Matchday 3 – September 26, 2020

Some updates to the format. I’m still tweaking it but I want to do analysis each week and make it easy and quick enough that I can find something amusing as an aside!

I’ve added the latest five results for each team with the most recent on the left. An underline means the result was away from home. This only considers Premier League games.

I’ve also added the last results between the teams where they apply. Next up a page that shows picks and points so you all know exactly how you are doing!

Your Comments

AA: “Goals goals goals! (hopefully)”
Seems to be the way this year so far. I am finding it hard to watch the games. The space, the timing, the intensity is all off. A lot of players seem to be able to just dribble up the middle and into chances with only a modicum of effort.

ME: “Surely we cannot get another week of high scores… so I have kept everybody on no more than two goals….except for Man Pretty and Spurs. Highlight is Liverpool and Arsenal and i expect the home team to win but only just. I can’t see Fulham posing a threat to anyone this year and they will lose to Villa who could end up a middle table side this year (I’ll probably regret saying this in a few weeks) Not much else to say this week.”
Of course, Spurs. Off course, Spurs. I don’t think Aston Villa were bad last year – they lost McGinn for a big portion of the season which hurt them.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Brighton and Hove Albion

WL

0-2
Manchester United

L

Brighton and Hove Albion 0-3 Manchester United, 30 Jun 2020
Manchester United 3-1 Brighton and Hove Albion, 10 Nov 2019
Manchester United 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion, 19 Jan 2019
Brighton and Hove Albion 3-2 Manchester United, 19 Aug 2018
Brighton and Hove Albion 1-0 Manchester United, 04 May 2018

It’s hard to see Manchester losing to Brighton who I have pegged to be a bottom dweller. The highest paid player in the league is the goalkeeper so he’ll be keen on a clean sheet.

 

Burnley

L

2-1
Southampton

LL

Southampton 1-2 Burnley, 15 Feb 2020
Burnley 3-0 Southampton, 10 Aug 2019
Burnley 1-1 Southampton, 02 Feb 2019
Southampton 0-0 Burnley, 12 Aug 2018
Burnley 1-1 Southampton, 24 Feb 2018

Both teams cannot continue to lose. Southampton had a great run in the second half of the season but have started poorly. I tossed a coin and I got two heads and a tail.

 

Crystal Palace

WW

1-1
Everton

WW

Everton 3-1 Crystal Palace, 08 Feb 2020
Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton, 10 Aug 2019
Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton, 27 Apr 2019
Everton 2-0 Crystal Palace, 21 Oct 2018
Everton 3-1 Crystal Palace, 10 Feb 2018

Both teams cannot continue to win! I tossed a coin and I got one head and one tail and the last one rolled under the couch and I couldn’t see what it showed.

 

Fulham

LL

1-2
Aston Villa

W

Aston Villa 0-1 Fulham, 26 May 2018
Fulham 2-0 Aston Villa, 17 Feb 2018
Aston Villa 2-1 Fulham, 21 Oct 2017

I have Fulham really struggling to stay up this year.  I tossed a virtual coin because the last one is under the couch and it landed heads once and tails twice.

 

Liverpool

WW

3-1
Arsenal

WW

Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool, 15 Jul 2020
Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal, 24 Aug 2019
Liverpool 5-1 Arsenal, 29 Dec 2018
Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool, 03 Nov 2018
Arsenal 3-3 Liverpool, 22 Dec 2017

Arsenal are much improved under Arteta but they still have David Luiz and that’s worth at least a goal for Liverpool. Auba will always be able to put one in but I just see Xhaka seeing red or doing something daft.

 

Manchester City

W

3-1
Leicester City

WW

Leicester City 0-1 Manchester City, 22 Feb 2020
Manchester City 3-1 Leicester City, 21 Dec 2019
Manchester City 1-0 Leicester City, 06 May 2019
Leicester City 2-1 Manchester City, 26 Dec 2018
Manchester City 5-1 Leicester City, 10 Feb 2018

Still not sold on Leicester getting over there end of season collapse. I’m not sold on Man City being good enough to win the title either.

 

Sheffield United

LL

3-4
Leeds United

WL

Leeds United 0-1 Sheffield United, 16 Mar 2019
Sheffield United 0-1 Leeds United, 01 Dec 2018
Sheffield United 2-1 Leeds United, 10 Feb 2018
Leeds United 1-2 Sheffield United, 27 Oct 2017

All league games featuring Leeds will finish 4-3 this year. Bit of a derby so I expect to see each team end with one less player at the end of the game than the number they had at the start of the game.

 

Tottenham Hotspur

WL

2-1
Newcastle

LW

Newcastle 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur, 15 Jul 2020
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Newcastle, 25 Aug 2019
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Newcastle, 02 Feb 2019
Newcastle 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur, 11 Aug 2018
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Newcastle, 09 May 2018

Jose will get his team more and more organized. Gareth Bale will score two. Of course he will. That way he can underachieve for the rest of the year but still talk about his two spectacular goals on his homecoming. It’s how he works – what did he do other than a crazy overhead bicycle kick in the Champions League final?

 

West Bromwich Albion

LL

0-3
Chelsea

LW

Chelsea 3-0 West Bromwich Albion, 12 Feb 2018
West Bromwich Albion 0-4 Chelsea, 18 Nov 2017
West Bromwich Albion 0-1 Chelsea, 12 May 2017
Chelsea 1-0 West Bromwich Albion, 11 Dec 2016

I fancy West Brom to start the season with a number of losses and then spend an entire two thirds of the season trying to make up for it. Chelsea are way too good.

 

West Ham United

LL

1-1
Wolverhampton

LW

West Ham United 0-2 Wolverhampton, 20 Jun 2020
Wolverhampton 2-0 West Ham United, 04 Dec 2019
Wolverhampton 3-0 West Ham United, 29 Jan 2019
West Ham United 0-1 Wolverhampton, 01 Sep 2018

Wolves own West Ham but this is the team managed by the dynamic David Moyes. David Moyes, the only man capable of replacing Sir Alex. A draw sounds about right.

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