — 101/193

Premier League Picks Matchday 18B

Southampton vs Brentford — Draw

West Ham vs Norwich — Home

Last round — 5/8

Season — 100/191

Premier League Picks Matchday 21

Arsenal vs City — Away

Watford vs Spurs — Away

Palace vs West Ham — Draw

Brentford vs Villa — Draw

Southampton vs Newcastle — Home

Leeds vs Burnley — Home

Everton vs Brighton — Away

Chelsea vs Liverpool — Draw

United vs Wolves — Draw

Last round — 3/7

Season — 95/183

Premier League Picks Matchday 20

Southampton vs Spurs — Away

Watford vs West Ham — Home

Palace vs Norwich — Home

Leicester vs Liverpool — Away

Chelsea vs Brighton — Home

Brentford vs City — Away

Everton vs Newcastle — Home

United vs Burnley — Home

Last round — 5/7

Season — 92/176

Premier League Picks Matchday 19

West Ham vs Southampton — Home

Spurs vs Palace — Home

Norwich vs Arsenal — Away

City vs Leicester — Home

Villa vs Chelsea — Away

Brighton vs Brentford — Draw

Newcastle vs United — Draw

Last round — 3/4

Season — 87/169

Premier League Picks Matchday 18

Villa vs Burnley — Home

Leeds vs Arsenal — Draw

Newcastle vs City — Away

Wolves vs Chelsea — Draw

Spurs vs Liverpool — Draw

Last round — 5/7

Season — 84/165

Premier League Picks Matchday 17

Norwich vs Villa — Away

City vs Leeds — Home

Brighton vs Wolves — Draw

Palace vs Southampton — Draw

Burnley vs Watford — Home

Arsenal vs West Ham — Home

Leicester vs Spurs — Away

Chelsea vs Everton — Home

Liverpool vs Newcastle — Home

Last round — 6/9

Season — 79/158

Premier League Picks Matchday 16

Brentford vs Watford — Home

City vs Wolves — Home

Chelsea vs Leeds — Home

Liverpool vs Villa — Home

Arsenal vs Southampton — Away

Norwich vs United — Away

Burnley vs West Ham — Draw

Leicester vs Newcastle — Away

Palace vs Everton — Away

Last week — 7/10

Season — 73/149

Premier League Picks Matchday 15

West Ham vs Chelsea — Draw

Newcastle vs Burnley — Home

Wolves vs Liverpool — Away

Southampton vs Brighton — Draw

Watford vs City — Away

Leeds vs Brentford — Home

United vs Palace — Home

Spurs vs Norwich — Home

Villa vs Leicester — Home

Everton vs Arsenal — Draw

Last round — 7/10

Season — 66/139

Premier League Picks Matchday 14

Newcastle vs Norwich — Draw

Leeds vs Palace — Home

Southampton vs Leicester — Home

Wolves vs Burnley — Home

Watford vs Chelsea — Away

West Ham vs Brighton — Draw

Everton vs Liverpool — Away

Villa vs City — Away

Spurs vs Brentford — Home

United vs Arsenal — Draw

Last round — 5/9

Season — 59/129

Premier League Picks Matchday 13

Arsenal vs Newcastle — Home

Liverpool vs Southampton — Home

Norwich vs Wolves — Draw

Palace vs Villa — Draw

Brighton vs Leeds — Away

Brentford vs Everton — Home

City vs West Ham — Home

Leicester vs Watford — Draw

Burnley vs Spurs — Away

Chelsea vs United — Home

Last week — 6/10

Season — 54/120

Premier League Picks Matchday 12

Leicester vs Chelsea — Away

Newcastle vs Brentford — Home

Burnley vs Palace — Draw

Villa vs Brighton — Draw

Watford vs United — Draw

Wolves vs West Ham — Home

Norwich vs Southampton — Draw

Liverpool vs Arsenal — Home

City vs Everton — Home

Spurs vs Leeds — Home

Last round — 3/10

Season — 48/110

Premier League Picks Matchday 11

Southampton vs Villa — Home

United vs City — Away

Chelsea vs Burnley — Home

Palace vs Wolves — Draw

Brentford vs Norwich — Home

Brighton vs Newcastle — Home

Everton vs Spurs — Away

Leeds vs Leicester — Home

Arsenal vs Watford — Home

West Ham vs Liverpool — Away

Last week — 2/10

Season — 45/100

Premier League Picks Matchday 10

Leicester vs Arsenal — Home

Watford vs Southampton — Draw

Liverpool vs Brighton — Home

Newcastle vs Chelsea — Away

City vs Palace — Home

Burnley vs Brentford — Draw

Spurs vs United — Home

Norwich vs Leeds — Draw

Villa vs West Ham — Home

Wolves vs Everton — Home

Last week — 5/10

Season — 43/90

Premier League Picks Matchday 9

Arsenal vs Villa — Away

Chelsea vs Norwich — Home

Palace vs Newcastle — Home

Leeds vs Wolves — Draw

Everton vs Watford — Home

Southampton vs Burnley — Home

Brighton vs City — Away

West Ham vs Spurs — Home

Brentford vs Leicester — Draw

United vs Liverpool — Away

Last week — 5/10

Season — 38/80

Premier League Picks Matchday 8

Watford vs Liverpool — Away

Southampton vs Leeds — Home

Norwich vs Brighton — Home

Villa vs Wolves — Draw

Leicester vs United — Home

City vs Burnley — Home

Brentford vs Chelsea — Away

Everton vs West Ham — Draw

Newcastle vs Spurs — Draw

Arsenal vs Palace — Home

Last round — 4/10

Season — 33/70

Wolves till the next break

Villa (A) Leeds (A) Everton (H) Palace (A)

No easy games here, but signs of a blossoming partnership between Hwang and Jimenez suggest Wolves might get the wins in this run that their general level of play has deserved.

West Ham till the next break

Everton (A) Spurs (H) Villa (A) Liverpool (H)

A very tough set of fixtures but the Hammers have looked good throughout the campaign and whichever way the results go, it's bound to be marginal.

Watford till the next break

Liverpool (H) Everton (A) Southampton (H) Arsenal (A)

Not an easy start for Claudio Ranieri by any stretch, but a combination of the new manager bounce and pace on the break could see the Hornets causing an upset or two.

Spurs till the next break

Newcastle (A) West Ham (A) United (H) Everton (A)

A terrible run of games that may quickly decide the extent of Spurs ambitions for the remainder of the season.

Southampton till the next break

Leeds (H) Burnley (H) Watford (A) Villa (H)

Three winnable home games that should tell us if Saints are going to pull clear or actually be involved in a long relegation battle this season.

Norwich till the next break

Brighton (H) Chelsea (A) Leeds (H) Brentford (A)

Can’t help but feel the Canaries are already doomed, but I think they are going to get their first win in either one of the two home games.

Newcastle till the next break

Spurs (H) Palace (A) Chelsea (H) Brighton (A)

The euphoria is understandable but money can’t be spent till January which means Newcastle absolutely have to get their first win of the campaign amongst these four difficult games.

United till the next break

Leicester (A) Liverpool (H) Spurs (A) City (H)

Recent evidence would suggest this is a nightmare run for the Red Devils as they struggle to establish a tactical identity, but it also wouldn’t surprise if United play up to the big teams as they often have done during Ole’s reign in the dugout.

City till the next break

Burnley (H) Brighton (A) Palace (H) United (A)

After two of the finest away performances at Stamford Bridge and Anfield, one would have to back Pep’s men to take nine points in their next three games before another away test at Old Trafford.

Liverpool till the next break

Watford (A) United (A) Brighton (H) West Ham (A)

A schedule that will certainly test the Reds' unbeaten start to the campaign, but Klopp is yet to lose to Ole or Moyes in the league leading me to believe Liverpool will still be in touch at the top after these games.

Leicester till the next break

United (H) Brentford (A) Arsenal (H) Leeds (A)

If they feel sorry for themselves in the midst of another injury crisis they could lose all four games, but surely it’s time for the Foxes to buckle up use the visits of United and Arsenal to remind them that they are a squad worthy of the European places.

Leeds till the next break

Southampton (A) Wolves (H) Norwich (A) Leicester (H)

The unpredictable side that they are, it wouldn’t surprise me if Leeds lose to Norwich, but still manage to get two wins from this run.

Everton till the next break

West Ham (H) Watford (H) Wolves (A) Spurs (H)

Much will depend on the return from injury of some key players against some difficult opposition, but with three games at a Goodison Park that increasingly believes in Benitez, Everton may just stay in the European places for a while.

Palace till the next break

Arsenal (A) Newcastle (H) City (A) Wolves (H)

Hard to see Vieira’s men get anything in North London or Manchester, but even one home win should keep them in lower middle table and maintain steady progress as the Eagles continue to evolve.

Chelsea till the next break

Brentford (A) Norwich (H) Newcastle (A) Burnley (H)

The first game makes for a tricky visit, but considering some of their title rivals are up against each other this run of fixtures is the perfect opportunity for the Blues to possibly pull clear at the top.

Burnley till the next break

City (A) Southampton (A) Brentford (H) Chelsea (A)

A really difficult run coming up and if Sean Dyche doesn’t want his team to be cut adrift, the Clarets have to do their best to get four points from the middle two fixtures.

Brighton till the next break

Norwich (A) City (H) Liverpool (A) Newcastle (H)

While I think Graham Potter’s men are more than capable of holding their own against big teams, this still represents a difficult stretch for the Seagulls and I would be surprised if they were still in top eight at the November international break.

Brentford till the next break

Chelsea (H) Leicester (H) Burnley (A) Norwich (H)

A run of fixtures that should maintain the Bees’ phenomenal start to life in the Premier League and if recent home games against the big guns are anything to go by, they will give Chelsea more than a decent fight.

Villa till the next break

Wolves (H) Arsenal (A) West Ham (H) Southampton (A)

Not a single straightforward game for the Villains, but I’d expect them to win at least one of these fixtures, if not two.

Arsenal till the next break

Palace (H) Villa (H) Leicester (A) Watford (H)

None of these games seem straightforward given Arsenal’s current standing, but to even aspire to something better, surely Arteta’s men have to aim for nine points from the three home games. 

