Weekend review- 28/10/12

It's been an important weekend for the teams in the Premiership that rounds off October, and I think we are now into the nitty-gritty of the season. Most of the teams who are where they are in the league, will be where they are pretty much for the remainder of the season. I think teams like QPR, for example, can no longer have the excuse of players still settling in and it's time for the big buys to deliver.

Let's delve into the games...

Aston Villa 1-1 Norwich
I said: 0-1, +0pts
Del said: 1-0, +0pts
Rami said: 2-0, +0pts

None of us got this result right- it was a game that saw both teams get a point, that neither will be roundly happy with. Villa needed to take this opportunity to get a win with the likes of Man United, Man City and Arsenal coming up in November, and a narrow distance between themselves and the relegation zone. What's more to their fans frustration, was that they had the lead until 10 minutes from time, when Turner cancelled out Benteke's first half strike. Norwich might feel they could have struck while the iron was hot after the equaliser, they did have a numerical advantage and Grant Holt had a couple of chances to give the Canaries all three points, which wouldn't have been an unfair reflection on the game as a whole.

 

Arsenal 1-0 QPR

I said: 3-1, +1pt

Del said: 3-0, +1pt

Rami said: 3-1, +1pt

It was a sweetened end to an otherwise sour week from Arsenal's point of view. From what I saw, they put in one of their worst performances since the 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford last season when they lost 1-0 at Norwich on Saturday, and failed to correct that in a poor performance against German high-flyers Schalke on Wednesday night. To their credit, they kept pushing 10-man QPR for a goal late into the second half, and got the rewards their persistance probably deserved when Arteta bundled the ball over the line, albeit mainly due to M'Bia's sending off a few minutes earlier. It was important for the Gunners to get this win and put an end to the losing cycle, before another uneviable trip to Old Trafford.

 

Reading 3-3 Fulham

I said: 1-1, +1pt

Del said: 2-1, +0pts

Rami said: 1-1, +1pt

I wouldn't like to be the rib cage of a fan who was watching this match! What a dramatic game... the spiritedness of their performance to get back into this twice tells me there is still hope for Reading, because I'd have otherwise thought Fulham would have had enough experience to close the game out. I've got a feeling Reading can still stay up due to their ability to score goals, and with QPR and Norwich up next for them their first win seems imminent. As for Fulham, Berbatov is continuing to do the business and their solid home form will be key to them stabilising themselves in the top 10.

 

Stoke 0-0 Sunderland

I said: 1-1, +1pt

Del said: 0-2, +0pts

Rami said: 2-1, +0pts

Whenever two draw specialists meet you can normally bet that there won't be many goals, and that it'll be... a draw. When I watched this on Match of the Day, I'll admit to having been in that drifting zone between being awake and being asleep when you convince yourself that you'll lie down, face away from the TV and just listen. And the next thing you know you wake up and it's the signing zone. Let's be honest... neither of these teams are in serious danger of getting relegated but neither of them are ever likely to get into Europe, so you'll forgive me if I don't really comment on this one.

 

Wigan 2-1 West Ham

I said: 2-1, +3pts

Del said: 1-1, +0pts

Rami said: 1-1, +0pts

My first perfect score of the week, and it was an important win for Roberto Martinez's team. The psychological outlook from both teams worked in Wigan's favour, as the Latics came out and played some lovely stuff at times, scored a couple of cracking goals and played with a lot of confidence, whereas I think I was right about West Ham- they've had such a strong start they maybe took their foot off the pedal in this one, which they could kind of afford to, though Allardyce won't exactly condone it. Di Santo and Kone particularly seem to be developing a real understanding up front, and I think they're a partnership to watch out for.

 

Man City 1-0 Swansea

I said: 3-0, +1pt

Del said: 3-0, +1pt

Rami said: 2-1, +1pt

Well, it was a Manchester City win, but not quite in the manner that I was expecting. I thought there would be a massive reaction from the team after the Ajax result, and they would come out, annihilate Swansea to show their allegiance to the manager and deny all reports of a rift within the squad. But it wasn't like that, Swansea had over 50% of the possession and City did look rusty at times, the Tevez goal being more of a single moment of magic that won it for them.

 

Everton 2-2 Liverpool

I said: 0-0, +1pt

Del said: 2-1, +0pts

Rami said: 2-2, +3pts

Well done to Rami, who called this spot on. My psychological analysis was that both teams would be, privately, a little bit daunted by each other, creating a climate and environment of fear, hence my goalless draw prediction. But I couldn't have been more wrong. Liverpool came quickly out of the starting blocks to race to a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes, but Everton showed a fair bit of character to get back on level terms before the break. In the second half, it could have swung either way and it swung... neither way, Liverpool coming closest to win it when Suarez scored in stoppage time but the goal was ruled out for offside. The result has seen Everton lose their Champions League place to Tottenham, and Liverpool now need another win to regather their momentum.

 

Newcastle 2-1 West Brom

I said: 2-0, +1pt

Del said: 1-2, +0pts

Rami said: 2-1, +3pts

Well called again, Rami, a late Papiss Cisse winner saw Newcastle record a 2-1 win and climb into the top half of the table. To be fair to West Brom, to have over 50% of the possession at Newcastle and lose to an injury-time goal shows that they are capable of competing near, if not in, the top half of the table. With Southampton and Wigan coming up for them, maybe my prediction for the end of their honeymoon period was a little hasty. As for Newcastle, they are only slight outsiders for the 5th spot and another crack in the Europa League because of Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton all being there, so I think they will be in a similar situation to Fulham come April time, i.e. nowhere to really go.

 

Southampton 1-2 Tottenham

I said: 2-1, +0pts

Del said: 0-2, +1pt

Rami said: 1-2, +3pts

On reflection, I was probably being a little too visionary with my prediction for this one. I thought, with Spurs being knocked back a peg by losing to Chelsea last week and playing in Maribor on Thursday night, with Southampton having a decent home record and a bit of a minor rivalry between these teams, I did think it was a potential banana-skin for Tottenham. Generally though, the way you win points on this game is to go with the bigger teams. Spurs have now laid their hand on the 4th place, amid pressure from Arsenal and Everton, but Southampton have got a few winnable games coming up so I won't rule them out yet, provided they can become more solid at the back.

