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?