Premier League Picks Matchday 7

United vs Everton — Away

Chelsea vs Southampton — Draw

Wolves vs Newcastle — Home

Burnley vs Norwich — Draw

Leeds vs Watford — Home

Brighton vs Arsenal — Away

Spurs vs Villa — Away

West Ham vs Brentford — Home

Palace vs Leicester — Draw

Liverpool vs City — Home

Last week — 5/10

Season — 29/60

Premier League Picks Matchday 6

Chelsea vs City — Home

United vs Villa — Away

Leicester vs Burnley — Home

Everton vs Norwich — Home

Leeds vs West Ham — Home

Watford vs Newcastle — Draw

Brentford vs Liverpool — Away

Southampton vs Wolves — Draw

Arsenal vs Spurs — Home

Palace vs Brighton — Draw

Last week — 4/10

Season — 24/50

Premier League Picks Matchday 5

Newcastle vs Leeds — Away

Wolves vs Brentford — Home

Norwich vs Watford — Home

Burnley vs Arsenal — Away

City vs Southampton — Home

Liverpool vs Palace — Home

Villa vs Everton — Draw

Brighton vs Leicester — Home

West Ham vs United — Draw

Spurs vs Chelsea — Away

Last week — 6/10

Season — 20/40

Premier League Picks Matchday 4

Palace vs Spurs — Draw

Watford vs Wolves — Draw

Brentford vs Brighton — Home

Arsenal vs Norwich — Home

United vs Newcastle — Home

Southampton vs West Ham — Draw

Leicester vs City — Away

Chelsea vs Villa — Home

Leeds vs Liverpool — Draw

Everton vs Burnley — Home

Last round — 5/10

Season — 14/30

Premier League Picks Matchday 3

City vs Arsenal — Home

Newcastle vs Southampton — Draw

Brighton vs Everton — Draw

West Ham vs Palace — Home

Norwich vs Leicester — Home

Villa vs Brentford — Draw

Liverpool vs Chelsea — Draw

Burnley vs Leeds — Away

Spurs vs Watford — Home

Wolves vs United — Home

Last week — 5/10

Season — 9/20

Premier League Picks Matchday 2

Liverpool vs Burnley — Home

Villa vs Newcastle — Home

Palace vs Brentford — Away

Leeds vs Everton — Home

City vs Norwich — Home

Brighton vs Watford — Home

Southampton vs United — Away

Wolves vs Spurs — Home

Arsenal vs Chelsea — Home

West Ham vs Leicester — Home

Last week — 4/10

Premier League Picks Matchday 1

Brentford vs Arsenal — Home

United vs Leeds — Draw

Leicester vs Wolves — Away

Chelsea vs Palace — Home

Watford vs Villa — Home

Everton vs Saints — Draw

Burnley vs Brighton — Draw

Norwich vs Liverpool — Draw

Newcastle vs West Ham — Away

Spurs vs City — Draw

City 4 Wolves 1

There may be some who didn’t watch the game in its entirety and summize that 4-1 seems like a harsh scoreline, considering it was 1-1 until the 80th minute. However, on this occasion the scoreline befit the nature of the game, because other than the 10 minutes after Wolves equalized with their first shot on target, this was truly a shellacking from City. In one of the best displays on the wing this season, Riyad Mahrez gave Ki-Jana Hoever a twisted nose and then some.

It just seems like every City player is having their moment this season. We tend to frame team spirit easily within a narrative of fighting against adversity, all too often neglecting the fact that high quality players inspiring each other to shine is just as potent an element in bringing players together.

This Football Weekend Jan 30-31

As usual, some key games all across Europe this weekend.

Saturday

Union vs Gladbach — 8th vs 5th, only 3 points separate the sides

West Brom vs Fulham — Relegation battle, both need the win

Arsenal vs United — Classic rivalry between sides in good form

Leipzig vs Leverkusen — 2nd vs 3rd with other sides catching up

Villarreal vs La Real — 5th vs 6th in battle for Europe

Marseille vs Rennes — 6th vs 5th in battle for Europe

Sunday

Atalanta vs Lazio — Increasingly heated rivalry

West Ham vs Liverpool — 5th vs 4th in enticing contest

Barca vs Athletic — Rematch of crazy Supercopa final two weeks ago

Premier League Picks Matchday 21

Everton vs Newcastle — Home win

Palace vs Wolves — Draw

City vs Sheffield Utd — Home win

West Brom vs Fulham — Draw

Arsenal vs United — Home win

Southampton vs Villa — Home win

Chelsea vs Burnley — Draw

Leicester vs Leeds — Home win

West Ham vs Liverpool — Away win

Brighton vs Spurs — Draw

Matchday 20 Picks — 4/10

Season so far — 58/134

This Football Midweek Jan 26-28

Another tantalizing set of fixtures in the Premier League as well as some great cup encounters in Spain and Italy this midweek.

Tuesday

Inter vs Milan — Big Coppa Italia quarterfinal

Betis vs La Real — Copa rematch of their brilliant weekend game

Southampton — League rematch of their not so brilliant cup game

Wednesday

Atalanta vs Lazio — Rematch of the 2019 Coppa final

Chelsea vs Wolves — First game post-Lampard for the Blues

Sevilla vs Valencia — Biggest Copa game of the round

Brighton vs Fulham — Huge relegation game 

Everton vs Leicester — Both clubs can dream this season

Thursday

Spurs vs Liverpool — Jose vs Klopp with stakes higher than December

Premier League Picks Matchday 20

Newcastle vs Leeds — Away win

Palace vs West Ham — Away win

Southampton vs Arsenal — Away win

West Brom vs City — Away win

Chelsea vs Wolves — Home win

Burnley vs Villa — Draw

Brighton vs Fulham — Home win

United vs Sheffield Utd — Home win

Everton vs Leicester — Home win

Spurs vs Liverpool — Draw

Matchday 18B Picks — 2/4

Season so far — 54/124

This Football Midweek Jan 19-20

We are pretty much at the halfway stage now all across Europe and there are some crucial midweek games in terms of jostling for position in England, Spain and Germany.

Tuesday

Leverkusen vs Dortmund — Rivals, 3rd vs 4th and Bosz history

Leicester vs Chelsea — Battle for champions league qualification

Wednesday

City vs Villa — Possibly a good game, but what state are the visitors in?

Freiburg vs Eintracht — Give me some more Luka Jovic please

Leipzig vs Union — 2nd vs 5th in this intriguing East German battle

Villarreal vs Granada — Europa League teams in 4th & 7th

Premier League Picks Matchday 18B

West Ham vs West Brom — Away win

Leicester vs Chelsea — Home win

Fulham vs United — Away win

Liverpool vs Burnley — Home win

Matchday 19 Picks — 4/9

Season so far — 52/120

This Football Weekend Jan 15-17

While La Liga is on pause for the Supercopa Espana final, the other leagues continue their programs this weekend, with some genuine crackers in store.

Friday

Union vs Leverkusen — 5th hosts 3rd

Lazio vs Roma — Rome Derby featuring both sides in decent form

Saturday

Wolves vs West Brom — Black Country Derby

Wolfsburg vs Leipzig — 6th hosts 2nd

Leicester vs Southampton — Only three points separate the two

Sunday

Liverpool vs United — England’s biggest game is a genuine title clash

Inter vs Juve — Italy’s biggest game is a genuine title clash

Premier League Picks Matchday 19

Wolves vs West Brom — Away win

West Ham vs Burnley — Draw

Leeds vs Brighton — Home win

Fulham vs Chelsea — Home win

Leicester vs Southampton — Home win

Sheffield Utd vs Spurs — Home win

Liverpool vs United — Home win

City vs Palace — Home win

Arsenal vs Newcastle — Home win

Matchday 18A Picks — 3/5

Season so far — 48/121

Premier League Picks Matchday 18A

Sheffield Utd vs Newcastle — Home win

Wolves vs Everton — Away win

Spurs vs Fulham — Home win

City vs Brighton — Home win

Arsenal vs Palace — Home win

Matchday 17 Picks — 4/9

Season so far — 45/116

This Football Weekend Jan 1-4

The new year gets underway with football’s continuous story being told as Serie A and the Bundesliga come back from their “breaks”.

Friday

United vs Villa — 2 of the most in-form teams in the league

Saturday

Spurs vs Leeds — Mourinho vs Bielsa

Betis vs Sevilla — Seville derby

Hertha vs Schalke — Big pressure on the big strugglers

Real vs Celta — Stuttering champs against the most in-form team in Spain

Sunday

Atalanta vs Sassuolo — 2 inspiring unconventional overperformers

Chelsea vs City — Big stakes in a big 6 clash

Monday

Southampton vs Liverpool — Two clubs linked to each other, rather stifled

Premier League Picks Matchday 17

Everton vs West Ham — Home win

United vs Villa — Draw

Spurs vs Leeds — Home win

Palace vs Sheffield Utd — Home win

Brighton vs Wolves — Home win

West Brom vs Arsenal — Away win

Burnley vs Fulham — Draw

Newcastle vs Leicester — Away win

Chelsea vs City — Draw

Southampton vs Liverpool — Away win

Last round’s score — 3/8

Season so far — 41/107

This Football Midweek Dec 28-31

More holiday football to look to forward to this week, with some La Liga to go along with EPL.

Chelsea vs Villa — On the same points, but the visitors with two games in hand

Everton vs City — Carlo vs Pep, unexpected defensive resurgence for both

Sevilla vs Villarreal — Emery history and rivals for 4th

United vs Wolves — Red Devils haven’t won a PL game against Nuno

Athletic vs La Real — The biggest Basque derby

Premier League Picks Matchday 16

Palace vs Leicester — Away win

Chelsea vs Villa — Draw

Everton vs City — Draw

Brighton vs Arsenal — Away win

Southampton vs West Ham — Home win

West Brom vs Leeds — Home win

Burnley vs Sheffield Utd — Home win

United vs Wolves — Away win

Spurs vs Fulham — Home win

Newcastle vs Liverpool — Away win

Last round’s score — 7/10

Season so far — 38/99

This Football Weekend Dec 26-27

It’s only the Premier League this weekend as they begin their traditional festive programme. These are the games that are interesting this weekend.

Leicester vs United — 2nd vs 3rd

Villa vs Palace — Grealish, Zaha, Eze

Arsenal vs Chelsea — London derby, Arteta vs Lamps after FA Cup final

Liverpool vs West Brom — Supposedly tricky because Allardyce won at Anfield in 2017

Wolves vs Spurs — Nuno vs Jose in a fixture that has delivered in the last two years

Premier League Picks Matchday 15

Leicester vs United — Draw

Fulham vs Southampton — Away win

Villa vs Palace — Away win

Arsenal vs Chelsea — Home win

City vs Newcastle — Home win

Sheffield Utd vs Everton — Away win

Leeds vs Burnley — Home win

West Ham vs Brighton — Draw

Liverpool vs West Brom — Home win

Wolves vs Spurs — Draw

Last week’s score — 2/10

Season so far — 31/89

This Football Weekend Dec 18-21

Here comes another interested weekend of football in the top 5 leagues.

Friday

Union vs Dortmund — Doesn’t get easier for Terzic’s Dortmund at Kopenick.

Saturday

Southampton vs City — Ralph vs Pep with the Austrian higher than the Catalonian.

Barca vs Valencia — Struggling big clubs relying on youth for optimism.

Everton vs Arsenal — Carlo and Mikel meet one year from their appointments.

Leverkusen vs Bayern — Top two clash, with attacks in supreme form.

Sunday

Sassuolo vs Milan — Tough test for the leaders at 6th place hosts.

Spurs vs Leicester — 2nd vs 4th, Jose vs Rodgers, several players in good form.

United vs Leeds — We’ve waited a long time for this historic rivalry.

Atalanta vs Roma — Key game in battle for top 4 spots.

West Brom vs Villa — Big Sam’s return in a derby.

Lazio vs Napoli — Another big game in battle for top 4 spots.

Lille vs PSG — Top two clash with Lille looking the real deal.

Monday

Chelsea vs West Ham — London derby with sides only separated by 1 point.

Premier League Picks Matchday 14

Palace vs Liverpool — Away win

Southampton vs City — Away win

Everton vs Arsenal — Draw

Newcastle vs Fulham — Away win

Brighton vs Sheffield Utd — Home win

Spurs vs Leicester — Home win

United vs Leeds — Away win

West Brom vs Villa — Home win

Burnley vs Wolves — Draw

Chelsea vs West Ham — Draw

Last round’s score — 3/10

Season so far — 29/79

This Football Midweek Dec 15-16

End of continental competition so time for some midweek rest, right? Wrong says the football calendar! On and on the relentless machine goes. Here’s what I am looking forward to this midweek.

Tuesday

Wolves vs Chelsea — Nuno needs some answers and Lampard does too. 

Stuttgart vs Union — Battle of the thoroughly surprising and entertaining overachievers.

Werder vs Dortmund — First BVB game post-Favre, at a venue they are hit and miss at best.

Real vs Athletic — Will Zidane’s men revert to type after winning three big games?

Wednesday

Juve vs Atalanta — Has been a great game for three seasons now. But what about Papu?

Arsenal vs Southampton — One squad is clearly better, One manager is clearly better. Who will prevail?

Leicester vs Everton — Rodgers vs Ancelotti, with both sides getting their groove back.

Bayern vs Wolfsburg — Tired champions welcome undefeated resolute visitors.

Hoffenheim vs Leipzig — Nagelsmann derby between Germany’s two most hated clubs.

Fulham vs Brighton — Relegation battle with the host playing better football than the visitors.

Liverpool vs Spurs — Top 2, Klopp vs Jose, Kane, Son, Salah and uhm… Curtis Jones.

Barca vs La Real — Sociedad somehow still top La Liga, can they prove it at a weak Barca?

Rennes vs Marseille — Champions League busts with a chance to state domestic intent.

Premier League Picks Matchday 13

Wolves 1 Chelsea 1

City 3 West Brom 0

Arsenal 1 Southampton 2

Leicester 1 Everton 1

Leeds 2 Newcastle 0

Fulham 2 Brighton 1

Liverpool 1 Spurs 1

West Ham 1 Palace 2

Villa 0 Burnley 0

Sheffield Utd 1 United 2

Last round’s score — 3/10

Season so far — 26/69

Premier League Grades Matchday 12

Leeds — D

West Ham — A

Wolves – D

Villa — B

Newcastle — A

West Brom — E

United — C

City — B

Everton — A

Chelsea — C

Southampton — A

Sheffield Utd — F

Palace — B

Spurs — B

Fulham — A

Liverpool — C

Leicester — A

Brighton — F

Arsenal — F

Burnley — A

This Football Weekend Dec 12-13

All international action is over after the group stages of the Champions League and Europa League came to a close this week. The next two and a half months promise non-stop domestic football leaving lazy pundits confused about to who to blame for the schedule when they can’t put it all on something beyond their borders. Right then, let’s get on with. A few real doozies this weekend.

Saturday

Marseille vs Monaco — South coast rivals, both in contention, both playing well.

United vs City — Manchester derby with both needing to answer some questions in this one.

Everton vs Chelsea — Ancelotti against his former team with serious questions being asked.

Real vs Atletico — Madrid derby with both in good spirits and game faces firmly on.

Lens vs Montpellier — France’s surprise top half entertainers take on each other.

Sunday

Betis vs Villarreal — Pellegrini against his former team and Pellegrini vs Emery.

Leverkusen vs Hoffenheim — Germany’s Europa League high-scorers face off.

PSG vs Lyon — Always a big game and it this moment at least, a title bout.

Premier League Picks Matchday 12

Leeds 2 West Ham 1

Wolves 1 Villa 0

Newcastle 0 West Brom 0

United 1 City 1

Everton 2 Chelsea 1

Southampton 2 Sheffield Utd 0

Palace 0 Spurs 2

Fulham 0 Liverpool 2

Leicester 1 Brighton 1

Arsenal 2 Burnley 0

Last week’s score — 2/9

Season so far — 23/59

This Football Weekend Dec 4-6

Big games and derbies all over the continent to look forward to.

Friday

Hertha vs Union — Berlin derby with both teams playing adventurous football.

Saturday

Sevilla vs Real — Title implications, pressure on both after European humiliation and Lopetegui’s history.

Juve vs Torino — Turin derby where both teams really need to win.

West Ham vs United — Moyes’ history and the fact United have lost a lot at West Ham recently.

Bayern vs Leipzig — Top of the table clash though both teams are increasingly weary.

Chelsea vs Leeds — Lampard vs Bielsa and everything that entails.

Montpellier vs PSG — It might not last, but right now the 2012 champions are just two points behind PSG.

Sunday

Lille vs Monaco — Both are just two points behind PSG with the highest goals scored after the champions.

Roma vs Sassuolo — Until last weekend both were undefeated on the pitch.

Spurs vs Arsenal — North London derby where Mourinho welcomes Arsenal playing Jose football.

Liverpool vs Wolves — Always feisty this one and the kind of game Nuno is always up for.

Premier League Picks Matchday 11

Burnley 1 Everton 2

City 3 Fulham 1

West Ham 1 United  1

Chelsea 1 Leeds 2

West Brom 1 Palace 1

Sheffield Utd 2 Leicester 1

Spurs 1 Arsenal 1

Liverpool 2 Wolves 0

Brighton 2 Southampton 1

Last week’s score — 5/10

Season so far — 21/50

This Football Weekend Nov 28-29

Let’s get right into another exciting weekend of continental football.

Saturday

Sassuolo vs Inter — 2nd, unbeaten, playing great football welcome disheveled Inter in 5th.

Valencia vs Atletico — Classic rivalry played between two currently highly motivated teams.

Gladbach vs Schalke — Last time Schalke won 24 games ago was against Gladbach.

Sunday

Southampton vs United — Tricky visit for Ole’s men at high flying Saints.

Chelsea vs Spurs — Lamps vs Jose, two in-form teams and phenomenal talent in a title battle.

Arsenal vs Wolves — Battle of the risk-averse teams who should be doing better.

Napoli vs Roma — Both have established their title credentials, with the visitors in sublime form.

La Real vs Villarreal — 1st vs 3rd, rare chance for both to at least finish in the top four.

St Etienne vs Lille — Claude Puel past and present, with the veteran manager on the brink.

Premier League Picks Matchday 10

Palace 0 Newcastle 0

Brighton 1 Liverpool 3

City 2 Burnley 0

Everton 2 Leeds 2

West Brom 1 Sheffield Utd 1

Southampton 1 United 2

Chelsea 1 Spurs 1

Arsenal 1 Wolves 0

Leicester 1 Fulham 2

West Ham 2 Villa 0

Last week’s score — 4/10

Season so far — 16/40

Spurs 2 City 0

Away from home, a goal down within 5 minutes and we just don’t see City coming back in these situations. Kane and Son deserve a lot of credit for maintaining their brilliant run where they both at least score or assist, but plaudits go to Alderweireld for reminding us of the days when he was clearly the best centre back in the league. A word for Eric Dier as well, who finally looked like a centre-back worthy of a top four side.

This Football Weekend Nov 20-23

The merits of the international break have been debated by all and sundry, but at least for the next four months it's all about club football. We get back into the swing of things with a cracking set of fixtures this weekend.

Friday

Monaco vs PSG — Still an important game with the hosts improving and the visitors focused on the continent.

Saturday

Villarreal vs Real — 2nd vs 4th at La Ceramica where Real haven’t won in three seasons.

Spurs vs City — Jose vs Pep, Kane, Son, De Bruyne, Torres and shaky defences.

Atletico vs Barca — A new Atletico? Can’t be a better stage for Joao Felix and co to prove it.

Sunday

Cadiz vs La Real — The surprise leaders face another test at surprise high flyers.

Leeds vs Arsenal — A classic rivalry revisited in the league after quite a while.

Liverpool vs Leicester — 3rd vs 1st, Klopp vs Rodgers, chance for both to make a statement.

Napoli vs Milan — 3rd vs 1st, chance for both teams to lay a marker.

Monday

Wolves vs Southampton — Two smart clubs with upward aspirations and intelligent managers.

Premier League Picks Matchday 9

Newcastle 1 Chelsea 1

Villa 1 Brighton 1

Spurs 2 City 2

United 2 West Brom 1

Fulham 1 Everton 2

Sheffield Utd 1 West Ham 0

Leeds 2 Arsenal 1

Liverpool 2 Leicester 1

Burnley 1 Palace 1

Wolves 1 Southampton 1

Last round’s score — 3/10

Season so far — 12/30

This Football Weekend Nov 7-8

What a weekend of football we have before the last international break of the year! The big games speak for themselves so let’s get right into it.

Saturday

Everton vs United — Both have questions to answer in this big northwest game featuring lots of great talent.

Mainz vs Schalke — Neither team has won a game yet this season with immense pressure on both.

Barca vs Betis — The Qique Setien derby with goals almost always a feature.

Dortmund vs Bayern — Der Klassiker with both teams separated at the top only by goal difference.

Atletico vs Cadiz — Cadiz are flying high and already have one win in Madrid. Can they get another?