 

Chelsea 2-3 Man Utd

I said: 3-0, +0pts

Del said: 2-3, +3pts

Rami said: 2-2, +0pts

In this match, almost everything seemed to swing in Manchester United's favour. They scored two early goals, the first one a little fortuitously coming off the post and then off David Luiz's backside. Van Persie then scored with a typically deadly finish from Valencia's cross. As the first half went on though, Chelsea grew into it and there were a few goalmouth scrambles that saw the ball trickle wide of the post, Chelsea's Mata halved the deficit just before half-time with a Ronaldo-esc swerving free-kick. The Blues then came out of the blocks early in the second half and a bit of persistance from the influential Mata kept the ball in play, to set up a cross to come in for Ramires to head home and level things up. At that point, United's defence looked drained and had it not been for Brandislav Ivanovic's red card with 25-odd minutes to go, I'm pretty sure Chelsea would have won the game. Ferguson, sensing opportunity, boldly brought on Hernandez for Cleverley in search of a winner, just before Di Matteo's team were then reduced to nine men when Torres was sent off for a dive, and a second yellow. United then drove forward in typical fashion to try and score the winning goal, and Fergie's supersub paid off, Hernandez flicking in Rafael's cross to give Manchester United all three points and move within one point off Chelsea at the top of the table. Well done to Del for getting this scoreline spot on.

 

So, for the prediction game, let's have a look at who called it, and who ballsed it:

 

Me

Correct results- 6

Perfect scorelines- 1, Wigan 2-1 West Ham

Points- 9

 

Del

Correct results- 3

Perfect scorelines- 1, Chelsea 2-3 Man Utd

Points- 6

 

Rami

Correct results- 3

Perfect scorelines- 3, Everton 2-2 Liverpool, Newcastle 2-1 West Brom &

Southampton 1-2 Tottenham

Points- 12

 

So there you have it. Rami is this week's prediction Champion! Congratulations to him, thanks to those who took part, if you yourself want a go at this predictions game, either find me on Facebook or tweet me: https://twitter.com/_thescore

 

Have a good week.

Weekend predictions- 25/10/12

Good day to one and all, it's prediction time, and I can't wait for the weekend's games. This week, I've got two competitors: Del returns, who lost 13-6 to me last week, has sent in hers with revenge on her mind, and Rami El Chamaa, who is making his prediction game debut and is the owner of football blog: 'foot and ball'.

So without further ado, let's get to the games...

Aston Villa vs. Norwich

Norwich will be buoyed by beating, and keeping a clean sheet against Arsenal last week and the belief and team spirit in that dressing room is definitely still there. You could say much less so for Aston Villa; they’ve only scored 6 goals from 8 games this season and their goalscoring concerns could be deepened should reports over Darren Bent’s rift with Paul Lambert hold any substance. Villa fans will really expect to win this game, which I think is more of a worry for them than anything else, there’s potential for the crowd to get on their backs if they don’t score an early goal, which could work in the Canaries' favour. I actually feel Norwich have got it in them to record away win and come back to haunt Lambert. 0-1.

Del says: "I get a feeling it’s time Villa turned things around and started picking up some serious points, but Norwich will have no intention of making it easy for them." 1-0
Rami says: 2-0

Arsenal vs. QPR

This is a must-win game for Arsenal, to get back into the race for 4th. If they want to do so, they have to be more consistent and can only afford to put in performances like they did against Norwich once or twice in a season; it was a shocking display that not only lacked quality finishing, but also tenacity and seemingly the will to win. I’m sure Wenger will have dealt with the players accordingly though, and would back them to beat bottom-of-the-table QPR, who have conceded 17 goals from their first 8 games. The likes of them and Southampton simply can’t carry on defending simple balls into the box like they are and expect to stay in this league. 3-1 to the Gunners for this one.

Del says: "Although QPR managed a draw at Everton last week, I think the combined forces of Giroud and Podolski along with the fantastic chances that Chamberlain creates should give Arsenal a comfortable win at home." 3-0
Rami says: 3-1

Reading vs. Fulham

I’ve not had an easy time calling this one. Reading need their first win of the season at some stage and have home advantage, but you’d give Fulham a chance because of the quality and experience in their team. I suppose all of these factors probably negotiate themselves into a draw, Pogrebnyak will want to score a goal against his old club, and the likes of Kebe, Karacan and McAnuff should provide a bit of support for him, but when you’ve got the likes of Berbatov in your team, anything can happen. His deftness of touch and audacious vision will really link-up Fulham’s attacking play, so they should be able to get a goal against what is a pretty average Reading defence. Will say one each.

Del says: "The sting of only losing 1-0 to Liverpool last week should give Reading the edge they need to walk away with all the points in this tie." 2-1
Rami says: 1-1

Stoke vs. Sunderland

Stoke certainly need to put in a better defensive performance today than they did at Old Trafford last week. We all know how good Rooney, van Persie and Welbeck are but the hesitant mentality they had and the way they defended was untypical of them, as before that they had kept two successive clean sheets. Sunderland, with the likes of McClean, Johnson and Sessegnon in their team, look capable of creating chances for Steven Fletcher, so the Potters will need to tighten up. The Black Cats also showed a bit of spirit in the north-east derby last week to get a point, and I think they can do so again here. 1-1.

Del says: 0-2
Rami says: 2-1

Wigan vs. West Ham

I think this is a winnable game for Wigan. West Ham won’t be playing under any pressure, because they are already 10pts away from the relegation zone, and that could alter the dynamics of the match in one of two ways. They’ll either play with a lot of freedom and confidence created by that winning mentality, or take their foot off their pedal a little bit, although you don’t get the impression Sam Allardyce is the kind of manager to let his players do that. Either way, Wigan will be fighting for a win and will be conscious of having to go to Tottenham and Liverpool in their next few games. This is definitely a better opportunity for the Latics to pick up points, and because di Santo and Kone seem to be striking a bit of a partnership, I’ll back them to pick up a 2-1 win.

