This week feels like I could be well off the mark on many fronts. I’ve not been keeping in touch with the news as I should being busy spending too much time outside getting sun. I feel like maybe a little over-exposure has me making the wrong choices. I feel like a drunk guy accidentally walking into a brothel – pretty sure that every decision is a bad one.
| 30-Aug-14 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Burnley | 1-2 | Manchester United |
| West Ham | 0-3 | Southampton |
| Swansea City | 2-2 | West Bromwich Albion |
| Newcastle United | 1-1 | Crystal Palace |
| Manchester City | 2-0 | Stoke City |
| QPR | 0-1 | Sunderland |
| Everton | 1-2 | Chelsea |
Manchester United are not good and now they’re 60 million pounds poorer and not much better. Money should have been spent shoring up a team and building some stability. Not enough quality with pace – RVP and Rooney don’t have the burst. Ashley Young continues to be a liability and poor old Danny Welbeck and Juan Mata must be wondering where their careers are going (while Cleverly must still be wondering how his career is even still around. Welbeck deserves a move to become a first eleven player but with an unwillingness to sell him to a Top 6 team (which is really any one of about 9 teams) and everyone below that not able to afford his 80,000 a week salary it looks like Danny will see more bench time. Mata, I feel for you.. you knew when to fold them at Chelsea but the next hand you’re drawing dead. Burnley, not good enough though and the United will finally win.
Southampton are not great, they’re certainly not 3-0 away from home great, but I want West Ham to be 3-0 at home bad.
It’s a theme. I like the Albion, I really do. I have had a soft spot for them since big Cyrill was their best player. I always have them playing great football in my mind, able to score but then conceding. Looking back over the last couple of seasons of picks I probably have them drawing 2-2 every week. Odds are I’m going to get it right at least once.
Newcastle are the team that you never know who might show. They are simultaneously fun and exciting, and piss poor. Neil Warnock is in the euphemistically titled “technical area” – which basically means shouting box for the northerner. It is also that area that Pardew should continue to stay away from. Both teams are hit and miss, both managers are hit and sometimes connect…. but both are overrated. Don’t expect either to last the season but my gamble for the week: Warnock to be gone by Christmas. Fairly fun draw will be had.
After a good win against the Liverpool (a team with higher hopes than they’ve had since … wow, it’s been that long….) the team from Manchester can be expected to put in a dire performance and not win. Against Stoke, I fully see the dire performance happening – luckily, it’s Stoke and that’s still good enough for a 3 pointer. These are the games that will make the difference at the end of the year (sorry, I need on sports cliche per week to be taken seriously).
A good start to the season will see Sunderland avoiding the need for late season magic again. QPR should enable anyone playing them a small contribution to that good start – who saw Spurs top of the table? Still, it will not be as easy for the stripes as it was for the Y*d Army last week.
I really want Everton to win against Chelsea. I really want Lukaku to score a great pair of goals and run around shirt off pumping his chest in front of the chosen one. I also want Watford to be consistent, Manchester City and Liverpool to get a typical Chelsea draw in the Champions league and it’s not going to happen. Hate that Chelsea will win but they will win.
| 31-Aug-14 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 1-2 | Hull City |
| Tottenham Hotspurs | 2-1 | Liverpool |
| Leicester City | 1-3 | Arsenal |
I will continue to pick against Aston Villa until it becomes clear they are not as bad as I want them to be. I will continue to overrate Hull until they prove that they are worse.
So this week will see the key fixture be held in London as Spurs host Liverpool. It’s early season but these are the games that will make the difference at the end of they year (recycling cliches is efficient). I think Liverpool are still looking for that edge, that confident spark they had last year. Finding it against the new Spurs team will be difficult. Two of the best managers in the league right now will make this an interesting discussion on tactics but it’s the 11 on the field that make the difference. In this game it will be Lloris making saves and Adebayor showing up. The result will be in the favour of the home team despite a mostly dominating performance by the Liverpool midfield – who will once again fail to capitalise on possession. It’s goals that win…. missing Suarez? That will be the question asked even though Sturridge nets yet another.
Leicester at home is a good fixture for anyone looking for an away win. Arsenal have been hit or miss this year but Alexis (he’s called that now?) scored midweek so maybe he might be better than a new Theo. Expect Ramsay to be on form again. Domination has everyone talking about a possible London 1-2-3 in Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs (conveniently forgetting Man City and a Liverpool team that will make up ground).
Bet of the Week: Warnock to be fired by Christmas. West Brom to finally draw 2-2. Check Paddy Power for odds.
My apologies for lousy picks this week! Should have stuck with my instincts with City and United.
Full spuds mode today….or…
Liverpool making a statement ?
That was a statement of intent from the Redmen! Swatting aside the Spuds with consumate ease will make other pretenders to the title realize that under Brendan Rodgers this Liverpool team (still trying to ease in their new signings) will be making some serious noise come the business end. Don’t be in a hurry to rule anything out just yet. Chelsea may be favourites, and City are the defending champions, but the Liverpool team is filled with hungry players.