PSG vs Rennes — 1st vs 3rd with both under pressure after European disappointments.

Sunday

Lazio vs Juve — Been a fun fixture for 2 seasons now and both teams getting into a semblance of form.

Getafe vs Villarreal — Rivals for European spots with diametrically opposite styles.

Leicester vs Wolves — Another clash of European hopefuls and a great contrast in styles to boot.

Atalanta vs Inter — Both came into the season with high hopes, but both have questions to answer.

La Real vs Granada — Overachieving teams who are doing well on both fronts.

Nice vs Monaco — Derby de la Cote d'Azur with exciting attacking talent in form.

City vs Liverpool — Pep vs Klopp, still the two best teams in the league and the sheer quality of the players.

Leverkusen vs Gladbach — Competitors for Champions League qualification in brilliant form.

Arsenal vs Villa — A bit of a grudge match with plenty of exciting talent.

Valencia vs Real — Always one of Spain’s biggest games.

Lyon vs St Etienne — France’s biggest derby.

Premier League Picks Matchday 8

Brighton 2 Burnley 1

Southampton 1 Newcastle 0

Everton 1 United 1

Palace 1 Leeds 2

Chelsea 1 Sheffield Utd 1

West Ham 2 Fulham 2

West Brom 1 Spurs 2

Leicester 1 Wolves 1

City 1 Liverpool 1

Arsenal 2 Villa 0

Last week’s score ­— 5/10

Season so far — 9/20

This Football Weekend Oct 31 - Nov 2

Time flies and another weekend of riveting football across Europe’s top five leagues is upon us. Here are the games I will be keeping an eye on.

Saturday

Athletic vs Sevilla — San Memes is always difficult for top teams and both sides need a win to climb up the table. 

Liverpool vs West Ham — The Reds are going to play a 4th choice centre back and the Hammers can never be discounted in such games.

Gladbach vs Leipzig — Champions League hangover for both teams, but it’s still Rose vs Nagelsmann featuring plenty of good players.

Sunday

United vs Arsenal — Traditional rivalry with the right mix of attacking flair and defensive incompetence.

Napoli vs Sassuolo — 2nd vs 3rd with 30 goals scored between the two in 10 games.

Roma vs Fiorentina — Grudge match with both teams capable of scoring plenty.

Sampdoria vs Genoa — Derby della Lanterna with the hosts buzzing in surprisingly good form.

Valencia vs Getafe — La Liga’s grudge match extraordinaire since 2019.

Lille vs Lyon — Free-scoring teams featuring the two best sides after PSG.

Monday

Leeds vs Leicester — Bielsa vs Rodgers with both teams capable of playing sublime football.

Premier League Picks Matchday 7

Wolves 0 Palace 1

Sheffield Utd 1 City 2

Burnley 0 Chelsea 2

Liverpool 2 West Ham 1

Villa 1 Southampton 2

Newcastle 1 Everton 1

United 2 Arsenal 2

Spurs 2 Brighton 1

Fulham 1 West Brom 1

Leeds 1 Leicester 1

Last week’s score - 4/10

This Football Weekend Oct 23-26

After a satisfying midweek of European football, time to turn our attention back to domestic matters this weekend. Let’s take a look at some of the most intriguing fixtures on offer.

Friday

Villa vs Leeds — Had a lot of needle in the Championship, likely to be just as feisty in the top tier.

Saturday

West Ham vs City — The Hammers are must watch right now while City’s defence remains a problem.

Atalanta vs Sampdoria — In form teams scoring great goals.

Bayern vs Frankfurt — A supreme Bayern hosting one of the few teams who aren’t afraid to attack them.

Leipzig vs Hertha — East German battle between two teams that can score.

Barca vs Real — El Clasico. Both come in to the game on the back of league defeats. Lots of stories as usual.

United vs Chelsea — Rarely meets the hype, but is a big game between top four rivals.

Dortmund vs Schalke — Rivierderby with a growing chasm between the sides.

Atletico vs Betis — Simeone vs Pellegrini and both teams have higher aspirations.

Sunday

Southampton vs Everton — Hasenhuttl vs Ancelotti and a test for Everton without James.

Cadiz vs Villarreal — The yellow battle between overachievers.

Nice vs Lille — Tricky test for both after Europa League exertions, with Lille playing sublime football.

Getafe vs Granada — Two teams hard as nails who’ve already claimed big scalps this season.

Arsenal vs Leicester — Two teams very rarely hard, but a lot of fun to watch on their day.

Lyon vs Monaco — Battle of France’s underachievers who really should be doing better.

Monday

Milan vs Roma — Zlatan, Dzeko and both teams playing really good football.

Premier League Picks Matchday 6

Villa 2 Leeds 0

West Ham 2 City 2

Fulham 1 Palace 0

United 1 Chelsea 2

Liverpool 3 Sheffield Utd 0

Southampton 2 Everton 1

Wolves 1 Newcastle 0

Arsenal 2 Leicester 1

Brighton 2 West Brom 0

Burnley 1 Spurs 3

This Football Weekend Oct 16-19

After an international break dominated by all sorts of stories including COVID, I am looking forward to watching some club football on the pitch again. Not withstanding any quarantines or postponements, these are the games I am looking forward to this weekend.

Saturday

Granada vs Sevilla — Regional rivalry between two excellently coached teams.

Everton vs Liverpool — Merseyside derby at the top end of the table, not joking.

Napoli vs Atalanta — 8 goals in 2 games welcomes 13 goals in 3 games.

Augsburg vs Leipzig — 2nd hosts 1st in Germany. Seriously, Augsburg are currently 2nd!

Hertha vs Stuttgart — Mid-table high scorers clash.

Hoffenheim vs Dortmund — Lots of firepower, lots of youngsters, what’s not to like.

Inter vs Milan — Milan derby with both teams undefeated and aiming for the top. Again, not joking.

City vs Arsenal — Pep vs Arteta, Partey’s debut and defences there to be exposed.

Getafe vs Barca — As if Koeman needed another early test, here comes Bordalas.

Marseille vs Bordeaux — Historic clash and AVB needs a win big time.

Sunday

Bologna vs Sassuolo — De Zerbi’s Sassuolo are must watch and it is a regional derby.

Monaco vs Montpellier — In form Ben Yedder against in form Savenier.

Villarreal vs Valencia — Derbi de la Comunitat with Emery and Gracia facing unique pressures.

St Etienne vs Nice — Puel’s exciting young team vs Vieira’s exciting young team.

Spurs vs West Ham — Maybe Bale, but really these two London teams are just unpredictable.

Schalke vs Union — Goal difference of -14 after 3 games. Can Baum halt the Schalke car crash?

Leicester vs Villa — The two Midlands rivals have combined to score 23 in 7 games. More please.

Betis vs La Real — Darlings of the neutrals, unexpectedly 2nd vs 3rd.

Lille vs Lens — Long-awaited Derby du Nord, again unexpectedly 2nd vs 3rd.

Monday

Verona vs Genoa — Sign me up for Juric getting more justice against his former employers.

Leeds vs Wolves — The two best promoted teams of recent times face off.

The news about Aguero’s extended absence adds to what feels like a challenging start to the new season for City. A campaign in which they have much to prove, starts without the talismanic presence of the Argentine and the already departed David Silva.

I am hoping we see more of Kieran Tierney injury free for Arsenal next season. We are starting to see glimpses of what a good player he is going to be for the Gunners going forward. #WOLARS

Arsenal aren’t going to be competing for the title anytime soon, but Wolves and Nuno are a good benchmark for the Gunners to measure their progress under Arteta. #WOLARS

Keeping all the vagaries and intangibles associated with their first game in three months aside, surely in a battle of two counter-attacking teams, Jose Mourinho would expect to be tactically superior to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer? #TOTMUN

To put his liability into context, Luiz has conceded 4 penalties this season. He’s conceded a penalty against Liverpool and City and he’s been sent off against Chelsea and City. Arsenal can’t even think of winning big games if that’s the position your centre-back puts you in.

David Luiz … best laid plans and all. City were in the groove from minute 30. Don’t know what Arteta can do, especially as he doesn’t have options to alter the midfield dynamic.

Xhaka’s injury so soon is a blow for Arsenal in a game of this magnitude. Perhaps Ceballos gives the Gunners a reason to play a more daring form of the game than they might have anticipated against City.

Missed the Premier League as much as anyone else. I am happy that the first game back between Villa and Sheffield United reminded me of one of the simple pleasures - the ability of football to put one to sleep.

Riyad Mahrez has been an underrated cog in Pep’s machine since joining City last season. There have been times where Pep hasn’t trusted him in big games. For my money he has to start at the Bernabeu in midweek. ⚽️

Premier League Picks Round 27

On any other weekend a game between second and third would be a highlight, but such has been the brilliance of Liverpool and such has been the average nature of those below third, that Leicester hosting City in this round quite simply doesn’t have an edge to it because both teams are secure in the top four. Not so secure in fourth however, are Chelsea. Frank Lampard’s men look like they are ill-equipped to deal with a difficult set of fixtures. Having gone winless in four, the chastened Blues welcome their former boss Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, with Spurs now only a point behind. The reverse fixture was lauded as an example of Lampard outthinking Mourinho, but coming up with smart tactics when the chips are down is another kettle of fish altogether. The momentum is with Spurs, though Mourinho’s men are hardly playing with any sort of clarity themselves. Both defences are there for the taking, but which attack is better equipped to take advantage?

There’s also an interesting fixture between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates. The reverse fixture was notable for Messrs Ancelotti and Arteta being in the box, both just being announced as new managers of their clubs. There was a school of thought prevalent back then, that maybe Ancelotti and Arteta were better fits the other way around. As things have panned out since, both have done a good job with improvement in performance evident at Arsenal and Everton. Notwithstanding the results of City’s appeal against their Champions League ban, this game could yet have some European permutations. Here are my picks.

Chelsea 1 Spurs 2

Palace 1 Newcastle 0

Burnley 2 Bournemouth 0

Sheffield Utd 1 Brighton 1

Southampton 2 Villa 1

Leicester 1 City 2

United 2 Watford 2

Wolves 2 Norwich 0

Arsenal 2 Everton 1

Liverpool 3 West Ham 0

Last Round Score - 4/7

Season Score - 40/80

Premier League Picks Round 26 Pt. 2

The staggering of fixtures thanks to the Premier League’s inaugural winter break almost felt like no significant football took place in England’s top flight last weekend. There can be no such illusions about this weekend as the race for fourth comes to a head with Wolves hosting Leicester and Chelsea facing off against United at Stamford Bridge. If any team was in need of a break, it was Wolves. This game marks a possible tipping point for Wolves. If they win, then committing to a chase for fourth in the league becomes a genuine objective. If they lose, its probably all eggs in the Europa League basket. Not that the Foxes are willing accomplices. Brendan Rodgers could do with a significant away win after a bit of an underwhelming January for Leicester.

When United beat Chelsea 4-0 on the first Sunday of the season, not many foresaw the Blues being six points ahead of the Red Devils by mid-February. This is not to say that Chelsea have played drastically better than United. In truth, after an excellent couple of months in October and November, Frank Lampard’s men have been as inconsistent as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men. Its only because the bar has been set low for fourth that Chelsea have managed to hold on without much pressure until now. Which makes me think that despite the high stakes around this game, one shouldn’t expect a feast of football; if the history of this fixture is anything to go by, tension is likely to outweigh quality.

Which brings us nicely to the final protagonist in the race for fourth — good old Spurs. In their last two fixtures, Jose Mourinho has pulled of the “masterclass” of being totally outplayed and yet somehow delivering wins against City and Southampton. Considering how Aston Villa tend to play on the front foot at Villa Park, what odds of Spurs doing it for a third consecutive game? Finally, a word about Spurs great rivals. Mikel Arteta has achieved his immediate aim of getting Arsenal to play with intensity and organization. It is a crucial first step. But this is still Arsenal we are talking about. Its time for the Gunners to at least get a convincing victory over a bottom half team. Not that Steve Bruce’s Newcastle are easy to breach, but it would be nice to see Arteta unlocking the potential of his attack and getting them to play with greater fluency.

Wolves 2 Leicester 1

Southampton 1 Burnley 1

Norwich 1 Liverpool 3

Villa 1 Spurs 2

Arsenal 2 Newcastle 0

Chelsea 2 United 1

City 3 West Ham 1

Last Round Score - 1/3

Season Score - 36/73

How Carlo Ancelotti is getting the best out of Richarlison

Daniel Storey with a great piece on Richarlision at Optus Sport:

Ancelotti has asked him to do less and concentrate on making a difference in the final third. “Richarlison can also play on the left but we don’t have to give him a lot of defensive work,” he said after Richarlison’s stoppage-time surge gave Everton three points at Watford despite playing with 10 men. “He has to be fresh when we have the ball, he can play right and left, but without thinking too much about defensive work.” Richarlison has made 11 tackles in Ancelotti’s six matches, so he’s hardly shirking his work, but a change has come.

Managers are quick to demand more energy and hard work from players in struggling teams, but it’s more unusual for them to ask for less. Fewer tackles and high-intensity sprints leave Richarlison more able to impact upon the match in its latter stages. See the assists in the last five minutes against Watford and Crystal Palace for evidence. Two of Richarlison’s three goals under Ancelotti have been after half-time. He’s also only missed four minutes under the Italian.

Storey makes plenty of good points in the article, including judging Richarlison by his transfer fee and the striker being a victim of versatility. Regardless of his flaws, I can’t remember many young South Americans coming to England and scoring the number of goals Richarlison has. Everton have wasted a lot of money, but Richarlision is proving to be full value.

Good ideas should be persisted with

In a move that doesn’t surprise anyone, the Premier League has decided to move their summer transfer deadline back to the end of August rather than before the season. A common sentiment I have been hearing from managers and journalists alike is that it was a good idea in principle but flawed because the continent didn’t align with the deadline. Now, I have got to be honest, I don’t buy this argument at all.

In the last two seasons, I feel like we have watched the highest quality of opening fixtures in the history of the Premier League and a big reason was that the squads were settled. Importantly, the story was focused on football on the pitch, not off it. Also, which clubs were really unsettled and not secure because of interest from the continent? Significantly, how many clubs on the continent can actually afford to buy good players from the Premier League in a manner that would unsettle a side? Maybe just Real, Barca and Bayern; the fact that none of the trio managed it in two seasons suggest it would always be an anomaly for them to get a big player so late in their window anyway.

The reversion back to the original deadline is not the win that some managers like to believe it is. The real victors over here are the media and lovers of gossip. The big loser — don’t expect quality football in August or September. Here’s the thing with executing good ideas. You have to stick with them even if it takes time and there is plenty of opposition. It seems with this sort of decision-making, football is indeed proving itself to be a mirror of real life governance.

Premier League Picks Round 26 Pt. 1

We enter new territory in England this weekend, with a staggered set of fixtures thanks to the somewhat contrived winter break making its debut in the Premier League. Its really tricky looking ahead to a matchweek that is separated by two weekends, but the powers that be decided this is the best way to go about things. I will separate my picks in keeping with the fixtures for the weekend. In the first set of games the story is primarily set around relegation, with Brighton, Watford, Bournemouth and West Ham in action. The Seagulls hosting the Hornets is the classic six-pointer; despite Graham Potter and Nigel Pearson doing positive things with their clubs, one can’t deny there is huge pressure on both clubs in this game. Here are my picks.

Round 26 Picks Pt. 1

Everton 1 Palace 0

Brighton 2 Watford 1

Sheffield Utd 1 Bournemouth 1

City 3 West Ham 1

Last Round Score - 6/10

Season Score - 35/70

Wolves and variation

As I was watching the stalemate between United and Wolves at Old Trafford, it struck me that maybe Nuno got the balance wrong between caution and intent. This may sound churlish considering very few sides in the history of the Premier League have performed as well as Wolves have against the top sides in the division since their promotion in 2018. After all, Nuno’s men have already done the league double over City and could arguably have drawn twice against Liverpool. I do wonder though, whether Nuno can get his team to play in a more dominant style even in big games.

Now of course, it makes a lot of sense to aim to be a high performing counter-attacking team when you possess the ever improving speedy brilliance of Adama Traore on the wing combined with the understated intelligence, movement and touch of Raul Jimenez. No manager can be faulted for devising a game plan based on such strengths. But can Wolves be a more proactive team with the ball and still utilize the advantages that Traore and Jimenez provide them?

I think the answer is yes. Moutinho, Neves, Doherty, Jota, Johnny, Dendoncker, among others in the side are technically excellent with the ball and could conceivably thrive even more if they were encouraged to express themselves. The arrival of the exciting Daniel Podence should also help add another dimension with the ball. Against a static midfield like United’s, Nuno really should have taken the initiative with the players at his disposal. Its a small blemish on what is largely a success of football management, and I only bring it up because when I watch Wolves play, they appear to me like a team who could already be in the Champions League. With a little more tactical variation and a bit of gumption with the ball, I think they can be in Europe’s premier competition sooner than maybe even they themselves realize.

Premier League Picks Round 25

Its the battle for fourth that is the focus of this weekend and possibly the next few as well. Can Chelsea pull away or is this the match day where we finally get a proper race? Chelsea visit Leicester, United host Wolves and Spurs welcome City. The ramifications for that Champions League place are obvious. With that in mind, here are my picks.

Round 25 Picks

Leicester 2 Chelsea 2

Liverpool 2 Southampton 0

Bournemouth 2 Villa 1

Newcastle 1 Norwich 1

Watford 1 Everton 2

West Ham 1 Brighton 1

Palace 0 Sheffield Utd 0

United 1 Wolves 2

Burnley 1 Arsenal 2

Spurs 1 City 1

Last Round Score - 5/10

Season Score - 29/60

And they keep rolling on

Horrible weather, excellent opponents, injury to a key player, no problem. Liverpool just keep on winning. In essence, I could just repeat what I wrote earlier in the week. On one of the toughest road trips of the season,  Liverpool’s unexpected troubleshooter this time around was Jordan Henderson, the captain providing a goal and an assist in a close win. This team now has an indomitable stature, the aura of champions. The next time they don’t win, it might leave a lot of us numb.

On squad depth and rotation

In typical fashion, Ryan O’Hanlon provokes some thoughts with his latest piece on ESPNFC about squad depth and rotation. First, highlighting the consistency of selection at Liverpool:

In 2017-18, when the Reds finished fourth and reached the Champions League final, Jurgen Klopp deployed 19 different players for at least 900 minutes. Last year, which followed the shortened World Cup summer and the extended 2017-18 campaign, they improved by 22 points and won the Champions League, but Klopp gave only 900 minutes of playing time to 16 players -- or fewer than the average Premier League team that doesn't qualify for Europe, let alone one that makes it all the way to the Champions League final. This season, thanks to added games and added time in both the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup, Liverpool have already had 16 players break 900 minutes. But when you're 16 points up with 16 games to play, squad depth becomes a moot point.

Depth, then, might be important, but not as important as being able to continually rely on your best players.

Then, assessing Frank Lampard’s rotation at Chelsea:

At the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign, Lampard had settled on a lineup that included Tammy Abraham, Willian and Christian Pulisic up top, some combination of Mason Mount, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in midfield, and Emerson, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori and Cesar Azpilicuetaacross the backline. After a rough stretch in late November and early December, in which the team won one and lost four despite edging opponents on expected goals (8.2 to 5.4), he has shuffled in and out of a number of different lineups, and the results and the underlying performances have both suffered.

There’s no denying that rotation is an important part of management, especially midseason in England, where the number of fixtures in December and January are now bordering on harmful. But that doesn’t mean a manager should make five or six changes just for the sake of it. I am inclined to think that if the necessary physical prerequisites have been met, you start your best players and make a change or two depending on circumstances. Arbitrary rotation doesn’t serve any purpose.

The Solskjaer disclaimer

Nicely summed up by Seb Stafford-Bloor on F365:

He’s a nice man and he’s not entirely responsible for this situation. It’s possible to believe that, though, but still understand that this has gone on for far too long already. The Glazers family and Ed Woodward are the problem, yes, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has never been any sort of solution.

Solskjaer isn’t good enough to be the manager of United. Does the squad have holes? Yes, it does, but it still doesn’t justify having 34 points from 24 games. I am tired of the disclaimers that there are plenty of other things wrong at the club. A manager's remit is ultimately to the get the best out of his squad with their relative strengths and weaknesses. Purely as a football manager, Solskjaer doesn’t cut it at the top level. There is no disclaimer needed.

Arteta's bravery

Matt Stead in his 16 conclusions on F365:

Which is not to say he did not earn this point. He absolutely did through his conviction and bravery. His explanation for not introducing Rob Holding in the first half to compensate for the loss of a defender was simple: “I didn’t want to send that message to the team.”

He reacted to the situation whereas Frank Lampard seemed to simply ignore it and proceed as before.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. The bravery of the decision to not do the typical thing when going down to ten men paid dividends for Arsenal and ultimately was the driving force in Arteta getting his team to deliver a performance of courage and application that they haven’t been famed for.

Xhaka and Saka

Plenty of credit to go around after Arsenal’s deserved draw at Stamford Bridge. I would just like to highlight two examples of the buy-in that the players so clearly have for Mikel Arteta. Bukayo Saka is a winger and in the brief glimpses we got to see of the teenager under Unai Emery, it was his attacking play that shone through. It's almost a month now since Saka has been playing at left back under Arteta and he doesn’t even look like a stand-in. Think of how demotivated and frustrated Ainsley Maitland-Niles looked when he was asked to compromise and play right back for Emery, and the contrast is clear.

Then there’s Granit Xhaka. It was only a couple of weeks ago that many in the punditocracy felt Arsenal getting a clean break from Xhaka in the winter transfer window would be best. A contract was also agreed with Hertha Berlin. Yet Arteta believed in the Swiss and the new manager has been rewarded for his faith. It makes one wonder about both, Emery and later day Arsene Wenger, that Arsenal haven’t been able to benefit from Xhaka’s very obvious intangible and technical qualities. Against Chelsea, Xhaka showed his leadership qualities (which have been harshly mocked for far too long), when slotting in to play as centre back following David Luiz’s red card. His reading of the game was excellent as he led his teammates in successfully thwarting the Blues attack. From being on the precipice of an exit, I now can’t imagine Arsenal looking strong without Xhaka. I have a feeling as the season progresses, there’ll be other Gunners to pick out for praise. For today, I chose Xhaka and Saka to embody the spirit that Arteta is engendering at Arsenal.

Premier League Picks Round 24

Nobody dare mess around with the sanctity of the FA Cup fourth round and its place on a weekend. So how do we cope with Premier League withdrawal? Oh that’s right, we don’t. We simply add another midweek round, because the quality of football has been so stupendous since the holiday fixtures that we simply can’t risk the players resting. Oh, and it's also the reverse fixtures of a round that took place just three match days ago. Real fresh look this round has! As the juggernaut rolls, so do my picks.

Round 24 Picks

Bournemouth 0 Brighton 1

Villa 1 Watford 1

Palace 1 Southampton 0

Everton 1 Newcastle 0

Sheffield Utd 1 City 2

Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1

Leicester 2 West Ham 0

Spurs 1 Norwich 0

United 1 Burnley 0

Wolves 0 Liverpool 2

Last Round Score - 3/10

Season Score - 24/50

Anyone want fourth?

Daniel Storey, in the consistently excellent Winners and Losers on F365:

After beating Crystal Palace at home on November 9, Chelsea were nine points clear of fifth place. They have only managed 13 points from 11 league games since, yet are somehow still five points clear of fifth.

It doesn’t seem that long ago, when Klopp, Guardiola, Pochettino and Wenger were involved in some intense battles just to secure a top four spot. Then in the second half of last season, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and United seemed hellbent on throwing away a place in the Champions League. That bar seems to have lowered even further this year. Leicester have secured a top four spot simply on the basis of an excellent first half of the season, while it looks like Chelsea will join them by virtue of winning once or twice every three games. For all the excellence of Klopp and Guardiola, there is no denying the rest of the big hitters are floundering, and floundering badly at that. Once again, fourth seems like a race to the bottom.

Troubleshooting of the highest calibre

In what has been a remarkable run of form for Liverpool in the past 19 months, there have been various ways to assess their performances. Let’s be clear, when you suffer only one league defeat over a season and a half, its impossible to expect complete perfection. Have Liverpool been lucky at times? Definitely. Have they gained points that they didn’t deserve? Almost certainly. Guess what? All teams do. What is undeniable though, is that Liverpool have developed an almost unparalleled ability to troubleshoot in the league since August 2018. That is a testament to the remarkable management of Klopp. I still maintain, what we are seeing is the result of great coaching improving the players in this squad. When Klopp first came to Merseyside, there was a notion that the Reds template for performing at a high level was based on inspiration. Now, Liverpool define that high level. They are winning big games when in neutral, there’s nothing frenetic or accidental about it. Throw a problem at them, Klopp’s men will solve it. And here’s the key, they are beginning to solve them in many different ways. We are watching a team at their peak. Such rare excellence is something to be cherished.

Premier League Picks Round 23

I am really looking forward to a round of Premier League fixtures that is jam packed with storylines this weekend. Here are my picks for what should be an engrossing matchday in England.

Round 23 Picks 

Watford 2 Spurs 1

West Ham 1 Everton 1

Arsenal 2 Sheffield Utd 0

Brighton 2 Villa 1

City 2 Palace 0

Norwich 1 Bournemouth 0

Southampton 2 Wolves 1

Newcastle 1 Chelsea 1

Burnley 1 Leicester 2

Liverpool 3 United 0

Last Round Score - 6/10

Season Score - 21/40

A chance for Moyes and Ancelotti

David Moyes was a frontrunner for the Everton job when Marco Silva was fired. The fans didn’t really want him. He didn’t get the job. David Moyes was a frontrunner for the West Ham job when Manuel Pellegrini was fired. The fans didn’t really want him. This time he got the job. It is under this subtext, that Moyes welcomes his former team to the London Stadium. Make no mistake, this is a chance for both, Moyes and his counterpart Carlo Ancelotti to make a statement. While losing to what was ostensibly Liverpool’s third team in the FA Cup wasn’t down to Ancelotti, the Goodison faithful isn’t going to take kindly to losing against a former manager they clearly didn’t want back. Despite some positive results in their nascent reigns, the most Ancelotti and Moyes have done is make their teams stable. That is the low bar they have to clear for this wasted season. Nothing spectacular is expected. However, that doesn’t remove the intrigue from this meeting.

Southampton vs Wolves

Southampton have been playing some brilliant football in the past month, accumulating thirteen points from their last six league games. Wolverhampton on the other hand haven’t won in three games. While the Saints look reinvigorated, Wolves do look a little tired, in dire need of some extra bodies in the squad. It isn’t inconceivable to see Ralph Hassenhuttl’s men getting the win at home this weekend. Remarkably, that would put Southampton level on points with Wolves. But there is a bigger point here. Hassenhuttl and his counterpart Nuno Espirito Santo have shown the virtue of being calm in difficult situations and believing in processes to turn things around in their favour. In a midtable that is increasingly made of exciting managers with refreshing ideas, Hassenhuttl and Nuno have few equals. The result will be of secondary importance in this game. I’d rather celebrate two very good managers.

Running out of time

I thought Norwich played some excellent football in December. Their performances against Wolves, Villa, Spurs and Palace probably merited 12 points, but they didn’t take their chances and paid the price. Coming on the back of such a run, it wasn’t a surprise to see them look a tad demoralized in their thumping defeat at Old Trafford last weekend. It may be of some solace then, that they host Bournemouth this week. While the Canaries can at least point to good performances, the Cherries don’t even have that crumb of comfort to hold on to. Injuries have deprived Eddie Howe’s side of any sense of fluidity, which in turn has decimated their confidence. One gets the sense that the losing team here will inevitably go down. It’s the last chance saloon and then some. Can either side grab a lifeline?

City vs Palace

Last season when Andros Townsend sent a screamer for the ages into the roof of Ederson’s net it signalled Manchester City being under pressure for the first time in a thoroughly gripping title race. The stakes aren’t as high this time. Nevertheless, Roy Hodgson has been a tricky opponent for Pep Guardiola during the Catalan’s time in England. City are currently playing with a lot of freedom. Pep has enjoyed trying all sorts of tactical variations, secure in the knowledge they are neither likely to catch Liverpool nor be overtaken by anyone else for second. Such tactical wizardry will be needed against a well-drilled Eagles defence that isn’t the easiest to breach, even for the best teams in the country.

Brighton vs Aston Villa

Brighton have generally played the kind of football that has thrilled neutrals this season, delivering some great wins over the likes of Arsenal and Spurs. Aston Villa have shown flashes of brilliance, but other than the excellence of Jack Grealish, they’ve been quite poor. You’d be hard-pressed to say they deserve to be higher than their current position of 18th. And yet they are only three points behind the Seagulls. This makes their match at the Amex a possibly defining one for both teams. If Brighton win they edge that little bit closer to safety. If the Villains win however, they’ll go level on points with their hosts and drag them into a relegation battle that seems at odds with how Brighton have performed this season. It may not be obvious, but there is certainly some pressure around this game.

Another benchmark

There will come a time when we will judge Mikel Arteta on his own merits. For now though, there are plenty of mental scars that linger from the Unai Emery era. Arsenal’s first defeat of the season came away to the Blades. Hence, similar to last week, Sheffield United’s visit to the Emirates serves as a benchmark for Arteta to differentiate himself. Additionally, while fourth may be a bit of a stretch this season, the Gunners have to get a move on if they want to finish in the top six.

The real early bounce

The last time Spurs and Watford faced off against each other in October, both teams were in a bad place and yet the Hornets comfortably outplayed their hosts at the Tottenham Stadium. A lot has changed at both clubs since then. Jose Mourinho came in as Spurs manager and won four of his first five league matches in charge. Nigel Pearson came in as Watford manager and has won four of his first six matches in charge. Things haven’t gone so well for Mourinho since that early bounce. Pearson’s early bounce seems different. This game pits a manager who changed a team’s identity and has made visible changes in personnel and tactics against a manager who has proclaimed change but not delivered any. Makes for an interesting contest on Saturday at Vicarage Road.

The "biggest" game in England

Liverpool play Manchester United this weekend which means the incessant hype building up to the game will consume the media. In truth this is a game that very rarely lives up to expectations. The stakes are very similar to what I wrote last weekend leading up to Spurs vs Liverpool. In my eyes, the most interesting aspect of the game will be to see if Jurgen Klopp will be proactive in his efforts to get his first win over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Klopp’s approach at Old Trafford in his two games against Solskjaer can be justifiably questioned. However, he’s always attacked United at Anfield, even when Jose Mourinho parked the bus and David de Gea pulled off some heroics to give the Red Devils two away draws against Klopp’s men. My intuition is that Liverpool will play on the front foot again and thus I expect a similar result to last season’s home win.

Pearson's brilliant start at Watford

Ian Watson’s early winner on F365:

The Hornets looked dead and buried but Nigel Pearson has revived a rotting corpse. A month ago they languished on nine points, six from safety and 10 behind Bournemouth. Today, at the Vitality Stadium, they recorded their fourth win in five games to overtake the Cherries and climb out of the relegation zone for the first time this season.

The whole piece proves statistically the various ways in which Pearson has so quickly transformed Watford. I think the appointment of Pearson is one of the best mid-season managerial changes I have seen in the Premier League, up there with Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino’s arrivals in England. The key has been, and this was evident in his first game at Anfield, that Watford haven’t played a single game since Pearson took over with any sense of inferiority. Despite the classic narrative of British manager going back to basics, this is not what Pearson has done. Yes they are definitely more organized, that was the obvious starting point. But they are also playing to win and that requires a whole lot more than just organization. Long may their ascent continue.

Premier League Picks Round 22

After an interlude for the FA Cup, the Premier League returns this weekend. I can’t see many upsets this time around and now that we will have more of a regular rhythm to the season, I am hoping to get more of these picks right. Ultimately though, I am just having some good old-fashioned fun.

Round 22 Picks

Sheffield Utd 3 West Ham 1

Palace 1 Arsenal 2

Chelsea 2 Burnley 1

Everton 2 Brighton 1

Leicester 2 Southampton 2

United 3 Norwich 1

Wolves 2 Newcastle 0

Spurs 1 Liverpool 1

Bournemouth 1 Watford 2

Villa 1 City 3

Last Round Score - 6/10

Season Score - 15/30

Leicester vs Southampton

Can the aftermath of 9-0 win result in both teams getting better? It may sound bizarre but looking back at Leicester’s obliteration of Southampton at St. Mary’s, one can make the argument that the game marked a crossroads for both sides. Up until then, Leicester were looked at as contenders for a top six spot, and possibly gatecrashers into the top four. After the win, Brendan Rodgers declared for the first time that the Foxes were confident of qualifying for the Champions League. His words have borne out to be true as only an epic collapse will deprive them of returning to Europe’s elite competition.

That Ralph Hassenhuttl was still in a job after that infamous result has to be one of the most remarkable examples of patience I have seen in Premier League history. The Southampton board deserve praise for staying the course and believing in Hassenhuttl and his process. They have been richly rewarded with the Austrian gaffer rejuvenating his team with some tweaks and a new tactical impetus. It has also helped that Danny Ings has stayed free of injury, resulting in the Saints actually finishing the chances they create.

A month ago, I would have predicted a comfortable home win. I can’t say the same now. Southampton have backed up crucial wins in relegation six-pointers with impressive victories over Chelsea and Spurs. Meanwhile Leicester have looked just a tad below their imperious best in recent games. Should make for an unpredictable cracker.

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal

There is no denying that Mikel Arteta has already had an impact in just four games as manager at Arsenal. As impressive as their performances against Chelsea and Manchester United were, Palace serve as an important benchmark for Arteta. The Eagles probably ended up being the defining opponent of Unai Emery’s reign at Arsenal. The Gunners didn’t manage to beat Palace in three league outings under Emery, conceding seven goals in the process. That doesn’t tell the whole story. 

In the context of last season, Arsenal’s abject performance in a 3-2 home loss to Roy Hodgson’s men in April meant Emery’s men basically threw away a top four spot that was gifted to them thanks to the incompetence of others. In the context of this season, Arsenal gave up a two-goal lead and two points in the reverse fixture. This game was also infamous for the Granit Xhaka fiasco and looked at in totality, this marked the beginning of the end for Emery as mutiny at the Emirates gathered full steam.

The Eagles have undoubtedly scarred Arsenal in the past 18 months. If Arteta can come away from Selhurst Park with a point or three, it will go a long way to healing wounds and making the Arsenal faithful genuinely believe that change is finally here. No pressure then, Mikel.

Sheffield United vs West Ham

One of the most interesting sides managed by one of the most innovative managers taking on a team managed by one of the old boys club. A win for the home side will further cement Chris Wilder’s place at the vanguard of modern British managers. David Moyes would like to show that an old dog can learn new tricks. Add in the grudge factor from their acrimonious relegation battle in 2007 and this game makes a good case for Friday football viewing. 

Ndidi and Kante

The increasingly interesting Ryan O’Hanlon:

Since the 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the middle of September, Leicester have won 12, drawn one and lost three. Their performances have kicked into a much higher gear, too: They’ve created 29.9 expected goals and conceded just 20.5. At the heart of it all, Ndidi has been an absolute machine. Leicester average more possession than all but 13 teams across England, Italy, Spain and Germany’s top flights. Part of that is because Ndidi is able to keep winning them the ball back, but that also means there are fewer opportunities for him to make defensive plays.

Watching Leicester till October, I felt they weren’t playing the football that Brendan Rodgers truly wanted. Ryan is right to highlight the tactical change that has enabled the Foxes to come closer to Rodgers' vision, while deservedly crediting Ndidi’s role in the change.

I find the parallels that Ryan makes between Ndidi and Kante interesting. Are they the same type of player? Kante’s importance in Leicester’s title win is undisputed. However, Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes didn’t treasure possession, or at least they weren’t reliant on dominating the ball. Rodgers (and to an extent, Claude Puel before him) places a different emphasis on his midfielders, with vertical passing and ingenuity at its core. This is not to say that Kante can’t play in a Rodgers team. After all Frank Lampard has maintained Maurizio Sarri’s progressive take on Kante’s role in Chelsea’s midfield. I am just not sure Ndidi’s brilliance needs to be looked at through the prism of Kante’s role before him.

And Breathe

The Premier League festive fixtures have ended and I for one, am thankful. By the time the new year’s fixtures came around, matches seemed to morph into one another. Can anyone really tell me the difference between Liverpool vs Wolves or Liverpool vs Sheffield United? Was Arsenal vs United any different to Arsenal vs Chelsea? Those who earn their bread analyzing the game of course have the thankless task to continue to do so with repitition. My only analysis is that the players were out on their feet by the end. You just get through this period. There’s nothing else to say.

Premier League Picks Round 21

If the last round of fixtures was a nightmare to predict due to almost universal rotation, this last set of holiday fixtures isn’t going to be any easier. I am not picking any huge upset this round, but with Brighton, Southampton and Watford all improving it wouldn’t surprise me if they stopped their visitors from higher up the table from taking all three points. David Moyes should expect to lead the Hammers to a stifling win over the Cherries on his return to the London Stadium dugout. There’s also Pep vs Ancelotti with the various ways their story is linked and while the Toffees have improved since Marco Silva left, I think the Etihad with KDB in sublime form will be a bridge too far. Arsenal vs United is always intriguing, even if for the wrong reasons in recent times. Third time’s a charm for Arteta say my instincts. Finally, when it rains it pours. With Sheffield United finally losing away from home for the first time this season against City, I am expecting their very next away fixture at Anfield to also end in defeat.

Round 21 Picks

Brighton 1 Chelsea 1

Burnley 2 Villa 1

Newcastle 1 Leicester 2

Southampton 1 Spurs 1

Watford 0 Wolves 0

City 3 Everton 1

Norwich 2 Palace 1

West Ham 1 Bournemouth 0

Arsenal 2 United 1

Liverpool 2 Sheffield Utd 0

Last Round Score - 4/10

Season Score - 9/20

Premier League Picks Round 20

Non-stop Premier League football means non-stop fun with picks. While we can derive some semblance of form for the big teams in the festive period, its much trickier to predict the form of the rest of the league when the fixtures are so cramped. For my upset of the round, I was going to predict Burnley beating United but can that be considered a shock? Instead I am going for the unpredictable Hammers to beat the Foxes. In the big London derby, I am expecting Mikel Arteta to build on a great opening performance and get the three points against Chelsea. I think Liverpool will get the better of Wolves and I am trying to not let the last result influence me, but I feel Sheffield United will maintain their unbeaten away record this season by getting a point at the Etihad.

Round 20 Picks

Brighton 2 Bournemouth 0

Newcastle 1 Everton 1

Southampton 1 Palace 1

Watford 2 Villa 1

Norwich 2 Spurs 3

West Ham 2 Leicester 1

Burnley 2 United 0

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1

Liverpool 2 Wolves 0

City 2 Sheffield Utd 2

Last Round Score - 5/10

Premier League Picks Round 19

Having some fun with making picks for the Premier League programme during the holidays. I am not going to go into elaborate reasoning, this is meant to be fun after all. My expectations are that Liverpool and City will both win their tricky away tests and my one upset of the round is predicting Southampton to win at Stamford Bridge considering the hosts shaky home form.

Round 19 Picks

Spurs 2 Brighton 0

Bournemouth 1 Arsenal 2

Villa 2 Norwich 2

Chelsea 1 Southampton 2

Palace 0 West Ham 0

Everton 2 Burnley 0

Sheffield Utd 1 Watford 1

United 1 Newcastle 1

Leicester 1 Liverpool 2

Wolves 1 City 3

A genuine big game but a contrived title decider

I am looking forward to Leicester vs Liverpool at the King Power Stadium. Or is it more accurate to say I would have been excited about this game regardless of the league table? Games between the Foxes and Reds have always been fun to watch. Last season’s game in the Midlands featured a memorable Alisson error that sent the goalkeeping community in meltdown, while up North, Claude Puel’s men were arguably better than their hosts in a 1-1 draw.

This season’s reverse fixture saw some late drama when Marc Albrighton fouled Saido Mane leading to a late penalty and a deserved win for Liverpool at Anfied. Leading up to that game, the general consensus was that this was a tricky game for the Reds to navigate and rightly so. It wasn’t billed as a title clash. Then Leicester’s 8-game winning streak happened. All of a sudden the Boxing Day game is being billed as a title decider.

Leicester are a good team. On occasion, they have been genuinely enjoyable to watch. On occasion, they have also been pretty clueless. Leicester are second in the table, but are they genuinely the second best team in the league? In my opinion the answer is no. Even if the Foxes win tomorrow, I would not consider them title contenders. Liverpool are far ahead in the journey and have done the hard yards to establish thamselves as contenders since 2018. The hosts are undertaking a refreshing new journey, but even Brendan Rodgers realizes his side are barely at the halfway stage of their development. If we do feel the need for a “title race” my money is still on City being Liverpool’s closest contenders. Meanwhile, I am going to enjoy the game tomorrow simply because its Leicester vs Liverpool, Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp pitting their wits against each other, the four best fullbacks in the league, Salah, Mane, Vardy, Tielemans, etc. I dont' need a contrived narrative.