 

Del says: 1-1

Rami says: 1-1

 

Man City vs. Swansea

 

At the time of writing, City are about to play Ajax tonight, I would think Mancini will field a strong team in that one considering their position in the group. It’s all much of a muchness though really, because the Italian has four quality strikers at his disposal and Swansea getting 4pts from their last two is mainly down to them playing at home to distinctly mediocre teams. With the Swans defence not being particularly strong this year, I would expect a similar type of game to the opening day of last season when the Citizens won 4-0, shall say 3-0 this time.

Del says: "Man City haven’t exactly been flying in the Champions League, if the players want to retain some sort of dignity they had better get back to winning ways and show they mean business." 3-0

Rami says: 2-1

 

Everton vs. Liverpool

 

I think underneath all the bitter rivalry, both teams would secretly be happy to come away from this match with a draw. Everton have got the home advantage and are well above the Reds in the table, which might feel strange to some of their fans who have seen so much of Liverpool’s successes over the last 30 years, I’m not sure they would feel quite right about being overly confident of a victory, as if it would be tempting fate. Liverpool, on the other hand, are starting to notice how much Everton are changing and becoming an as good, if not better club, and the 5pt gap in the table will mean Liverpool are possibly a bit scared of Everton taking over, and will want to show that the power shift isn’t an absolute one. For psychological reasons more than anything else, I think both teams are privately a bit scared of each other, so there could be an element of nerves and both teams settling for a draw, think this might finish goalless.

Del says: "Liverpool have been struggling for consistency since the start of this season while Everton have been exceeding all expectations. The David Moyes fan in me says this is going to be Everton’s weekend!" 2-1

Rami says: 2-2

 

Newcastle vs. West Brom

 

I would fancy Newcastle to beat high-flying West Brom quite comfortably, in front of their home fans. Steve Clarke’s side have enjoyed a great start to the season, and could consider themselves unfortunate not to actually beat Man City, who they lost to in the end. It’s been brilliant so far, but you’ve got to question how long it can go on for, it’s rare for an early surprise package of the season team to stay in the top six until November, and I think this is where it ends. Newcastle, in Ba and Cisse, have got strikers who can turn a match completely in their favour with one shot at goal, they are so clinical, and it’s those kind of strikers that win you the points when you’re not playing well, but I think Newcastle will today and get a positive result to show for it. 2-0.

Del says: "Steve Clarke has worked wonders with West Brom since he came to the club and I don’t think it’s time for their good run to end just yet." 1-2

Rami says: 1-0

 

Southampton vs. Tottenham

 

If Southampton can manage a result on Sunday, it will be more down to home support, team work ethic and a little bit of luck than anything else, because this Tottenham team beat Southampton pretty much all over the park for quality, but that’s not always how football works. Rickie Lambert will be the Saint’s biggest goal threat, averaging a goal in two games, more impressively he’s sometimes come on as a substitute, and he adds so much more in terms of their build-up play. Ironically I think Jermain Defoe, who will play up front on his own, needs someone exactly like Lambert alongside him to do all the donkey work and get all the knock-downs so that Defoe is free to come alive in the box, which is what he does best. He’s not quite got the legs to close down the whole game and has a tendency to get isolated on his own up front. For the sake of being controversial, I’ll say Southampton can steal a win from this game. They’ve got quite a good home record and the fact that this is a bit of a rivalry (I think sparked when Glenn Hoddle left the Saints to go to Spurs in 2001) makes me want to go with my gut and Southampton can battle it out for a 2-1 win against the odds.

Del says: 0-2

Rami says: 1-2

 

Chelsea vs. Man Utd

 

I’m going to be controversial again in my prediction, and say this will be a big win for Chelsea. The spine of Manchester United’s midfield and defence is so blatantly aging and losing stamina, Ferguson had the opportunity to invest another centre-half over the summer, yet found himself playing Michael Carrick in defence, and saying afterwards: "It’s okay, he’s not naturally a defender." You just think, "well sign a natural defender then!" All that money was invested in signing van Persie and Kagawa, the types of which United aren’t exactly lacking, and now apparently he's interested in forwards Rodriguez and Lewandowski! It has to be said, it was a rare very poor piece of priotising and planning from Alex Ferguson’s point of view. Chelsea will want to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in the Ukraine in which most of their first team featured, but they’ll have 5 days to prepare for this one which I think will be enough. They just look so much more energic going forward, I get an impression the pace and movement of their three attacking midfielders and Torres will run rings around Man United. I say this boldly and with a heavy heart: Chelsea 3 Manchester United 0.
 

Del says: "It’s one of the big ones and I predict plenty of goals! Van Persie and Mata on the score sheet for me." 2-3

Rami says: 2-2

 

And your lot for this week, my thanks to Del and Rami for their contributions on a weekend where a title six-pointer, and the small matter of the Merseyside derby, highlight what should be a series of games that give us a clearer idea of how this season may pan out for the teams.

See you soon amigos.

The race for 4th

I'd like to talk a little bit about the race for that last Champions League spot, because I think it'll be a very exciting one to watch- there are about 5 teams that could potentially take it. I think it's pretty obvious that Chelsea, United and City will make up the top three and will finish approximately 10pts above the rest.

 

If I was putting money on it, I would say Tottenham and Arsenal are the main contenders, just because Tottenham are now looking pretty strong under AVB, and Arsenal have never finished outside the top four, at least not recently. But then David Moyes has kept the likes of Baines and Fellaini happy at Everton when either of them could quite easily get into the team of a title-winning team, like Man Utd or Chelsea. They have got a fantastic team spirit and work ethic there, and a goalscorer in Jelavic, Everton could fancy their chances and let's not forget they currently occupy that 4th spot. Liverpool have got some tough games coming up but I think, if he's given time, Brendan Rodgers can instil a lot of confidence in those young players, plus Newcastle haven't started great played some tough games and are still getting used to playing on Thursday night. They've got an outside chance. I genuinely think the chase for fourth spot could go down to 2 or 3 teams on the last day.

 

So I'd like to have a look at these five teams, how they've started, the squad they've got, tactics, all that sort of stuff.

 

Arsenal

 

Whilst there have been flashes of promise, Arsenal have broadly speaking had a poor opening quarter of the season. Having to play the likes of Stoke, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea in their opening 8 games doesn't make up, in my opinion, for being 9th in the table and the woeful display against Norwich for me proves that they have to be more consistent, and that's if they want fourth spot, not the title.

