Dan’s EPL Pedictions – Can Arsenal beat West Ham as Man City keep closing in?

I think some Gooners were humbled last weekend realising that Anfield is not an easy place to win at after all!

Talk of us ‘bottling it’ is an overreaction.

We have won 7 and drawn 1 out of our last 8 league games. That’s not bottling it, it’s simply a reflection of the standards Man City have set, where even a draw seems the end of the world.

Our destiny is still in our own hands.

Yes, we might have to get a result at the Etihad but anything worthwhile is not meant to be easy.

Villa 1-2 Newcastle

Two in-form teams with dreams of being in Europe next season.

Newcastle has resilience that I haven’t associated with them for years.

So normally I would say they wouldn’t have the stomach for a red-hot Villa Park, but now I see them coming from behind to win.

Chelsea 1-1 Brighton

Have we reached the point where Brighton are favourites to win at the Bridge?

I thought there be a manager bounce with Lampard, to the point where I changed my mind last weekend in who would win at Wolves.

Yet again Chelsea just played safe, like individuals, no one overlapping, making crazy runs, no one taking on their man, etc.

Frank might be tempted to rotate his squad with the CL 2nd leg in mind because domestically he’s got nothing to play for.

I was going for an away win, but on law of averages Chelsea are due some luck in the final third.

Speaking of luck, how unlucky were Brighton last week with VAR?

Everton 1-0 Fulham

As expected, Sean Dyche has organised Everton and made them hard to beat at Goodison.

Outside of Leicester, you would probably pick Fulham as ideal opponents.

One of the few clubs whose League position is such where their players can be accused of ‘being on the beach’.

Lost their last 5 and simply don’t need the points as much as the Toffees do.

Saints 2-3 Palace

What’s happened to Roy Hodgson?

Palace rightfully thought they were rehiring a manager who knows how to organise a team and make them hard to beat.

They were accepting that the Eagles were going to grind and scrap their way to survival.

Yet at 75 he’s decided to try something different and set out his team to be attacking.

They got the players to do exactly that!

Spurs 3-1 Cherries

With Kane and Son, Spurs are always capable of winning without playing well.

That was the case last weekend and might be the same this week.

Bourenmouth’s fate won’t be decided by these fixtures but when they play the sides around them.

Wolves 1-0 Brentford

You can never rely on Wolves to create enough chances.

The few they make, can they take?

I’ll go for a home win simply because Wolves need the points more than a Brentford side who have gone off the boil slightly.

Man City 5-0 Leicester

Arsenal had hopes that Man City being in other competitions might distract them.

Yet if the champions could hand pick an opponent to be sandwiched between their Champions League QFinals it probably would be Leicester City at the Etihad.

Unless their owners had clear evidence that he had lost the dressing room I don’t get why they didn’t stick with Brendan Rodgers if their alternative was Dean Smith!

When you look at the impact Sean Dyche and Roy Hodgson have had at their new clubs, it shows that relegation could be decided by who acted decisively and with a proper action plan.

It’s a fixture which allow the Foxes to employ an old school tactics and have Jamie Vardy hitting City on the break (they have had success doing that before) but I think that’s wishful thinking on my part?

What’s worrying is not just are Pep Guardiola’s men dealing with the pressure; they seem to be so relaxed and enjoying their football.

West Ham 1-2 Arsenal

Again, the fixture list hasn’t been kind in terms of we play after Man City.

If things go to form on Saturday, we will kick off at the London Stadium with our gap at the top of the table reduced to three points.

I think West Ham are a poor team, but this is still a Derby, and the Hammers may have defensively found some confidence, with the two clean sheets they recorded in their last three league matches.

That’s all David Moyes will do though. He will park the bus and only try to be a threat by the occasional set piece. A conservative approach which is why he’s not wanted by the majority of Irons supporters. He’s not the type of coach to let the handbrake off.

It means as long as we don’t let the pressure of the title race get to us and do the basics right, we should be okay.

I think we will make this nervier than it has to be, but will get over the line.

Forest 1-0 Man United

My upset of the weekend because Man United have it in them simply not to show up and have the correct attitude, and at the City Ground you need to be willing to battle.

For a side 18th in the table, Forest’s recent home record is decent.

The quicker Rashford returns will decide how many cups United win.

Leeds 2-2 Liverpool

Last Sunday summed up this Liverpool side perfectly.

Outplayed in the first half, they found energy in the second half, crossing the ball in at every opportunity.

Their issue is they can no longer maintain that tempo for an entire 90 minutes.

Leeds will make chances against the visitors, but their issue is they concede too many chances.

Dan Smith

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