United as equals

Manchester United and Newcastle United have had their fair share of classics including some good ones on Boxing Day. Whether its going to be a game for the ages this time around is debatable considering the styles of both teams. Nevertheless the fact that they enter the game on equal points is simply remarkable. It speaks to the underperformance of the hosts and the overperformance of Steve Bruce’s Magpies that frankly no one saw coming. We know we can count on Bruce to have his team defensively organized and resolute. Unless United can come up with the magic early, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this turned out to be another frustrating, yet riveting evening at Old Trafford.

Spurs vs Brighton

When Brighton dominated and ultimately defeated Spurs at the Amex in October, there was a genuine feeling that it was the nadir of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign. Tottenham welcome the Seagulls in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day, coming off the back of possibly Jose Mourinho’s own nadir in his nascent tenure. What Spurs served up against Chelsea on Sunday matched the worst of Pochettino and such cluelessness won’t be tolerated for too long by the Spurs faithful.

Spurs need only look at their North London neighbours for an example of what happens to unfocused teams against Graham Potter’s slick football. Arsenal were completely outplayed at home by Brighton and justifiably lost 2-1. In truth, its hard to see such a result being replicated away at Spurs. Mourinho may have his faults, but the pragmatist in him has always delivered against teams in the bottom half, especially at home. Heung-Min Son’s suspension will be felt, but I think his absence for three games gives Mourinho the chance to work on some alternative systems as well as players, with the midfield in particular needing some serious reconfiguration. It is this facet that I will be focusing on in this game.

Holiday Football

Depending on one’s perspective, this crazy period is either the most entertaining period of the calendar or the most challenging. I do love watching football over the holidays. There is a natural excitement knowing your favourite sport is going to be on continuously for a week. However, the increased intensity of football has made me appreciate the viewpoint on the continent that it can be overkill. Its probably why Italy and Spain have gone back to winter breaks after failed experiments with holiday football the past two years. Like every year I will be tuning into the mayhem with childlike excitement, but I will also empathize with the players who face the greatest risk of injury with 3 games in 6 days and the managers who will have to deal with the consequences.

Ancelotti and Everton

The always brilliant Gab Marcotti has written an excellent piece on ESPNFC about Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment at Everton. Of all the analysis I have read, heard or watched, I find myself agreeing the most with Gab. We simply don’t know how this will pan out, and looking at Ancelotti’s managerial history just doesn’t apply to this project. Everton have never had a manager of Ancelotti’s pedigree in the modern era, while the Italian hasn’t taken a job with a team so far from Europe in the last two decades. Let’s wait and watch.

Liverpool’s breakneck pace

Ryan O’Hanlan writing an interesting piece for ESPNFC on Liverpool’s pursuit of their first Premier League title. I have felt for a while that the Reds current point scoring rate won’t be maintained for the entirety of the season. However, I agree with Ryan that it will be largely irrelevant because of the gap they’ve already established. It’s now going to be interesting to see how they’re going to evolve with Naby Keita’s gradually increasing presence and Takumi Minamino’s arrival.

Arsenal's attack deserves ambition

The popular refrain around Arsenal’s mediocre start to the season has been that with their structural issues no manager can solve their problems. I agree that no manager can solve all of Arsenal’s problems with the current squad. However, many seem to miss the point that if all squads were well-balanced we would have 6-team title races every year. Arsenal’s main aim is to get back into the top four. For that objective you don’t need to have anywhere near a complete squad. Jurgen Klopp’s first full season at Liverpool is evidence. The Reds finished fourth featuring a defence and goalkeeper that could charitably be described as middling.

As witnessed in their 3-1 win away at a hospitable West Ham, Arsenal have an attack that is at the very least, of top 4 standard, while some individual components easily belong in the top tier. Yes, Arsenal’s defence is shambolic and even the best managers in the world will struggle to fix it. That being said, what’s been lost in the sea of negativity surrounding Arsenal in the past year is that for a while they haven’t played with the right tactical setup to make the best use of their strongest assets — their attackers. It might seem like Arsenal have a difficult search for their next manager ahead of them. If I was making the decision, I would base it on one criterion — that their attacking play is fluent. Many teams have achieved a spot in the top four on this basis, and in fact, Arsene Wenger got Arsenal into the Champions League many a time on similar foundations. The Gunners' season isn’t lost if their attack maintains fire till May. ⚽️

Leicester’s questionable approach

I felt quite underwhelmed by Leicester’s visit to Old Trafford. Leicester to me, seem like a team who despite their obvious quality still haven’t developed a strut that you associate with Brendan Rodgers’ teams. Similar to their performance away at Stamford Bridge, the Foxes played the first half in an unnecessarily inhibited manner, almost as if they didn’t genuinely believe they should be favourites at Old Trafford. They improved drastically in the second half, but unlike Chelsea, United didn’t lose their defensive shape. Even though the visitors switched play and kept possession in dangerous areas, they ultimately looked quite toothless in the final third. For a manager that prides himself on taking risks, the game must have left a lot to be desired for Rodgers. ⚽️

New Managers in Europe's Top 5 Leagues

Time has flown and the new European football season is almost upon us. It has been a relatively quiet transfer window this summer, but I for one, am looking forward to seeing new faces in the dugout and the impact they are going to have on their clubs. These are the new managers taking charge of their clubs for the upcoming season in Europe’s top five leagues.

England

Brighton - Graham Potter

Chelsea - Frank Lampard

Newcastle - Steve Bruce

France

Brest - Olivier Dall’Oglio

Lyon - Sylvinho

Saint-Etienne - Ghislain Printant

Marseille - Andre Villas-Boas

Amiens - Luka Elsner

Dijon - Stephane Jobard

Germany

Hoffenheim - Alfred Schreuder

RB Leipzig - Julian Nagelsmann

Wolfsburg - Oliver Glasner

Schalke - David Wagner

Borussia Monchengladbach - Marco Rose

Hertha Berlin - Ante Covic

Cologne - Achim Beierlorzer

Italy

Roma - Paulo Fonseca

Juventus - Maurizio Sarri

Milan - Marco Giampaolo

Inter - Antonio Conte

Sampdoria - Eusebio Di Franceso

Genoa - Aurelio Andreazzoli

Hellas Verona - Ivan Juric

Spain

Real Betis - Rubi

Alaves - Asier Garitano

Sevilla - Julen Lopetegui

Espanyol - David Gallego

United vs Liverpool Preview

There is a lot at stake in what many consider the biggest game in English football. Wasim looks ahead to Manchester United vs Liverpool at Old Trafford and focuses on some of the factors he believes will be key in the big game.

Chelsea 1 Liverpool 1

A fixture that has traditionally been known for its attritional qualities flipped the script as Chelsea and Liverpool played out a high-quality and entertaining draw at Stamford Bridge. Wasim effuses praise for both Maurizio Sarri and Jurgen Klopp, while also suggesting ideas that either manager could have implemented to change the game.

Spurs 3 Fulham 1

Some thoughts on Spurs win over Fulham at Wembley.

1. It was great to see Toby Alderweireld back in the Spurs first eleven. In the interest of Spurs, it was best for Alderweireld and Mauricio Pochettino to bury the hatchet. For neutrals, we want to see the best players and best partnerships. Defensively, it doesn’t get much better than Vertonghen and Alderweireld, whether they play as a duo or as part of a back three.

2. Fulham may have lost both their games back in the Premier League, but as this team gets more confident, I get the feeling they are going to be a joy to watch. Their ability to pass the ball in tight areas is something rarely seen in upper mid-table teams, let alone that for a newly promoted side. There is no reeason for them to lose faith in their style, and as the new signings get finetuned, Fulham have the look of a team that will pulverize a few sides in the league.

3. That being said, Fabri is the sort of goalkeeper who can undermine a lot of good team performances. Unlike last weekend, Fabri wasn’t directly responsible for any of the goals Fulham conceded, but he made more than enough mistakes that could have easily been punished. Sergio Rico has to start sooner rather than later, while Marcus Bettinelli must wonder why he has been demoted after having kept so well during Fulham’s promotion campaign.

4. Great to see Lucas Moura on the scoresheet in what was an impressive performance from the Brazilian. The narrative around Lucas has been similar to that of Alexis Sanchez at United. Lucas was a January signing expected to make his impact only at the beginning of this season. If this was a portent of things to come, he brings a much needed added dimesnion to Spurs attack.

5. Negativity around not signing anyone was understandable. Negativity about the new stadium delay is understandable. Despite all of that, Spurs have 6 points from 6 on the pitch. In a league where early accumulation of points is becoming ever more important, Spurs fans have little to complain, and if anything, the fact is that Spurs are on maximum points despite not being fully up to speed. It is a sign of growing confidence and maturity that bodes well for the remainder of the season.

Chelsea vs Arsenal

Arsenal don’t tend to do well at Stamford Bridge and despite new figures in the dugout this season, it’s hard to see the trend changing. The newest entrants to the top 6 managerial cabal had differing starts to their English tenures, but I for one can’t read too much into Chelsea’s stroll at Huddersfield, regardless of how smooth and proactive Maurizio Sarri’s Blues already look in contrast to last season.

While Unai Emery was slightly chastened in last weekend’s opener, we can’t lose sight of the fact that it was against City — the champions now in year three of the Pep Guardiola era. The loss does present an opportunity to Emery however. He can show us immediately that he is different from Arsene Wenger. Will he tweak at least a few things to prove that Arsenal are indeed heading into a new era of tactical flexibility and greater accountability?

There are also some questions on the pitch. As impressive as Chelsea were last weekend, can David Luiz be exposed by the pace of Aubameyang and Lacazette? On the flip side, how will Sokratis and a makeshift left back handle the threat of Hazard and Willian?

Spurs vs Fulham

This has the potential to be quite a close game. Yes, Fulham didn’t start their campaign in the way many people expected, but they still played quite well and have the game to trouble big teams. Looking forward to Dembele against Seri in midfield, while Sessegnon vs Aurier has the makings of a non-stop battle on the flanks. I am also intrigued to see if there is any psychological effect of the new stadium delay for Spurs. Not that I buy into the “Wembley Curse” nonsense. But originally this was supposed to Spurs only home game at Wembley, now it’s going to be possibly be the first of, uhmm many? Mauricio Pochettino was extremely disappointed about this, and I wonder if the players feel a bit let down too. Nevertheless, two excellent passing teams on the wide spaces of Wembley should be entertaining.