They've got four massive derby games coming up against QPR, Man Utd, Fulham and Tottenham, that they have to win at least three of to inspire some confidence and get back into the driving seat. What makes me think they can do it, is that, Norwich game aside, they do look capable of creating chances with Arteta's football brain, Cazorla's passing quality, Podolski and Gervinho's movement from wide and Walcott's pace could see them onto some goals. The main thing they need in January, is a holding midfielder- I think Abou Diaby has impressed at times but his lack of natural fitness suggests he is more of a good squad player- to keep the positional shape of the team and reduce pressure off the defence, they also maybe need a centre-back, because Mertesacker does seem to lack mobility at times as big as he is. I'd also argue a goalkeeper, because Szczesny is still young and liable to mistakes when he returns from injury. I'd also question whether Kieran Gibbs has it in him to be anything more than a decent squad player, from what I've seen of him I'm not sure that he's good enough. That's where I think Arsenal need strengthening, but knowing Wenger he'll probably sign another central european creative midfielder.

 

Tottenham

 

The Spurs need to take the momentum they had before the Chelsea game, winning four Prem matches on the spin, into their next few games. Playing the likes of Southampton, Norwich and Wigan, all near the drop-zone, should help them regather that momentum before going to Man City, and then the north London derby.

I've noticed in a lot of games AVB likes to line-up with an attacking 4-5-1, with Defoe on his own up front. Many people, backed up by the evidence of their latest results will say this is a very controversial statement, but I do personally think that system is flawed. For me, Jermain Defoe craves a target man, a Crouch, alongside him to get all the flick-ons and knock downs and do all the donkey work. Defoe is 30 now, and if he's spending the whole time chasing lost causes and closing down the defence, he loses that bit of agility for what he's really good at- scoring goals in the box. He's a poacher, and I think all aspects of his game should be geared towards him being in the box to come alive and score goals from tight angles. He's a sniper like that, but he can't do it if he's not given a hardworking striker to play alongside him. Tottenham have certainly got the creativity in midfield though, with the likes of Bale, Lennon, Dembele, Sigurdsson, Dempsey and arguably Huddlestone, I'd just argue they need another striker, or maybe Adebayor to get more games, to ensure Defoe defo gets the service he needs.

 

Everton

 

The toffees hold 4th at the moment, but they've got a few tricky games coming up next, and some very difficult fixtures in late November/early December time, hardworking a team as they are I can't quite see them still being 4th at Christmas- I think Arsenal or Tottenham might takeover. The other thing about Everton... I'm not quite sure why they've signed Thomas Hitzlesperger. I remember him scoring a fantastic goal for Aston Villa against Blues like 10 years ago to put them 2-0 up (we drew 2-2 in the last minute, just so you know), but he seems ancient. He must be into his thirties now. It seems a bit of a smash and grab signing by David Moyes, which is not like him. If they are struggling for midfield options, I'd like to see Ross Barkley in their team- he looks a real prospect and could be the long-term replacement for Phil Neville or Osman.

 

Liverpool

 

Liverpool's top four aspirations should probably be more directed towards longer-term plans than this season, it seems more unlikely that they'll do it this year but they've got some exciting young players. I think for the Reds it's a case of taking a step back in terms of expectations now, to take two or three forward in the long-term. If I was the Liverpool chairman, I'd be prepared to take a mini-gamble and give Rodgers 5 years to assemble the squad as long as they always get into the top 10, and build for the future. The worst thing Liverpool can do now is sack Brendan Rodgers now and get in another manager. The so-called failures of Hodgson and Dalglish prove that the club isn't as good as it used to be, it's in transition phase and Rodgers is the man to lead it.

 

Newcastle

 

Alright... I don't actually think Newcastle will finish fourth this season, it was mainly so I can drag the article out a bit. Cisse and Ba look a real handful and Newcastle could get into the top six or seven if they can keep those two fit and fresh. They probably need to improve defensively if they want to kick on this season, but Fabricio Coloccini's experience might help their younger defenders do that and the likes of Cabaye , Gutierrez and Hatem Ben Arfa are more than capable of providing for the big front men. They'll certainly finish in the top half of the table this season, and possibly even 6th or 7th depending on how well their squad can handle the rigours of playing midweek in the Europa League.

 

Verdict:

 

My more unreserved verdict for who will get fourth place will depend on whether Wenger invests £30 million+ in January on Arsenal's defence and a holding midfielder, whether Everton can stay 4th with tricky games in the next couple of months or so, and whether AVB signs a striker.

 

I don't want to sit on the fence until then, so I'll stick my neck out for Arsenal. I think once Arsene starts actually listening to Steve Bould, now his assistant manager, they should tighten up at the back and the prospect of a solid back four combined with the creativity and movement in that team is a mouthwatering thought. They just have to become more consistent.

 

I nearly went for Tottenham there, so I think they'll narrowly miss out, Everton a few points behind. I don't think Liverpool will put a run of wins together to mount a significant chase for 4th in the new year, they're probably in too much of a transition phase. Newcastle did well to get 5th last season, but it will be a different story this year having to play in Europe and could suffer, to some extent, from the 'continental hangover' effect.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing how things pan out though, and the 17th November, the north London derby, is a TV date that's going straight into my diary.

A review of the weekend 24/10/12

Thought I'd have a look back at the weekend's results, and compare them to mine and Del's predictions. On the whole, I wouldn't say an awful lot has drastically changed this week, in terms of my opinions on where teams will be come the end of the season, the Norwich-Arsenal game being the only real surprise.

Tottenham 2-4 Chelsea
I said: 2-3, +1pt
Del said: 2-2, +0pts

My prediction for this one was 2-3, so I was a bit gutted when the last goal went in! A lot of people had put Chelsea's unbeaten start down to their easier run of games to start the season but two away London derby victories at Arsenal and Tottenham has proved their doubters wrong. And now, if they beat Manchester United next week, they have the chance to take full control of the title race. Juan Mata was the star of the show on Saturday, and when you've got players of his, Hazard's and Oscar's flair, genius and quality in your team, you've always got a chance. Watching them, Chelsea seem to look like the team to beat at the moment.

