Dan’s EPL Predictions WK14- Arsenal to benefit from Freddie Effect and win away?

Here are this week’s predictions from Dan. Usually he predicts Arsenal to drop points away from home (and to be fair he has usually been right!), but does he think things will be different this time around, thanks to the Freddie Effect?

Read on….

Newcastle 0-2 Man City
At 1-0 down to Chelsea, the Champions were heading to be a massive 12 points behind Liverpool, so they showed great mental strength to win in the end. A chance to close that gap to 6 (if only for a few hours) will be enough to ward off any complacency. Rafa Benitez was famously negative in this fixture when he was the Toon boss and I can see no different from Steve Bruce today.

Burnley 1-1 Crystal Palace
Palace should have got something against Liverpool and will hope after his first goal of the season Zaha is back to his best. The problem with the Eagles is consistency. They have the individual talent and physicality to match the home side.

Chelsea 2-0 West Ham
Over the years, even really poor West Ham teams were motivated for games against Spurs and Chelsea, as they knew what it meant to their supporters. To be so easy to beat last Saturday in a game that is so special to every Hammer is criminal. If they play like that at the Bridge, they will get well beaten.

Liverpool 3-0 Brighton
With a hectic fixture schedule ahead, this is an ideal game. Liverpool can overpower Brighton and then take their foot off the pedal. A lot been made of how often they have to play in December, but managers are too protective of their players, making it sound impossible to play every few days when that has been going on for years.

Let’s be honest, their trip for the Club World Cup is a Mickey Mouse trophy designed as a marketing opportunity for those involved. If Klopp was that worried about his players welfare, he could have pulled out of the domestic cups like Man United did in 2000.

For the record, even without the congestion, he still fielded weak teams in last season’s League and FA Cup. It’s funny how burn out isn’t an issue when clubs spend their summers touring round the world, something they will do more of if a big winter break is introduced.

Spurs 3-1 Cherries
If West Ham was an ideal first away game for Jose, he maybe would have picked the Cherries as an ideal first home game in the League. He knows they will try and play and haven’t got that physical edge to park the bus. Eddie Howe switched to a back 5 last weekend in a bid to rediscover form. It is always worrying when a manager gets to the end of November and starts playing around with his formation.

Saints 2-0 Watford
Massive game, you would really worry about whoever lost this. I thought Watford had turned the corner with their win at Norwich, but the manner of their defeats since puts their confidence back to square one. It’s hard not to compare their confidence with the Saints who had the chance to kill off Arsenal, albeit the pressure is on them this weekend. I think Watford have better players, but you can’t rely on them to battle at the moment.

Norwich 1-2 Arsenal
Given how many awful away performances we have produced in the last couple of years, it’s hard to make a fair case for usbut we need the FreddieEffect to come into play. Apart from in terms of defending, Norwich really are out of depth at this level. Freddie just needs to not over complicate things. Sometimes it’s as simple as put out your best attacking talent and let them win you the game.

Wolves 1-1 Sheffield United
I always back Wolves to drop points after Europe as they don’t have the squad to cope. Plus, Sheffield United are no mugs, not a team you want to be giving a week to prepare while you’re travelling to Portugal.

Leicester 2-1 Everton
Silva is now hanging on game by game. I think there is no stay of execution for the Toffees Boss. To get a result at the King Power, you need a strong mentality, which I’m not sure every Everton player has.

Man United 1-0 Villa
Another example of where the fear factor is gone at Old Trafford. I expect United just to have enough to grind out a win, it won’t be exciting, it will be workman-like, won maybe by a moment of magic. That is pretty much where they are at the moment.

8 Comments

  1. Leno
    Bellerin Chambers Holding Tierney
    Torreira Willock
    Pepe Ozil Auba/Saka/Martinelli
    Laca/Auba

    Changes:
    Want to see Chambers given a go at CB and Tierney to start.

    Want Torreira to stay at DM + Willock was a bull under Freddie in the U23 and want to see him progress to the next stage. Both offer energy in the middle.

    Pepe on wing while the team plays free-flowing football + Ozil at CAM and one of Saka/Martinelli Auba on the other wing.

  2. I wish best to Eddie but upon:

    1) Team formation: lock that center defensive area in 4-1 system with Chambers or Luiz infront or defense or CB.

    2) His hability to simply do what he does at Academy; play Arsenal football: quick, passing, possession, pressing!

    Once this CD area is locked, it opens up many options in middle and attack, I like Niles for his speed play and going forward, with Bellerin doing so as much as Nelson will defend, this wing is a real nightmare both to defend or to attack. Same on left side, on fire; also have option to play Saka instead of Nelson, Auba as RW. Both flanks making effort to defend and press.

    3) Pepe : to play him over Nelson or Saka would be for his price tag, both youngsters offers more, by defending and pressing which is key in EPL and football. Or, we will see what often seen, RB obliged to deal with 2 players with Pepe is nowhere around, RB gets blame then & ‘average’ game’s rating.

    Let’s see if Freddie will do what Wenger would, bench Pepe for a youngster at start or at least at 60th to 70th minutes.

    My team knowing Luiz should be resting…

    Leno
    Bellerin – Mustafi Holding – Tierny
    Chambers
    Niles Willock
    Ozil

    Nelson Laca Auba

  3. I think Freddie with go with something like:

    ……………………………..Leno(GK)

    Bellerin(RB)……….Chambers/Mustafi(CB)………Holding(CB)…………Tierney(LB)

    ………..Ozil(CM)…………..Torreira(CM)…………..Xhaka(CM)

    …………………………….Willock(AM)

    …………… Pepe/Martinelli(RW)

    ……………………………Auba/Laca(CF)

    He once picked his dream team XI so I just tried to fit that according to the similar players we have. Lol

  4. I think Freddie will play the Arsenal way of fearless attacking football and hope this is the beginning of something new and fresh. By the way, whatever be the formation, I hope he plays Torreira to protect the back four.

  5. Is Socratis injured? I only ask because I see you’ve ALL named line ups without him. Fair play to you if he’s isn’t injured and you’ve just identified what UE was unable to do. The fella is an utter donkey and removing him from the equation greatly improves our chances of a decent defensive performance. If we don’t concede we can’t lose. That’s where improvement is needed. The rest will follow as a consequence

  6. If Freddie leaves out Sokratis, Mustafi(injured anyway ) Xhaka and Luiz – and puts them all in the rubbish bin where they all belong – he will earn our everlasting gratitude from the start. Hopefully the nearest circus will want them and pay us what they are collectively worth. Fourpence! These sham so called Arsenal standard players are a sick joke and must be gone ASAP.

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors