West Ham 0-1 Man United
Man United are starting to remind me of us from last season, always one defeat away from a crisis. Fans are taking Pogba’s side as he’s campaigning for the attacking football they crave, but if a Sir Alex Ferguson never allowed Roy Keane to publicly criticise his tactics, then Jose Mourinho is not going to be undermined by a player who has yet to justify his price tag – World Cup winner or not. The bigger picture though is why do so many talented individuals seem to be unhappy at Old Trafford? This is a man quick to pat himself on the back when things go well so the same applies when he questions his men’s attitude.
The Hammers seemed to accept playing for a 0-0 draw at home last Sunday. Maybe they got over playing the ‘West Ham Way’? Parking the bus again would be a mistake.
Arsenal 2-1 Watford
We have managed to win six on the trot without playing well, which will help us mentally, more then if we had won each fixture comfortably. Any gooners worried that our footballing values left with Arsene Wenger would’ve been comforted by our second goal against Brentford. Leno built the attack which is what Uni Emery is trying to teach but he’s also made us more resilient. Troy Deeney has a history of banter with us, the Watford striker is always confident he can bully our centre backs. At the moment something exists where even if he were to succeed, we seem to find a way to get over the line.
Everton 2-2 Fulham
If you offerd Marco Silva for his side to play every week how they did at the Emirates he would bite your hand off. Ultimately though the Toffees lack quality in both boxes, making it hard to deliver consistency. The quicker Mina makes his debut the better. I’m assuming they knew the extent of his injury ?
Huddersfield 0-3 Spurs
Spurs’s win at Brighton might prove crucial. It stopped the rot and put the attention on other struggling managers for a week. Apparently Daniel Levy has given assurences that the stadium will be ready for the new year, although that’s the third time he’s changed the deadline. Something tells me he promised Ponchettino building the new structure wouldn’t impact transfer activity either? If you could pick an away fixture it would be Huddersfield who are struggling to recapture the magic of their last campaign.
Man City 5-0 Brighton
I said being complacent In the Champions Leauge would only help refocus their minds to make sure the same does not undermine their title defence. That was the most complete 90 minutes of the season by the Champions last Saturday. While Brighton are more organised then Cardiff, they won’t cope If City hit those levels. While we all want more British talent to be given more minutes, comparing Phil Foden to Iniesta due to a goal at Oxford is insulting to everything the Spaniard ever did in the game. And we wonder why English players act like they’re stars before actually doing anything?
Newcastle 0-2 Leicester
The release of Kevin Keegan’s autobiography is timely for Rafa Benitez as it’s another reminder to the world what an incompetent owner Mike Ashley is. None the less the Toon Army must be tiring of their manager hiding behind that. A lack of spending does not explain why Newcastle continue to be set up so negative. Before I can start predicting they win games, I need to see some ambition.
Wolves 3-0 Saints
It’s very rare for a newly promoted team to go to Old Trafford and show so much belief. If anything 1-1 flattered Man United. It highlights the ambition of the club who have recruited talent who have the bravery to go to the Theatre of Dreams and control possession. This is a unit with higher aims then avoiding relegation and I can see them getting many scalps this year.
Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
If Liverpool win at the Bridge, they won’t care about exiting the Carabo Cup. Originally I thought their League Cup tie would have little bearing on what happens when they meet In the Premiership but that was only until Hazard came off the bench at Anfield to cement his status as the inform player in this country. I can see the Belgian making the difference again. Should he have got into Fifa’s best 11 ahead of Salah? No but then how is any goal better then an overhead bicycle kick in a Champions League Final? That just shows you how much knowledge the games governing body has.
Sunday
Cardiff 0-2 Burnley
Is another sporting event happening this Sunday which has made Sky Sports not bother to compete for ratings?
Why else would they choose this as their solve offer for Super Sunday? Neil Warnock was able to laugh off a 5-0 loss to Man City but will know he needs to win this type of clash if the Welsh side are to have a chance of staying up. Even though 4-0 flattered them, the quicker Burnley got a win on the board the better and Sean Dyche will feel they will now go back to their old standards. He will match Cardiff for work rate and organisation but boasts that extra quality in the final third.
Monday
Cherries 3-1 Palace
Eddie Howe has worked with the same core group of players for years so he won’t allow a 4-0 loss to undermine the positives. The advantage of continuity is he won’t get carried away after a heavy loss, knowing from experience his men will come out the other side. Roy Hodgson felt Zaha’s quiet display last weekend was the result of the ongoing ‘is he being protected debate’. I’m surprised someone so experienced would jump on the bandwagon instead of having a private word with his star man. By putting a spotlight on every tackle he receives does not help improve his game.