Man Utd 4-2 Stoke
I said: 1-0, +1pt
Del said: 5-1, +1pt

 

Having said that, write United off at your peril. People who have done so in the past have still got the burns to show for it, and it was another typically driven performance from the Red Devils that saw them put four past an uncharacteristically defeatist Stoke defence. I thought the best chance the Potters had of getting something at Old Trafford was actually to close down the likes of Carrick and Scholes to make that midfield their own, but were much too happy to sit back and protect their zones, which allowed United to get into their stride and have time on the ball. If I'd have known Stoke would make that mistake, I might have predicted a more comprehensive win for Man U than 1-0. Not that I'm making excuses...

West Brom 1-2 Man City
I said: 1-2, +3pts
Del said: 1-3, +1pt

Manchester City did well to stay level on points with United producing an impressive comeback, a man down, at in-form West Brom. It was a stupid tackle from James Milner, especially being the last man, he certainly deserved to go. I thought it would be a massive test for the Citizens to get back into the game when Shane Long scored with 20 minutes to go, but the introduction of Edin Dzeko turned the game in City's favour. A lot of credit has to go for the number of saves Joe Hart made before Dzeko scored the winner but the mental strength they showed to come back and win with 10 men, especially away from home against a team playing with the confidence that West Brom are at the moment, makes me think they aren't out of the title race just yet.

Liverpool 1-0 Reading
I said: 2-0, +1pt
Del said: 1-0, +3pts

A solid Liverpool performance saw Reading become the latest victims of the Raheem Sterling phenomenon. The pace and oomph he injects into this Liverpool team is fantastic to watch, it's hard to believe he's just 17, I hope he gets the chance he deserves in the England side because him and Oxlade-Chamberlain on the wings is definately our future. As for Liverpool I think Brendan Rodgers is the man to lead Liverpool forward in the long-term, he's got some very exciting young players coming through and I think under him they are moving in the right direction.

West Ham 4-1 Southampton
I said: 2-0, +1pt
Del said: 0-0, +0pts

That will have been a disappointing result for Southampton. They simply can't stay in this league if they carry on defending like they did today, but what their fans can maybe cling onto is that they do look capable of creating chances, their St. Marys successes last season in the Championship, alongside their 4-1 home win over Villa three weeks ago suggests that they can pick up a bit of home form which will be important. Nigel Adkins said that he won't compromise his attacking 'principles', I would hope that means that they will continue to attack, but also work on their defending more rather than go for an all-out-attack strategy in matches- that would be a mistake. As for the Hammers, if their aim this season was to just stay up, it's been a brilliant start for them. At the moment, they look at least midtable material.

Fulham 1-0 Aston Villa
I said: 2-0, +1pt
Del said: 2-0, +1pt

A solid home win for Fulham, they'll be happy to get the late goal and it's another step forward for them in their ambitions to establish their place in the top 10. With Norwich getting their first win of the season on Saturday, more of which anon, Villa's game against the Canaries next week should measure the extremity of the Villains' relegation concerns. I don't know if this is just me as a Birmingham City fan trying hopefully to find signs that Villa will go down, but just 5 goals from 8 Premier League games is a poor return and their goalscoring problems could become somewhat precarious if reports over Darren Bent's rift with Paul Lambert hold value.

Swansea 2-1 Wigan
I said: 2-1, +3pts
Del said: 1-2, +0pts

 

It was an important win for Swansea as I called, and I thought Michu would score as well! The Swans needed to take the opportunity to get that first win in 5 with some very hard games coming up, I'm pretty sure their handsome position in the table will be eroided at again in the next few weeks. 4pts from big games against Reading and Wigan have at least stopped the rot for now, but I think the rot could be due to start again soon. Wigan have got a big game against West Ham next week as they are only 1pt away from the relegation zone, but given they tend to only get started in March sort of time anyway, their fans will still be quietly content to be 16th for now.

Norwich 1-0 Arsenal
I said: 0-4, +0pts
Del said: 0-2, +0pts

 

I don't think I'm the only one who'll be surprised by this result, but I do think it's the sign of a team that has the mental strength to stay up, when they can win games when they are hitting a bit of a slump and play against a top-4 side at home, and no-one expects them to win at all. The self-belief in that Norwich team is clearly still there, and I think a lot of credit for that has to go to Hughton. They are officially up and running now. I watched the highlights of the game on Match of the Day after seeing the result, and I expected it to be a case of Arsenal absolutely battering Norwich until they go purple in the face and Ruddy making loads of outstanding saves- but it wasn't. My recollection of it was that Norwich had a couple of chances towards the end because of Arsenal slipping over the ball, but Grant Holt wasn't clinical enough. It wasn't a case of Arsenal's players playing well but being very unlucky, it was just a totally shocking Arsenal performance. At times, the likes of Cazorla can thrill with their passing and movement, but they can't win the title in the next 2 or 3 years without serious investment in their defence and a lot more consistency. They just haven't got it at the moment.

QPR 1-1 Everton
I said: 2-0, +0pts
Del said: 0-2, +0pts

 

The main problem with QPR at the moment is their defence. Neither Julio Cesar nor Rob Green look competent enough and I think that team needs a lot of practice on the training ground to defend the simple balls into the box- that's how you keep the points. The positives they can take from Sunday is that Everton are a top-six team who they drew with, they did create chances and I do feel their new attacking players are very gradually beginning to integrate together, things can still work out for them if their fans are patient with Hughes. With Tottenham coming into form and Arsenal yet to hit their optimum point, Everton can't take their 4th place for granted and they will probably have had ambitions to win this one once they equalised. It's more a case of two points dropped for them.

Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle
I said: 1-1, +3pts
Del said: 3-2, +0pts

This game went accordingly to my expectations, it was a bit of a fast and furious midfield battle and, in many ways, your average derby game. Sunderland fans will have been relieved to not lose this, probably more for pride than anything else, but only being 4pts from the relegation zone might have been etched into the back of their minds. They also could have stollen it at the end when James McClean shot just whisked wide of the far post, but had it gone in, it would have been a slightly harsh repayment for the way 10-man Newcastle defended for most of the game. Both teams will have come away from the game with an element of relief at not losing it. 

 

Del scored: 6pts

I scored: 14pts

 

A comprehensive victory for me in that one, after getting baggies v man city, swansea v wigan and sunderland v newcastle correct, the many hours of studying these games paid off. (yeah I'm aware that I probably need to get a life, thanks)

A few games this weekend which I think gave us something of an idea of the belief and team spirit in several camps that could stand them in decent stead for the rest of the season, but I'm still hoping the next few weeks will give us a much clearer idea of the direction in which the relegation dogfight, the title challenges, and the race for 4th, will take.

The Scores? 20/10/12 weekend predictions

Bonjour scorers, hello and welcome to the first week of my prediction tournament. I've only got one competitor for this week, Del of Nottingham university, so I'm feeling optimistic I might be able to get second place.

 

This week, we've got some interesting games; league leaders Chelsea go to in-form Tottenham, the two Manchester clubs are aiming to put their title bids on track against two Midlands clubs, West Brom and Stoke, Martinez returns to Swansea, Mark Hughes fights for his job against Everton and we've got a north-east derby classic!

 

Here goes...

 

Tottenham vs. Chelsea

 

Both of these teams are in-form, high on confidence, and both are capable of creating chances and neither are especially strong defensively. I think this has the makings of an exciting game. Tottenham are hitting a streak under Andre-Villas Boas and the comfortable win over Aston Villa last week proved that the dramatic win at Old Trafford wasn’t an anomaly.

The Portuguese’s successor at Chelsea, di Matteo, has found a real winning formula though and the effects of Hazard, Mata and Oscar combining to provide for Torres have been devastating. The knowhow of Lampard and the dynamism of Ramires has also given Chelsea the platform they need in midfield to give these quality players time on the ball. For the time being, I just can’t see the Blues being knocked off their perch. I think Chelsea have it in them to nick this game 3-2.

Del says: I think Spurs will up their game for their London rivals. 2-2.

 

Fulham vs. Aston Villa

 

Fulham’s positive start has stuttered, if not unpredictably, in their last couple of games. They probably expected to lose to Man City, but they will have been a little miffed that they dropped two points in injury time at Southampton last time out. Their home record always seems to provide doubters with the answers though, and Aston Villa look like a squad that needs time for their young players to acclimatise to the Premier League level, and to become familiar with playing under new manager, Paul Lambert. I think Fulham have the quality and experience going forward to put a couple of nigglingly disappointing results behind them and record a fairly comfortable win. 2-0.

 

Del says: 2-0

 

Liverpool vs. Reading

Once they had won 5-2 at Carrow Road a few weeks back, it looked like the Rodgers revolution of the reds was all in place. In their last couple of results though, a home defeat to Udinese in the Europa league and a goalless draw with Stoke has somewhat stalled the revolution for the time being, they need a win to put themselves back on track.

For Reading, it won’t do the mind-set of their fans any harm to see that 2-2 draws with Newcastle and Swansea have seen them climb out of the relegation zone, even if in both of those games the win was within their grasp. With Fulham, QPR and Norwich coming up for the Royals, I’m confident they can get their first win sooner rather than later, but Liverpool’s need for the points is probably greatest on Saturday. 2-0 Liverpool, and possibly a couple of goals from Suarez.

Del says: Liverpool should be winning ties like these but I think they'll struggle with Reading. 1-0.

 

Man Utd vs. Stoke City

 

In recent weeks, Stoke’s 1-0 loss and two draws against Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool respectively suggest that they are capable of competing with some of the top teams in England (and also Liverpool), and that this won’t be an easy game for Fergie’s men. Charlie Adam and Steven N’Zonzi will provide quite a physical threat in the middle of the park that I’m not sure Carrick and Scholes will be able to compete with when they haven’t got the ball, meaning Rooney will have to work hard tracking back- it just makes me wonder whether the service to van Persie will be good enough.

This could be one of those games that proves another stern test of Manchester United’s mental strength and ultimately, title credentials- if it’s 0-0 with 20 minutes or so to go can they find that goal to pick up the win? They usually do. For that reason, I’m going to say the Red Devils can pass this test and nip the game in the bud with a 1-0 win.

Del says: 5-1

 

Swansea vs. Wigan

Roberto Martinez will return to the Liberty Stadium in a game where Swansea need to win, but Wigan can’t afford to lose if either of these sides want to distance themselves from a relegation battle. The thinking behind this being that Swansea, in their next few games, I think have got to play the likes of Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. Whilst they will be happy to sit 12th at the moment, I’d expect their track in the league table to lead them downwards rather than upwards in the coming weeks. Although it can’t have felt like it, it was more of a bonus than anything else for Wigan to get a point against Everton last time out despite the late penalty- their next three home games are against West Ham, West Brom and Reading. It will be those matches for the Latics that will define the course of their season, but I think Swansea might have the edge in this one. 2-1.

Del says: 1-2.

West Brom vs. Man City

West Brom are playing full of confidence at the moment- you’ve got to give a lot of credit for that to Steve Clark. The lively, buoyant and rampant attacking performances this Baggies team seem to be putting in owes a lot to what the manager has done. There is also a healthy competition for places going forward.

Another tricky encounter then, for Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City. They did manage a clean sheet against Sunderland last week despite the absence of Vincent Kompany, the return of Lescott played a big part and I think him and Kompany at the back is the best way forward for Man City in future. Given that the Citizens aren’t quite in flying form, I’d be inclined to say West Brom could sneak a draw but the competitive child in me doesn’t want to lose any points on the predictions game no matter how much credit I’d get for forecasting an unexpected result! Because of that, I’ll say Man City will win 2-1.

Del says: West Brom have had a great run so far this season but I think Man City will overpower them. 1-3.

 

West Ham vs. Southampton

The good thing about the local derby against Arsenal for West Ham, was that they had such a good start to the season they could afford to lose it- a draw or better would only have been a bonus. I don’t think it will have affected their confidence this much and would still fancy them to win this game.

