So here are Dan’s EPL Predictions for the early Xmas fixtures. There are usually a few surprises over this period and we hope Arsenal actually winning a game is one of them! Can we stop the rot at the London Stadium? Dan says no….
Everton 2-2 Chelsea
The weird thing about Everton’s loss in midweek is they actually looked good going forward, you couldn’t accuse them of not fighting for Marco Silva. Yet I have never seen a team defend like the Toffees did, Liverpool time and time again getting in by one direct ball over the top. They have enough coaching staff who love the club like Duncan Ferguson, to ensure a good atmosphere on Saturday but is that enough to make that back 4 better. What’s the betting Everton hire a new manager before Arsenal do?
Bournemouth 0-3 Liverpool
I actually think teams are managing to make chances against Liverpool. The problem is the League Leaders are so good in attack that I think they have defences scared, showing them way too much respect and fear. Eddie Howe’s ethos has never been to park the bus, but they have equally lost their mojo going the other way.
Spurs 3-1 Burnley
I was really shocked by Spurs in midweek in terms of how negative they were. I really thought Jose would want to take the chance to prove a point at Old Trafford but ended up showing too much respect. He will demand a response here.
Watford 0- 0 Palace
Watford always thought that their fondness for changing managers worked because it is based on how many years they have been in the topflight, but my opinion was they did that in spite of some of their harsh sackings. Recruiting so many players, so often from around the world, always meant that if they got themselves into a relegation battle would they have the battling qualities to fight? I still think they can stay up but maybe this time they need to bring in someone who knows this League.
Man City 2-1 Man United
We know there is a huge gap between these two rivals. Yet the fact is City could be 14 behind Liverpool by the time they the Manchester Derby kicks off. That’s a lot of pressure for anyone to cope with. A huge test of the Champions mentality. Just like City to win the big derby though.
Villa 1-1 Leicester
Kind of a derby, I know it will mean a lot to Villa fans to put a dent in Leicester’s title hopes. People need to calm down saying this team is better than their Championship winning squad and remember what an achievement that was. Who’s the Mahrez and Kante of this version of this Foxes team? I think the visitors are due some bad luck.
Newcastle 0-1 Southampton
What a couple of massive wins for Southampton, it is no exaggeration to say that they may have rescued their manager’s job. Bruce also deserves a lot of credit. If Rafa Benítez had their current points tally we be talking about how he’s an expect at getting the best out of a limited group of players. This weekend might be harder for them though because for once they have to handle being favourites.
Norwich 2-1 Sheffield United
There are not too many games where Norwich are encouraged to just go for it. As well as United have done they are still a team who needs to be at their maximum to win football matches. I think the loss to Newcastle might be too much to get over after a few days.
Brighton 1-0 Wolves
Let’s make this clear as bad as Arsenal were on Thursday, Brighton were very good. It took a lot for Graham Potter to make them believe they could go to the Emirates and play. They can take that confidence into this weekend.
West Ham 1-0 Arsenal
Having watched the last few performances how can I make an argument for Arsenal to win any game at the moment? Not just are we not beating the likes of Norwich, Southampton and Brighton, they are outplaying us. At some point, a win will bring back confidence. The Hammers have their days when they don’t show up, and the London Stadium is a big pitch which should suit our attacking players, but at the moment our self-belief is rock bottom.
Dan Smith
What do you think of Dan’s EPL predictions this week?
I’m not expecting our winless run to come to an end. As Dan says, we can’t beat Norwich, Brighton etc.. so why would Monday be any different?
They’re a mess too. Fancy having a 6 pointer with West Ham, to try and get away from the relegation zone?! Who’d have thought it?
I’ll have to root for Leicester….and come on City!! 👊
Is this the 3rd (?) weekend in a row, that Liverpool haven’t been shown live??? 😱 It’s unheard of!!
Watford have Nigel Pearson now, right? 😳
Arsenal simply has to win on Monday. 2-1 to the Gunners! The beginning of something new and fresh! Don’t play David Louis, it would be better to go for a combination of Chambers and Mustafi/Holding/Socrates with Torreira as the DM. Start with KT and AMN, since Belarin does not seem to be in his moods. AMN would also like to prove a point. Start with Martinelli and Pepe to support Auba and let Laca come on later as a sub.
Football requires passion from fans owners and players alike … to the point of irrationality … that doesn’t mean it can’t be mixed with business ethos which is clearly what has happened steadily over last decades with the game but when the game is completely subordinated to the bottom line you can rest assured that problems will follow… we are living proof of that sadly and I suspect that with our detached corporate owner we will not recover anytime soon … a one nil loss seems a reasonable prediction certainly we will concede the question is can ljumberg I still minimum level of passion in team and get the attack going again?
Passion is useless without real actions in the field
Xhaka surprisingly fought hard for the team at the Emirates, so I expect Torreira and him would start again in London Stadium
Mistaking clumsiness for passion is worrying!!! If u saw passion in Xhaka’s performance then u have greater superpowers than most of us … the man is a footballing oaf and a permanent liability … sooner he’s out the sooner we move on …
Lacazette scored and Ozil assisted, so both will play again if they’re fit. I believe Ljungberg would use the diamond formation again, because it was almost successful in Norwich:
……………… Leno
Chambers . Mustafi . Holding . Kolasinac
…………….. Xhaka
…….. Torreira …….. Guendouzi
……………… Ozil
…… Aubameyang ………. Lacazette
However, I don’t think Arsenal would win if Ozil starts. All Gunners have to play their hearts out, not just acting with dives, cheats, pretentious gestures and flowery words
Bro, we’re going down,down,down,
Have become a joke of the town.
Just fired our coach/manager,
Thinking results would get better.
Blame the ref, blame the VAR,
For our results turning sour.
Players are world class, no problem child,
Then why are the results going wacky n wild?
The writing has been on the wall,
Fearing the dreaded fall.
Hope not another Forest or Leeds,
For Arsenal my old heart bleeds.
Imagine when the championship clubs are seeing us as a big scalp and they’re all up for it and every man’s putting in the hard yards …down down deeper and down. At least Nketiah will have a little championship experience, we might need to hold onto Elneny for the time being, also Bielsa might be the guy we need. From the Invincibles …to the Unbelievables.
Why not give Emil Smith Rowe and Rice Nelson a chance sometime in the game? Also hopefully Freddie should start with Martinelli, the kid simply gives his 100% for the shirt. Also, heard that a young Nigerian defender, Toby was training with the senior team during the Brighton game. Time the youngsters took up from the senior players, they will show greater passion, determination and commitment to the cause, as compared to the overpaid, lazy so called senior players. What Arsenal need now is to show the fight. I also think Xhaka played well in the last 2 games, unlike his performances during Emery’s time.
If i were the manager, i will drop ozil and play lacazete as 10 and pair Auba with mertinelli in the attack.
No amount of defence rotation can prevent us from conceeding goals. All our defenders are absolute rubbish.
We should make efforts to score a minimum of three goals in all our subsequent games.
Just out score your opponents and forget about the fragile defence.
Most time in foot ball, the best form of defence is attack.
Desperate situations require desperate measures. This is a desperate time at AFC.
I will also include luize in the dm and drop slow xakha.