Southampton showed quite a bit of spirit to snatch that point against Fulham so late on- many teams would have given up at that point and I think the steely determination they showed could prove crucial in the relegation dogfight. I do get a feeling as well it’ll be their home form rather than away, that’ll be most important for them this season, which is why I’m going to say West Ham will win this 2-0.

Del says: 0-0

Norwich vs. Arsenal

I can’t see past a convincing Arsenal win for Saturday’s teatime game. The Gunners do beat Norwich for quality all over the park, but most notably in the attacking midfield areas, so I could see them scoring about three goals in the closing stages of the game. Cazorla looks a real player for them, the passing quality and movement from out wide in this Arsenal team would be too much for most teams to handle, not least Norwich who have severe defensive problems.

Chris Hughton’s side have lost their last three Premiership matches, albeit against good attacking teams, but you’ve got to place Arsenal in that category as well. I could be eating humble pie on Saturday night watching Chris Hughton celebrating his side’s first win of the season thanks to a fine defensive display and a 1-0 win, but I just don’t think I will be and once the first goal goes in, Arsenal can run rings around Norwich. 5 or 6-0 would probably be too much, so I’ll say a 4-0 away win for Arsenal.

Del says: 0-2

 

Sunderland vs. Newcastle

I think there could be an element of fear and anti-climax about this north-east derby. Both teams have prolific strikers in Cisse and Ba, for Newcastle, and in Steven Fletcher for Sunderland but I worry that the service to these players could be reduced by what could be a tightly fought battle in the middle of the park. Sunderland have been little more than steady in their last few games, they were expected to lose to City so no real surprises there and getting four points from games against West Ham and Wigan makes me think they won’t be in the relegation mixer come March/April time. Newcastle will have been disappointed at being almost out of the game after about 10 minutes against Man United a fortnight ago; they might have hoped to snatch a draw in that game.  Whilst it’s not been a great opening 7 games for them, the Geordies will be relieved that they don’t have to worry about a ‘continental hangover’ effect for this one. I’d say a draw is probably the best shout,

1-1.

 

Del says: the north-east derby is one of my favourites and I see plenty of goals in this one.

3-2.

QPR vs. Everton

 This will be yet another crunch game for Mark Hughes. All of these big-name players he’s invested in are yet to do the business and you’ve got to question the work ethic within the team. It’s sort of the opposite scenario for Everton. David Moyes’s job is completely, more than secure, he’s signed a few obscure but hardworking players over the last couple of years and they’ve gelled well and become a real team unit. It seems like a strange way of looking at things, not always the most suitably applicable logic but I do feel like QPR are due a win from somewhere. At some point, there surely must be a game that changes the dynamics of their season. It would be uncharacteristic of Everton to take their eye off the ball, so to speak, but I’ll say QPR will record their first win of the season. It’s got to happen sometime, 2-0 the Rs.

Del says: the Toffees are in the Champions League position whilst QPR paddle at the bottom of the table, I can only see an Everton win here. 0-2.

 

Cheers Del, we shall see who will emerge the victor! Don't forget, if anyone wants to have a go at the predictions game for next week, get in touch, either by commenting on the blog, tweeting me (@_thescore), or giving us an email: sutton.thescore@gmail.com

 

That's all for this week, and looking at the fixtures, I know exactly where I'll be at 10:30 on Saturday night!

 

Thanks to all for reading, and for all the support with the blog thus far.

Poland vs. England and the other British teams world cup qualifying games

Must admit, was hoping to come up with a slightly snazzier title than that but there we go. By the time you are reading this, this article has already been published so its too late to change. Damn.

 

Let's be honest... there weren't any real surprises about the San Marino game, the only one being we might have wanted to have won by a more commanding scoreline than 5-0. It sounds quite arrogant saying: 'we should have won by more than 5-0', I'm not sure if the San Marino team will have opened the champagne bottles afterwards to celebrate keeping it only 5-0, but thought we might have scored at least 6 or 7 given the Sammarinese's 11-0 defeat to Holland.

 

Anyway, that'll do for now at least as the attention turns to the National Stadium in Warsaw (no, not Walsall) on Tuesday night. Here are my thoughts on the game:

 

Poland vs. England

It'll certainly be a closer game than the one on Friday but I'm still going to back England to win it. Robert Lewandowski is my only real worry about this Poland team, other than that, I'd be pretty confident England can deal with their attack. Jermain Defoe coming into the team will be a boost because he is a natural finisher so I'm going to back him to grab a goal, to be fair we've got a lot of attacking options so I think whoever Hodgson decides to play will take their chance to prove their worth to the team. I'm saying England will win this game 2-0 to put some daylight between themselves and the rest of the group, and make the rest of their qualifying campaign a bit of a foregone conclusion.

 

Belgium vs. Scotland

I'm afraid I can't see a route to Rio for Scotland now after their defeat to the Welsh. You've got to think that if they can't beat the 'lesser' teams in their group, like Macedonia and Wales, how can they expect to beat Belgium- a side with the likes of Kompany, Fellaini and Hazard in their team? Craig Levein's loyalty to this 4-5-1 formation hasn't done Scotland any favours because they haven't been scoring enough goals. This game is definately his last throw of the dice so I think he should start with Fletcher and Miller up front, but I think he's played his last card before this anyway. 3-0 to the Belgians.

 

Croatia vs. Wales

The Welsh are now back from the dead and Gareth Bale's late brace against Scotland will have at least given them hope, after two disappointing opening defeats. Wales still need something from this game though, probably a win, but with the likes of Manzukic, Modric and  Jelavic in the Croatia team, they will always be up against it. I'm going to say Croatia will edge this one, I'm sure Wales will make a fight of it but I think the Croats will score a late goal to secure a hard-fought 1-0 win and all-but end Welsh hopes of qualifying.

Faroe Islands vs. Ireland
Ireland are caught in a Trap, and he can't walk out- he'd be lonesome tonight. Think my Irish football-related Elvis jokes are over with. I've been disappointed with what I've seen from Ireland under the Italian so far, before Euro 2012 I thought the general consensus was thatTrappattoni had tightened up their defence significantly, but they conceded too many cheap goals. I also think they might have been somewhat disappointed with the manner in which they lost 6-1 to Germany, especially in Dublin. I recall the Faroe Islands nearly drew with Sweden and I think they'll make it a tight game, given the precarious situation Ireland are in at the top I'll go for a 0-0 draw. The Irish team and the IRA need a little less conversation and a little more action.

Portugal vs. N. Ireland
I must admit I haven't been following Group F much lately so I don't know who's actually played each other yet but by the looks of things Russia and Portugal are running away with it. I've got to go for a big Portugal win here; the quality in these respective teams simply isn't the same and it will take another moment of divine power from Ronaldo to open the gates and I'm sure the goals will eventually flood in. 4-0 to A Seleccao, with CR7 to get a brace.

That's your lot for now, in preparation for what promises to be a telling night: in terms of the fortunes of Scotland and Wales's qualifying campaigns, the comfortability of England's seemingly inevitable qualification and Trappattoni's future as Ireland manager.

Can't wait to watch, and even a fool such as I wouldn't miss it. Damn I'm back on Elvis puns...

Gabriel
 

England 5-0 San Marino, Rooney's new role and Strictly Come Dancing

Hi scorers

 

So I was bit gutted there was no football on this afternoon- Saturday evening just hasn’t felt the same. I’d had to resort to watching Strictly Come Dancing with my mum; it’s actually grown on me a bit, love seeing Bruno Taniolli’s rather animated assessment of the acts. He reminds me a bit of the fish character off American Dad for some reason. I’ve got a feeling Flavia and that guy from Hackney will win it from the bits I saw.

 

Anyway, ‘Strictly’ speaking I’m not supposed to talk about dancing shows here.
 

Unfortunately I only caught the England game on TV last night just after Rooney scored England’s third, although I heard from someone that it was 0-0 with half an hour gone which was surprising. But we were always gonna win, really.

From what I saw for most of the second half, on the highlights, and from what the pundits said, San Marino were quite happy to sit back, have all their players behind the ball, and defend. In some ways I can understand why, because they had lost all their last 45 matches, their players do take up other part-time jobs alongside their football and I think they did quite well, in some respects, to keep it down to 5-0 when they lost 11 to Holland recently.

 

Having said that, I did hope that San Marino might have made the game more interesting by going for it a bit. They didn’t really have anything to lose and it was a rare spectacle for their players to enjoy, seems a shame they spent it by just letting us have the ball and damage limitating. If I was in the San Marino team, thank god I’m not, but I’d have wanted to really press England, get in their faces and try to keep possession to frustrate them. That would have made the game interesting but you can’t imagine that the Sammarinese will have gone into the game having all that much confidence.

Whilst we’re on the subject of the England game, I’d like to pootle into the subject of Rooney’s new deeper role in midfield. At Manchester United, the arrival of Robin van Persie has meant Rooney has had to move deeper to make way for him, Hernandez and Welbeck. Whilst I agree in some circumstances his deeper midfield role suits him, it should be at the expense of another poacher striker rather than another central midfielder.

 

 

Last season, pre-Scholes-call-back, Ferguson tried out the potential long-term midfield partnership of Anderson and Cleverley. Anderson tasked with bullishly chasing the ball, always being involved where the action is and trying to win the ball for the team, Tom Cleverley given the role of linking up play and dictating tempo. Neither of these players naturally work as a holding midfielder and so whilst they were capable of putting the opposition under pressure and creating chances, they did look vulnerable to counter-attacks and that put quite a burden on their defence.

 

I’d be slightly worried for United that if Rooney, who is used to playing as a second striker, was employed as a central midfielder then they wouldn’t address their obvious main problem which is a lack of protection for the defence in my opinion. In recent matches Ferguson has played Carrick and Scholes in midfield, great passers, which works against the lower teams when they see more of the ball and can control the tempo, but it backfired against an energetic Tottenham team a few weeks ago because they didn’t have the legs- the implementation of Rooney in midfield might inject them with some tenacity. Having said that, I still think a better balance would be keep Rooney in the hole role and sacrifice one “passer” midfielder i.e. Scholes or Carrick, for one “energy” midfielder i.e. Anderson or Cleverley to give them some more impetus. Having both Cleverley and Anderson in the centre of the park though, means they cover enough ground but lack that player who can help keep the shape of the team, can see a pass, set the tempo and always have time on the ball. They need a balance I think.

For me, Ferguson is in the process of shaping a pretty strong midfield once they get that balance right. A combination of Carrick and Cleverley/Anderson, with Scholes maybe coming on later, would be good in conjunction with Rooney dropping deep to link-up the play in midfield, seeing a lot of the ball, and operating in the channels where he will have more of, and time on, the ball. With Rooney bossing the game, he can spread the play as United have a lot of quality options out wide in Kagawa, Young, Nani and Valencia. If they can combine that midfield, with a bolstered defence in January and van Persie’s goals, I’d back Manchester United to actually catch Chelsea in the title race.

 

I’ve sort of drifted in from talking about the England game to talking about the Manchester United team, I don’t know why but I do feel a bit of a connection to the red devils for some reason. Maybe it’s partly because of their policy with bringing through young players - as opposed to Chelsea and Man City’s success purely based on having a mega-rich chairman - but it’s not like they’ve not splashed the cash on the likes Ferdinand, Veron, Rooney and Berbatov in the last 10 years. I’ve also got a cousin from France who supports them and I took him to watch them play City in the FA Cup just under a year ago, I’ve taken to them a bit ever since. Although Alex Ferguson’s lack of sportsmanship does annoy me at times. I don’t know what it is really.

 

Anyway, thankfully we've now just got a week to go until the big Premiership fixtures next weekend, which I'll have written a preview article for by Thursday night. As a reminder, these games are:

 

Tottenham v Chelsea

Fulham v Aston Villa

Liverpool v Reading

Man Utd v Stoke

Swansea v Wigan

West Brom v Man City

West Ham v Southampton

Norwich v Arsenal

Sunderland v Newcastle

QPR v Everton

 

Some tasty-looking games there. You can send me your predictions for them, and maybe a brief comment on the game, by emailling me at sutton.thescore@gmail.com

or tweeting me: https://twitter.com/_thescore

and I'll put your predictions in.

 

But for now, as we always say on 'the Score'... keep scoring!

 

Cheers,

Gabriel